kdeno Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I am concerned that my homemade detergent may be gumming up my front loader. I appreciate the savings of making it myself but if it hastens the demise of my washer it in't worth it. Thanks! Kariann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I tried and stopped - it made my DH itchy and if DH is itchy, DD is probably itchy as well. Both have sensitive skin. The ONLY thing that works for them is All Free & Clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We did. It wasn't doing an adequate job. Whites were yellow, colors were fading, stains (no matter of how much I was soaking and pretreating them) were not going away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BakersDozen Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Just decided last night to stop using it. I'm tired of half-clean clothes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I use it for certain loads, and have detergent for others. Actually, I have three laundry cleaners right now-- homemade soap/borax, Seventh Generation detergent, and Eucalan (for woolens-- we wear a lot of wool!). ;) I just love the homemade laundry soap for bed linens hung in the sunshine. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I used it for years and years. A brown scum built up on the inside of my washer. I don't use it much anymore. I'm in love with Target's store brand of free 'n clear. It rocks and the price is right: 64 loads for $7.98. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbalgirl Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We did. It wasn't doing an adequate job. Whites were yellow, colors were fading, stains (no matter of how much I was soaking and pretreating them) were not going away. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 we did. Clothes appeared grungy, sort of, and the smells were never removed from the men's clothing in the house. The males requested store bought again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookfiend Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I use homemade and bump it up with a tablespoon or so of Tide-style detergent. I just like my clothes to smell a little fresher than fels naptha. No problems with our HE washer that I have noticed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We did. It wasn't doing an adequate job. Whites were yellow, colors were fading, stains (no matter of how much I was soaking and pretreating them) were not going away. Another :iagree: Now I use Tide powder and use 1 tbsp per load. It get the stuff clean and it's actually more cost effective than homemade because it lasts so long. I get a box that runs about 11.00 on sale (not sure how many loads it is suppose to do since I don't save the boxes, i pour it into other containers that are easier for me to use) and that lasts us about a year. Homemade cost us quite a bit more because I had to use so much more to get some semblance of clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I did. DH's scrubs started to reek and he demanded a change. Turns out, he doesn't like stinking. We switched to HE Tide and I rinse 4 extra times. This has kept DS' sensitive skin in check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I'm back to store bought. I was getting under arm stains. I'd never had them before. DH has always had them. Oldest was starting before I went to homemade. Hers were getting worse. I decided it wasn't worth it for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Yes, we hated it. It didn't clean our clothes, left a nasty film in the washer, and we all got rashes. Yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot_Stove Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 What I do instead is just not use anything at all unless things are especially dirty. The agitation alone gets most things perfectly clean. When I do use detergent I usually use much less than the recommended amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmyP Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 After using homemade for a while I visited my sister. Her clothes and whole laundry area smelled so great I came home and bought Tide the next day. I also felt like the clothes weren't getting as clean with homemade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommee & Baba Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I still use homemade. I put a TB of OxiClean Free in with each load and I also mix in Orange Essential Oil in with my liquid version of the Homemade deteger. I did notice a funky smell on MANY loads I did a couple months back and since then I've DOUBLED the amount of homemade deterg. I use on certain loads. Instead of 1/2cp for a load, I use 1 full cup, 1TB of OxiClean free and if the clothing is soiled I'll even put 1/4cp of Borax/WashingSoda/OxiClea mixture into the load. Fixed the stinks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We did. It wasn't doing an adequate job. Whites were yellow, colors were fading, stains (no matter of how much I was soaking and pretreating them) were not going away. ditto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jyniffrec Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I stopped. It messed with our pipes. We use Biokleen now and it works very well. I have some Tide in the closet for heavy stains, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilymax Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Yeah, we quit, too, for the reasons others have described. Loved the idea of it, and saving money, but it just didn't clean well enough for me. So far we've had luck with Purex, and the price is right! I do use Tide as well, but only on my youngest's cloth diapers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Now I use Tide powder and use 1 tbsp per load. It get the stuff clean and it's actually more cost effective than homemade because it lasts so long.Wow! 1 tbsp?! That's amazing. Just thought of something: Do you have soft water? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I quit using homemade detergent. I found it to be too messy, time consuming and it didn't do a better job then the commercial "green" detergent readily available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty Mathy Mom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I stopped because my dh's clothes smelled awful. By the time I pretreated, soaked, added Oxyclean, and used hotter water, there was no cost savings. I'm using Purex in cold water now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Wow! 1 tbsp?! That's amazing. Just thought of something: Do you have soft water? Yes we do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 We have hard water. I had to stop w/ the homemade laundry detergent and the homemade dishwasher stuff. Nothing was getting clean. (We were particularly upset about the dirty dishes... Kinda gotta have clean dishes!