Author Topic: Homemade Laundry Soap (Read 9242 times)

barngirl · « **on:** December 06, 2008, 03:09:24 PM »

I have been researching about Homemade laudry soap. We are going to start making our own... 10 people=tons of laudry!!!
However, there is SO much info, I'm getting really confused.
We bought Borax tonight because I know I need that...what soap do I use? Our Walmart doesn't have Washing Soda - haven't checked Meijers yet, but did anyone decide if you can make your own?

What recipe do I use? There are billions:)

Thank you,
a confused girl!

p.s. I know it's not that hard, just have to do it

mdessy · « **Reply #1 on:** December 07, 2008, 05:19:15 AM »

I use a very simple recipe. Borax and washing soda plus I grate in soap, something like fels naptha.

The proportions are:

4 C. soap flakes (I shred it in my food processor and let it sit out for 24 hours to cure)
2 C. borax
2 C. washing soda

I use 1 T per load -- I have a front loader

If the load is extra dirty I use 1 T. ecover non-chlorine bleach cleaner which has a lot of dry hydrogen peroxide in it.

HTH

herbalmom · « **Reply #2 on:** December 07, 2008, 10:43:00 AM »

There's already a thread on homemade laundry soap that covers just about any question you could have:

Homemade Laundry Soap (Detergent Free)

barngirl · « **Reply #3 on:** December 08, 2008, 12:03:26 AM »

Thank you! I will try to find some time to look through this 28 page thread! LOL!!!!!

barngirl

petrimama · « **Reply #4 on:** December 08, 2008, 05:41:24 AM »

I tried posting on the original laundry thread, but I can't, so I guess I should do it here? Anyway, has anyone tried Shaklee's new Basic-H formula as laundry soap? I just found out that it is 1/4 cup per full load. I may try it today, but I thought I'd ask first. ~L

MommaDorian · « **Reply #5 on:** December 11, 2008, 09:28:54 AM »

My soap mixture is FULL o f slimy (sp?) lumps. Is that normal? Or did I just goof up a whole batch. DH is skeptical.

LKS · « **Reply #6 on:** December 11, 2008, 11:04:38 AM »

That's pretty normal. It should still work fine

~CKMom~ · « **Reply #7 on:** December 11, 2008, 06:05:04 PM »

Quote from: petrimama on December 08, 2008, 05:41:24 AM

I tried posting on the original laundry thread, but I can't, so I guess I should do it here? Anyway, has anyone tried Shaklee's new Basic-H formula as laundry soap? I just found out that it is 1/4 cup per full load. I may try it today, but I thought I'd ask first. ~L

I'm interested to see how it works, so feel free to share! Even with the 15% member discount, it was twice as expensive as Charlie's Soap (which I love and only takes 1 TBS per load). However, CS has gone up because of shipping and all, so I need to recalculate as I think the price is more comparable. I really do love a lot of Shaklee products; just wish they weren't so pricey!

jhandrh · « **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2009, 12:44:44 PM »

I was trying to choose which of the laundry soap threads to post on...and this looked like the most recent...

? Haven't been on this site for several months so I am a little out of the loop. Anyway, on one of the other homemade laundry soap threads I noticed that multiple people had issues with stinky towels, grungy whites, and some drain issues in old houses with hard water. And I have to admit I threw in the towel this week on homemade laundry soap.
I really really wanted it to work!! I loved that it was so cheap, I loved making it, and I love the smell of ivory soap. But I had the stinky towel problem, the grungy whites problem, and last week when our whole family had a nasty bout of the stomach bug, I found that my homemade soap--or my homemade soap combined with our hard water, anyway--did NOT do stomach acid! the puke odor remained, after 2-3 washings.

