I just mix all the powders together, I dont bother with the liquid version.
in response to washing soda, I couldnt find it for the longest time either and I did use baking soda instead for months.
when I finally found some washing soda (at our air force base commissary) I have not noticed a difference.
but as you can see from my previous post to the original question, I now use both washing soda and baking soda, as both have laundry boosting qualities. Washing soda also is sold under the name of "Soda Ash" and can be found in pool supply stores or pool supply sections in department stores. So you could try looking for it under that name. I've also read you can MAKE washing soda by BAKING baking soda... I simply didnt care enough to go through that much trouble myself, but just throwing that out there.. I bet you could search for how to do it if you really wanted to.
another option if you really cant find washing soda and dont want to try anything else, you could buy regular powdered detergent, and use the other ingredients you have to stretch it out, then you would still be saving some money, and enjoying using something that is at least partly home made.
and in response to another question about how to avoid build up on your laundry, exclude the soap. Its the fat in the soap that builds up over time. In any case, I like to keep the grated soap to a minimum, just to be on the safe side.
I think a mixture of baking soda, washing soda, borax and sun oxygen cleaner (oxyclean) would do just fine without the grated soap, just a thought.
and I too use vinegar as my fabric softener, great stuff. It helps with the ph balance too after using the homemade detergent.
Lastly, (off topic) did you know you can use basically the same recipe for dishwasher detergent? I believe its something like mixing borax with washing soda. you could just google it. some people find it doesnt get the dishes sparkling clean, and I personally found that it worked best if I mixed it with some regular powdered dishwasher detergent. Just adding a little bit of real detergent to the washing soda and borax made it work fantastic and its what we use all the time. I bought seventh generation, and have stretched the one box for a loong time.
in response to washing soda, I couldnt find it for the longest time either and I did use baking soda instead for months.
when I finally found some washing soda (at our air force base commissary) I have not noticed a difference.
but as you can see from my previous post to the original question, I now use both washing soda and baking soda, as both have laundry boosting qualities. Washing soda also is sold under the name of "Soda Ash" and can be found in pool supply stores or pool supply sections in department stores. So you could try looking for it under that name. I've also read you can MAKE washing soda by BAKING baking soda... I simply didnt care enough to go through that much trouble myself, but just throwing that out there.. I bet you could search for how to do it if you really wanted to.
another option if you really cant find washing soda and dont want to try anything else, you could buy regular powdered detergent, and use the other ingredients you have to stretch it out, then you would still be saving some money, and enjoying using something that is at least partly home made.
and in response to another question about how to avoid build up on your laundry, exclude the soap. Its the fat in the soap that builds up over time. In any case, I like to keep the grated soap to a minimum, just to be on the safe side.
I think a mixture of baking soda, washing soda, borax and sun oxygen cleaner (oxyclean) would do just fine without the grated soap, just a thought.
and I too use vinegar as my fabric softener, great stuff. It helps with the ph balance too after using the homemade detergent.
Lastly, (off topic) did you know you can use basically the same recipe for dishwasher detergent? I believe its something like mixing borax with washing soda. you could just google it. some people find it doesnt get the dishes sparkling clean, and I personally found that it worked best if I mixed it with some regular powdered dishwasher detergent. Just adding a little bit of real detergent to the washing soda and borax made it work fantastic and its what we use all the time. I bought seventh generation, and have stretched the one box for a loong time.
I don't know if this worked at all. I'm so bummed. It did smell fresh coming out of the wash machine.
They may seem dingy because of too much soap, I know that happened with my cloth diapers alot.
So is there a dispenser you use?
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