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thanks for this. I'm feeling better now about never having tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applesing Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Thanks for this. I'm feeling better now about never having tried it.:iagree: I was feeling guilty for not trying it . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 We did. It wasn't doing an adequate job. Whites were yellow, colors were fading, stains (no matter of how much I was soaking and pretreating them) were not going away. Same here. Just bought a bottle from Costco about two weeks ago. I think the clothes that faded and yellowed will not recover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1happymama Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Oh man! I was pretty excited about trying homemade but it sounds like the results haven't been too great. I guess I'll still give it a shot and see what results I get. Did anyone with bad experiences use the homemade powder? That's what I'm planning to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 My bad experiences were exclusively with the elaborate homemade stuff. Once I re-did things I was happy with it, plus it took a lot less time. I got sick of all the work, and grating soap made my asthma flare up. So one day I did the math, researched things like washing soda and Borax to see what specific role each of the chemicals play in cleaning clothes, etc. This is my current method (I do go back and forth between this and the store brand Target stuff): 1) Assemble Fels-Naptha, 2 lidded pitchers, a plastic lidded container, washing soda, and borax. 2) Unwrap a bar of Fels and drop it into one of the pitchers, filled with HOT tap water. Stir periodically over the next few days. Go ahead and start a second pitcher now if you want to. 3) Mix together the Borax and washing soda in equal amounts and shake well. 4) Once the soap has become liquified to the point of the Fels no longer dissolving ("saturation point"), it's useable. 5) Use 1-4 oz of the liquid Fels (I use an old Oxy-clean scoop for this) and 1/2 - 2 Tbsp of the mixed powders per load. 6) When the level in the Fels pitcher gets low, stir in more hot tap water and stir periodically each time you do laundry. Keep a second pitcher going so that you always have some on hand. When the bar dissolves completely, just throw in another one. Note: I swear it takes longer to explain it than it does to do it. Assembling everything takes less time than it does to cook the other stuff and it makes less mess. And since the soap and powders are separate this way, you can adjust according to water hardness and laundry odor: use more powder. I had laundry odors when using the cooked stuff. I never had laundry odors when I did it this way. I also don't have build up in my washer when I use Fels; it was Zote that gave me problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I'm so glad to read this thread. I never tried it, because I didn't like the look and smell of my friends' clothing who *do* use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Findley2 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 1) Assemble Fels-Naptha, 2 lidded pitchers, a plastic lidded container, washing soda, and borax. 2) Unwrap a bar of Fels and drop it into one of the pitchers, filled with HOT tap water. Stir periodically over the next few days. Go ahead and start a second pitcher now if you want to. 3) Mix together the Borax and washing soda in equal amounts and shake well. 4) Once the soap has become liquified to the point of the Fels no longer dissolving ("saturation point"), it's useable. 5) Use 1-4 oz of the liquid Fels (I use an old Oxy-clean scoop for this) and 1/2 - 2 Tbsp of the mixed powders per load. 6) When the level in the Fels pitcher gets low, stir in more hot tap water and stir periodically each time you do laundry. Keep a second pitcher going so that you always have some on hand. When the bar dissolves completely, just throw in another one. What size pitchers do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I've so stopped it, I never started. :001_smile: I use 7th Gen powder about 1.5 T plus 2 T of Oxyclean with vinegar in the rinse bucket. I also put Shout on stains when they happen and put that in the hamper till wash day, and my front loader does just fine with this. No sudsing, no build up, clean clothes. I just don't see how I'm going to beat this in cost/hassle/results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Researcher Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I still use it for some things. It works great on our towels and cleaning cloths but I don't use it for delicates or darks. My recipe is super simple: 1 bar grated soap 1 c borax 1 c washing soda 2 Tbl per load Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I've so stopped it, I never started. :001_smile:Ok, this made me laugh. What size pitchers do you use?At least 2qt., but that's really a convenience thing. It's not a matter of concentration because once the water reaches its saturation point, it's at the concentration I used in my measurements. When it has reached its saturation point and the water can't dissolve anymore, the bar will swell up and get much larger than normal size, and the liquid will be the consistency of snot. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted April 3, 2011 Share Posted April 3, 2011 I still use it for some things. It works great on our towels and cleaning cloths but I don't use it for delicates or darks. My recipe is super simple: 1 bar grated soap 1 c borax 1 c washing soda 2 Tbl per load This is similar to what we do. I also add essential oils of lavendar and/or rose geranium when it's on hand. I've never done the elaborate liquid version. For soap, we use gobs of free soap samples we had, as well as Ivory soap or Dial gold. Dial Gold smells wonderful (to me); I don't add essentials oils with it. I take my Kitchen Aid grater attachment and grate the soap in a few minutes. Quick, easy, and it smells wonderful. FWIW, the laundry always smells terrific when we use this soap. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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