I also had a nasty gray ring around my washer and I was wondering if our clothes were getting clean. Obviously, looking at our not-so-white things, the answer was NO.
I hate the static that I get from commercial detergent, and I sure loved the $$ of the homemade stuff. But I don't have time to keep solving laundry problems! I need to be able to throw it in the washer and wash it. So I went back to my commercial stuff. Even though it's not ideal from a natural standpoint, our clothes finally are clean again.
I saw that a lot of people loved the homemade stuff so obviously it works for some. I think the problem may be our water as well. If you have hard water, or old pipes, you may want to be on the lookout for signs that your homemade soap isn't cutting it, BEFORE your washer is ruined or your drain is clogged.
just my 2 cents.

lovingmomof2 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2009, 04:32:28 PM »

Quote from: jhandrh on February 18, 2009, 12:44:44 PM

I was trying to choose which of the laundry soap threads to post on...and this looked like the most recent...? Haven't been on this site for several months so I am a little out of the loop. Anyway, on one of the other homemade laundry soap threads I noticed that multiple people had issues with stinky towels, grungy whites, and some drain issues in old houses with hard water. And I have to admit I threw in the towel this week on homemade laundry soap.
I really really wanted it to work!! I loved that it was so cheap, I loved making it, and I love the smell of ivory soap. But I had the stinky towel problem, the grungy whites problem, and last week when our whole family had a nasty bout of the stomach bug, I found that my homemade soap--or my homemade soap combined with our hard water, anyway--did NOT do stomach acid! the puke odor remained, after 2-3 washings. I also had a nasty gray ring around my washer and I was wondering if our clothes were getting clean. Obviously, looking at our not-so-white things, the answer was NO.
I hate the static that I get from commercial detergent, and I sure loved the $$ of the homemade stuff. But I don't have time to keep solving laundry problems! I need to be able to throw it in the washer and wash it. So I went back to my commercial stuff. Even though it's not ideal from a natural standpoint, our clothes finally are clean again.
I saw that a lot of people loved the homemade stuff so obviously it works for some. I think the problem may be our water as well. If you have hard water, or old pipes, you may want to be on the lookout for signs that your homemade soap isn't cutting it, BEFORE your washer is ruined or your drain is clogged.
just my 2 cents.

Homemade laundry soap didn't work for me either. I got the Sun something from Big Lots for $3.00 and it does 50 loads. It is supposed to be made from a vegetable source and have no phosphates. I also researched and bought the Mystic Wonders Wonder Ball for laundry. I have had it a few weeks now and love, love, love it. You don't have to use any soap except to pretreat stains. This thing even gets my pee towels clean. The clothes come out smelling great. I ordered the kit that comes with the wonder ball and 2 dryer balls on Ebay, the cheapest place I could find it. It cost a little over $50 including shipping. It last for 2,000 washes. I did the math and even if it only lasted me one year (which it should last longer) it is still cheaper than getting the $3.00 bottle of detergent and that doesn't include softener. There is a thread on here somewhere about the wonderball and another similar product.

jhandrh · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2009, 09:52:22 AM »

Sounds like you found a good product. I have to admit that right now I am going with a tried and true brand from walmart such as Tide. We have issues with rashes if I try new stuff.

And right now I am also having issues with depression (sorry, off the thread, I won't hijack it though) and for my sanity I NEED to simplify life. I have enough jobs that I can't simplify or designate. Silly as it sounds, simplifying laundry made me feel a little better. So for now I will bow out of the laundry soap thread, wish everybody better luck with it than I had, and keep your suggestions in mind if I want to go with a more natural laundry soap sometime down the road.
Thanks!

Rikki · « **Reply #11 on:** February 19, 2009, 11:59:31 AM »

On Monday my DH brought home a huge thing of store bought laundry soap and dryer sheets. I guess he was tired of 'hinting' that my homemade soap wasn't working! I am so glad to know that several of you have the same problems! We too had nasty, dingy whites, yucky towels, and after my ds threw up last week and it didn't even come CLOSE to washing out the puke -- I was so discouraged. My DH works out every morning at the gym and got tired of his shirts smelling stinky, so he took it upon himself to go buy something he liked. We gave it a good 6 month run though! We have a great HE front loader machine, but I am sure it is our horrible, hard water that prevents our clothes from getting clean. It has even been hard to use natural soap lately - it leaves a film on our skin!
Anyway, while I am bummed I had to ditch our homemade soap, I have to admit our house smelled heavenly after doing several loads of laundry the other day. Soooo nice to have such wonderful smelling sheets, towels, clothes, etc.....it's been a long time!

