astrid Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you find that it fades the clothes more than store bought detergent? Or causes less fading? Do you find your clothes are not as soft as when washed with commercial detergents? How about cleaning power? We're not really dirty people, but my 78 year old mom lives with us and often drops food on her front-- we all do, really, so we do have a few stains to deal with. I usually use a pre-treating stain remover in combination with my detergent. I've never really considered making my own before, but I am intrigued by the link that someone provided in the thread this morning. Looks easy enough to do, and I wouldn't do it as a cost-saving measure necessarily but just because it seems better for the environment, etc. I'm concerned about long-term effects on clothing, though-- specifically fading and softness. Thanks for any input. astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you find that it fades the clothes more than store bought detergent? Or causes less fading? Do you find your clothes are not as soft as when washed with commercial detergents? How about cleaning power? We're not really dirty people, but my 78 year old mom lives with us and often drops food on her front-- we all do, really, so we do have a few stains to deal with. I usually use a pre-treating stain remover in combination with my detergent. I've never really considered making my own before, but I am intrigued by the link that someone provided in the thread this morning. Looks easy enough to do, and I wouldn't do it as a cost-saving measure necessarily but just because it seems better for the environment, etc. I'm concerned about long-term effects on clothing, though-- specifically fading and softness. Thanks for any input. astrid I never noticed any difference as far as fading or not fading goes with homemade laundry soap (I use the dry version, not sure if it makes a difference). Same goes for softness, they were the same. As far as your mom and stains...my 13 year old son is a huge slob (not saying you or your mom is a slob...) and gets food on his clothes all the time, and as long as I pretreat, they all come out. The ONLY thing I found that I didn't like, is that it doesn't get some odors out as well. My DH is a machinist, and the coolant they use in the machines he uses at his work is really old and nasty smelling, and when he runs the machine the coolant sprays on his clothes and makes them stink. With the homemade soap his shirts still smelled even after washing them, whereas when I wash them with Era or Gain the smell goes away completely. I never really noticed it in any other clothes, just his work clothes, so it may have had more to do with the particular bacteria that was in the coolant, rather than the soap itself. Kwim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I made the dry version years ago, and we didn't care for it. Our towels always seemed smelly when I used it. I didn't notice a difference in softness, but ds was little (read: got his clothes dirty all the time) and it didn't get his clothes clean enough for me. The liquid version, using whatever bar soap you like, has been popping up everywhere lately. I've even seen it on Pinterest. I'm considering trying it. I already have Borax and washing soda, and would save slivers of soap until I have enough, as one site suggested. If we don't like it, I won't feel like I wasted anything. I could always use it to wash cleaning rags and pet towels until it's gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekanamom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I make a dry version, have a front loader, and hard (well) water. We do have a water softener, but it's not always consistent. Just listing factors that can affect the outcome of any laundry detergent. ;) I found my homemade detergent actually gets my clothes softer. We line dry most of our laundry, and the clothes (jeans are the most noticeable) are less stiff with the homemade stuff. I didn't notice more rapid fading... But I agree about the scent. Any strong scent that was already on the clothes when they went into the wash could still be smelled when they came out. Other than that, the clothes seemed perfectly clean. I'm funny about smells though, so we mostly use Ecos from Costco and keep the homemade stuff on hand for those times we run out of Ecos. (Until we make it back to the store to get more.) Wanted to add: When I made detergent with Dr. Bronner's lavender bar soap instead of Fels Naptha, the smell issue was not as noticeable. Still there, but I think it worked a little better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I never noticed any difference as far as fading or not fading goes with homemade laundry soap (I use the dry version, not sure if it makes a difference). Same goes for softness, they were the same. As far as your mom and stains...my 13 year old son is a huge slob (not saying you or your mom is a slob...) and gets food on his clothes all the time, and as long as I pretreat, they all come out. The ONLY thing I found that I didn't like, is that it doesn't get some odors out as well. My DH is a machinist, and the coolant they use in the machines he uses at his work is really old and nasty smelling, and when he runs the machine the coolant sprays on his clothes and makes them stink. With the homemade soap his shirts still smelled even after washing them, whereas when I wash them with Era or Gain the smell goes away completely. I never really noticed it in any other clothes, just his work clothes, so it may have had more to do with the particular bacteria that was in the coolant, rather than the soap itself. Kwim? same for my dh. I had to switch to Tide to get his clothes to not smell. I found when I made the soap I was breathing in too much of the chemical. It was killing me. I gave it up and now use Tide for my dh's clothes and Purex naturals for the rest of us. It doesn't cost that much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I make the liquid version with fels naptha, borax and washing soda. I find it does a great job on getting stuff clean - I have two toddlers and lots of stains. I have to occasionally pretreat grease or spit up, but other than that the detergent does fine on its own. I have not noticed our clothes fading, and they feel nice and soft even though we do not use either liquid fabric softener or fabric softener sheets. I do use some white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser or in a downy ball. At this point, I have made many batches of the detergent, and one time I did not have fals naptha so I decided to use Ivory - that is the only batch that did not gel and came out poorly. One thing I did read is that fels naptha can cause cause reactions for some people. Before I made my first batch I lathered up the fels naptha a smeared some of the suds on the inside of DH and DS's arms. Ten minutes later they rinsed it off and checked to make sure their skin wasn't red at all. I did the same thing to my younger son when he was born before I threw his clothes in the wash with ours. Just something to think about. Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somo_chickenlady Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 same for my dh. I had to switch to Tide to get his clothes to not smell. I found when I made the soap I was breathing in too much of the chemical. It was killing me. I gave it up and now use Tide for my dh's clothes and Purex naturals for the rest of us. It doesn't cost that much... Yeah, we switched back to Era b/c it is hard enough remembering to do the laundry we already have, let alone trying to remember to do a separate load for just his work clothes. I gave up and just switched back, so I can wash his work clothes with our regular clothes. Plus, I use Era to mop the floors with, so we buy it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 One thing I did read is that fels naptha can cause cause reactions for some people. Before I made my first batch I lathered up the fels naptha a smeared some of the suds on the inside of DH and DS's arms. Ten minutes later they rinsed it off and checked to make sure their skin wasn't red at all. I did the same thing to my younger son when he was born before I threw his clothes in the wash with ours. Just something to think about. Wendy Good idea! I didn't even think to ask that. If I decide to attempt making my own laundry soap I'll definitely do that. Thanks for the replies, everyone! astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I found that my clothes got dingier with homemade. My husband's undershirts and the tidy whities got quite gray over time. I switched back to real detergent. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Thanks; I was wondering about this too. I like bright whites. astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Well, since we have some with allergies & have always used a free & clear laundry detergent, nothing took the smell out of dh's work shirts anyway. The strong chemical detergents have things that mask the smells, etc. I already wash dh's clothes separately because he's a painting contractor who wears all white, but not stuff I'd want to wash with my whites. If it weren't for the fact that I can get a reaction even if I wash his with a chemical/scented soap separately, I haven't bought one of those. I'm planning to throw out the old shirts he just used for an unusually smelly job (preservative for wood fences & it was a very large job) because he wears those things far too long & has a zillion of them; he won't even notice. Otherwise the smell isn't noticeable to anyone who doesn't have a very sensitive nose, and you can' really smell it when they're clean & he's wearing them. Plus, it's just those doggone white t-shirts, and it's an odd smell. The liquid version, using whatever bar soap you like, has been popping up everywhere lately. I've even seen it on Pinterest. I'm considering trying it. I already have Borax and washing soda, and would save slivers of soap until I have enough, as one site suggested. If we don't like it, I won't feel like I wasted anything. I could always use it to wash cleaning rags and pet towels until it's gone. I make the liquid version with fels naptha, borax and washing soda. I find it does a great job on getting stuff clean - I have two toddlers and lots of stains. I have to occasionally pretreat grease or spit up, but other than that the detergent does fine on its own. I have not noticed our clothes fading, and they feel nice and soft even though we do not use either liquid fabric softener or fabric softener sheets. I do use some white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser or in a downy ball. At this point, I have made many batches of the detergent, and one time I did not have fals naptha so I decided to use Ivory - that is the only batch that did not gel and came out poorly. One thing I did read is that fels naptha can cause cause reactions for some people. Before I made my first batch I lathered up the fels naptha a smeared some of the suds on the inside of DH and DS's arms. Ten minutes later they rinsed it off and checked to make sure their skin wasn't red at all. I did the same thing to my younger son when he was born before I threw his clothes in the wash with ours. Just something to think about. Wendy Fels naphtha does seem to work the best because it is a laundry soap. We did try unscented solid castile soap which was okay & still gelled somewhat. It is scented, but isn't a scent that gives me a rash (many do). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahbobeara Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I found that my clothes got dingier with homemade. My husband's undershirts and the tidy whities got quite gray over time. I switched back to real detergent. Dawn :iagree: Even hot water & bleach didn't help keep the whites *white.* After using homemade, I realized that I LIKE my laundry to smell clean. With homemade detergent, it just smelled like fabric. Blah. I don't use fabric softeners at all and I think with homemade detergent the clothes were a little rougher? Might have just been my sensitive skin though ;) I often use a bit of store detergent as a pre-treater and I don't recall homemade detergent working well as a pre-treater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) :iagree: Even hot water & bleach didn't help keep the whites *white.