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Friday, October 28, 2011

Homemade Laundry Detergent!

I have heard of this on various blogs for a long time, but was always skeptical about trying it.  Well a mood hit and I decided, What's to lose? $4-$5?  I'll give it a shot, If anything Ill just use it on towels or throw it out if its a miss.  Ive only done 2 loads of laundry so far, but so far so good!  Actually, Great!
  The first load I did the yuckiest load I have, the nasty kitchen washcloths and whatnot.
I used the liquid detergent , about 1 cup.  Plus one scoop of Sun Oxycleaner (I always use this on the really dirty stuff).  We typically use powdered Arm and Hammer or Surf, or Liquid Free and Clear Detergents.  I really do think this homemade detergent came out cleaner.  Sometimes the really nasty loads just dont come out as fresh after one load as I would like , but with this detergent every washcloth (yes, I smelled each one, hehe), came out smelling fresh.  I also did not use fabric softener or dryer sheets, and everything came out nice and soft.

I would love to find a recipe I can use on our diapers, however , I will NOT advise you use this on your diapers, simply because it could void the manufacturers warranty.

Here's what I used for the Liquid Detergent (I also made some powdered, its below)  -

LIQUID DETERGENT

I only made half of a batch of liquid, it made over 2 gallons.

1/2  bar of Fels Naptha soap, grated  ( I found mine at Walmart, Kroger also had it , in Knoxville. I've read that you can use Zote also if Fels Naptha isnt available locally.  It's .97 at walmart.  Its found in the laundry aisle)
1/2 c washing soda  (not baking soda, this is also in the laundry aisle, was about $2.20 at walmart)
1/2 c 20 Mule Team Borax   (also found in the laundry aisle, I already had some, but its usually $2-$3)
Optional:
I also added 3 scoops of Sun Oxyxleaner (walmart, $1.97), and a cap and a half of Downy Unstopables.  This did cause my detergent to separate quite a bit and required more mixing, so you may opt to just add them on there own to each wash.  However, 2-3 shakes of each bottle mixes the detergent back up so it isnt a problem.


I grated the Fels Naptha, Then added it to a quart of water on the stove, over medium high heat.
Stir until the soap heats and completely dissolves.
Then add your washing soda and borax, keep stirring until dissolved.
Add about 2 gallons of water (I used slightly less), and then you can add oxyxleaner(optional), stir until dissolved.

I poured the liquid back and forth between 2 containers, and then ladled it into containers to be sure the liquidy parts and foamy parts were evenly distributed. The picture below shows the containers mixed up, the solution will separate but will remix with a couple of shakes.

I used 1 cup for a Large, Heavily Soiled load, with hot water.



POWDERED DETERGENT

I only made 1/4 batch to try it out.
A regular sized batch uses:

1 bar of Fels Naptha, grated.
1 c washing soda
1c borax
( also add 3 scoops of Sun oxycleaner and a cap of Downy unstopables, although it isnt necessary)
Throw all ingredients into the blender, blend for a couple of minutes until powdery.


I used about a Tablespoon and a half for a Large load of lightly soiled clothes, in cold water.
And thats it.   I was more nervous about trying the powder, afraid that it wouldn't dissolve well in cold water washes, but I had no problems at all, the load came out just as well as with the liquid detergent.
From now on I will probably stick with the powder.  Although the liquid did make the entire house smell amazing!

Please Note, I found this recipe online, I have not used it long so I can not attest to how well it keeps, how it will effect all clothes, etc.

Have fun washing!

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