WI Cheesehead · « **Reply #12 on:** February 20, 2009, 07:43:14 AM »

It definitely must be the hard water. I started using the natural mixture (not dry) and haven't had a problem. I don't expect our socks to be WHITE. I figure the only way they will be WHITE is with bleach, and I refuse to use that. Of course, I haven't had anyone throw up in a long time. The only thing it doesn't work as well on is my DH's work clothes. He's a mechanic and sometimes comes home smelling like gear lube or the like. It gets it clean, but the smell doesn't come out. Have to decide what I'm going to do with that. I wonder if adding essential oil to the load would help the smell or not. I do it in cold water.

BTW For my whites and his work clothes, I put 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide, the soap, vinegar in the softener and vinegar in the bleach dispenser. It works pretty well.

Mrs.Visser · « **Reply #13 on:** February 20, 2009, 10:38:22 AM »

SAMS club now sells a natural eco friendly laundry soap for those of you who have SAMS club's nearby and homemade soap isn't working too well. I haven't used it, but my mother-in-law and sister-in-law love it. Homemade laundry soap didn't work too well for me either. It didn't get dirt or dried food off our clothes...and which children that's a must!

WI Cheesehead · « **Reply #14 on:** February 20, 2009, 12:08:41 PM »

Quote from: Meagan Visser on February 20, 2009, 10:38:22 AM

SAMS club now sells a natural eco friendly laundry soap for those of you who have SAMS club's nearby and homemade soap isn't working too well. I haven't used it, but my mother-in-law and sister-in-law love it. Homemade laundry soap didn't work too well for me either. It didn't get dirt or dried food off our clothes...and which children that's a must!

Do you know what the brand is called? I will look for it and see how much it costs. I was using 7th Generation Free and Clear and it's pretty pricey.

jhandrh · « **Reply #15 on:** February 21, 2009, 02:38:55 AM »

Quote from: WI Cheesehead on February 20, 2009, 07:43:14 AM

The only thing it doesn't work as well on is my DH's work clothes. He's a mechanic and sometimes comes home smelling like gear lube or the like. It gets it clean, but the smell doesn't come out. Have to decide what I'm going to do with that. I wonder if adding essential oil to the load would help the smell or not. I do it in cold water.

One of my friends uses Simple Green on her hubby's work clothes; just adds a bit to the wash water and soaks them in it a little, if they are particularly bad. He does hardwood floor refinishing, and farms on the side--both stinky jobs in different ways. She liked the results on the work clothes but was not sure Simple Green would be gentle enough for kids' clothes which is why I had not tried it for ours.

Mrs.Visser · « **Reply #16 on:** February 21, 2009, 02:51:00 AM »

Quote from: WI Cheesehead on February 20, 2009, 12:08:41 PM

Quote from: Meagan Visser on February 20, 2009, 10:38:22 AM
SAMS club now sells a natural eco friendly laundry soap for those of you who have SAMS club's nearby and homemade soap isn't working too well. I haven't used it, but my mother-in-law and sister-in-law love it. Homemade laundry soap didn't work too well for me either. It didn't get dirt or dried food off our clothes...and which children that's a must!

Do you know what the brand is called? I will look for it and see how much it costs. I was using 7th Generation Free and Clear and it's pretty pricey.

It's called ECOS Liquid Laundry Detergent. It's 210 oz. It's one of their top rated items. It's $12.73 at the SAMS where I live. A website I found on it said this:

Ecos Liquid Laundry Detergent is made with all natural ingredients. No petro-derived ingredients are used. All plant-based, non-polluting ingredients, and a great Lavender scent! Contains a natural soy-based fabric softener. Neutral pH is gentle to your clothes.

