Just curious who else is living super frugal

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: Not me. Hmm that sounds awful- maybe some other reason? Washing machine tearing them up? Sometimes something gets caught on one of the washing machine parts inside the washer and tears up.

 

[DennisK]

Has anyone had a problem with their homemade detergent eating holes in their clothes? Ive been using it for awhile now, but I noticed today two pieces of clothing that I know where fine when they went into the washer had several holes in each when they came out. One was brand new, had been worn once. I use the Fels-Naptha, Borax and washing soda recipe.

I have been using homemade Fels Naptha detergent for about 3 years, so far, and I haven't experienced the problems you described.

 

[Beekissed]

Has anyone had a problem with their homemade detergent eating holes in their clothes? Ive been using it for awhile now, but I noticed today two pieces of clothing that I know where fine when they went into the washer had several holes in each when they came out. One was brand new, had been worn once. I use the Fels-Naptha, Borax and washing soda recipe.

Nope...been using it now for 8-9 yrs and never had holes in the laundry from it. I still have clothes I wear often that I bought back when I first started using this detergent...I've found that, by using it, my clothing have lasted longer than they normally would do.

 

[Tikkijane]

Thats the one I bought at the same time as the Canner....  I also went to Barnes and Nobel and bought two recipe books...    Mainly for the processing times....  I have my own recipes that I believe would survive the process of canning.

deb

There are some old recipe books out there {or found at garage sales} to be found, for sure. I think they are really cool. Food safety has changed some, to be sure. I've seen recipes for pumpkin, for example, which now is not to be canned unless it's cubed. There are good resources online, too. The recipe for green chile isn't in any book I've found, but it's online. {Which reminds me I should make sure I have it printed!}

 

[Tikkijane]

I have all the ingredients for home made liquid laundry detergent... based on the recipe with Fels Naptha, washing soda, and Borax.  Plan to make some this week.  However, when I use a product up, I like to buy a replacement, so I'll always have more on hand.  Couldn't find any more FN.  But, WM stocked Zote.  I saw a YT video re: using Zote for home made detergent.  The same author (dry canning beans and rice) uses Zote, Borax, washing soda, baking soda, and an Oxyclean type of product.  Have any readers tried this recipe, and do you like it?  How does it compare to Fels Naptha??

I use zote almost exclusively. The bars are nearly twice as big. I have not seen any difference in cleaning ability.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:

Quote:
Deb you might try a tomato sauce. BECAUSE. . . it only needs a hot water bath and so if you mess up on the pressure canning part no harm done. Tomatos are so acidic they dont need the pressure but it is good practice as you learn your canner. I know I was terrified the first time, so I completely understand.

Fish is easy too according to some. I lost the info when my old pc crashed but now that I have done a few turkeys, I think fish would be easy. A great way to add calcium into our diets too.

 

[lazy gardener]

Zote works fine but FN is a higher quality laundry soap IMO. I use both on occasion- I particularly like to hand scrub new stains with a bar of soap as a prewash. I don't make my laundry detergent anymore but I did try it for awhile. I buy the costco bucket kirkland brand.

So yes I would recommend buying a bar to try it. You may like it just fine. It is cheaper if I remember!

I tended to use a bit more of my detergent when I made it with Zote just since I felt it was less concentrated or something? It was just a feeling- nothing concrete.

I don't think baking soda adds anything. I tried adding baking soda and it didn't seem to change the efficacy of my detergent.

The reason I stopped making my detergent is that DH's cousin said that he had a problem with his septic when he switched to homemade detergent based on soap like I was using. So that kind of scared me and I went back to store bought. His theory was that the soap was not dissolved enough?

Thanks for the comparison. I'd not be the least bit concerned about using home made detergent. It's got to be less caustic than commercial detergent. I'm betting (if I was a betting person) that the septic issue your DH's cousin had was not at all related to home made detergent. Unless, he was comparing home made DRY detergent to commercial LIQUID detergent.

Has anyone had a problem with their homemade detergent eating holes in their clothes? Ive been using it for awhile now, but I noticed today two pieces of clothing that I know where fine when they went into the washer had several holes in each when they came out. One was brand new, had been worn once. I use the Fels-Naptha, Borax and washing soda recipe.

Dry or liquid??? Any bleach in the wash before or during? I've had issues with bleach showing up in concentrate enough to completely bleach spots in a load following the bleached load.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree! The homemade detergents are very low suds...as in "no suds"...and are much better for septic systems than commercially made detergents. If there is any soap not dissolved, someone's not making it properly. These soaps can even be used in the HE washing machines due to their low suds and low residue.

 

[perchie.girl]

My Laundry water goes to its own french drain and not into the septic.... FWIW

deb

 

[pfields]

Has anyone had a problem with their homemade detergent eating holes in their clothes? Ive been using it for awhile now, but I noticed today two pieces of clothing that I know where fine when they went into the washer had several holes in each when they came out. One was brand new, had been worn once. I use the Fels-Naptha, Borax and washing soda recipe.

I quit using it due to my whites weren't white anymore. We also have a septic system and I have a HE washer and dryer.

Haven't heard about the problem with the septic system.

I'm having a problem with my towels, dish rags and dish clothes smelling bad even though I've washed in hot water with Tide. They just don't smell good when they get wet again.