Big Grandma's Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe

[HoosierDiaperinMama]

My mom got this great recipe for homemade laundry soap and I wanted to share with you all. She's titled it Big Grandma's Laundry Soap (my DS calls her big grandma ).

1 bar Fels Naptha soap

1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda

3 gallons water

4 cups water

Grate the Fels Naptha very fine. Add to 4 cups water. Put in pan on the stove on low heat. WATCH CLOSELY-DO NOT BOIL! Stir until soap melts/dissolves. Add to 3 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket with the washing soda. Stir to mix. Let set overnight with a lid on it. Stir in the morning to break up. (It gels overnight). Use same amount as regular liquid detergent. Makes 2 large liquid Tide bottles (200 fl. oz size). Does not suds. Scent-free!

The non-sudsing part was kinda at first, but I am testament that her clothes have come out very clean. Even her whites! I plan on giving it a try when my current laundry soap supply is exhausted.

Just wanted to share.

[hippie_mommy]

I bought the stuff to try this a few years ago, and I never made it because of our sensitivities to soaps and detergents. I should really just bite the bullet and make a batch! Its great to hear that it works so well for her

[Naturalyst]

I'm surprised many on MDC are comfortable using Fels-Naptha. Though the form of naphtha used is not known to be carcinogenic, naptha is a petroleum derivative. So many MDC mommas object to products based on petroleum derivatives, for environmental reasons. Personally, I'm OK with using the kind of naptha in Fels-Naptha because it is not toxic and a byproduct of making other petroleum products. But, that's not the usually stance I see taken on MDC.

Fels-Naptha is not fragrance free. We don't use it because the added fragrance is unpleasant to my nose and I'm the one doing the laundry. But, no one should be deterred by this comment because I am outside the curve when it comes to smells - i.e., I don't think skunk smell is all that bad but I almost :Puke when sniffing lavender EO. Go figure.

To the OP - adding borax (in addition to the washing soda) will give you a better cleaning laundry product.

[HoosierDiaperinMama]

I wasn't aware of the dangers of Fels Naptha. Now I feel stupid for even mentioning the recipe. :

[Naturalyst]

Originally Posted by HoosierDiaperinMama

I wasn't aware of the dangers of Fels Naptha. Now I feel stupid for even mentioning the recipe. :

Momma, Fels-Naptha ISN'T dangerous! If you peek through the prior posts in this forum, you'll see that many MDC mommas use a version of the recipe you posted for their family laundry.

My post was only a comment as to Fels-Naptha being such a popular product with MDC mommas because of the naptha present, a petroleum product. But, the form of naptha used is not toxic, not carcinogenic. A lot of testing has been done with naptha, all forms of naptha. Some forms are potentially harmful, but NOT what's in Fels-Naptha.

As for what else is in Fels-Naptha - well, I don't have a full roster of its ingredients but its been around such a long time that, if there were a danger in its use, I think we'd have known by now.

That Fels-Naptha has added fragrance doesn't make it dangerous either. Fragrance is not inherently bad, though some people have allergies/sensitivities to fragrance. Whatever form of fragrance has been added to Fels-Naptha is not strong to the sniff. Fragrance, generally, is an expensive additive so I don't think there's much in Fels-Naptha of whatever-it-is. I just don't like the fragrance in Fels-Naptha. But, that is a purely personal preference.

So, please, momma, don't conclude anything I said in my previous post was meant to negate the value of your original post.

(FYI - a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar in the rinse will get rid of soap residue ... washing with soap can leave deposits that, over time, can turn whites dingy. The addition of a little vinegar takes care of that problem.)

[glorified_rice]

I use a slightly different version of this recipe (with borax) and it works great! I actually toy around with using some different bar soaps, like Dr. Bronners, Kirk's Castille, etc... I have found that the end product does not gel quite as well as with Fels Naptha, but it does eventually gel and works just as well. Don't feel stupid HooserDiaperinMama... Many of us use or have used Fels Naptha. Heck, my great-grandmother used it for years and lived to be over 90 years old.

[PMolly]

Originally Posted by glorified_rice

I actually toy around with using some different bar soaps, like Dr. Bronners, Kirk's Castille, etc... I have found that the end product does not gel quite as well as with Fels Naptha, but it does eventually gel and works just as well.

