Clean fun in the washing machine?
Okay, not the most creative title. Shoot me.
After several loads with the experimental soap, I think we have a winner.
Background; in an effort to cut costs around the shack, we looked at the cost of laundry soap. I do about one load of laundry per day. Sometimes more. That's a lot of soap, and laundry soap is expensive. I read several posts on the Dad Stays Home forum and on the Homesteading Today forum about home made laundry soap. People with more free time than sense calculated out the cost per load with pre-made soap and with the home made stuff. It was at least 20 cents less per load with the home made stuff. I'm bad at math, but that's got to add up over time. The total cost for all the ingredients was under $10, and I have enough supplies to make laundry soap for a VERY long time.
Here's the recipe:
1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap
1/3 cup Washing Soda
1/3 cup Borax detergent
The hardest part is finding the ingredients. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I finally found all of the parts. Kroger sells the Washing Soda and the Borax. Publix sells the Fels Naptha. NO, you CANNOT use Baking Soda in place of Washing Soda. If you try to substitute baking soda your washing machine will explode and kill your dog and two neighbors (three if they are liberals) so don't try it.
Maybe I over reacted. Actually , the soap won't work unless you use Washing Soda.
Grate up the bar of soap. I used a food processor. Yes, the food processor will come clean, it's soap. Put everything in a pot with about 6 cups of water and boil it until the soap dissolves. This will take longer than you would expect. Divide the special sauce between two one gallon jugs (or one two gallon jug) and fill the rest with water. Shake liberally. Do not shake Democratically. That will only raise taxes.
I use 1/4-1/3 cup per load.
Here's the weird part; Angie hates the way the soap smells but the finished clothes have no scent at all. There is no smell left in the cloth.
So, go hunting. Find some soap. Introduce yourself to the middle ages of laundry.
Next time I will tell you about fun with rope! Oh boy!!
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3 weeks ago
Love it!
ReplyDeleteSaw this from FV, I'm hugxlaughxsmilexlove, I think?
I definitely need to make my own laundry soap. I'll have to try this out, thanks!
I'd love to try this myself sometime just so I know I can make it homemade if I need to. In the meantime, I do alright buying gallon jugs of loss-leader detergent for $1.50 and stretching them over three months worth of laundry(that's about 90 loads for us).
ReplyDelete......shake liberally....hehe!
How bad does this stuff stink? I think getting this idea around my wife may very well hinge on the smell, but as she told you, we go through a "LOAD" of soap. I think I'm going to get the ingredients, make a batch, and watch for the color in her face to change over to green. If it does, I'm outta luck. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt smells like old fashioned soap. I think it smells fine, but Angie doesn't like it.
ReplyDeleteIf you know old fashioned Octagon soap, it's about the same.
The finished laundry has no smell.
Marty - the soap stinks, but the clothes have no smell when they finish the cycle. Don't let her smell it. Besides, if you're doing the laundry, she shouldn't be complaining!
ReplyDeleteWell, we made a batch. We found the Fels Naptha and the borax at Publix. They carry washing soda, but were out. I found some Arm and Hammer washing soda at Bi-Lo. Amy doesn't mind the smell. I actually kind of like the smell myself! It's kinda strange how it congeals. Oh and by the way the stuff boils over at the drop of a hat. Simmer the stuff! 1st trial was on some horribly soiled clothes that I wore while working on the crawlspace of a house and plus I had got into some greasy stuff. Flat out nasty! Most of the dirt and grease came out. Well to satisfy myself I ran the same clothes through another wash cycle with Gain. The khaki pants came out just slightly cleaner, but I saw no improvement in the other articles. I don't think the improvement was due to the Gain as it was just having been washed twice. I'm sold! Let me know if anyone has any problems with colors fading over time.
ReplyDelete