I hope to include recipes that I find and test as well as things that really don't include a recipe - like using a cup of vinegar in your laundry as fabric softener... who'da thought? But, it works! And it gets the "boy" smell out of the clothes, too. :-D
If I can find the ingredients at Ace Harware in Cedar Park, I plan to make laundry and dish washing detergent this week. I'll report back and let you know if it works and how to make them yourself.
MARCH 2nd, 2010
Attack of the Laundry Detergent!
Yesterday, I finally made time to make the liquid laundry detergent. I got the recipe from Michelle Duggar's recipe page. I don't endorse her having 20 kids (and still wanting more), but I think it's great that she posts her recipes that work for her on her site.
Today, I will get to try it out and see if it completely ruins my towels or small blanket in the process. But, there's a certain level of trust with this recipe. The reason being - she uses it. And there's 22 people in her household. It has to work.
I will tell ya - you can indeed grate your fingers! So, if you choose to try this out, be careful grating the soap when it gets to the end, otherwise you'll end up like me and take off part of your thumb. YUM! I recommend grating the soap as fine as possible. It took FOR.EV.ER to melt on low-medium heat.
Recipe
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar (Ace Hardware carries this $1.49 a bar)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda* (HEB, Ace Hardware carry this)
½ Cup Borax (HEB carries this)
- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!
Next step.... homemade dryer sheets... this one is easy.
Vinegar with a few drops of essential oil misted on an old washcloth works just as well, and is much cheaper than dryer sheets.
TIPS
** Two tablespoons of baking soda in your bath water makes it softer which means you won't have a ring to clean up!** Two tablespoons baking soda mixed with 2 tablespoons of borax makes an excellent dishwasher detergent.
** Cleaning your baby bottles with baking soda serves 2 purposes: it prevents odor build-up and there will be no soap residue.
** Use a cup of vinegar in your laundry as fabric softener
** Use vinegar to eliminate virtually any smell (including pet urine!)
** Mix hot water and vinegar in your steam cleaner to clean your carpets. No soap residue which makes your carpets dirtier faster, and it cleans better.
