From dry to wet?

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

I was so excited about making laundry detergent. After reading the different recipes and searching for the ingredients I found everything!!!

I decided to make the dry version because it required less storage room. (We are debating about moving and I didn't want to haul a big honkin' bucket of goop )

However, the dry stuff is not dissolving in the water. To be fair, we have super hard well water and I wasn't sure how the stuff would react.

Now I'm wondering if it is too late to change it from dry to wet. Can I just add super hot water to melt the Fels Naptha grains without messing up the mixture? Or will that alter the effectiveness or composition or the other ingredients?

(I'm currently using an older than dirt top loading washing machine...I was afraid to hook up my newer front loading machine with the well water.)

 

[freemotion]

I've done this, but it works much, much better to put your mix into a sauce pan with a couple quarts of water, heat it up an stir with a whisk or spoon until all the grains are dissolved. Then add this mix to your water to get the proper amount.

I've made up baggies of mix in the past to make the mixing of the liquid version go faster, and it works just fine. Now I have a lot of suitable containers saved up, so I just make several batches at once of the liquid mix. I do a LOT of laundry with two massage therapists in the house, plus all those barn clothes!

 

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

So it can be done! Thank you freemotion!

I like the idea of keeping several small containers of the concentrate and dilute it as it is needed. No big bucket of goop!

I will give it a try this afternoon.

 

[Marianne]

I make just two gallons at a time. I also have very hard water and wash in cold water, so I figured that liquid was better. The gallon jugs are easier for me to store, too.

I haven't used Fels, Zote is what's available at my little market. It's real soft, disolves easily.

 

[DreamsDoComeTrue]

I think part of the problem was that I haven't used "dry" detergent in literally years. I wasn't crazy about it when it did so I'm not sure why I thought I'd like it now..

I LOVE! LOVE!! LOVE!!! the idea of making it myself so this WILL work!

Making it in small batches would definitely cut out the storage issue. I do a ton of laundry with all of the people and critters in the house. It will be interesting to see how long a batch lasts.

 

[Marianne]

I found that I have to use a little more of the homemade than what I did when I was buying purchased detergents, but our clothes get pretty dirty now that we're living in the country. And at 1-2 cents per load, I don't mind it a bit!