DIY Laundry Soap

[carozy]

I found this DIY laundry soap recipe but I haven't tried making it yet.  (I'm living with my parents at the moment and they spoil me and do my laundry.)

I'm not sure how long the batch you make will last, but the blogger* who linked to the site said the ingredients cost around $8 and she thought would last for 8 months.

http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/my-homemade-laundry-soap-is-amazing

I plan on doing this once I move out!

*http://www.frugalconfessions.com/

[NCGal]

There are definitely other threads on MMM about this but wanted to let you know I just tried this recipe. I made it in a smaller batch (1 cup each Borax, baking soda, washing soda) and 1 bar Fels Naptha. This is personal preference but I'm not crazy about the lack of a scent so I just bought a bottle of lemon essence and added about 10 drops. I haven't tried it yet with the lemon.

I paid a total of $13.09 for three bars of soap, and 1-each large box of the other 3. The lemon essence was $14 for 4 oz but that will last several years.  I didn't do the large recipe since I also wanted to make dish detergent. I don't have a precise breakdown per load. Also, some recommend using 1 tablespoon and others say to use 2.

[meg_shannon]

I made my own laundry soap for about 8 years. I'm not making it now only because we've moved to Germany for one year. I usually make enough powdered detergent for one year, 2 adults and 1 messy kid. 3 bars of fels naphtha or zote soap, 1 large tub oxi bleach (like Oxi-clean but I bought generic), and 2 boxes of washing soda. You can the scent crystals, a couple of brands make them, if you want scent. I've used this to wash cloth diapers (w/out scent), everyday clothes, greasy work clothes, muddy toddler clothes, etc. It seems to work pretty well and doesn't lose potency like the DIY liquid detergent, which is what I first made.

If you use a food processor it's easy to grate the soap really fine. Also, some stores carry Zote soap flakes (just compare the weight to the bars), which doesn't require grating at all. Our old Walmart did anyway.

[fallstoclimb]

I used Trent's recipe from The Simple Dollar here:  http://www.thesimpledollar.com/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-a-detailed-visual-guide/

It's working OK I guess.  My only complaint is that I have white marks left on my black clothes from the detergent....probably because I don't wash anything on the hot setting.  I'm not sure if I'm going to make my own again or not. 

[jesstach]

I made my own using these instructions- http://happymoneysaver.com/making-your-own-laundry-detergent-worth-the-cost/

It's been 1.5 years and I'm only half way through the batch! (Just 1 adult). It works great on warm or hot washes. I put the detergent in as the water is starting to fill up, and then put clothes in, so it kinda melts into the water first. However, on cold washes it leaves little white residue. So I had to buy a separate detergent for cold washing.

It does save a lot of money! I'll be making it again when it runs out.

[GeneralJinjur]

I think we're finally halfway through our first batch of homemade dry laundry soap.  I used my Salad Shooter to grate 2 bars of Fels Naptha, and mixed it with a box of Borax and a box of washing soda.  We have a front loader and I just toss the soap in on top of the dirty clothes, rather than using the dispenser.  Lots of asthma in our family, so we don't worry about scents (and I was afraid the strong Fels Naptha would be too much, but it's gone by the time the clothes are dry.) 

I wish I had written down when I made it, because I think we've been using it since last September for a family of 4, but I'm not sure.  I also learned how to make soap and may grate some of that the next time I need to make laundry soap.  I used to buy the giant Sam's Club tubs of All Free and Clear, but this cleans just as well and lasts much longer.

[The Fake Cheap]

I looked into doing this a while back using a mix from a website (seems similar to what everyone is saying here from what I remember) and decided against it because it was actually cheaper for me to buy the stuff.  I can get detergent on sale for about 5 cents/load, I calculated the homemade stuff to run about 8 cents /load.  Anyone have a good per load estimate on what this homemade version costs? 

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Man, I have to make a double batch every few months! But we are a family of 4 and the youngest is not completely potty trained.

For the one who was having white marks, are you using vinegar in the final rinse? You can use a Downy ball or if you have a fabric softener dispenser, put vinegar in it. This is an important step with homemade detergent to get all the soap rinsed out.

[fallstoclimb]

I am not using vinegar!  I will relocate some vinegar down to the washing machine and hope I remember to try that.  That could make the difference for sure.  I really don't want to wash clothes on hot, due to wear and tear. 

[fallstoclimb]

Update:  the vinegar seems to help a bit.

Also I have a follow-up question.  I would like to wash all of my laundry on cold, for reasons outlined here:  http://io9.com/why-are-you-still-washing-your-clothes-in-warm-water-1706931003

However, I ALSO just switched from paper towels to microfiber cloths for kitchen & bathroom cleaning purposes.

Do we think detergent + cold water gets these clean enough?  I'm leaning towards 'probably' since it's not like we're eating the towels after washing but was curious about what others thought.

[4alpacas]

Update:  the vinegar seems to help a bit.

Also I have a follow-up question.  I would like to wash all of my laundry on cold, for reasons outlined here:  http://io9.com/why-are-you-still-washing-your-clothes-in-warm-water-1706931003

However, I ALSO just switched from paper towels to microfiber cloths for kitchen & bathroom cleaning purposes.

Do we think detergent + cold water gets these clean enough?  I'm leaning towards 'probably' since it's not like we're eating the towels after washing but was curious about what others thought.

I wash my towels, rags, and sheets in hot water with detergent (not homemade) and vinegar.  I wash my clothes in cold with just detergent.