Homemade Laundry Soap FLOP?!

[ctg492]

I have tried so many homemade detergent recipes over the years, usually in the winter when I am bored. I will say, I have had little luck with the actual cleaning power of them. I do get a feel good about making them. I find my whites get grungy looking, and if there is a smell....it stays in the clothes. I then weight the price issue, I really to do not a huge price difference buying a med price brand from WM and my homemade after having to add other homemade products to get the results needed, Vinegar, baking soda and now the homemade OxyCLean I just read.
I was wondering all along if it was 'just me' and I felt defeated and never wanted to admit this, now I see maybe it is not.

 

[FarmerChick]

ctg I am the same

truly the whites are effected. I gave up my homemade. My clothes never truly smelled great. I think the clothes did not do as well as commercial soaps. I tried for a long time and said, nope, my clothes are way more expensive than the (maybe $2) I save making my own. I just don't use alot of the commercial stuff. I cut their suggestion darn near in 1/2 and my clothes are totally better than when I used my homemade stuff. And I had to make it, and my time is money lol...so with coupons and sales combined I can literally get store soaps way cheaper than making it.

I gave up lol

 

[gettinaclue]

ctg I am the same

truly the whites are effected. I gave up my homemade. My clothes never truly smelled great. I think the clothes did not do as well as commercial soaps. I tried for a long time and said, nope, my clothes are way more expensive than the (maybe $2) I save making my own. I just don't use alot of the commercial stuff. I cut their suggestion darn near in 1/2 and my clothes are totally better than when I used my homemade stuff. And I had to make it, and my time is money lol...so with coupons and sales combined I can literally get store soaps way cheaper than making it.

I gave up lol

truly the whites are effected Yes they are...but I always thought it was because I was using Ivory instead of fels naptha. Can't find that stuff around here. I bleach my stuff pretty regularly. I despise dingy whites! They are my curse!

I gave up lol Sometimes I wish I could give it up too, but DH and the two short people have pretty sensitive skin and the home made works better for their skin. So I guess I'll just suck it up.

 

[Farmfresh]

For me the savings is HUGE, but that is because I make my own lye soap to use as the grated component. I make a basic Homestead Soap bar with lye and rendered tallow and lard as the oil base.

I have heard others say that their clothes get dingy and some say that is due to living in an area with hard water. The solution (or so I am told) is to ADD plain salt to the laundry soap recipe. The salt should probably be added in the same proportions as the washing soda would be my best guess. The salt is supposed to soften the water and allow the laundry soap to work far better.

I personally have best results with a DRY mix. Same basic recipe as the gel mix you just blitz the borax and the pre-shredded soap in a food processor before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. Stores easily.

You use 4 Tablespoons per load. (Probably about 6 Tablespoons with salt added)

 

[FarmerChick]

if sensitivity is an issue, then you have to do what you have to do !!

luckily we don't have that problem


yea FF
I tried the salt. I think it was "WZ" who mentioned it, not sure, but I did add salt and I saw no difference. My water is great. I don't know, the total cleaning of homemade just didn't stack up against the commercial. And truly, the way I coupon I practically get all my laundry detergent for free.

 

[Farmfresh]

Actually I am surprised that you don't MAKE a laundry bar of your own FC. I have seen lots of different recipes for bars with borax or other magic laundry ingredients. I have always wanted to try it.

Personally I much prefer the way my clothes feel and last with my own soap. Before I was having to buy fabric softener and they were still stiff feeling. Now my clothes come out soft and the towels actually absorb water.

Another tip is that I run my REALLY dirty stuff through a machine rinse BEFORE washing them. Some of the stuff I stick in my washer is pretty stinky and grubby. A pre-rinse is just a matter of turning the knob another time and those grubby things come out CLEAN!

 

[FarmerChick]

never thought about a laundry bar LOL
I do make 'pet soaps' that I sell along side my 'people soaps'--and of course it is the same stuff, just pet scents



I am a bad laundry person. I don't do 'the rules' usually.


worst is the grease when Tony is working on tractors. oh that stink...ugh

I swear I think about just throwing things out because it saves my washer lol



so funny but my towels etc are fine without softener yet when I used my homemade they came out so stiff...of course line drying didn't help I think. In NC the heat dried so fast that they just were stiff...when I had a big wind, they flapped more soft LOL


Aly was right.

LAUNDRY can make one cry thru fustration LOL LOL

 

[Farmfresh]

On REAL grease like that I sometimes spot treat with liquid dish soap! Yes it is a commercial product, but nothing de-greases better!

The laundry bars that I have seen have almost no "discount" they are strong on the lye with little or no extra oils to be had. They are a challenge to make because you HAVE to get the measurements just right or you end up with a bar that is VERY base and will burn you.

With all of the press our homemade soap is getting you should give a laundry bar a try FC. Might be a whole new line for you!

 

[gettinaclue]

**Toddles off to read up on laundry bars and salt**

 

[FarmerChick]

FF I can not even keep up with the orders I have for people soaps...let alone laundry.

I just got a christmas order from a store for 1000 soaps. Thank goodness I got a big heads up on that one LOL

I can't even think with the amts of soaps I make ugh LOL which I am not complaining, but little ol' me is at my end of what I can do.