Home made laundry soap?

[Omeletta]

I can find washing soda at my local small town market...apparently, some little blue haired lady (bless her heart) got very irrate with the staff because they didn't have it, and so....small town style, they got it!

Tanya

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I have been using those laundry balls and will never go back to fabric softener of any kind! They leave my clothes soft and they still have the clean smell from the homemade laundry soap. They sell them at Walmart now. I have had the same ones for a year or more. No more allergies, no more danger from dryer fires, no more cost!

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
If you can't find the washing soda you can double up on the Borax with the same results. They are both laundry boosters and perform the same action. I can tell no difference with this change in the recipe.

 

[BirdBrain]

I have been using the recipe Trisha mentioned for my laundry soap for about 8 months and our whole family really likes it. I started making cold process soaps this fall because my SIL is so sensitive to soaps, especially the antibacterial ones. I second the recommendation of www.millersoap.com. It is a really terrific resource and where I got my start. You can also check your library for books on making soap. You must run every recipe through a lye calculator. I use two of them. The first one is www.soapcalc.com and the other I can't think of right now, but it alows you to resize a recipe based on your mold size. Oh yeah, here it is
http://www.summerbeemeadow.com/SitePages/SBMSoapCalculators.html

I like soapcalc because it allows you to design resipes with what ever qualities you are looking for.

I make mostly unscented soaps and it is funny to hear people say they love the scent.

 

[kaylakala]

Southern28chick I got the soap I bought from you today!!

It smells WONDERFUL!!!

Thanks for the freebie too!

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Glad you like them.

 

[newbiecheech]

I make my own soap With Ivory soap, Borax, and Arm and Hammer Washing soda - cost about $2 for 80 loads or aprox 300 loads for HE machine.

Grate 1 1/2 bar of Ivory soap into 2 Cups hot water in pot and stir constantly over med heat until melted.
Pour this mix into a plastic bin (rubermaid or whatever)
Add 3/4 C of Borax and 3/4 C of Washing soda then add 38 cups of warm water, mix well, let sit overnight (will end up looking like glob of half set jello) I use a braun hand mixer I got from a thrift store for $1 and blend it smooth, then you add another 40 C of warm water.

Use 1 C of the soap per large load - top loader
Use 1/3 C of the soap for HE machines.

Add more borax and washing soda if you have hard water.

This soap works great and is super cheap. You can also add a couple drops of essential oil for fragrance and use vinegar in the rinse cycle.

 

[MommyMagpie]

I have used homemade laundry soap for over a year. My 11yo son no longer has problems with psoriasis or eczema, and I use a dryer sheet only about every third load, on the jeans and other heavy clothing.

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

I was saving money before I got married, but am really saving now because we have a minimum of two large loads of laundry a day! And being a half hour from the nearest big store, it sure is handy to just gather the supplies and whip up a bucketful instead of having to go all the way into town just for that.

 

[hispoptart]

I make my own laundry soap and love it, as for those having trouble finding washing soda. If your will to by a case of it which has 9 boxes in it, then a store may be willing to purchess the case for you if they don't normally carry it. Some store will give you a bit of a discount for buying by the case. It is probably enough to last you a really long time.

 

[newfoundland]

A word of warning about storing washing soda. Keep it in a dry place. My mother once stored washing soda in a rather damp cellar and found when she came to use it she had empty boxes as the soda had melted away.