* After using homemade, I realized that I LIKE my laundry to smell clean. With homemade detergent, it just smelled like fabric. Blah. I don't use fabric softeners at all and I think with homemade detergent the clothes were a little rougher? Might have just been my sensitive skin though ;) I often use a bit of store detergent as a pre-treater and I don't recall homemade detergent working well as a pre-treater. :lol::lol::lol: The fact is that many people find that laundry perfume smells clean, and once you associate the two together, it's hard to break that. I only find lemon laundry & cleaning scents smell clean (my mother used a lemon scented Canadian laundry detergent for many years), when I smell most scented detergents they annoy me (most especially Tide, and it takes several washings to get rid of that scent) in part because they smell fake & in part because now they give me a headache. Also, some detergents coat the clothes the way that fabric softeners do to give a softer feeling, which can also cause reactions for sensitive people. Fabric softeners tend to shorten the life of clothes, although before I knew that I used to use unscented dryer sheets to prevent static cling. Technically, clean fabric with no perfume added to it, smells like fabric :). I use Fels naphtha to pretreat clothes, but it involves some elbow grease at times. I don't care for the smell, but it doesn't give me a headache. Edited October 31, 2012 by Karin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've had no trouble with my homemade detergent. However, I've always had a top loading machine and I'm convinced the water does most of the cleaning anyway. I don't have a softer, but we don't have hard water either. I use the powdered recipe and octagon laundry soap. We're used to the homemade now and the store-bought stuff smells too perfumey for us. The biggest odor problems in my laundry are Dh's judo gis. I just soak them in homemade detergent and either vinegar or ammonia before washing and it takes care of the smell. For whites, I add bleach about every third time I wash them. My kids are gentle on their clothes and we live in the burbs, so I can't tell you how it would work on farm dirt or grass stains. My challenges are work-out clothes and food stains. I soak for odors and pre-treat any greasy or tomatoey stains we get. It's been two years and I'm happy with the homemade. I did tweak the recipe and add a little more of the laundry bar than most recipes call for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahbobeara Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 :lol::lol::lol: The fact is that many people find that laundry perfume smells clean, and once you associate the two together, it's hard to break that. I only find lemon laundry & cleaning scents smell clean (my mother used a lemon scented Canadian laundry detergent for many years), when I smell most scented detergents they annoy me (most especially Tide, and it takes several washings to get rid of that scent) in part because they smell fake & in part because now they give me a headache. Also, some detergents coat the clothes the way that fabric softeners do to give a softer feeling, which can also cause reactions for sensitive people. Fabric softeners tend to shorten the life of clothes, although before I knew that I used to use unscented dryer sheets to prevent static cling. Technically, clean fabric with no perfume added to it, smells like fabric :). I use Fels naphtha to pretreat clothes, but it involves some elbow grease at times. I don't care for the smell, but it doesn't give me a headache. I know I'm being manipulated by big business, but just let me live in my happy place with my perfumey laundry. :lol: Also, I can only smell the clean laundry smell when I hold it up to my face...it's not a lingering scent that we trail behind us. My mother's laundry is like the latter and while I really appreciate her washing our clothes for us during a visit, I hate that our clothes smell so strongly for weeks afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I know I'm being manipulated by big business, but just let me live in my happy place with my perfumey laundry. :lol: Also, I can only smell the clean laundry smell when I hold it up to my face...it's not a lingering scent that we trail behind us. My mother's laundry is like the latter and while I really appreciate her washing our clothes for us during a visit, I hate that our clothes smell so strongly for weeks afterward. :D:D:D If it weren't for my sensitivities, I'd still be using lemon scented laundry and cleaning products. It smells so clean to me to this day. IRL lemon juice leaves a sticky film if it's straight from the lemon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 The whites are the problem here too. We bought some Tide just for white loads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 The whites are the problem here too. We bought some Tide just for white loads. They have unscented Tide now. Perhaps one day I'll break down and buy some for dh's work clothes to see if it works, but after using the homemade stuff for so long it's hard to pay that much. This from someone who buys too many books, buys some homechool stuff new & buys some organic food. No one said I had to be consistent.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I didn't care for the homemade laundry detergent/soap at all. It didn't seem to clean well and, as other have said, left undesirable smells behind. I use Sevent Generation 4x in the compostable bottle. I feel like that's a good eco-compromise. Our whites, especially the boys' socks :ack2:, get soaked in the Tightwad Gazette stain soak, then get pre-rinsed and washed normally (sometimes with bleach, always on cold). Bright white every time. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I use the powdered version, but w/the purex crystals mixed in. Original recipe called for Downy Unstoppables but were too expensive. I use vinegar for the fabric softener. For the whites I add lemon juice and some extra vinegar during the wash cycle. Only one shirt has faded and we've used this since the beginning of summer. I don't think the color had set on the shirt (dark blue). It's been the only casualty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I found that my clothes got dingier with homemade. My husband's undershirts and the tidy whities got quite gray over time. Dawn I forgot about that but now that you mention it, it was a problem. It really made dh's undershirts dingy. He hated that. Reading this thread is making me re-think my idea of trying again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I use the powdered version, but w/the purex crystals mixed in. Original recipe called for Downy Unstoppables but were too expensive. I use vinegar for the fabric softener. For the whites I add lemon juice and some extra vinegar during the wash cycle. Only one shirt has faded and we've used this since the beginning of summer. I don't think the color had set on the shirt (dark blue). It's been the only casualty. Vinegar is a great fabric softener because all it does is cut the detergent better, which is what often makes the clothes less soft. I forgot about that but now that you mention it, it was a problem. It really made dh's undershirts dingy. He hated that. Reading this thread is making me re-think my idea of trying again. Our water is relatively soft, so that only dh's white work stuff gets dingy. My whites stay fine (not washed together.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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