Homemade LAUNDRY DETERGENT

[fesekula]

I have used the below recipe for a little over two years now with good results. It is cheap and easy to mix up and gets the dirt out.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Here’s what you need:
- 1 bar of soap (whatever kind you like; I used Lever 2000 because we have tons of bars of it from a case we bought a while back)
- 1 box of washing soda (look for it in the laundry detergent aisle at your local department store - it comes in an Arm & Hammer box and will contain enough for six batches of this stuff)
- 1 box of borax (this is not necessary, but I’ve found it really kicks the cleaning up a notch - one box of borax will contain more than enough for tons of batches of this homemade detergent - if you decide to use this, be careful)
- A five gallon bucket with a lid (or a bucket that will hold more than 15 liters - ask around - these aren’t too tough to acquire)
- Three gallons of tap water
- A big spoon to stir the mixture with
- A measuring cup
- A knife
Step One: Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it’s almost boiling. While you’re waiting, whip out a knife and start shaving strips off of the bar of soap into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Eventually, you’ll shave up the whole bar, then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water.
Step Two: Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into the five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs worth of it. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add a cup of the washing soda. Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax if you are using borax. Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool.
And you’re done. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that’s a paler shade of the soap that you used (in our case, it’s a very pale greenish blue). One measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry - and the ingredients are basically the same as laundry detergent. Thus, out of three gallons, you’ll get about 48 loads of laundry. If you do this six times, you’ll have used six bars of soap ($0.99 each), one box of washing soda ($2.49 at our store), and about half a box of borax ($2.49 at our store, so $1.25) and make 288 loads of laundry. This comes up to a cost of right around three cents a gallon, or a savings of $70.

FABRIC SOFTENER
Things You’ll Need:
3 C vinegar
2 C hair conditioner (any kind)
6 C water
Mix Everything together

[lugnut]

Thanks I'll give that a try but I think I'll skip the Borax.

Borax, which is also known as Boric Acid and is sold under the brand name "20 Mule Team," is often touted as safe and natural. While it is a naturally occurring mineral, that doesn't mean it is without dangers.

Borax is often recommended as a "safe" pesticide, fungicide and cleaner, but it is officially classified as a poison. Government sites recommend that people who work with Borax use gloves and handle it with caution. Studies have linked it to reproductive problems in some lab animals, as well as a host of serious disorders at higher levels.

Boric acid is an acute eye and respiratory tract irritant, which is quite toxic if ingested. In addition, it is unavailable in parts of Europe because of concerns that it caused birth defects and problems with the reproductive organs of children. It is recommended that pregnant women and children in particular do not have exposure to Borax.

link

[Trekker]

I use Soap Nut / Soap Berries. I grow my own so I don't have to worry about running out, plus they make great barter!
You just put 3-4 in a cotton bag and toss it in the was. They will last for several washes.
There is a great deal more info out there on them. Just Google them.

[fesekula]

Lugnut you are correct on the borax being a poison. I am a taxidermist by trade and yes we use it as a bug proofer on bird skins. I add a 1/2 a cup to the 3 gallon mix with no problems, but its use is not mandatory, but then again maybe that is why I threw out the bottle of little blue pills after switching over to this recipe. LOL.

[123Testing]

Fabric softener.... just use 1/4 to 1/2 cup (depending on water hardness) White Distilled Vinegar in the rinse cycle. No need for anything else.

[fesekula]

Yes very true on using vinegar in the rinse, I have went that route but with the softening power of the cheap conditioner, it does kick it up a good bit.

[62bravo]

Borax is also used as a flux for hammer welding. pretty useful stuff if you're careful

[roro]

i like the soap nuts. i'll have to get some seeds for those & try to grow some myself! if you have any seeds you can spare, i'll be happy to trade for something!!

i did make my own laundry detergent, but i just left mine dry. i didn't see the point in taking the time to boil the soap & make it liquid & then storing the dry stuff in a small container in the cupboard was more appealing than lugging a big bucket in & out of the cabinet when i want to do laundry- and you seem to use less of the dry mix than the liquid.. 1/2 a cup vs a couple teaspoons. i used the fels-naptha bar & did 1 cup washing soda & 1 cup of borax... but i guess next time i'll be using less or no borax, as i didn't realize it was a poison.. i guess you learn something everyday! the smell of the laundry detergent is not bad.. smells like laundry detergent! and it is very quick and easy to do this! i was so surprised!

