Speaking of laundry detergent. I need to make some.

[ChristyB in TN]

I am in dire need of getting all the harsh chemicals out of our lives, and I don't just mean the colors and scents. My Tide w/bleach has to go but I am so sad because it works SO DARN WELL! A house full of athletes makes for some smelly laundry. I would love your best laundry detergent recipes! How about your favorite home made fabric softener? I am willing to switch to Mrs Meyers or Seventh Generation if I have to but I really, really don't want to spend that much on it. Thanks!

[Mom22ns]

I know you can make it for less, but I like All Free and Clear. Much less nastiness, but not exactly all natural either. It does clean though.

[KellyGirl]

I use this recipe that I got from welcometomybrain.net. I have used a full bar of dove soap when I couldn't find Fels Naptha. I have one pretty stinky boy and my laundry comes out smelling good.

 

 

Water (hopefully you've got some of that around the house)

1/3 bar of Fels Naptha Soap (or my favorite - Zote soap)

1/2 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda - look in the detergent aisle)

1/2 cup Borax

A bucket that will hold 2 gallons

 

Grate the soap. I use my cheese grater. Mix it with about three pints of water in a saucepan. Heat on low until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and Borax. Stir until thickened and remove from heat. Add 1 quart of hot water to bucket. Add soap mixture and stir well. Fill bucket with hot water until you have about two gallons. Mix well again. Let set 24 hours, or until thickened.

 

It will be funky goopy. I use a big spoon to stir it up and then use a funnel to pour it into an old detergent container. I use 1/2 cup per load.

 

 

You can always add a drop of an essential oil like lavender that kills germs and smells nice if you want it to smell better. I put a drop or two of lavender in the laundry whenever someone has been sick.

 

1/2 cup of vinegar in your fabric softener dispenser is a pretty good fabric softener. But, somewhere I read that it can be bad for the seal on your washing machine or something (I'm sure you could google it).

[SebastianCat]

I use this recipe that I got from welcometomybrain.net. I have used a full bar of dove soap when I couldn't find Fels Naptha. I have one pretty stinky boy and my laundry comes out smelling good.

 

 

Water (hopefully you've got some of that around the house)

1/3 bar of Fels Naptha Soap (or my favorite - Zote soap)

1/2 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda - look in the detergent aisle)

1/2 cup Borax

A bucket that will hold 2 gallons

 

Grate the soap. I use my cheese grater. Mix it with about three pints of water in a saucepan. Heat on low until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and Borax. Stir until thickened and remove from heat. Add 1 quart of hot water to bucket. Add soap mixture and stir well. Fill bucket with hot water until you have about two gallons. Mix well again. Let set 24 hours, or until thickened.

 

It will be funky goopy. I use a big spoon to stir it up and then use a funnel to pour it into an old detergent container. I use 1/2 cup per load.

 

 

You can always add a drop of an essential oil like lavender that kills germs and smells nice if you want it to smell better. I put a drop or two of lavender in the laundry whenever someone has been sick.

 

1/2 cup of vinegar in your fabric softener dispenser is a pretty good fabric softener. But, somewhere I read that it can be bad for the seal on your washing machine or something (I'm sure you could google it).

 

I use the same recipe and love it! I keep a bottle of regular detergent on hand just for backup when I run out of the homemade stuff, and I can't stand the smell of the regular detergent anymore.

 

The only thing I find is that I do have to pretreat stains and "ring around the collar," but as long as I do that, the clothes come out totally clean.

 

This is the blog where I got the recipe. I've been using it for about a year or more, and love it. It costs me less than $1 per 2 gallons to make.

[ZooRho]

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/

I got mine from that website.

 

I have used it about 5 years.

 

I sometimes use ODO ban for bad smells.

[ktgrok]

Costco has a plant based laundry detergent that is cheap and works better than homemade.

[Wabi Sabi]

Costco has a plant based laundry detergent that is cheap and works better than homemade.

 

So does Sam's Club. A $13 jug lasts us 4-5 months on average.

 

I'm sure that people will vehemently protest, disagree, and jump in to tell us how wonderful their homemade soap works for them, but I've found that homemade laundry soaps simply don't work as well as laundry detergents. Eventually everything starts to just look gray and dingy.

[clarkacademy]

Do you guys find while you get your clothes basically clean they tend to wear faster? I mean I have always used Tide with bleach and I have always had my kids clothes last with bright colors. My soon to be 15 year old daughter can pass things onto her little 7 year old sister my boys pass them on and even when we are done and I donate them they still look darn good.

 

I have seen firsthand two families that use home made and I am not being rude but their clothes look old and washed out even after just a few washes. They look like clothes I wouldn't even buy at goodwill and I do shop there. I don't see how that would be money saving when it does that but I may be missing something.

