Homemade laundry powder attempt

[Lisoula]

OK - so I just made a batch of homemade laundry powder with the Borax, Washing Soda, and grated soap recipe, and threw a load in. I know websites have said it is "low-sudsing" but mine appears to be NO SUDSING. I hope it works!

[Slabobbin]

Good luck.

We just keep a bar of Ivory soap and a cheese grater by the machine and grate a few swipes on top of every load, toss in a scoop of baking soda, a glug of vinegar and call it a day!

[GenB]

I've been doing this for awhile now and have had to alter the recipe a bit as we have extremely hard water. What I have found is that it takes us just a bit more "messing around" with the recipe to create a mix that works for us.
This is what I do - sounds like a lot of trouble but it really works and I love the way my clothes have come out.

First, don't worry about the suds. That is not what cleans your clothes, though I do the same thing. If I don't see suds, I'm not happy.

I keep all my little bits of soap that have gotten too thin, dry them out and grate them into a jar. I cover this mix with a little boiling water and keep it as my "starter." When I'm ready to make detergent (once a month or so) I take two heaping tablespoons of that starter and place it in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. After that thickens, I put it in my laundry bucket along with a cup each of Borax and Washing Soda. Then I add another kettle full of boiling water to help dissolve the powders (otherwise they can leave a residue in my hard water). I CHEAT : and add a cup or so of Arm & Hammer Essentials detergent to the mixture. This helps with the sudsing action and I still have an environmentally friendly, very cost effective detergent and I only use about 1/2 c. per load (unless something is really smelly and dirty, then about 2/3 cup). This sounds like a huge process but is isnt. Once you get your starter made, it only takes a few minutes. I use alot of boiling water because I want the powders dissolved very well. Oh year, after you get the solution made, just add a few quarts of plain water to thin it out a little and voila!! Hope it works for you!!

[GenB]

Oh yeah - I forgot - I use vinegar and water with some rosemary, tea tree and lavendar essential oil as my fabric softener. It helps sanitize my clothes and also gets out any residue that might linger.

[rabbithorns]

It's not supposed to suds. If you want suds you can dissolve the grated soap in some warm water but suds doesn't clean anything. It just means it got whipped up in the air.

[AngelBee]

:

[Naturalyst]

It doesn't make suds ... that's normal.

[PJJ]

Op

where do you find the washing soda and borax?

what is the best recipe then?

[Naturalyst]

Originally Posted by PJJ

where do you find the washing soda and borax?

what is the best recipe then?

Supermarkets should carry both in the laundry section. By me, one place stocks washing soda and another stocks the borax. Why they don't have both in one place escapes me. Arm & Hammer is the most common brand of washing soda - it's in a box, clearly labeled "washing soda". The borax is also clearly labeled and in a box - though I don't recall who makes the brand I buy.

If you go to the sticky at the top of this Natural Home & Body Care subforum, you'll find recipes.

My personal preference is equal parts of soap/washing soda/borax. You can hand grate the soap, but it's alot quicker to use a food processor. I first use the grating attachment on mine. Then, I use the chopping blade to mix the soap gratings, washing soda and borax and let it run till its all a fine powder. That way, it all dissolves very nicely in the machine - even in cold water. I use either a plain homemade soap or Ivory - just picked up 12-4.5 oz. bars for $3.50 at the supermarket last night. Turning that into laundry product will last for months.

Some people prefer to make a liquid, but that's more work than I'm inclined to do and the end-product takes more room to store. Some use Fels Naptha brand laundry soap bars in their laundry product, but I hate the fragrance used in Fels Naptha and don't want a product containing naptha. We all have our preferences. Some have posted about using Dr. Bronner's peppermint bar soap and I expect it works well and must make clothes smell great, but it's more money than Ivory.

Have fun and experiment.

[brittneyscott]

I use the washing soda/borax/Ivory soap grated too. 1/2c. ea. washing soda and borax with 1 bar grated Ivory soap. I keep it in a small box with a lid and use 1-2T per load. I use 1/4c.-1/2c. vinegar in a downy ball for fabric softener and put a couple drops TTO and lavender on a cloth wipe for a dryer sheet. Its works great for me. My clothes are clean and smell great.

I have to order my washing soda online b/c I haven't found it local yet but I can get the washing soda and borax for about $5 a box and the Ivory soap 12pk/$3.50. Nice and cheap b/c it makes a LOT of detergent. I'm not sure about the suds factor b/c I've never checked but my clothes are clean. I've even had some stains come out of some of DD's shirts with white in them. The white is white again. Can you believe it?

[PJJ]

Online

Originally Posted by brittneyscott

I use the washing soda/borax/Ivory soap grated too. 1/2c. ea. washing soda and borax with 1 bar grated Ivory soap. I keep it in a small box with a lid and use 1-2T per load. I use 1/4c.-1/2c. vinegar in a downy ball for fabric softener and put a couple drops TTO and lavender on a cloth wipe for a dryer sheet. Its works great for me. My clothes are clean and smell great.

I have to order my washing soda online b/c I haven't found it local yet but I can get the washing soda and borax for about $5 a box and the Ivory soap 12pk/$3.50. Nice and cheap b/c it makes a LOT of detergent. I'm not sure about the suds factor b/c I've never checked but my clothes are clean. I've even had some stains come out of some of DD's shirts with white in them. The white is white again. Can you believe it?

Where do you buy these online?

TIA

[Manonash]

Just a note about the washing soda. I have VERY soft water where I live and was using 1T of washing soda with 2sprays of simple green to wash my diapers in (had read somewhere about it not sure where) and it tore my prefolds all to pieces! It took a few months, but it thinned out the edges before I realized it and then the edges came loose and really messed them up. I posted a question about what had caused it on the diaperpin website and they said it was the washing soda, they had seen it before with homemade detergents. Just thought I'd mention it.

[GenB]

Originally Posted by brittneyscott

. The white is white again. Can you believe it?

I believe it!! My white are tons whiter and even dh has noticed. I read online that there is beef fat in most laundry softeners so I quit that too. Now I can't stand the smell of commercial detergents. Too overpowering and it gives me and dh a headache. DD's allergies have been better, too. It takes a little getting use to, but it works. Lisoula, if the sudsing thing bugs you, again, just mix in a little Arm&Hammer Essentials or a little more grated soap. The smell is pretty strong but you don't notice it if you mix in in your own brew. I know how you feel; it took me awhile to get used to that, too.