Posted: 1/8/2012 7:40:07 PM EDT
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Awhile back someone posted a recipe for home mixed laundry detergent, a box of this and a box of that and a bar of some kind of soap shaved down and all cooked together... I'd like to give it a try, but don't remember anything else. Thanks for the help.
If this is in the wrong spot please move it. snafu |
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http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/621990_.html
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/625639_.html EDIT: here's a link to all the DIY threads. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/629206_DIY_Threads__Links.html |
| I actually made up 10 gallons of this over the weekend. The person I got the recipe from did a test by taking two white t-shirts and smearing them with mustard. Then with no pre-treating she washed one in cold water and Tide and the other in cold water and the homemade detergent. You could not tell them apart as they cleaned the same. So that was the selling point for me! I ordered some citric acid on amazon and when that comes in I will be making some homemade dishwashing detergent. If these two things work then I am all over saving that money!! |
| We tried the homemade laundry soap, and I really wanted it to work. However, I found that when I got my shirts sweaty that the previous odor would return faster and stronger than when we used wisk. Now we just buy it on sale and stock up. If I am working on the farm, I don't care, but when I am working off of it, I should be considerate of others. |
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Just a few tips (I wrote one of the above threads) For blood and grass, pre-treat. You can add whatever fragrance you'd like. In colder weather, the mixture will coagulate in your buckets. You'll have to break it up with your ladle and before use, be sure to shake your containers before adding the soap to your washing machine. All in all, I've been using this for a while now and couldn't be happier. I save a boat of money, making the soap is easy as you like and the results are pretty darn good. |
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Quoted:
I ordered some citric acid on amazon and when that comes in I will be making some homemade dishwashing detergent. If these two things work then I am all over saving that money!! Just a FYI, Adding citric acid into the dishwashing detergent, the detergent will turn into a hard mass. Add some rice to it and that seems to help keeping the powder loose. |
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Klutz347 - Thanks for the tip....question for you....I am choosing to use straight citric acid vs. the lemonade packets the recipe calls for.....are you saying I should eliminate it totally or that I need to add something to help it not harden? I haven't made it up yet...but the recipe I am using calls for the following:
1 box borax, 1 box washing soda, 24 pkgs unsweetened lemonade drink mix, 3 cups epsom salt. In addition to that it says to add a Tbl. of LemiShine to each load before I start it. |
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My math might be wrong but that seems like using this recipe http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_17/625639_.html It makes190 gallons of detergent for $50. At a gallon a month that's over 15 years worth! Compared to something close to $3000 for tide if its not on sale lol
Oh and that math convinced the "Boss" to let me try and make some 
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I used some for maybe 2ish years.
My wife and I saved some money in the process, and had a fun time making the stuff. If you have young children I imagine this would be a neat "kitchen science" experiment for them –– you can integrate all kinds of things into it. How soap works, what it is made out of, measuring systems, and even a generic lesson on how to do laundry. With that being said, we just got a new washer and dryer and at this point I would prefer to use the commercial stuff. A huge tub of All Free & Clear is ~$10-$12 and so far we haven't finished the only one we've bought (got it in early November when we got the new washer/dryer) –– still have plenty left. When our warranty on the new machines runs out, I might consider switching back to the homemade stuff. |
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is it safe in HE washers?? we did make some last year and before we ran out of regular detergent, the washer took a crap and ended up with a new HE front loader. too scared to try in new washer. the mother inlaw likes it though. We use it in HE (both powder & liquid), but we don't put it in the dispenser..... we put it in the drum w/the clothes....(the powder, I do mix w/a little water, then pour it over the clothes, & start it immediately) Works fine.. |
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I have been making my own for about a year now. My wife was sceptical and kept sneaking in the storebought but finally started using what I had mixed up. After a couple of months she admitted she couldn't tell a difference.
For what its worth I make 5 gallon batches and estimate I have about $2 in each batch. Local wall mart has all three ingreedients on the shelf together nowadays. Now if someone would post a recipe for fabric softener I'd be all set. |
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For fabric softener (if you must use, google for the negative effects) we buy a small bottle of the dollar store stuff. Add 1 cup of softener to a gallon of water. Take a wash cloth and add it to the bucket. Wring out wash cloth and add to the dryer when loading wet clothes. This works as well as dryer sheets, and that small bottle of softener will last a long time.
ETA - Don't forget about white vinegar. This is all we use on whites. |
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Quoted:
For fabric softener (if you must use, google for the negative effects) we buy a small bottle of the dollar store stuff. Add 1 cup of softener to a gallon of water. Take a wash cloth and add it to the bucket. Wring out wash cloth and add to the dryer when loading wet clothes. This works as well as dryer sheets, and that small bottle of softener will last a long time. ETA - Don't forget about white vinegar. This is all we use on whites. We've read a lot of bad things about what chemicals are in the fabric softeners...we just use the White Vinegar for it, works pretty good....had some clothes inadvertently left in the washer for a couple of days and started to "sour", ran them thru again w/vinegar as softener - came out better than the regular fabric softener... |