My wife has come across a recipe for home made laundry soap and dishwasher soap is anybody interested in us sharing it with them. Its amazing to read whats in it. It reminded me so much of the BBB pool method ....
Home made laundry soap!
- Thread starter TizMe
- Start date
Home Made Laundry Soap
Step One:
Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it's almost boiling. While you're waiting, whip out a knife and start shaving strips off of a bar of soap (any kind you like - I use Fels Naptha, which you can find at Publix) into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Eventually, you'll shave up the whole bar, then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water. I've also used a cheese grater so that it dissolves quickly, but it's your choice.
Step Two:
Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into the five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add a cup of the washing soda (it's in the laundry aisle - a yellow box made by Arm & Hammer). Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax (same thing - laundry aisle - green box - 20 Mule Team). Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool.
**OPTIONAL** I've also added a bit of essential oil to mine, depending on the scent I'd like. If you don't, it'll still smell like soap. Omit this if you have a family member with sensitive skin.
And you're done. When you wake up in the morning, you'll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that's a paler shade of the soap that you used (in our case, it's a very pale yellow). One measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry - and the ingredients are basically the same as laundry detergent. Thus, out of three gallons, you'll get about 48 loads of laundry. If you do this six times, you'll have used six bars of soap ($0.99 each), one box of washing soda ($2.49 at our store), and about half a box of borax ($2.49 at our store, so $1.25) and make 288 loads of laundry. This comes up to a cost of right around three cents a gallon, or a savings of $70.
Were going to try it this weekend! Lets hear from anyone else who does this .... we have one for dishwasher soap too ....
Step One:
Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it's almost boiling. While you're waiting, whip out a knife and start shaving strips off of a bar of soap (any kind you like - I use Fels Naptha, which you can find at Publix) into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Eventually, you'll shave up the whole bar, then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water. I've also used a cheese grater so that it dissolves quickly, but it's your choice.
Step Two:
Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into the five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add a cup of the washing soda (it's in the laundry aisle - a yellow box made by Arm & Hammer). Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax (same thing - laundry aisle - green box - 20 Mule Team). Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool.
**OPTIONAL** I've also added a bit of essential oil to mine, depending on the scent I'd like. If you don't, it'll still smell like soap. Omit this if you have a family member with sensitive skin.
And you're done. When you wake up in the morning, you'll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that's a paler shade of the soap that you used (in our case, it's a very pale yellow). One measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry - and the ingredients are basically the same as laundry detergent. Thus, out of three gallons, you'll get about 48 loads of laundry. If you do this six times, you'll have used six bars of soap ($0.99 each), one box of washing soda ($2.49 at our store), and about half a box of borax ($2.49 at our store, so $1.25) and make 288 loads of laundry. This comes up to a cost of right around three cents a gallon, or a savings of $70.
Were going to try it this weekend! Lets hear from anyone else who does this .... we have one for dishwasher soap too ....
Thanks for the recipe.
I printed it out and will try to make some this weekend. I have to special order my laundry detergent, because I'm allergic to a lot of regular detergent ingredients, but never had a reaction to soap.
Do you have a recipe for softner, too?
How about the dish washer soap one?
I love to try unusual recipes. Like Elderberry Wine Jelly, Crab Apple Wine Jelly. (Selling the home-made wine at craft shows is frowned upon, so I make & sell Jelly. The aroma & taste are the same, but the alcohol is destroyed during the cooking process
)
I printed it out and will try to make some this weekend. I have to special order my laundry detergent, because I'm allergic to a lot of regular detergent ingredients, but never had a reaction to soap.
Do you have a recipe for softner, too?
How about the dish washer soap one?
I love to try unusual recipes. Like Elderberry Wine Jelly, Crab Apple Wine Jelly. (Selling the home-made wine at craft shows is frowned upon, so I make & sell Jelly. The aroma & taste are the same, but the alcohol is destroyed during the cooking process
)
Ok, here is the dishwasher soap recipe...
Home-made Dishwasher Detergent:
* 1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda - it will etch your glassware after a while)
* 1 cup borax
* 2-3 drops essential oil (optional - lemon EO is a great antibacterial, though!)
Mix together in a mason jar, and cap tightly. Put 1-2 tablespoons in the PRE-WASH Cup (not the one that closes). You might have to fiddle around with the amount - start with 1 tablespoon and work your way up. This is dependent on how soft or hard your water is.
Some folks (especially those with hard water) might notice a milky residue on their dishes after a while, especially plastics. If this happens, pour a little (about 1/2 cup) white vinegar into the detergent dispenser that closes and locks. Add your detergent into the Pre-Wash cup, and wash as usual!
Here is a use for viniger:
Here's a great one that I use all the time - instead of forking out the big bucks for Jet Dry to keep the spots off your glasses in the dishwasher, fill the little reservoir with plain ol' vinegar! It's waaay cheaper, works just as well, and will actually deodorize your washer at the same time.
Another use for vinegar - when your new puppy makes a puddle on the carpet, blot up as much of the liquid as you can, then drip white vinegar over the stain, completely coating it. Let it sit there for about 10 minutes, then shampoo up or use a wet rag to get the vinegar up. This will destroy the smell, which often triggers your little fuzz butt to pee there again.