i think something like homemade laundry detergent would make a nice, inexpensive gift for someone. you can go get a cute little glass or wooden container to put it in & wrap a cute bow around it or some flowers or something & a card & give it as a gift for under 10 bucks & have some left over for yourself a few hundred loads ... if you use a scentless soap, you can even use some essential oils to make it smell however you want... i think the dry form would be a bit better looking, as the little soap curls make it look cute. (i'm such a girl.. lol) it'd be something that'd be cute in a gift basket, too.

[BadgeBunny]

I am gonna have to try the soap nuts. While I don't use borax for general laundry useage, it is great for washing the covers for the dogs' beds and sprinkling on the beds and vacuuming off. Get rid of odors and I haven't seen a flea or a tick since I started using it. I also have a couple of bath mats (keeps the dogs off the rug. Bath mats are easier to clean that a big ol' area rug) that they lay in front of the fireplace that get washed in laundry soap and borax once a week. No excessive wear or anything yet.

[Hazeleyes]

Now I must find soap nuts or a trees...

[Wombat]

Originally Posted by Hazeleyes

Now I must find soap nuts or a trees...

Here ya go

[BrowserCat]

Originally Posted by lugnut

Thanks I'll give that a try but I think I'll skip the Borax.

Borax, which is also known as Boric Acid and is sold under the brand name "20 Mule Team," is often touted as safe and natural. While it is a naturally occurring mineral, that doesn't mean it is without dangers.

Borax is often recommended as a "safe" pesticide, fungicide and cleaner, but it is officially classified as a poison. Government sites recommend that people who work with Borax use gloves and handle it with caution. Studies have linked it to reproductive problems in some lab animals, as well as a host of serious disorders at higher levels.

Boric acid is an acute eye and respiratory tract irritant, which is quite toxic if ingested. In addition, it is unavailable in parts of Europe because of concerns that it caused birth defects and problems with the reproductive organs of children. It is recommended that pregnant women and children in particular do not have exposure to Borax.

link

Your source of information is a child entertainment site and inaccurate. Check Wikipedia; borax and boric acid are not the same, and boric acid is considered about as toxic as table salt.

[graf56]

very similar soap mix that I use except I prefer Fels Naptha soap because its one of the few things that will remove poison IVY, SUMAC etc. from clothes. many laundry detergents don't remove it even after several washings.

[stickmanbox]

I'm sure that my method does not pruduce the same level of quality as your recipe, but it is simple to use and costs nothing to produce. I use leftover rendered bacon fat with lye made from my burn pile to make a pot of soap. If you stirr it a lot while it is setting, then the glyceryn stays in there to make the fabric soft. I just break off a chunk and toss it in with the laundry, but pull it out in the rinse cycle. It allows the perfect amount of detergent to come of each time, and again it is quick and free to make, but does require the hassle of removing the soap ball before the rinse cycle, which is annoying if you get distracted and leave it in.

[knwygg]

Originally Posted by roro

i like the soap nuts. i'll have to get some seeds for those & try to grow some myself! if you have any seeds you can spare, i'll be happy to trade for something!!

i did make my own laundry detergent, but i just left mine dry. i didn't see the point in taking the time to boil the soap & make it liquid & then storing the dry stuff in a small container in the cupboard was more appealing than lugging a big bucket in & out of the cabinet when i want to do laundry- and you seem to use less of the dry mix than the liquid.. 1/2 a cup vs a couple teaspoons. i used the fels-naptha bar & did 1 cup washing soda & 1 cup of borax... but i guess next time i'll be using less or no borax, as i didn't realize it was a poison.. i guess you learn something everyday! the smell of the laundry detergent is not bad.. smells like laundry detergent! and it is very quick and easy to do this! i was so surprised!

i think something like homemade laundry detergent would make a nice, inexpensive gift for someone. you can go get a cute little glass or wooden container to put it in & wrap a cute bow around it or some flowers or something & a card & give it as a gift for under 10 bucks & have some left over for yourself a few hundred loads ... if you use a scentless soap, you can even use some essential oils to make it smell however you want... i think the dry form would be a bit better looking, as the little soap curls make it look cute. (i'm such a girl.. lol) it'd be something that'd be cute in a gift basket, too.