105 loads
Up to 210 loads in HE machines
Phosphate free
Formaldehyde free
Petrochemical free
Plant-based, non-polluting ingredients only
Safe in all temperatures
Kind to sensitive skin
Organic Lavender scent
Septic safe

HTH!

Laurie · « **Reply #17 on:** February 21, 2009, 06:24:46 AM »

Have you ever considered not using a detergent at all? That's what I've been doing for about six months now. We have VERY hard water and the homemade detergent was horrible for us. Most things we wash aren't actually that dirty and detergents are harsh on them, breaking them down and making them wear out faster.

My method has been to put a load in the wash at night with up to a cup of white vinegar and let it agitate for a few minutes, stop the machine and let it soak overnight. Then in the morning finish the cycle and hang them up. If there is a stain I'll just rub it with some Fels Naptha before washing. If there are workout clothes I add 1/2 cup baking soda. This does tend to keep my whites white. I also don't have a problem with stiff, crinkly clothes anymore so I can do without softener...I've read that detergent causes that stiffness. If there is puke or something else gross I'll add a dropperful of eucalyptus oil.

So all my clothes are done this way now and it's worked very well. However, I haven't tried the towels sans soap. I keep a bottle of Kirkland scent-free liquid detergent for those...haven't been brave enough yet!

wink · « **Reply #18 on:** February 22, 2009, 03:59:35 AM »

Quote from: Laurie on February 21, 2009, 06:24:46 AM

My method has been to put a load in the wash at night with up to a cup of white vinegar and let it agitate for a few minutes, stop the machine and let it soak overnight. Then in the morning finish the cycle and hang them up.

Are you using a top loader or front loader? I might just have to give this a try.

~esposita~ · « **Reply #19 on:** February 22, 2009, 11:22:54 AM »

Quote from: MommaDorian on December 11, 2008, 09:28:54 AM

My soap mixture is FULL o f slimy (sp?) lumps. Is that normal? Or did I just goof up a whole batch. DH is skeptical.

This happens to my loads of soap when they are not well mixed while cooling. To avoid this, I use a big, 5 gal paint stirrer (the kind you would use with a cordless drill)

It makes it WAY smooth! (Stir frequently while you use it, as well, otherwise it will settle out and get lumpy again!)

Laurie · « **Reply #20 on:** February 23, 2009, 01:05:25 PM »

Quote from: wink on February 22, 2009, 03:59:35 AM

Quote from: Laurie on February 21, 2009, 06:24:46 AM

My method has been to put a load in the wash at night with up to a cup of white vinegar and let it agitate for a few minutes, stop the machine and let it soak overnight. Then in the morning finish the cycle and hang them up.
Are you using a top loader or front loader? I might just have to give this a try.

I am using a top loader.

mhoward1999 · « **Reply #21 on:** February 24, 2009, 03:22:47 AM »

Quote from: petrimama on December 08, 2008, 05:41:24 AM

I tried posting on the original laundry thread, but I can't, so I guess I should do it here? Anyway, has anyone tried Shaklee's new Basic-H formula as laundry soap? I just found out that it is 1/4 cup per full load. I may try it today, but I thought I'd ask first. ~L

Did you try this? I am a Shaklee distributor, and I would love to hear back from you about whether this was effective.

~CKMom~ · « **Reply #22 on:** February 24, 2009, 03:28:57 AM »

I don't want to take away a Shaklee sale (I sell Shaklee, too!), but the Shaklee powder is not cheap, even with a discount. The best combo I've found for my laundry is Charlie's Soap with Shaklee's Naure Bright (like pure oxi-clean). The Charlie's works great, takes only 1 T. (yes, just 1 Tb), and is much cheaper when bought in bulk. We raise a few cattle, pigs, and chickens, so I've had some interesting dirt/smells in our clothes. Charlie's pretty much takes care of it all! I love Shaklee, but price is a big selling point for me. Even with my Shaklee discount, Charlie's Soap is still cheaper.

