Homemade Laundry Detergent

[ChemEng]

I mentioned in another thread that one of the areas Im cheap in is laundry detergent. I make my own. Its amazing how much junk is in a box of detergent that does nothing for cleaning at all. After asking around, I found this recipe:

1/2 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda.)
1/2 Cup Borax
1 Cup Fels Naptha Soap

Grind it down using a cheese shredder and mix. Simple as that.

Use 1 tablespoon for light loads. 2 tablespoons for heavier loads. (Tablespoon is the right size, its more potent and doesnt need cups of it to work.)

The washing soda can be gotten at Kroger fairly cheaply. The Borax is common in just about any grocery store. I got the Fels Naptha Soap on Amazon. There was a bundle deal for 8 or 10 bars for <$10 including shipping.

Anyone else got some cheap recipes that they want to share?

 

[landover]

Thanks

Now how can we turn soap bar into liquid soap. I dont know why liquid soap is so expensive compared to bars.

 

[ChemEng]

Thanks

Now how can we turn soap bar into liquid soap. I dont know why liquid soap is so expensive compared to bars.

I think that you could use the above recipe adding glycerin and water to make liquid soap. Ive not made it before, but I would start with adding until you get the right consistency and going from there.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

$7 for six hundred gallons at costco.

 

[calmloki]

$7 for six hundred gallons at costco.

I'm confused - is chemengineer trading tri-sodium phosphate? TSP? Is Costco cornering the market? TSP is available in liquid form? I get in enough trouble doing the wash (max hot, max cycle, 1600rpm spin) - using a special homebrew blend detergent would put my gal over the edge.

 

[Achiever51]

Anyone else got some cheap recipes that they want to share?

OK, here's the drain cleaning recipe given to me by my dad, a plumber by trade:

1/2 cup baking soda (i.e., Arm & Hammer) NOT washing soda as it can damage PVC pipe when combined with the vinegar

1 cup white vinegar -- heated in microwave till hot

Pour the baking soda into the drain. Then slowly add the hot vinegar. The mixture will fizz and bubble. Wait about 15 minutes and flush drain with a quart or so of boiling water.

Done. I do this every month or so to keep the shower drain clear of soap gunk, etc.

 

[ladelfina]

I love the drain cleaner idea and will try it soon since they are ingredients I can actually get.

Our water is very hard, and liquid soaps here rinse much cleaner on the hands than bar soaps, so I imagine the same is true for laundry (perhaps mis-guidedly).


Related; I found an interesting alternative to [-]commercial[/-] conventional toothpaste:

Ipsab® Herbal Treatment

If you investigate further the "prickly ash bark" ingredient is important, but inbetween uses (and a major component of the IPSAB) is just salt and baking soda in equal quantities.

I'd like to get some of the powder, since powder toothpaste has basically disappeared but would now be very convenient for travelers faced with the exaggerated gel/liquids ban.

 

[ChemEng]

I'd like to get some of the powder, since powder toothpaste has basically disappeared but would now be very convenient for travelers faced with the exaggerated gel/liquids ban.

Not to mention how much toothpaste costs relative to its volume. If theres a different way to get at it cheaply, its worth looking into.

I'm confused - is chemengineer trading tri-sodium phosphate? TSP? Is Costco cornering the market? TSP is available in liquid form? I get in enough trouble doing the wash (max hot, max cycle, 1600rpm spin) - using a special homebrew blend detergent would put my gal over the edge.

TSP=Thrift Savings Plan. The government equivalent to a 401k. There some opportunities to play the market with it, and that link takes you to the moves Ive made in that regard.

 

[Martha]

Here is my recipe for cleaning very very dirty windows:



One pint rubbing alcohol
2 T liquid dish soap
2T ammonia
Stir
Apply to window with a scrubbing sponge or sea sponge

Use on very dirty windows without adding water. Some of our exterior windows were so dirty I thought they were etched. The usual windex type cleaners didn't work. This worked beautifully.

Most of our floors are wood. The best cleaner I have found is just a damp rag. If extra dirty, maybe a touch of vinegar.

 

[Brat]

...1 Cup Fels Naptha Soap

Grind it down using a cheese shredder and mix. Simple as that.

Also handy for Poison Oak.

I had to chase around half the county to find Fels Naptha Soap when DH got into it.

Ah, and the Borax is handy for preserving fish eggs for bait, so says same DH.

 

[Martha]

Ah, and the Borax is handy for preserving fish eggs for bait, so says same DH.

And to get rid of those carpenter ants.

