Make your own laundry detergent!! Part I
I love my HE washer but could do without the moldy smell often associated with them. In searching for a better solution than buying those expensive ready made cleaners I found many different tips and ideas on making your own detergent and avoiding one of the culprits to that awful smell. The heavy soaps and suds added to commercial brands to make us think our clothes are getting clean.
One thing I was not expecting in my search was the huge savings there is in making your own laundry detergent. By my calculations it costs about .75 cents to make one large bottle (about 100 oz.) of detergent. WOW! All I can say!
I made my first batch and passed it out in mason jars to friends and family. They loved it! Well, with the exception of a few but I'll talk about that later.
Here's the recipe I used.........
What you need............
1/4 bar Fels Naptha
2 tblsp borax
1/4 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
( I found everything in the laundry aisle at Walmart)
a large bucket with a lid.
Shall we begin?
Grate the 1/4 bar of Fels Naptha into medium size shreds. Add to 1 cup of water. Stirring constantly melt soap over medium heat. Stir until all soap is dissolved and no lumps remain.
Add 10 cups of water to the bucket. Then add the melted soap, borax, and washing soda. Stirring to combine.
Add another 10 cups of water and stir.
Cover with a lid and let set overnight.
The next day your detergent will have thickened. Stir well to combine and transfer to 2-3 plastic laundry bottles. Fill each bottle 1/2 full then add water. Ratio is 1 part soap to 1 part water.
Shake well before every use. You only need 1/4 cup for front load washers. 1/2 cup for top load.
I put my soap in a mason jar with a pourable lid I found on Ebay and refill as needed from my larger containers. Its much easier to shake and pour.
Now, what about smell? Using the detergent alone my clothes had NO smell. All the stinky smells were gone but no fresh scent was left behind. I'm ok not having a strong laundry scent on my shirts and other clothes, that's what expensive perfumes are for. But for towels and things I started adding Snuggle Scent Booster Pacs. Smells Great! I also use a dryer sheet in every load.
I have read some comments about having to melt the bar soap but I didn't think it was that bad. It was easier than fighting the crowds to go buy a bottle of overpriced detergent. Some suggest to substitute the bar with Dawn dish soap. I don't like this idea. My goal is for the detergent to be as suds free as possible. Dawn doesn't seem to fit that criteria.
Earlier I mentioned some unconvinced family. Why? They have super sensitive skin and currently use "ALL Free and Clear". They were not comfortable trying it. I am working on a recipe for them using liquid castile soap. I will let you know how that works out.
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