Looking for a fabric softener one ... will post it if someone answers ....
Home-made Dishwasher Detergent:
* 1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda - it will etch your glassware after a while)
* 1 cup borax
* 2-3 drops essential oil (optional - lemon EO is a great antibacterial, though!)
Mix together in a mason jar, and cap tightly. Put 1-2 tablespoons in the PRE-WASH Cup (not the one that closes). You might have to fiddle around with the amount - start with 1 tablespoon and work your way up. This is dependent on how soft or hard your water is.
Some folks (especially those with hard water) might notice a milky residue on their dishes after a while, especially plastics. If this happens, pour a little (about 1/2 cup) white vinegar into the detergent dispenser that closes and locks. Add your detergent into the Pre-Wash cup, and wash as usual!
Here is a use for viniger:
Here's a great one that I use all the time - instead of forking out the big bucks for Jet Dry to keep the spots off your glasses in the dishwasher, fill the little reservoir with plain ol' vinegar! It's waaay cheaper, works just as well, and will actually deodorize your washer at the same time.
Another use for vinegar - when your new puppy makes a puddle on the carpet, blot up as much of the liquid as you can, then drip white vinegar over the stain, completely coating it. Let it sit there for about 10 minutes, then shampoo up or use a wet rag to get the vinegar up. This will destroy the smell, which often triggers your little fuzz butt to pee there again.
Looking for a fabric softener one ... will post it if someone answers ....
Thanks!!!
Printed the dishwashing detergent recipe, too.
Can't wait for the softner one!!!
They all sound easy. Where do you get your essential oil?
Printed the dishwashing detergent recipe, too.
Can't wait for the softner one!!!
They all sound easy. Where do you get your essential oil?
for fabric softener, I knew someone who used a cup of white vinegar in the final rinse... I tried it but it was winter and I couldn't stand the static!! Never tried it in the summer, and now I have a front loader, so I can't!
I heard to use vinegar in the final rinse as well. We also have a front loader but there is a place to put fab soft but not sure if it will work the same or not?
You can use natural chemicals to clean anything. Vinegar is good, a bit of vinegar and alot of water in a spray bottle is a good all purpose cleaner. I use Murpheys oil soap, lemon oil and water to wash the wood floors. Strait lemon oil to make them look new again. (they are old and need refinished, but this is a good cheat). I tried the borax and baking soda in the dishwasher, and it has never been the same since, I don't like that one. And as far as the laundry goes, I use the Arm and hammer detergent, it comes out to around 11 cents a load I think, way cheaper than tide. I have come to a happy median with my natural cleaners though. It becomes a matter of convenience, knowing how to get by in a pinch without running to the store is nice though. Plus, being laid off and low on money you can get through pretty cheap.
launboy
0
Another cheap cleaner is to pour some Baking Soda down your kitchen sink drain(or any other drain) then pour vinegar down after it. It's supposed to unblock minor clogs and clean the pipe in general.
HTH,
Adam
HTH,
Adam
launboy
0
waterbear said:It bubbles! It bubbbleslaunboy said:
Oh yeah, and it looks kind of cool to! :lol: :-D
Adam
launboy said:
I've tried that on the bathroom sink before, and it did not work. The best way to unclog a drain IMHO is to just take it apart and clean it out.
If you follow this application with lots of HOT water it is even more effective! It will not work on big hairballs, tho!launboy said:
TizMe said:
The fab softener cup on my FL is pretty small, probably not even 1/2 cup, so I always assumed it would not be enough. Then again, the amount of water is so much less in a FL that it could be enough! In any case, it would not hurt to try it!
There is another good drain cleaner that is very effective. It's called lye! Been used for years.sevver said:
(Or you can buy the expensive bottles of liquid drain opener which is just potash in water. Basically the same as lye.)You don't need to make the "slime"--just grate the soap, then add 3 cups of borax and 3 cups of washing soda for each pound of grated soap. After stirring this together, run it thru a food processor a bit at a time. That will give you a powder with a consistency very similar to that of powdered laundry detergent. You can stir in fragrance or essential oil at this time, if desired.
I make the laundry soap myself and grate it up, add the borax and washing soda, etc. It takes a slightly different recipe from bath/body soap; zero superfat for laundry soap. The soap recipe can be modified to make it low sudsing (or high).
My mom has a front-loading washer and has to use low-suds detergent in it. She LOVES my castile laundry soap, which uses a 100% olive-oil recipe.
I make the laundry soap myself and grate it up, add the borax and washing soda, etc. It takes a slightly different recipe from bath/body soap; zero superfat for laundry soap. The soap recipe can be modified to make it low sudsing (or high).
My mom has a front-loading washer and has to use low-suds detergent in it. She LOVES my castile laundry soap, which uses a 100% olive-oil recipe.
Another soapmaker!!!!!! I use only a mix of mostly olive oil and a small amount of tallow for laundry soap and NO coconut oil (for low suds) and keep a bit of free lye in it for better cleaning ability. I leave the washing soda out for this reason since the bit of free lye basically does the same thing.giulietta1 said:
I use Tums and white vinegar to clean out our tub and sink drains when they get really slow.
