Homemade Washing Soda

[Mr. Minsc]

Thanks to the influence of frugality websites I had the bright idea to make my own laundry and [urlhttp://www.louises-country-closet.com/2013/03/homemade-dishwasher-detergent-cubes.html]dishwasher[/url] detergent. I head on out to collect the ingredients when I hit a roadblock, washing soda is nowhere to be found.  Through researching I discovered other names for this product (sodium carbonate, soda ash) and contacted a swimming pool supply store.  While they did not carry it in stock, they would order in a 25kg bag special if I desired.  Well, when I at the computer next I had the bright idea of searching up "homemade washing soda".  Here's what I discovered.

Washing soda is sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3).  Heating sodium bicarbonate will release water and carbon dioxide and leave sodium carbonate.

Here's how you do it, spread out a desired amount of baking soda onto a baking sheet.  Bake it in an oven at 400°F for at least one hour (stir throughout to ensure the baking soda gets heated all the way through.  There you go, supposedly that's all there is too it.  I did try this last night but failed to stir up the baking soda so I don't believe mine made the complete transformation.  It didn't seem as "grainy" as described however it did not clump together like baking soda either.  Since I was getting impatient it has all ready been formed in to a laundry detergent. ;)  I'll whip up another batch later and tell you how it goes.

More information.

It's kinda cool, one do-it-yourself project lead to a second in order to complete the first.  Fun. :)

[MissStache]

I switched to homemade detergent about a month ago and I LOVE it.  So easy to use and astonishngly cheap.  I didn't make my own homemade washing soda, but I was able to find it really cheaply at my local large grocery store (it's also on Amazon for a good price).  Good for you for finding a workaround!  Maybe I'll try that when I run out of my current box of washing soda.

[mpbaker22]

Good job.  I wonder why washing soda was so hard to find?  It's usually in the laundry section and the same price as an equivalent amount of baking soda.

Either way, Chemistry FTW.

[Kazimieras]

I like this idea (although not for me) and I am a huge chemistry geek but I do want to say:

Please be careful when dealing with the sodium carbonate (or any alkaline materials for that matter). It is cheap, but improperly handled it can also cause chemical burns.

[Mr. Minsc]

I like this idea (although not for me) and I am a huge chemistry geek but I do want to say:

Please be careful when dealing with the sodium carbonate (or any alkaline materials for that matter). It is cheap, but improperly handled it can also cause chemical burns.

Yeah, from what I was reading it can be very caustic.

Speaking of chemistry, I was thinking back to high school chemistry.  Imagine if all chemistry teachers started teaching these DIY tricks as part of their class?  This here is obviously chemistry at work and in doing so would output entire classrooms of students who know to look beyond big advertising.  It's so simple it's almost sounds crazy.

As for easy/difficulty of finding washing soda it believe it is simply a case of supply and demand.  In my area people likely don't know its capabilities so there would be little demand which in turn would keep stores from keeping stock.

[mpbaker22]

I like this idea (although not for me) and I am a huge chemistry geek but I do want to say:

Please be careful when dealing with the sodium carbonate (or any alkaline materials for that matter). It is cheap, but improperly handled it can also cause chemical burns.

Yeah, from what I was reading it can be very caustic.

Speaking of chemistry, I was thinking back to high school chemistry.  Imagine if all chemistry teachers started teaching these DIY tricks as part of their class?  This here is obviously chemistry at work and in doing so would output entire classrooms of students who know to look beyond big advertising.  It's so simple it's almost sounds crazy.

As for easy/difficulty of finding washing soda it believe it is simply a case of supply and demand.  In my area people likely don't know its capabilities so there would be little demand which in turn would keep stores from keeping stock.

Exactly.  Soap making would be very good for basic chemistry lessons.  And you could keep the soap at the end.

[grantmeaname]

I've heard that converting washing soda is more expensive than just buying it. We bought ours online here when we needed to make detergent, but you could probably find it cheaper without too much effort.

[Kazimieras]

Soap making would be very good for basic chemistry lessons.  And you could keep the soap at the end.

I did this in high school and again when I did my university degree. Making soap is easy - making a soap you can use that has the right pH and is free of extra compounds is not. Especially when you're in a classroom with a bunch of 16 year old kids who may or may not be paying attention.

I am all for DIY, but once I factor in my time I prefer to just get the 1 gallon jug of HE soap that costs $14. Plus the enzymes they include are technically superior for certain stain types.

[charles_roberts]

I'm not much of a scientist. Tried this a couple of times but think that perhaps it's OK to purchase in bulk.

[N]

Ive found washing soda at hardware stores and at walmart.
Also at Menards as a pool additive.

The least expensive was at walmart.  In the laundry aisle.