S/O on Laundry for those who have tried making their own detergent...

[BeckyFL]

I have been thinking about trying this as most of you seem to get good results, but I did see a comment about clothes becoming dingy. I don't know whether it is due to the formula being used or maybe the hardness of the water, etc. If you answered that you were NOT happy with homemade detergent, please tell us what recipe you were using. If you get good results, is there something you've learned by trial and error or any other tips?

[Parrothead]

It did not save me any money. I never ran the numbers but I really think it cost me more. It was time consuming to do. Then right after I started the all natural Seventh Generation type detergent came out.

 

Call me lazy. I buy the bottle.

[Carrie12345]

I do the Duggar recipe, and haven't needed to adjust anything. I use a front loader and have hard water.

 

It cost me about $10-12 for the soap, Borax, washing soda, and 5-gallon bucket. It'll cost me about $1.69 to make the next batch (just a new bar of soap needed). IT took about 20 minutes to make and looks like the first batch will last us nearly a year.

 

I do groan a bit when it's time to refill my re-used detergent bottle, but it only takes about 5 minutes.

[Pippen]

I've been making it using 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, and 1 bar of sensitive skin Dove. The soap choice is because I don't like scents in my laundry, and it does make it more expensive. I try and stock up on Dove when the store has a catalina special.

 

I use the homemade for towels and laundry that isn't super dirty/smelly, so for instance if I'm doing a load of teen boy laundry and it's really rank, I might go for the All. I haven't had any problems with dingy clothes. I also like it that the towels come out soft without any fabric softener.

 

I stock up on All Free & Clear when it goes on sale for $1.99-2.99. The homemade doesn't save me a ton of money since I buy the store stuff on sale, but it does help me stretch it to the next sale. It's really painful to buy it at $4.50 to $5 when I run out.

[Mothersweets]

I voted "tried it but stopped for other reasons".

 

I used the Duggar's recipe. It was cheap/easy to make and seemed to work well, EXCEPT for the batches of white clothing. They started coming out dingy and that made me wonder if my clothes were really clean or just looking clean.

 

Everything smelled nice, though! That is a biggie for me.

 

I stopped using the homemade stuff because I could rarely find the washing soda in my area. It seemed to pop up sporadically in the stores here. When I found myself worrying over whether or not I would be able to find my soap I decided to chill out and buy some Tide. :)

[mytwomonkeys]

i make my own & have for over a year. it saves me a TON of money. my previous detergent was liquid gain & averaged me $30 month. my detergent now cost that for the entire year.

 

to make it i boil 4 cups of water. add in 1 bar of grated fels naptha. cook over medium heat until dissolved completely. add in 1 cup of borax. 1 cup of arm & hammer washing soda. Stir until dissolved. Pour into 5 gallon bucket (old cat litter container washed well is what we use). fill to the top with hot water. stir. let it set over night. the next day it is thick and clumpy. i just break it up with my hands. pour 3/4 into old detergent bottle and add 1/4 water. shake before each use. i love it!!!!!

 

i also make our own deodorant, toothpaste, dish detergent, and for cleaning i just use my clothes detergent diluted, as it is perfect as an all purpose cleaner. for windows and such i use diluted white vinegar. for shampoo & conditioner, i use baking soda & apple cider vinegar. for my kids & husband, i buy dr. bronner's & dilute it for shampoo and use their citrus conditioner.

[Sparkle]

Hmmm...I tried it for a while but wasn't happy with the results. I used the Fels Naptha/washing soda/borax combination. I'm sure it was quite a bit cheaper than purchasing detergent in the bottle, but it didn't seem to get my clothes clean and it even damaged some things. So, no luck here.

[MamaT]

I do the Duggar recipe, and haven't needed to adjust anything. I use a front loader and have hard water.

 

It cost me about $10-12 for the soap, Borax, washing soda, and 5-gallon bucket. It'll cost me about $1.69 to make the next batch (just a new bar of soap needed). IT took about 20 minutes to make and looks like the first batch will last us nearly a year.

 

I do groan a bit when it's time to refill my re-used detergent bottle, but it only takes about 5 minutes.

 

This is exactly what I would have written.

[justamouse]

I do the Duggar recipe, and haven't needed to adjust anything. I use a front loader and have hard water.

 

It cost me about $10-12 for the soap, Borax, washing soda, and 5-gallon bucket. It'll cost me about $1.69 to make the next batch (just a new bar of soap needed). IT took about 20 minutes to make and looks like the first batch will last us nearly a year.

 

I do groan a bit when it's time to refill my re-used detergent bottle, but it only takes about 5 minutes.

 

This is how it works for me.

[delaney]

I make the liquid in the 5 gallon bucket and it is far cheaper than anything that is on sale. I also use Fels Naptha with borax and washing soda. I add a capful of Tide in the bucket to keep it from being glumpy and that works well. For whites I use 1/4 cup of bleach and I have no issues with dinginess. I use cloth diapers and one of the best detergents for those is Sun extra unscented and that is really cheap. I don't like the powder homemade so for the 20 minutes it takes to make 5 gallons(which is double concentrated so actually 10 gallons) I will put in the time. We do about 18-20 loads per week with 8 of us.

[Impish]

I started w/Duggar's recipe, and tweaked it a bit. I do a cup of everything, and add in some oxyclean.

 

Vinegar for any 'smelly' wash, bleach for whites. I'm still on the original Borax and Arm and Hammer, and I bought those over a year ago. I use Ivory soap, not the Fels Naphta. I pretreat stains w/Oxyclean, same as I would any detergent.

 

So I would say its a huge savings here. Even though Wolf always uses too much :lol:

[ZooRho]

I use the one from Family homestead

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/

 

I have used it for many many years.

 

I will say my rank teen boys clothes don't always come out fresh, that said they didn't with any other store bought either. SO I use ODO BAN on their stuff that is rank.

[Flux]

I use Fels Naptha, 1/2 c. borax, 1 c. washing soda. I too have hard water and a front loader. Our whites grey from time to time and I just give them a vinegar rinse or oxyclean if they need it. Yes, to even Tide being unable to get rid of the stank of heavily sweated in, man clothes...

 

Oh yeah, if you can't find washing soda: Look for the cheapest, generic dishwasher detergent you can find; same ingredients. Don't get Cascade or the like, they have additives, colors, etc.

 

AND, when you are cooking your soap, just don't think food! Tell yourself you just mopped the floor.