[Tarreymere]

Just two quick hints to add to the above:

 

 

Don't grate the soap. Microwave it a little at a time and let cool. It will crumble into dust. Much easier on the muscles (and fingertips) than grating.

 

Add some oxi-clean. It helps.

[Tarreymere]

Do you guys find while you get your clothes basically clean they tend to wear faster? I mean I have always used Tide with bleach and I have always had my kids clothes last with bright colors. My soon to be 15 year old daughter can pass things onto her little 7 year old sister my boys pass them on and even when we are done and I donate them they still look darn good.

 

I have seen firsthand two families that use home made and I am not being rude but their clothes look old and washed out even after just a few washes. They look like clothes I wouldn't even buy at goodwill and I do shop there. I don't see how that would be money saving when it does that but I may be missing something.

 

The difference is that commercial detergents have optical brighteners. Bright colors do look brighter when washed in commercial detergent because of the added chemicals that make that happen and because commercial detergents are made to preserve the dyes in clothing. Are you familiar with bluing? You can buy extra bluing to add to your wash to make your white clothes especially white (whiter than even commercial detergent will get them) and many people do that. One brand that is popular is Mrs. Stewart's. Maybe you've seen it in the laundry aisle at the store. Optical brighteners work like that, but for colors too.

 

But not everyone can tolerate extra chemicals or wants to. It is a personal choice. In my family we may or may not use commercial detergent based on how much time I have to make it, but we also do not wear bright colored clothing (personal choice again) so it doesn't matter much. Further, if you do have clothing that is no longer bright from using homemade detergent all you have to do is wash it in commercial detergent. The fault isn't in the clothes. The clothes just need that chemical to look bright again. There can be some fading since the soap in homemade detergent isn't as gentle to the clothing dyes, but in my experience the fault is more the lack of optical brighteners and usually a good wash or two in a commerical detergent (adding in the optical brighteners and getting the soap residue out) is all that is needed to make dull clothes bright again.

 

If bright clothes are your thing and you can tolerate the chemicals then you probably won't be happy with homemade detergent. Homemade detergent won't make your clothes wear out faster either, though, if that is the concern.

Edited March 14, 2012 by Rainefox

[bookfiend]

Just two quick hints to add to the above:

 

 

Don't grate the soap. Microwave it a little at a time and let cool. It will crumble into dust. Much easier on the muscles (and fingertips) than grating.

 

Add some oxi-clean. It helps.

 

Grate the soap in the food processor, then switch to the chopping blade and chop it all up = powder. The processor bowl goes through the dishwasher and no soup residue infects future food use.

[ZooRho]

Just two quick hints to add to the above:

 

 

Don't grate the soap. Microwave it a little at a time and let cool. It will crumble into dust. Much easier on the muscles (and fingertips) than grating.

 

Add some oxi-clean. It helps.

 

 

Oh my I did the micro trick last time, wow easy

[ZooRho]

Do you guys find while you get your clothes basically clean they tend to wear faster? I mean I have always used Tide with bleach and I have always had my kids clothes last with bright colors. My soon to be 15 year old daughter can pass things onto her little 7 year old sister my boys pass them on and even when we are done and I donate them they still look darn good.

 

I have seen firsthand two families that use home made and I am not being rude but their clothes look old and washed out even after just a few washes. They look like clothes I wouldn't even buy at goodwill and I do shop there. I don't see how that would be money saving when it does that but I may be missing something.

 

Honestly I've used it for 5 years. I don't notice a difference from the commercial stuff I used before.

[G5052]

Most of us have eczema in this house, and we found that the homemade detergent made a big difference. I buy the components in a kit from the company that we get our soap from. I tried using Fels Naptha soup, but we reacted to that too, and the kit is convenient and doesn't cost that much more than the ingredients. I found that I was more likely to get around to actually making it if everything was pre-measured anyway.

 

We did find that our clothes tended to hold body smells more over time, but a squirt of Dr. Bronner's Lavender at the beginning of the wash deals with that.

 

I have used vinegar as the softener, but the Dr. Bronner's seems to work just as well of late so I stopped.

[ChristyB in TN]

You all are so awesome. Thank you! Christy

[TraciWA]

Does anyone just double the recipe to fill a 5 gallon bucket?

[Aggie]

Do you guys find while you get your clothes basically clean they tend to wear faster? I mean I have always used Tide with bleach and I have always had my kids clothes last with bright colors. My soon to be 15 year old daughter can pass things onto her little 7 year old sister my boys pass them on and even when we are done and I donate them they still look darn good.

 

I have seen firsthand two families that use home made and I am not being rude but their clothes look old and washed out even after just a few washes. They look like clothes I wouldn't even buy at goodwill and I do shop there. I don't see how that would be money saving when it does that but I may be missing something.

