Another Homemade Venture - Laundry Detergent

[Yooper]

This recipe calls for both washing soda and baking soda:

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #9

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)

* Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
* Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

We have the Borax, washing soda, and Zote soap.

This is the website we are using for recipes: http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/

Oh, gotcha. Sorry for the misunderstanding! I have very hard water, so I guess I wouldn't need baking soda anyway.

My "recipe" is 1/2 bar of fels naptha (or other soap), 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup borax. I grated the soap in the food processor and store it in a quart mason jar. I use a coffee scoop, as it's 1 tablespoon, per load unless it's a huge load and/or really dirty.

 

[azscoob]

I think I will be giving the dish detergent and the powdered laundry soap a try, I have been having issues with my dishes lately having a white powder on them, after adding a splash of vinegar to the dishwasher before running, the problem is resolved, I love the idea of using white vinegar in lieu of jet-dry in the rinse agent thingy and should clear up that powder without any additional fussing.

As usual, this forum never ceases to impress me!!

 

[mr_goodwrench]

Whipped up a batch of the powdered detergent yesterday. We have washed 2 loads so far with it and are very happy with the results. Paid less for the Fels Naptha, Borax and Arm & Hammer than we did for our last bottle of Target brand liquid. We have enough dishwasher detergent to last for a couple months but will give that a shot once that is exhausted.

 

[dataz722]

Funny this thread should come up. I made some last night. We have been making our own for probably about a year and haven't had any issues at all. I have gotten it down that I can make enough to last about 2 months in about 5 minutes. I make the powdered version.

 

[dataz722]

I just figured I would update this again to see if any of you are still sticking with it or have tweaked it at all. I have found that 2 4.5oz bars of ivory and 2 cups each of borax and washing soda works the best and lasts about 2 to 3 months for us.

 

[lschiavo]

I just figured I would update this again to see if any of you are still sticking with it or have tweaked it at all. I have found that 2 4.5oz bars of ivory and 2 cups each of borax and washing soda works the best and lasts about 2 to 3 months for us.

I made a few batches and quit. Thanks for the reminder

 

[glenn514]

I've been making two gallons at a time, and reusing some empty orange juice bottles for storage.

We had to buy a new washer. The fifteen year old Kenmore died [the previous Maytag lasted for twenty-five years!!!]. We bought a Samsung high efficiency front-loader. Since there are NO phosphates in the homemade detergent, it is still OK to use it in the new machine. So far, no problems...and clean clothes!

glenn514

 

[Yooper]

Just like everything I do, making the laundry detergent snowballed!

I started making the dry laundry detergent (same recipe, but without water) and LOVED it. It costs about $1/month now for detergent. That led to soapmaking which is great, but NOT cheap.

Now, Bob wants me to make all of our own cleaning products and even shampoo. I swear that every little hobby is even more addicting than brewing!

I'm still doing this! I'm making dry laundry detergent (don't like the liquid) as well as dishwashing detergent and soap and shampoo soap. I've branched into homemade body butters, salves, and creams, along with bath salts and bath "fizzies".

I decided to go further with the laundry soap, and start by making my own laundry soap bars that I'll grate and then mix with borax and washing soda.

 

[philrose]

Somewhat off topic

I bought some carboys off a guy recently who swore by super washing soda to clean them, makes me wonder if I should just have the stuff around for random cleaning jobs...

 

[lustreking]

I just figured I would update this again to see if any of you are still sticking with it or have tweaked it at all. I have found that 2 4.5oz bars of ivory and 2 cups each of borax and washing soda works the best and lasts about 2 to 3 months for us.

I guess I've been making this for almost two years now. I make around 3 gallons of the liquid detergent at a time, using fels naptha. I finally wised-up and bought a couple bars at a time and ran them through the food processor to shred them, rather than doing a half a bar at a time by hand for each batch.

I've found that the more slowly it cools and the more I stir as it's cooling, the less separation I have. When I started making it, after I was finished, I would take it and put it on the concrete basement floor and stir it once a day or so with a paint mixer drill attachment. Now I leave it on the kitchen counter and give it a stir with a spoon whenever I walk past it.

I also make my own fabric softener. This looks, smells, and works just like the "real stuff"

1 bottle hair conditioner (I think it might be 18 oz from the dollar tree)
3 cups white vinegar
6 cups warm water.

Gently stir it to mix (I tried shaking it once and it foamed up and never subsided) and use as you would commercial liquid fabric softener.

I personally just use vinegar (the clothes don't smell after they dry), but my wife is very happy with this stuff.

 

[bmckee56]

It has been some time since I checked in on my own thread, so forgive me. I have not made any of the liquid detergent recently however a few of my friends who originally were skeptical about homemade have tried it and found it works quite well. It is funny how times have changed me over the years. I remember the days when making something myself seemed so silly and useless but in the last 10 years, I have learned how to make so many neat and needed things. Many of my friends thought I was nutty but they all come a runnin when I start making my homemade stuff, cause they know it is good, better and best compared to much of the commercially available stuff out there.

I now make my own Beer, Wine, Detergent Canned Foods, Jerky, Dog Treats and oh so much more.

Salute!

 

[Homercidal]

Mmm... Dog Jerky....

 

[glenn514]

I've been making my own laundry detergent since this thread began, back in April 2010. About a year ago, our top-loading Sears Kenmore quit, so we bought a new front-loading Samsung. The very same laundry detergent I made for the old machine works just fine in the new one. Apparently, front-loaders can't handle detergents that create lots of suds. My detergent doesn't.

glenn514

 

[lustreking]

I've been making my own detergent since the thread began, but a couple months ago, I found a new recipe. It's faster to make, doesn't require grating, and doesn't gel up and separate.

6 Tbsp Borax
6 Tbsp Washing soda

Heat in about a quart of water until fully dissolved
Add cold water to 1 gallon and stir in:

4 Tbsp liquid dish soap (I've been using Gain)


I use about 1/4 cup per load in a top loading washer. It is much thinner than the stuff I used to make, so pour slowly. I use a dispenser style laundry detergent jug with the vent cap tightly closed.

This is based on what I found here, but twice as concentrated:
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/no-grate-homemade-laundry-soap.html