 

[Sandy]

Deer Off

2 egg yolks
1/3 tsp tabassco
2 drops soap
42 oz water

put it in a plastic water bottle to put on plants. do not use something with a sprayer - when the egg yolk dries, it clogs the spray nozzle.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

A somewhat modified version of marthas recipe, but for general cleaning. I havent bought regular cleaner in a brazillion years.

Spray bottle
1" rubbing alcohol
2" ammonia
couple of drops of dish soap
fill with water

 

[Brat]

Really!!!

I learned about talcom powder for sugar ants while in AU (they don't like to walk on it). Carpenter ants are a pest in our area so the next time I see any I will give it a go.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

For carpenter ants, I used carbaryl dust (Sevin). In a hand dust pump, pump it directly on the ants, and any entry/exits they use. They pick up and carry the dust back to the nest and die there later, tracking and carrying a bunch of it along with them. Eventually the nest gets a critical mass of the dust and they either die off or decide to move the nest.

 

[retire@40]

I use crumpled newspaper on windows and mirrors to give them a nice shine after washing them.

 

[Achiever51]

Really!!!

I learned about talcom powder for sugar ants while in AU (they don't like to walk on it). Carpenter ants are a pest in our area so the next time I see any I will give it a go.

Don't know if this works for carpenter ants, but household ants also won't walk thru regular blackboard chalk

 

[calmloki]

I use crumpled newspaper on windows and mirrors to give them a nice shine after washing them.

Ditto that - and the Wall Street Journal is the best paper for it: harder paper, fewer paper bits sloughing off on the glass.

Boric acid (eye wash powder found in the drug store) put into a plastic ketchup container and puffed at baseboards and into outlets is the thing for roaches, which on rare occasion have moved into our places with a new tenant (roaches think cardboard box corugations are little tenements).

 

[ChemEng]

Deer Off

2 egg yolks
1/3 tsp tabassco
2 drops soap
42 oz water

put it in a plastic water bottle to put on plants. do not use something with a sprayer - when the egg yolk dries, it clogs the spray nozzle.

I wish I would have had that this summer! We just bought a house on 3 acres and planted a HUGE garden (25'x75'). It was going great until the deer found it. They brought it down in 3 nights.

Ill keep this as reference for next year. (Unless I start a fall garden after all...)

 

[haha]

Now how can we turn soap bar into liquid soap. I dont know why liquid soap is so expensive compared to bars.

Chew it up and spit it into a glass of warm water. Mix with your finger.

Ha

 

[chinaco]

I mentioned in another thread that one of the areas Im cheap in is laundry detergent. I make my own. Its amazing how much junk is in a box of detergent that does nothing for cleaning at all. After asking around, I found this recipe:

1/2 Cup Washing Soda (NOT baking soda.)
1/2 Cup Borax
1 Cup Fels Naptha Soap

Grind it down using a cheese shredder and mix. Simple as that.

Use 1 tablespoon for light loads. 2 tablespoons for heavier loads. (Tablespoon is the right size, its more potent and doesnt need cups of it to work.)

Interesting. I took a look and their are other recipes on the net that use regular bar soap like ivory. There are liquid recipes with the proportions of other ingredients.


How much was the cost and how much detergent did it yield?? Something like how many loads of laundry for a top loader?


Also, did it cause any problems for your clothing? Any odd stains or effects on the cloth?


The reason I ask... I wonder how this compares to something like Sam's Club 5 gallon bucket of powder Laundry detergent... Isn't it fairly cheap?

 

[ChemEng]

The difference is mainly in how much you have to use per load. Our detergents before was using about a cup to a cup and a half. This uses 1 or 2 tablespoons. Thats a huge difference.

What I did was buy a 8 or 10 pack of the Fel Naptha soap and then enough other ingredients to use it. That made about 3/4 of a 5 gallon container that we are still using. No problems with clothes at all.

As always, you can buy smaller quantities of the ingredients first to see if you like the mix before you jump to a bigger order.

 

[TromboneAl]

Does it do well when washing in cold water?

 

[ChemEng]

Does it do well when washing in cold water?

We only wash in cold water and have had no problems.

 

[Martha]

When visiting my inlaws in Florida I learned that there is cold water and then their is COLD water. The cold water at my inlaws was about the same temp as our warm water for washing. I later read that the expectation for cold water washing is that the temp will be at least 65 degrees. Our water is so cold that it is painful to hold your hand under the faucet for any length of time.

Our new washer actually brings the cold water up to a higher temperature so I can finally wash in cold water.