 

When I first started making my own detergent, I read that the dingy look is from soap sticking to the fabrics. I just use some washing soda in each load.

 

Does anyone just double the recipe to fill a 5 gallon bucket?

Yes! It lasts forever! :)

[ZooRho]

Does anyone just double the recipe to fill a 5 gallon bucket?

 

I keep mine in old laudry or other bottles. It shakes up pretty easy and I like being able to pout it.

 

but I make double batches when I do it. easier to take time to clean up one mess.

[Brilliant]

I'm sure that people will vehemently protest, disagree, and jump in to tell us how wonderful their homemade soap works for them, but I've found that homemade laundry soaps simply don't work as well as laundry detergents. Eventually everything starts to just look gray and dingy.

 

That was our experience as well. By the end of the first batch (which lasted maybe 3 months?) our clothes were noticeably dingier.

[momtoamiracle]

my recipe is for dry powder:

 

 

1 bar of either Kirk's castile soap or 1/3 of Fels Naptha (I really prefer the castile soap)

1 cup of washing soda

1 cup borax

 

 

grate soap (I use a salad master hand grater), combine with soda and borax. Use 1/8 cup per load.

 

 

my clothes come out smelling fresh, are brightly colored and amazingly soft.

 

 

I first began using Ivory, and then Zote - neither one of them really worked for me. My dh's clothes stunk, and my little boys room began to stink as well. I used Tide for the summer.

 

the castile soap or fels naptha cleans much better. I'll see how they clean the summer time sweat, oil, and dirt.

 

 

I haven't done the liquid yet. I'd try the one at Sam's but it's an hour away, I can get the homemade detergent made much quicker than a two hour round trip getting there and back.

 

 

 

If your clothes are dingy, possibly your ratio of ingredients isn't proper for your water type. In all the time I've used it I have never had dingy clothes, and I'm quite particular about it.

[TraciWA]

If you microwave your Felz Naptha bar, how long and for what temp? I am getting ready to make my own soap for the first time!

[Ruby Rose]

I love my homemade laundry detergent. Three of the 4 people here have excema and allergies so that is why I made the switch.

 

Powdered Laudry Detergent

1 grated bar of Ivory soap

1/2 c Borax

1/2 c baking soda

 

I use a medicine cup to pour it in the wash and use about 3ish teaspoons per load in my front loader.

 

I use vinegar as the fabric softener and bleach on my whites.

 

I am doing laundry now and ran out and used some left over commercial liquid to get started while I whipped up a new batch. Results: HM gave me soft fresh smelling laundry and comm free and clear have me rough, stiff laundry.

[raceNzanesmom]

1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap, microwaved, cooled and crumbled

1 1/2 cup washing soda

1 1/2 cup Borax

 

Double, triple, etc to make enough to last a while.

 

Mix well, store in a dry container. I use about 1/8 c on regular soiled clothes, sheets, towels, etc, and 1/4 c on heavily soiled clothes. Vinegar in the rinse dispenser. Every now and then I'll give the whites (especially socks) an overnight soak with some added OxyClean. Toss in at the start of the wash and it dissolves even in cold.

[raceNzanesmom]

If you microwave your Felz Naptha bar, how long and for what temp? I am getting ready to make my own soap for the first time!

 

I microwave on high about 30-45 seconds at a time. When it's puffed up let it cool, then crumble. I have a lower wattage microwave and it takes 3-4 minutes. 2 minutes should be plenty for bigger microwaves.

[KungFuPanda]

I do the powdered version. No cooking or mess other than putting the food processor bowl in the dishwasher. With the powdered you can add oxyclean to your recipe. I also microwave the soap first, then turn it into dust in the Cuisinart. I then add the other ingredients (my soap is octagon) and keep it in a plastic container with a coffee spoon for scooping.

[Tarreymere]

If you microwave your Felz Naptha bar, how long and for what temp? I am getting ready to make my own soap for the first time!

 

I start at full power and thirty seconds. Usually it has started to turn to ooze a little and bubble out of my heavy glass measuring cup. So, I let it cool a bit and break a piece off of it and put that back in the glass measuring cup and nuke that piece for thirty seconds.

The trick is not to let it ooze out all over your microwave oven. My glass measuring cup is too small to contain the ooze from a whole bar so I have to do pieces.

When the ooze cools it crumbles into dust if you knead it a little, so it is worth it to me. I hate grating things.

[Tarreymere]

Grate the soap in the food processor, then switch to the chopping blade and chop it all up = powder. The processor bowl goes through the dishwasher and no soup residue infects future food use.

 

If I ever get a dishwasher I will have to try that!

