Friday, July 03, 2009

Homeade Laundry Soap Update

For the two of you who care....

We just finished our first double batch of homemade laundry soap. I made it on May first, so it lasted about 2 months. The cost for the Zote soap was like .79, the cost of Washing Soad (for a big box that will last about a year) was about $3, and the cost of the Borax was about the same. So even if I would have used the entire boxes of Borax and Washing Soad I would have had less than $7 in two months of laundry soap. I'm hooked. I don't think I'll ever go back.

For fabric softener I have loved using plain white vinegar at about $2 a gallon. We've used about 1 gallon in 2 months.

When I want the clothes to smell good (pretty much only when I'm doing my clothes or linens) I add essential oil onto a wash cloth in the dryer and it gives the whole load a nice gentle scent.

Recipe:
1 cup small-grated Zote soap
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda

(double, triple as needed)

Anita

10 comments:

Bingaling 12:58 PM  

Ok...I totally care about this kind of stuff! I am going to try it out.

Question...I it looks like the recipe doesn't make very much. If you made a double batch and it lasted two months, how much do you put into the wash for each load?
Chanda

Jenny 1:36 PM  

I've seen so much talk of this over the internet. My SIL uses it and loves it, but I'm just not sure. Kids clothes get DIRTY - how's it do with dirt, grass, etc, you know, normal kid life?? I love my Tide and Gain but HELLO it's expensive!!

Dawn 3:02 PM  

I am wondering the same thing, how much do you use in a load? I would LOVE to be able to save money on soap!

A. Gillispie 4:05 PM  

Good question--forgot to mention how much I use. ONE TABLESPOON! Can you believe it?! One tablespoon for normal loads. Two tablespoons for large or extra soiled clothes. I put a scoop of oxy clean into the batch of soap I make. I'm not super obsessed about spot cleaning so I'm not sure how it would stand up to others' standards! But for us it works really good. For stains I'd still use a stain remover.

Antia

Grateful 5:20 PM  

OK...I am ready to try it too. (I have thought about it for some time and thankful you just plunged right in).
I don't care for the vinegar smell...how much do you use, how do you put it in (in the softner holder?) during the final rinse? Or at the start? T

frogglet 5:49 PM  

I love the homemade laundry soap I am using too. I was a little nervous to use in our new HE washer but it works great. I use the liquid version but pretty much the same thing.
What kind of oil do you use for the softener? That is the one thing that I have not jumped into yet.

Nadia 6:06 PM  

I've heard it's really hard on clothes and fades them..have you found this to be true?? We buy the cheapest laundry soap we can find112 loads for around 10.00 but if we can get cheaper I'd be happy lol.

A. Gillispie 8:04 PM  

Who knew laundry soap was so interesting!

T, I just use my last bottle of downy ultra and put in one cap full at the beginning of the load, just like I would regular fabric softener. You can definitely smell the yucky vinegar smell during the wash, but you do NOT smell it after the clothes are dried. If you did, I would NEVER use it as I hate the smell too.

Cora, I actually don't use essential oil like I said. It's just the oil people put into candles. It's WAY cheaper than true essential oil, but works great. I just use one wash rag over and over again as my "smell good" rag. I add maybe 20 drops to the rag and then throw it into the dryer like I would a dryer sheet. It's NOT a heavy smell, but does give it a light scent.

Author and HIV/AIDS Advocate--S.Meredith 6:36 AM  

I've never done this before! Can't wait to try this!
Suzan

Patty 2:05 PM  

I make a similar recipe and I love my homemade laundry soap too! I use 1 bar of grated Ivory soap, 1 c. washing soda, and 1 c. Borax. I use the same amount per load as you do. Works great and I've been using it about a year now. For stain removal, I use regular Dawn dishwashing liquid. Not the newer ultra kind, but the plain blue kind they used to sell. I simply put a small dab on the stain and I use a small stiff brush to rub it in a bit. I leave it on for about 10 minutes before washing. I've had very good luck so far and it's much, much cheaper than other stain removers.