Willing to share your version? I don't like the smell of the Fels Naptha, either, and stopped making my own soap because of this.

When I did make my own, I felt like the clothes looked a little dingy. Anyone else experience this? Advice on what to do? I'd like to try again as I have the ws and borax...

ETA: I CD, so I'm looking for a recipe that would work for diapers as well.

[Naturalyst]

Originally Posted by PMolly

When I did make my own, I felt like the clothes looked a little dingy. Anyone else experience this? Advice on what to do?

See my prior post, the "FYI" on the bottom.

[JessicaS]

Originally Posted by PMolly

Willing to share your version? I don't like the smell of the Fels Naptha, either, and stopped making my own soap because of this.

When I did make my own, I felt like the clothes looked a little dingy. Anyone else experience this? Advice on what to do? I'd like to try again as I have the ws and borax...

ETA: I CD, so I'm looking for a recipe that would work for diapers as well.

I used the same recipe as the OP but I used Dr Bronners soap

[glorified_rice]

Originally Posted by PMolly

Willing to share your version? I don't like the smell of the Fels Naptha, either, and stopped making my own soap because of this.

I use this recipe: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap2.htm

Like a PP mentioned, I too use Vinegar. I put it in the fabric softener dispenser in our washer, so of course it is added during the final rinse.

[Amatullah]

Where can I get Fels-Naptha? I've never even heard of it.

[glorified_rice]

Originally Posted by Amatullah

Where can I get Fels-Naptha? I've never even heard of it.

I found it at my local grocery store. I have also seen it at fleet and farm type stores. It is a laundry bar soap with a paper wrapper and has been around for a long time. I believe that the Dial Corporation makes it. I have found it both in the laundry department and the personal care isle with other bar soaps like Dial, etc...http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fels-Naptha

[Kyriana]

Not sure if I should post this here, but I have been searching for hours and have not found a thread that would come close.
I have recently started making my own laundry detergent (fel naptha, washing soda, and borax). I have only made the powder though.
Anyway, after using it a few times, I have noticed that it is NOT getting the regular dirt out of clothes. EVERYTHING has to be pre-treated.
I use 1/2 bar of fels naptha, 2 cups washing soda and 1 cup borax. I use 1/4 cup per load (the original recipe stated 1 - 2 tablespoons). We have really hard water so I also add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser at the beginning of the cycle.
Would a liquid version clean better? Should I add more of something to the recipe?
Any help will be greatly appreciated. I am tired of corporations getting rich for poisoning us.

[Ty_and_Ad's_MumMum]

Originally Posted by glorified_rice

I use this recipe: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap2.htm

Like a PP mentioned, I too use Vinegar. I put it in the fabric softener dispenser in our washer, so of course it is added during the final rinse.

Ditto!

[izzzesmommy]

My Recipe

My DD has severe eczema when I am not being extremely pro-active. I make a recipe of:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup washing soda
2 tbsp of castille soap (i order bulk from mountain rose herbs, it's organic and cleans better than dr bronners i think)
1/4-1/2 cup vinegar

I don't pre-mix I just keep the ingredients on top of the washer, organized in bins with necessary measuring scoops in them, and just toss it in before the clothes. That way I don't have to worry about the way it blends.

I find it works really well. After 5 or so washes the whites get a little dingy and I have to do them with oxy-clean then wash again with my mix to get out ALL the oxy. I also always double rinse.

Good Luck!

[SPOpa]

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[FluffiB]

Originally Posted by Kyriana

We have really hard water so I also add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser at the beginning of the cycle.
Would a liquid version clean better? Should I add more of something to the recipe?

I had hard water where I used to live and used a similar recipe. You can try doubling borax - it makes clothes a lot softer.

As for dinginess, you can add Calgon, a water conditioner you can find in a laundry aisle at WalMart and certain grocery stores. I used about 1/4 capful per load in the wash, and my whites no longer came out dingy.

Vinegar will only dissolve certain minerals (I think just lime), so depending on what your water's mineral content is, it might not work for you. It did not work for us at our old house.