[Guest 4Him]

Here is my recipe:

 

Grate one 5.5 ounce bar Fels-Naptha soap into a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Heat over low heat until soap is dissolved, stirring constantly. Remove from stove. Pour 4 1/2 gallons of hot water into a 5 gallon bucket. Add the melted soap and 1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda. Stir until combined.

 

As it cools, it will thicken to be slightly gel-like. I usually let it sit overnight.

 

To use: add 1 cup per wash load

[SailorMom]

1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap, microwaved, cooled and crumbled

1 1/2 cup washing soda

1 1/2 cup Borax

 

Double, triple, etc to make enough to last a while.

 

Mix well, store in a dry container. I use about 1/8 c on regular soiled clothes, sheets, towels, etc, and 1/4 c on heavily soiled clothes. Vinegar in the rinse dispenser. Every now and then I'll give the whites (especially socks) an overnight soak with some added OxyClean. Toss in at the start of the wash and it dissolves even in cold.

 

This is what I do - but I added OxyClean to the detergent itself, and if my son brings home gym clothes, I add about 1/2 a scoop more Oxyclean to the wash.

I also use my food processor for the Fels Naptha - works great, and vinegar is one of the best fabric softeners ever!!!!!

The Fels Naptha bars are also excellent stain pre-treaters. Just get the bar wet and rub it on the stain.

Those bars smell pretty strong, but the smell doesn't seem to come through on the clean clothes at all. There really isn't a smell. If you'd like more of a 'my laundry is clean' smell - you may want to just keep using dryer sheets (I still use Bounce Bars for the static cling).

[SailorMom]

If I ever get a dishwasher I will have to try that!

 

You could clean it by hand, no problem. Just soak it all for a little while in hot water.

[Mommy22alyns]

This is what we use:

 

http://duggarfamily.com/content/duggar_recipes/30455/homemade_liquid_laundry_soap_front_or_top_load_machine_best_value

 

I have noticed that our whites aren't so bright, so we bought some super whitening Tide and I'll look into the bluing.

[Deb in NZ]

I've made a couple batches of the liquid (i.e grate a bar of laundry soap, melt in hot water on the stove, add washing soda & borax, etc.) but I wasn't really happy with the results over time as my laundry began to smell funny :confused:

 

I found another recipe, this time one for a powder, & I really like this recipe. I've converted the recipe to cup measurements from weight measurements. It has worked very well so far & is easy to mix up & use.

 

Homemade Laundry Powder

3 cups Borax

2 cups Washing Soda

2 cups OxyClean (optional)

2 cups Baking Soda

1 bar laundry soap, grated

 

---mix well & use ~2 Tbsp / extra large load

 

I use vinegar in the rinse cycle

Edited March 18, 2012 by Deb in NZ

[PRTGSw2K]

Homemade Laundry Powder

3 cups Borax

2 cups Washing Soda

2 cups OxyClean (optional)

2 cups Baking Soda

1 bar laundry soap, grated

 

---mix well & use ~2 Tbsp / extra large load

 

I use vinegar in the rinse cycle

 

Trying this one today.

[ktgrok]

Method brand works almost as well as my Tide, and is much more non toxic.

[momtoamiracle]

my liquid recipe, lasts longer than my dry:

 

 

a cup grated Fels Naptha

1/3 cup borax

1/3 cup washing powder

1 gallon water

 

 

melt soap in two cups water. Add powders, simmer but do not boil. Pour into gallon or 1.5 gallon container. Add remaining water. Let sit till gelled. use 3/4 cup.

 

 

I think the Duggar recipe is actually too weak. It is very diluted so I don't think it always cleans well. I think a good portion of the cleaners along with less water work a lot better.

 

This mixture cleans my husbands work clothes. He gets greasy every day since he works on locomotives. His clothes come out clean, fresh, and bright.

[kewb]

my liquid recipe, lasts longer than my dry:

 

a cup grated Fels Naptha

1/3 cup borax

1/3 cup washing powder

1 gallon water

 

melt soap in two cups water. Add powders, simmer but do not boil. Pour into gallon or 1.5 gallon container. Add remaining water. Let sit till gelled. use 3/4 cup.

 

:iagree:I recently took the leap from dry to liquid and it is lasting a lot longer than then when I just did the powder. I also used the whole bar and adjusted the recipe accordingly. I have found that I need to use a cup of the detergent due to our incredibly hard water.

[bamagirl]

I've used this recipe from the Duggar's for years and it works great. I fill old detergent bottles with it and keep the extra in a 5-gallon paint bucket in my laundry room. You just have to remember to shake it up good before each use. If I have bad stains I will rub with a bar of Fels Naptha or use some Oxy Clean. Our clothes do not wear out faster and do not look dingy BTW :001_smile:

 

 

Ingredients:

 

4 Cups - hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar*

1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda**

½ Cup Borax

 

Directions:

 

-Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)