Poll on laundry soap

[FarmerDenise]

5. Have you converted friends and family to your choice of laundry soap?
They already think I am nuts for having ducks. I haven't said a WORD about my homemade laundry soap

My daughter just rolls her eyes and gives her partner a look and says: "told you my mom is crazy" and then winks at me. She loves having a crazy mom.

 

[eggs4sale]

1. What is your favorite homemade laundry soap recipe?
I use the powdered version
2 cups grated zote soap
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
2 cups salt (I have hard water)

2. What is your least favorite homemade laundry soap recipe?
I have only tried two. The same as above but without the salt. Works better with the salt.

3. What is your favorite store-bought laundry soap?
I used to buy Purex

This is my great concern. We're on well water, and while we have a water softener, I'm not the best at actually putting the water softener salt INTO the water softener on a regular basis. We routinely have an orange tub, toilet, dishwasher, and sink, and I have to use Lysol toilet cleaner to get rid of the orange. It's less irritating to me than CLR, and I'd swear it works better. But I can't put it in with white laundry!!
Do you have the orange problem, too, and does the salt keep your laundry from yellowing?


And where do you find zote soap??????

 

[FarmerDenise]

I just grate whatever laundry soap into the machine about a tbs or so and put in a handfull of borax, then I add a splash of vinegar. My laundry has been coming out great. I line dry nearly everything. SO still uses Tide. I think the bar soap and borax works just as well.
We have hard water also, but I don't seem to have a problem with clothes turning orange, nor anything else. I occasionally use bleach with my whites. Ours clotes just get a bit grey looking after a while. It only matters to me when it concerns leaving the property clothes.
The sun does a pretty good job bleaching most things, including blue jean

 

[eggs4sale]

I just grate whatever laundry soap into the machine about a tbs or so and put in a handfull of borax, then I add a splash of vinegar. My laundry has been coming out great. I line dry nearly everything. SO still uses Tide. I think the bar soap and borax works just as well.
We have hard water also, but I don't seem to have a problem with clothes turning orange, nor anything else. I occasionally use bleach with my whites. Ours clotes just get a bit grey looking after a while. It only matters to me when it concerns leaving the property clothes.
The sun does a pretty good job bleaching most things, including blue jean

Gotta love the grey clothes! UGH!

 

[Javamama]

1. I used the first recipe listed and it isn't working for me.
2. N/A
3. All free and clear
4. Yes, this is the problem, I'll explain below
5. No converts since I don't prefer it myself

I have a front loader machine and every time I have used the dry/grated soap, it leaves gunk in the little soap reservoir and white streaks all over the load of laundry. Seems like it doesn't dissolve at all. We do have pretty hard water and use a salt softener.
I'm not interested in trying the method where you melt it and add a bunch of water and then have to store it in huge 5 gallon buckets. It's not worth the time, energy, or used up space to me. We have sensitive skin here and I have to be extremely careful with what I use, so it's ALL or ARM & Hammer unscented.

 

[chrissum]

White vinegar in the rinse dispenser - How much do you use? and only white vinegar? and do you use straight vinegar? I am starting outside line drying and would like to use a natural softener, thanks in advance!

 

[Beekissed]

1. I used the first recipe listed and it isn't working for me.
2. N/A
3. All free and clear
4. Yes, this is the problem, I'll explain below
5. No converts since I don't prefer it myself

I have a front loader machine and every time I have used the dry/grated soap, it leaves gunk in the little soap reservoir and white streaks all over the load of laundry. Seems like it doesn't dissolve at all. We do have pretty hard water and use a salt softener.
I'm not interested in trying the method where you melt it and add a bunch of water and then have to store it in huge 5 gallon buckets. It's not worth the time, energy, or used up space to me. We have sensitive skin here and I have to be extremely careful with what I use, so it's ALL or ARM & Hammer unscented.

I can understand not wanting a big 5 gal. bucket of soap sitting around, but maybe the smaller recipe divided into two gal. jugs? It won't gunk up your washer reservoir and its still much cheaper than the store bought.

It takes me all of 10 min. to make enough soap for 80 loads. Not bad and quicker even than running to the store to buy it!

 

[freemotion]

White vinegar in the rinse dispenser - How much do you use? and only white vinegar? and do you use straight vinegar? I am starting outside line drying and would like to use a natural softener, thanks in advance!

My dispenser holds about a half cup(4 oz), I tend to use about 3 oz per load.

 

[Wifezilla]

Do you have the orange problem, too, and does the salt keep your laundry from yellowing?

No...that is iron in the water. We have all the other minerals in excess EXCEPT iron
The salt does seem to keep my whites from getting gray. I still run a load with bleach every once in a while.

As for Zote Soap, I can get it at my local Mexican grocery store or even Walmart.

 

[eggs4sale]

Do you have the orange problem, too, and does the salt keep your laundry from yellowing?

As for Zote Soap, I can get it at my local Mexican grocery store or even Walmart.

What is it? What is it comparable to? Do you like it more than fels-naptha, and why?
If I'm going to hit four mexican grocery stores tomorrow, I need to have a really good reason! BYC needs me, you know!!!! That site doesn't just run itself.