~CKMom~ · « **Reply #23 on:** February 24, 2009, 03:31:33 AM »

I can't edit my posts, so I'll have to do it this way. Just wanted to clarify that I use the Nature's Bright to keep the whites bright, or for really horrendous stains. We will have well water, and even with a softener we have trouble keeping the whites white. Charlie's Soap (really a detergent) does not have any brighteners in it. Go to the website and read up on it if you have questions: www.charliesoap.com.

WI Cheesehead · « **Reply #24 on:** April 30, 2009, 08:01:36 AM »

Okay, I haven't read through this thread (but I did the other one). I tried the basic soap, borax, soda recipe, but I used Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds for the soap and it's wonderful. There are no lumps or problems with it at all. It comes out like regular detergent (just a little thinner). And it suds up, unlike the Fels/Ivory kind. The only thing I noticed is that I have to use 1 to 1 1/2 cups in my husband's DIRTY mechanic clothes, but it's still cheaper than buying 7th Generation. HTH someone.

herbs girl · « **Reply #25 on:** April 30, 2009, 06:07:55 PM »

I made up a new recipe..........Tide Clone Laundry soap. Here is the link. It is cheap, anywhere between .02 cents and .07 cents per load

http://www.recipezaar.com/tide-clone-laundry-detergent-359103

WI Cheesehead · « **Reply #26 on:** May 01, 2009, 04:23:47 AM »

Quote from: herbs girl on April 30, 2009, 06:07:55 PM

I made up a new recipe..........Tide Clone Laundry soap. Here is the link. It is cheap, anywhere between .02 cents and .07 cents per load

http://www.recipezaar.com/tide-clone-laundry-detergent-359103

I'm trying to stay away from commercial detergent because of the fillers and the nasty ingredients. Tide and other commercial detergents put stuff like cat litter and other things in as fillers, which aren't good for your clothes, obviously!

herbs girl · « **Reply #27 on:** May 01, 2009, 06:03:17 PM »

Quote from: WI Cheesehead on May 01, 2009, 04:23:47 AM

Quote from: herbs girl on April 30, 2009, 06:07:55 PM
I made up a new recipe..........Tide Clone Laundry soap. Here is the link. It is cheap, anywhere between .02 cents and .07 cents per load

http://www.recipezaar.com/tide-clone-laundry-detergent-359103

I'm trying to stay away from commercial detergent because of the fillers and the nasty ingredients. Tide and other commercial detergents put stuff like cat litter and other things in as fillers, which aren't good for your clothes, obviously!

I just cant get anything to clean quite like Tide with Bleach natural or not!!!

WI Cheesehead · « **Reply #28 on:** May 27, 2009, 01:51:16 PM »

Okay, I really tried to make the soap work. I've used it for a few months and finally decided, it's not getting the clothes clean. I started doing my teenager's clothes (for this week) and found out it's not even getting the body odor out! I tried upping the regular loads to 1 cup and it's not working. Back to 7th Generation soap again. I am looking to purchase the Norwex detergent, because I know it works - 2 T in my DH's mechanic clothes load. And it comes out cheaper than Tide because you only use 1 T in a normal load.

HappyWifey · « **Reply #29 on:** May 27, 2009, 02:38:07 PM »

WI Cheesehead, have you tried vinegar with it? I just posted my concerns on Facebook after reading this post and several people have said that they just dd some vinegar to the load and it works great. I am going to try HB's recipe possibly tonight or tomorrow.

For those of you who don't get white whites, try bluing, we get ours from Lehmans, it works GREAT! Our whites are way whiter then when we were using bleach, plus it is color safe, although dark colors, such as black, will fade a lot faster. We have hard water too, so I was rather surprised at how well it works!

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Author Topic: Homemade Laundry Soap (Read 9242 times)