liquid laundry soap

[the funny farm6]

I thought I had seen a simple recipe for a homemade liquid laundry soap the other day but haven't been able to find it again. Could someone post some directions for me? Simple is better for me at this point! And I tend to ask a lot of questions. Beware. Lol

 

[mrscoyote]

Hi, This is the recipe I use. http://www.duggarfamily.com/content...dry_soap_front_or_top_load_machine_best_value

Nancy

 

[BirdBrain]

Here is what I use:
1 bar Fels Naptha grated fine
3 cups Washing Soda
3 cups Borax
1 cup Baking Soda

I whirl the soap and baking soda together in my food processor to make it even finer. Then I add to the rest, mix well and put in a tub by the washer. I use a rounded tablespoon full and a glug of vinegar with each load. This does not foam up so it is great for HE machines. If the load is rely dirty I put twice as much detergent in.

If you are looking for liquid, get a 5 gallon bucket. Fill it half way with warm water. Dissolve the powder in about 2 quarts of hot water. Add to the bucket and add enough additional water to get within an inch or do of the top of the bucket. It will gel as it cools and must be mixed up.

Several of us have moved from using tge liquid to just using the powder as storage for all that liquid can get cumbersome. Powder is easy and takes up very little space. I used to swear by liquid, but I lived in a bigger house then.

 

[Marianne]

This is the recipe I have saved, makes two gallons at a time:

Melt 1/2 bar of Fels Naptha or Zote in approximately 6 cups of hot water over steady heat (do not boil). I usually pour hot water into my 6 quart pot, turn on the heat, add grated soap, then bring just to under a boil. Stir, then turn off heat and allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes. The soap will be melted and you havent had to babysit it.

Then I add:
1/2 cup washing soda and
1/2 cup borax, stirring well to dissolve,

I divide this equally into two empty vinegar or milk jugs (1 gallon size). Don't linger, it will start to firm up as it cools.

I add around 2 cups of very hot tap water, put lid on tight, give a few vigorous shakes, release lid slowly (the heat will cause pressure in jug). Then I add another 2-3 cups of hot water and repeat the shake, then add remaining water to about 2″ from top. You may have to allow suds to settle some before adding the last cup or two. Give one last shake to mix all ingredients. Allow soap to sit in jugs unlidded until cool. Then replace lid and store in laundry room. This will gel. I usually have to use the handle of a wooden spoon or something to stir the jug the first time I open it. After that, it's easy to shake up.

You use 1/2 cup to 1 cup per load, depending on size and filth of load. Shake the jug a few times to mix before using.

I don't think the homemade soaps get out some odors, so on really stinky clothes, I add about 1/3 cup of each washing soda and borax to the load (along with the soap). That seems to take care of it.

BirdBrain, you just add the vinegar to the wash cycle? I always wondered if that would help. We have really hard water, even with a water softener.

 

[the funny farm6]

My daughter used to make homemade candles and bar soap. She has some scents left over (they are an oil type I think), do you think I could add a small amount to the finished laundry soap? Don't want to throw it out as they were expenseve. Also I grew a large amount of lavender this summer and dryed a lot, could that be added? Was thinking about this for the fabric softener as well.

 

[moolie]

I've never used "fabric softener", just vinegar. I just put it into the fabric softener cup and let 'er fly. Never had any vinegar smell and I've been told that it not only helps keep whites whiter with hard water, but it's also better for the pipes because it keeps buildup out. I think the vinegar is even more important if you use a soap/borax/soda mix as well, helps get the soap residue out

At our old house we used a 1972 washer/dryer combo (in a lovely shade of harvest gold) till 2002 when the wash tub started leaving rust spots on our laundry. If I could have replaced that tub, I bet those machines would still be humming.

But now we have front loaders, and they seem to do the job quite nicely as well.

 

[Marianne]

My daughter used to make homemade candles and bar soap. She has some scents left over (they are an oil type I think), do you think I could add a small amount to the finished laundry soap? Don't want to throw it out as they were expenseve. Also I grew a large amount of lavender this summer and dryed a lot, could that be added? Was thinking about this for the fabric softener as well.

I'd add it to the vinegar used for fabric softener. I don't know about Fel's, but Zote has a distinctive smell.

I have some essential oil that I just love! The gal told me to cut it with some vodka before I added it to whatever I was making with water. I haven't tried it yet, don't have any vodka around here that isn't full of vanilla beans.

 

[hqueen13]

I use the Duggar Family recipe, too, though with the difference that our water is so hard we can't do the final step of cutting the soap 50/50 with water when we put it into the smaller container to use. Even at that, it still took us a year to use our first batch of 5 gallons! THAT is economical!!

I do have to say I like the powder idea.... the 5 gallon bucket is HEAVY and takes up a lot of space....
Well, I guess I'll have to wait until next year to try that after we run out of this 5 gallons!!

 

[myzanya]

I have seen it mentioned before here for Fels-Naptha soap bar
and I havent.seen it in our area...
am wondering How different is it from an average soap bar...????

 

[Marianne]

I have seen it mentioned before here for Fels-Naptha soap bar
and I havent.seen it in our area...
am wondering How different is it from an average soap bar...????

It is different! The bars used for laundry are more caustic (?), very strong cleaning. You can use regular bar soap, but you have to use the entire bar. I tried it once, but thought it didn't clean as well as the Zote (or Fels-Naptha, I'm sure). I know you want to stay away from using Irish Spring soap, as it will turn your white buttons yellow. Castile, Ivory, soaps like that would work.

Did you look in the laundry aisle of your store? Our closest Wal-Mart doesn't have either laundry bar soap, but our little country market carries both. You could also order it online somewhere. I pay less than $2 for a bar of Zote. I'm not sure how much the Fel's is, but it was a bit more. I went with Zote as I read that it's much easier to grate.