Great idea! I'm such a girl too, I am totally going to try this! thanks for the idea

[bulrush]

Anything ingested in enough quantity is toxic, even water. I would rather use borax for controlling insects than other insecticides. Borax has been in use for 100+ years, and the chemical companies are intent on hiding toxicity studies from the public. Doesn't that tell you something?

[survive]

Originally Posted by lugnut

Thanks I'll give that a try but I think I'll skip the Borax.

Borax, which is also known as Boric Acid and is sold under the brand name "20 Mule Team," is often touted as safe and natural. While it is a naturally occurring mineral, that doesn't mean it is without dangers.

Borax is often recommended as a "safe" pesticide, fungicide and cleaner, but it is officially classified as a poison. Government sites recommend that people who work with Borax use gloves and handle it with caution. Studies have linked it to reproductive problems in some lab animals, as well as a host of serious disorders at higher levels.

Boric acid is an acute eye and respiratory tract irritant, which is quite toxic if ingested. In addition, it is unavailable in parts of Europe because of concerns that it caused birth defects and problems with the reproductive organs of children. It is recommended that pregnant women and children in particular do not have exposure to Borax.

link

Borax, although it contains levels of boric acid - THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING. Granted it can still be hazardous, but mainly due to the fact that it is a fine powder and can be inhaled. It is certainly not a caustic as straight boric acid. Borax is a cleaning enhancer and is a great thing to add if you have hard water.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_borax_a..._acid_the_same

[hedley]

10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes

Recipe #1
1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
• Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).

Recipe #2
Hot water
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1 Soap bar
• Grate the bar soap and add to a large saucepan with hot water. Stir over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
• Fill a 10 gallon pail half full of hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax and Washing soda, stir well until all powder is dissolved. Top the pail up with more hot water.
• Use 1 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Recipe #3
Hot water
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1/3 bar Soap (grated)
• In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat.
• In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.
• Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #4
2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated – or other bar soaps)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
• Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
• Use 2 tablespoons per full load.

Recipe #5
Hot water
1 bar (4.5 oz) Ivory Soap – grated
1 cup Washing Soda
• In a large saucepan add grated soap and enough hot water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is melted.
• Fill a large pail with 2.5 gallons of hot water, add hot soap mixture. Stir until well mixed.
• Then add the washing soda, again stirring until well mixed.
• Set aside to cool.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, stirring well before each use (will gel)

Recipe #6
2.5 gallons Water (hot)
1 Bar soap (grated)
3/4 cup Washing Soda
3/4 cup Borax
2 TBS Glycerin
• Melt bar soap over medium-low heat topped with water, stir until soap is melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2.5 gallons of hot water, add melted soap mixture, washing soda, borax and glycerin. Mix well.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load.

Recipe #7
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Washing Soda
2 – 2.5 gallons hot water
• Melt grated soap in saucepan with water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is dissolved.
• Pour hot water in large pail, add hot soap and washing soda. Stir very well.
• Use 1 cup per full load.

Recipe #8
2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)
• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
• Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #9
12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)
• Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
• Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

Recipe #10 – (Powdered)
1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• Mix well and store in sealed container.
• I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding). I used 1/2 cup per full load with great results.

Liquid Detergents Note:
Soap will be lumpy, goopy and gel-like. This is normal. Just give it a good stir before using. Make sure soap is covered with a lid when not in use.
*If you can’t find Fels-Naptha locally, you can buy it online.

Optional:
You can add between 10 to 15 drops of essential oil (per 2 gallons) to your homemade laundry detergent. Add once the soap has cooled to room temperature. Stir well and cover.
Essential oil ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil

Sounds like the soap nuts may be the simplest of all.

[lonewanderer]

How about post-shtf, long term? These recipies do no good if you can't run to the store and grab some vinegar or borax. How did they make this stuff back in pioneer days?

[Phre0nBurn]

Originally Posted by fesekula

but then again maybe that is why I threw out the bottle of little blue pills after switching over to this recipe. LOL.

I'll buy them from you!! hahaha