DawnM Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Ok, I have a bit of an issue that I guess I didn't connect the dots on before. Dh works out and when he does.....whew! his undershirts and T-shirts reek. I wash them with our homemade laundry soap and they get "clean" of sorts, but I realized this last week that they aren't getting completely un-smelly. Anyone else notice? I haven't bought detergent in over 2 years, but I am thinking of getting Tide for HIS loads. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Have you tried adding oxy clean to the load? That seems to work on the clothes funk along with a scoop of borax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Would that be cheaper than just getting him different soap do you think? Dawn Have you tried adding oxy clean to the load? That seems to work on the clothes funk along with a scoop of borax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Would that be cheaper than just getting him different soap do you think? Dawn Yes. I buy both once a month or every other month for about 10 bucks a month. It depends on the season of funkiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PIE! Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 We've been using homemade laundry soap for years. Though our clothes didn't smell dirty, I did miss that nice freshly-washed smell that you get from store-bought detergent. Last time I made laundry soap I added one cheap container of heavily scented laundry detergent to the whole batch. Now things smell nicer :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Yep, I noticed the same thing. Clothes were....smelly. Particularly really smelly clothes. I would experiment with some things, but I ended up having to go back to regular detergent for all my laundry. The homemade wasn't cutting it after awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 I don't think I spent that on detergent. It may be because we have a front loader, but I think we spent under $5/mo even for Tide. Dawn Yes. I buy both once a month or every other month for about 10 bucks a month. It depends on the season of funkiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I don't think I spent that on detergent. It may be because we have a front loader, but I think we spent under $5/mo even for Tide. I buy Aldi detergent for $8 and have, out of curiosity, labeled the jug with the opening date. I have been using it since November 18, and it is still more than a third full - so it will last at least four months. For $2 per month it is not worth it financially to make my own detergent. Most people use way too much. With the ultra concentrated one does not need a full cap per wash, but less than a quarter of one to the first marker for a normal load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I don't think I spent that on detergent. It may be because we have a front loader, but I think we spent under $5/mo even for Tide. Dawn I use a front loader. I buy the oxy clean in liquid as powder is bad for the old pipes. That is makes it a bit more pricey for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Ok, I have a bit of an issue that I guess I didn't connect the dots on before. Dh works out and when he does.....whew! his undershirts and T-shirts reek. I wash them with our homemade laundry soap and they get "clean" of sorts, but I realized this last week that they aren't getting completely un-smelly. Anyone else notice? I haven't bought detergent in over 2 years, but I am thinking of getting Tide for HIS loads. Dawn Have you tried adding vinegar to his load of clothes? And, hanging them to dry outside? (not sure where you live, or if that is possible...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 My husband works out in judo gis. They're thick and trap sweat/odor. I add a cup of ammonia in with the homemade laundry soap. Since I have a top loader, I leave the lid up and let it agitate, but it won't spin out or rinse until you close the lid. When it finishes agitating, I spin the dial back to start and cloxse the lid. It agitated for another cycle, then spins and rinses. Once they dry, there is no smell at all. DH doesn't like any artificial smells on his clothes, so using a perfumey product wouldn't fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I've had the same problem with my homemade laundry detergent & it does have Borax and OxyClean. I've been toying with the idea of going back to storebought, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellalarella Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Regarding the homemade laundry soap recipe: If you do the math on how much borax, washing soda and fels naptha goes into your laundry per load, it is less than 1 tsp. of each chemical. I did not feel that this was sufficient to clean our clothes in a front loader. The stains and smells confirmed it. I went back to TIDE and I make very sure that I don't use more than the recommended amount. The manufacturer makes the cups hard to read so that consumers will use more. When I am careful with our measurements, it seems that a bottle of Tide is a good buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKidAcademy Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Dawn, that is exactly the reason I quit using homemade laundry soap. It just couldn't keep up with my guys in the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kertie Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Regarding the homemade laundry soap recipe: If you do the math on how much borax, washing soda and fels naptha goes into your laundry per load, it is less than 1 tsp. of each chemical. I did not feel that this was sufficient to clean our clothes in a front loader. The stains and smells confirmed it. I went back to TIDE and I make very sure that I don't use more than the recommended amount. The manufacturer makes the cups hard to read so that consumers will use more. When I am careful with our measurements, it seems that a bottle of Tide is a good buy. Depends on the recipe you use. I don't mix the liquid and powder. I add a tablespoon each of borax and washing soda to each load (give/take depending on load size, etc.). I have heard that the front loaders are more challenging, though--I've heard of people having trouble with smells with store-bought detergent in them. OP, I'd try vinegar in the load as well--perhaps let them soak, too. You can also add an essential oil such as tea tree oil to your detergent that might help as well. Or, as others have pointed out, you can just buy some detergent:). Whatever works, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 He has decided that he will be responsible for his own clothing.....which also means that he puts in soap and that will be it....he isn't one to deal with extras. As for hanging outside.....not happening.....read by I hate Cooking thread.....I hate laundry and cleaning the house even more! :lol: Dawn Have you tried adding vinegar to his load of clothes? And, hanging them to dry outside? (not sure where you live, or if that is possible...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 I think I will have to buy some, even if it is only for his stuff.....as I mentioned, he most likely won't remember to add any extras in and he does his own laundry because he didn't like the way I did it (which tended to be mix everyone's clothing together and get to it when I get to it! :D) So, he does his own loads on Sunday evenings for the following week. Besides, HE doesn't think his clothing still smells! :tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie::tongue_smilie: Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slone07 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 I, too, went back to Tide after the homemade just wasn't getting the smells out or keeping our brights bright (even with oxyclean). I tried several different ratios of borax to fels naptha, but it wasn't worth the shorter life span of our clothing (smelly and dingy). Was pretty bummed...I like making my own products and feeling self-sufficient--but I rank smelling clean (not like my husband's sweaty armpits) higher on my list of priorities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Well, our homemade is just at the end of the bucket so it is a good time to buy the other. I think I will go ahead and just buy Tide. We can't use powder because we are on a septic. I found before that I can use less Tide than recommended and still get clean clothing. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Have you tried adding vinegar to his load of clothes? And, hanging them to dry outside? (not sure where you live, or if that is possible...) I was thinking vinegar too. It's great as a deodorizer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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