Poll on laundry soap

[MorelCabin]

Hey, gals! I don't know if anyone has already tried this before, but we've started making the liquid laundry soap a little differently here and I wanted to let you all know an extra money saving step...sorta.

Instead of cooking this mixture on the stove....and forgetting it and letting it boil over~like I do.....

Mom, the Bat, decided to grate the soap, mix the powder ingredients in hot tap water, pour over the grated soap, stir, and let sit over night. In the morning, we had the gel substance that we usually divide into separate jugs and mix with water.

No heating, no simmering, no vigilance, no extra electric usage heating this stuff..... ME likey!

Awesome idea! I'm going to try this because I want to add some essential oil scents to mine and it is really hard with the powder!

 

[Beekissed]

Morel, I will tell you truly that I have tried the essential oils for this soap and they smell really good in the soap but the smell doesn't transfer to the clothing. I suspect the oils are dissolved by the soap and dissipate into nothingness.

I would think one would really have to dump a rumpload of EOs in the soap to get it to make your clothing smell like it. I've tried lime, lemon, pink grapefruit, lavender, and lemon grass. Too costly to use very much of these, so I let well enough alone after awhile.

 

[savingdogs]

In our latest batch of laundry soap we made, we used Zote instead of Fels Naptha. It smells alot like Ivory soap.
The bar was a little larger and it came out a little more gelled, but it works just the same as the Fels Naptha laundry soap recipe we used, but it does have more fragrance.
We tried Zote because I had read somewhere online that people were using it in the recipe and sure enough, it works great. I guess you could use any laundry soap bar, just pick one that smells the way you like.

We did not think the Fels Naptha had much fragrance but reminded us a little of Dial soap.

Frankly I don't like my clothes smelling like a bunch of unnatural sweetness. Just clean is fine by me.

 

[Occamstazer]

I love the homemade soap!
I used 1/2 bar fels naptha, 1/2c each borax and washing powder, and it came out great!
I am suprised to see how much you guys paid for your fels naptha. It was 99 cents here, and I got it at Publix, which is usually much higher than other places. Weirdness!

 

[prairiegirl]

I had wondered about the essential oils. Beekissed, thanks for your experience with the oils. I won't waste my money or time with it. Besides, our clothes just smell fresh and on days they can be hung outside, they smell better than anything I could add.

prairiegirl

 

[Beekissed]

Note: The soap done with this new method is much creamier, less clumpiness mixed with thin liquids.

 

[kcsunshine]

Beekissed: with the liquid soap method you use- how many gallons does it make? And how much do you add to your laundry?

I now make the powdered but my SIL likes liquid detergent. I thought I'd make her a good batch and give it to her with the ingredient list and directions. She has no extra money and likes to cut corners when she can.

 

[Beekissed]

We make two gallons at a time and we just put a lidful in each load.....we re-use commercial laundry detergent bottles. They last a long time and they have a measuring cup right on the lid.

These bottles are supposed to have enough detergent for 40 loads, so I figure I'm getting 80 loads out of each batch of soap. I think we figured it up once and it came to about $.01- $.03 per load.

 

[hennypenny9]

Hey, gals! I don't know if anyone has already tried this before, but we've started making the liquid laundry soap a little differently here and I wanted to let you all know an extra money saving step...sorta.

Instead of cooking this mixture on the stove....and forgetting it and letting it boil over~like I do.....

Mom, the Bat, decided to grate the soap, mix the powder ingredients in hot tap water, pour over the grated soap, stir, and let sit over night. In the morning, we had the gel substance that we usually divide into separate jugs and mix with water.

I'm almost out of my homemade liquid laundry soap. It's lasted me an astonishing 6 months!

Beekissed, I'd like to try this method, as it sounds great. So if I usually use 6 cups boiling water to dissolve the dry ingredients, then add the gallon + 6 more cups, would I just mix 6 cups hot water with the dry and leave overnight, then divide and add the rest of the water? I know I sound clueless, but well, that's me.

Also, other than old commercial laundry detergent bottles, any ideas for containers? I'm tired of hauling in my bucket labeled "Kitty Litter" whenever I do laundry.

 

[Beekissed]

They say that old vinegar bottles make good containers for this....last a long time. We just dissolve the Borax and Washing Soda into 6 cups of hot tap water and pour it over the soap shavings in a bowl and stir. Let sit over night, stir again in the morning, divide into the gallon jugs and add water to fill. Shake well and let sit. Easy, peezy, lemon squeezy!

I'm going to experiment with not even flaking the soap....just pour the hot mix over the bar and let sit and see if it will dissolve the bar as is. Worth a shot...could eliminate grating the soap altogether......