Making vs Buying Soap - Page 2

[MittensKittens]

So, how do you make your own laundry detergent? Sorry if this is off topic but I would be really interested in recipes!

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by MittensKittens

So, how do you make your own laundry detergent? Sorry if this is off topic but I would be really interested in recipes!

Liquid or Powder? Regular or for cloth diapers?

REGULAR Powder detergent.

1 bar soap (Ivory, Fels Naptha, Zote, Kirk's Castille, Irish Spring, whatever), grated very fine (use both the shredder & the cutting blade in a food processor until very fine)
3 cups borax
3 cups washing soda
3 cups baking soda (only if you have soft water, baking soda would dilute the formula too much for hard water--you can add it in separately, while washing though.)

Mix together. Use 1-2tbs for a front loader, 2tbs - 1/4 c for a top loader.

Cloth-diaper Powder detergent

1c borax
1c washing soda
1c oxiclean (any kind, brand doesn't matter)

Mix together. Use 1-2tbs for a front loader, 2tbs - 1/4 c for a top loader. No soap because it causes repelling issues, especially if you are using anything other than flats & prefolds.

Regular Liquid detergent

1/3 bar soap (any kind, like with powdered)
1c borax
1c washing soda

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it, mix gently until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load for a top loader, 2tbs for a front loader.

*if you double the soap, borax & washing soda, but keep the water the same, you will have a thicker gel & only need 1/4 c per load! For a top loader use only 1 tbs or a couple teaspoons*

Cloth diaper liquid detergent

Due to the oxiclean, I don't make a liquid version. I do measure it out beforehand, put it in a big plastic cup and add some hot water. I use a chopstick to mix it up until most is dissolved, then add it to my front loader. Do this if you are washing in warm or cold water too, the super hot water activates the oxiclean.
Ami

[bwylde]

I have called every where in town looking for lye and no one has it. Sigh. I may have to start checking out of town places and get someone to send some to me. I have a whole pig worth of fat in the freezer I want to render to make soap.

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

snip...
Regular Liquid detergent

1/3 bar soap (any kind, like with powdered)
1c borax
1c washing soda

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it, mix gently until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load for a top loader, 2tbs for a front loader.

*if you double the soap, borax & washing soda, but keep the water the same, you will have a thicker gel & only need 1/4 c per load! For a top loader use only 1 tbs or a couple teaspoons*

....snip

Holy Smokes! This is insanely easy! I am so definitely doing this when I run out of laundry detergent. Can you put in a drop or two of essential oil like, say, lavender too? I can't wait to make up a batch now!

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_Pie

Holy Smokes! This is insanely easy! I am so definitely doing this when I run out of laundry detergent. Can you put in a drop or two of essential oil like, say, lavender too? I can't wait to make up a batch now!

Yep, you can put in essential oils at the end, while stirring everything together. The thing is though, that the 'scent' washes out really easily, aka your clothes don't really smell other than 'clean'. Although, to really scent your laundry, put a couple drops on an old washcloth & toss it in the dryer. You'll get a much bigger bang for your buck and you can keep reusing the washcloth, adding more oil when the scent fades away.

Ami

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by bwylde

I have called every where in town looking for lye and no one has it. Sigh. I may have to start checking out of town places and get someone to send some to me. I have a whole pig worth of fat in the freezer I want to render to make soap.

I see you are in Canada. On millersoap.com she has a section on where to find ingredients. Here's the page link: http://www.millersoap.com/soapingred.html. If you scroll down, there's a whole section from Canadians on where they find their lye.

Her most recent post from a Canadian on lye availability (Jan 2007)

Hi there. i was reading your website about where to obtain soap supplies. I inhabit northern nova scotia and i found out recently that Gillett's Lye has been discontinued. Now if one wants lye from Home Hardware they have to ask them to order this other product. They have it on their website as:

LYE, CRYSTALS

Model: HH 3KG
HH Item Number: 3226-431

I bought one recently for $23.00 cdn. good luck.

Now, if anyone has ANY idea on where to find lye in the Bay Area, I'd be really, really happy!

Ami

[bwylde]

Thank you so much, Ami! I have been scouring (hee hee) many sources lately looking.

[JTA Mom]

I have given up finding a source for lye in stores. It's gone. Apparently, the last hold out in my area was Lowes, and they discontinued carrying it late 2008. So, I'm about 7 months late.:

However, I just found an EXCELLENT online source for lye (once you get there, click the sodium hydroxide-lye bar):

http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/StoreFront

And they are CHEAP. They send you whatever quantity you want packaged in 2lbs bottles. They are the most inexpensive ones I have found online. They ship UPS ground anywhere in the US AND to Canada.

