Author Topic: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner  (Read 8140 times)

happy

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Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« on: January 03, 2013, 02:47:38 AM »
I'm not sure if this really qualifies for badass, but seemed to be the best spot for it.

I made my own laundry detergent today, using this recipe http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/homemade-laundry-liquid-revisited.html. It was easy, took no more than 30min to make, turned out well, and like the post says cost between $12-15 for the ingredients, which will do several batches. Apparently will save $80/year, but I guess it depends on how much laundry one does. Did 2 loads of washing, looking good.

Bonus extra: it worked really well to clean down our deck which we are about to re-stain. We used about 10c worth in a bucket of water: last time we bought the fancy "clean and restore your deck without effort" stuff which cost about $50. Son was in charge of the job he reported it cleaned just as well.

boy_bye

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2013, 03:43:20 AM »
Nice, happy! I've been making our laundry detergent for the last few months -- I use a dry recipe that is 2 parts of shredded soap to 1 part each of borax, washing soda, and baking soda. It works great and is so cheap!

N

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2013, 10:54:26 PM »
Ive been making my own for a while now, too.

For dishwasher I use 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup salt (ive read that this is unnecessary so sometimes I add it and sometimes not) plus 1/2 cup citric acid. (I get this in my frontier coop and its not too expensive.) use only 1 T per load. I keep it in a plastic bag because sometimes i tcan get clumpy and in the bag I can knead it loose again.

For laundry 1 lb borax, 1lb washing soda, 1 lb baking soda, 1 lb generic oxi clean, 1 bar grated fels naptha soap Mix thouroughly. Use 2-4 T per load depending on what works best for you. I use cold water and usually a scant 1/4 cup. (today I made a batch, and I thought touse my vitamix dry mixer to grind the grated soap even finer and it did great.)

I dont pay attention to how long it lasts- a while. and I know all the ingredients. and it works.

happy

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2013, 05:19:41 AM »
Thanks for the dishwasher detergent recipe...I've been looking for one. Cool

palvar

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2013, 02:51:56 PM »
Has anyone found their homemade detergent degrading in quality over time?  I've noticed with the last few loads of laundry that they're not coming out as clean as they had been.  Thanks!

happy

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2013, 05:43:14 PM »
I have heard that after a while the whites may  look less white. The suggestion to use to an oxy-action soaker for a few washes and they will brighten-up again.  I haven't used it long enough to know from personal experience. This may be what you are experiencing?.

N

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2013, 06:38:03 PM »
what makes you think they are not clean? homemade detergent does not have optical brighteners, so its true that your laundry may look different. does it smell not-dirty? if it had stains or marks, are they gone? I know some people like to add essential oils for adding smells they like.

I havent noticed my laundry not being clean enough. I have a regular washer (Not HE) and I use cold water.

Jimmay

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2013, 04:03:46 PM »
Hello.  I just tried the dishwasher detergent today following the same recipe.  For some reason my glasses did not come out as clean as with storemade detergent.  I measured everything out and mixed accordingly.  I saw the same recipe when I searched for it, so I know the recipe is spot on.  But I was wondering is this the same deal with the whites not coming out as white with homemade Laundry Detergent; the glasses are not as clear? 

Thanks,

N

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #8 on: January 13, 2013, 10:11:42 PM »
thatd be my guess. some sites say to add a cup of vinegar right side up in the top to help with spots/cloudy glass.
did you use straight citric acid or did you try the lemonade/koolaid trick?

sometimes my glasses look kind of cloudy, I guess, but it doesnt particularly bother me or I then bottle-brush them in the sink. I dont notice any dinginess on my other bowls or plates. i dont put a lot of plastic in there at all.

palvar

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2013, 07:40:47 AM »
Initially, my clothes had a very fresh smell to them before we put them in the drier; not so much now.

How large of a batch is everyone making?

grantmeaname

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2013, 08:06:24 AM »
Palvar, are you just missing the scent from your scented detergent? I don't want to suggest something obvious in case that's not what it is, but it could be that that's what it is.

If so (and for anyone else reading this), you could always add a little bit of some essential oil that smells nice like lavender or sandalwood.

Miss Stachio

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2013, 02:29:58 PM »
I've been using homemade laundry soap (the same batch) for about six months with no noticeable difference in clothing cleanliness outcome but I usually do small batch washing in a tub.  Sometimes adding a small capful of bleach in my 'rinse' cycle helps things smell fresher.  Basil is also a very nice scent to add for clothes.

mpbaker22

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Re: Home made laundry detergent and bonus deck cleaner
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2013, 04:27:42 PM »
Has anyone found their homemade detergent degrading in quality over time?  I've noticed with the last few loads of laundry that they're not coming out as clean as they had been.  Thanks!

Haven't noticed anything ... I forget when I made mine, but I made a 5 gallon batch on accident, and I'm down to the last gallon or so.  So, it's been at least 3-4 months since I started.  I haven't had a problem so far.

Some people say this is a waste of time, but let's compare to the antimustachian, shall we?
Time spent going to store to buy ingredients = same time to buy detergent (Everything is in the same aisle).
Time spent making 5 gallons - 30 minutes.
Time spent by anti-mustachians going to store 3 times in this period(remember they would make a trip JUST for this)-30+ minutes.
So time is a wash.

Money spent on 3 containers of detergent - $45? I don't remember the cost of detergent to be honest.
Money spent on homemade detergent - $12.  I bought enough for 35 gallons though, so I won't have to go back to the store to get a bar of soap, and anyone who has made it knows the boxes of borax and washing soda last quite a while.

Money spent buying the next 15-20 containers of detergent - $225-$300
Money spent making the next 15-20 - $10