Shipping is high, but that's across the board, since lye is shipped as hazardous material. There was like a $2 difference in shipping between getting 8lbs of lye and 16lbs of lye. Also they are running a 10% off deal until about 9pm tonight. I got 16 lbs of lye for $47 (includes shipping). That's under $3 a lb. MUCH less than it would be through the store AND I 'splurged' for the food grade one--pretzels, bagels & olives, anyone?

Ami

[JTA Mom]

I just found this site & thought it awesome. It has examples of lots of different soaps made with 1 type of fat (so all lard, all coconut oil, etc) and their properties. It also gives an update on 6 mos later on how well each bar held up. Super cool! http://www.zensoaps.com/singleoil.htm

[JTA Mom]

I just got my shipment of lye. They are all in child-proof bottles. I need to gather the fats, and I will be making soap this weekend! Wish me luck!


Oh, also, for all you soapmakers, do you use any special molds? I'm thinking of buying a few rubbermaid containers for the molds. Just wondering what everyone else uses.

Ami

[velochic]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

Oh, also, for all you soapmakers, do you use any special molds? I'm thinking of buying a few rubbermaid containers for the molds. Just wondering what everyone else uses.

Ami

I've always just used a plastic drawer from one of those free-standing roller cabinets. We have craft supplies in it down in the basement. I take out the supplies, wipe it out, make my soap and when the soap is set and ready to unmold (about 3 - 5 days for mine), I clean and put the drawer back in.

[mnnice]

I have to say this is the first MDC thread ever that has made me want to go out and buy a caustic chemical

Good luck on the soapmaking JTA mom

[my3monkees]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

Oh, also, for all you soapmakers, do you use any special molds? I'm thinking of buying a few rubbermaid containers for the molds. Just wondering what everyone else uses.
Ami

Now I do have the special molds. But in the past I've used Pringles cans! My kids favorite mold, its the only time I ever bought many Pringles!

The lids off of game boxes, lined with a garbage bag also works well. Just return the lids before the kids catch ya!

PVC pipe also works, but I do worry about what the plastic might be leaching into the soap. So I don't use that very often, but its a cheap way to go.

[milosmomma]

Originally Posted by mnnice

I have to say this is the first MDC thread ever that has made me want to go out and buy a caustic chemical

Good luck on the soapmaking JTA mom

I didn't actually think about it until I read this post, but I'm in total agreement!

[sunnysandiegan]

I saw olive oil soap (I think it was castille, but I'm not positive... it was organic) today at Costco for $1.29 a bar. I forget how many bars you had to buy. It had a mix of "regular" and "for dry skin" (about 2/3 reg and 1/3 dry) in the bulk package. I thought of this topic!

[not now]

Lye is a no go in my area since it's used in making meth and there is a HUGE meth problem here.

I just go to any Rite Aide, 99 cent store or Wal Mart for soap. In the area marked "hispanic products" there are bars of soap for 95-99 cents that are pure. None of those bad chemicals that other soaps contain. They have plain soap, sulfur soap (for oil/acne), mother of pearl, oatmeal, olive oil, goats milk, aloe and I can't remember the others. They are all the same basic lye base soap with different things added. I remember my grandma buying it when I was a kid which is why I know where to find it.

[~Boudicca~]

Originally Posted by not now

Lye is a no go in my area since it's used in making meth and there is a HUGE meth problem here.

I just go to any Rite Aide, 99 cent store or Wal Mart for soap. In the area marked "hispanic products" there are bars of soap for 95-99 cents that are pure. None of those bad chemicals that other soaps contain. They have plain soap, sulfur soap (for oil/acne), mother of pearl, oatmeal, olive oil, goats milk, aloe and I can't remember the others. They are all the same basic lye base soap with different things added. I remember my grandma buying it when I was a kid which is why I know where to find it.

You can always order online. There is a huge meth problem just about everywhere. 5 years ago when I started making soap, I could walk into Lowe's and buy Red Devil lye no problems. Then it was taken off the store shelves everywhere around here because of the meth problem, and the only places you can get it from are distributors who want your business tax ID to make sure your use is legitimate, and they only sell it in ridiculously huge quantities. So I ended up ordering it online