I'm doing my 3rd batch today. I found some specific laundry bar soap. Its not fels naphtha but we'll see if it is any better. I gave away scads of the stuff and have now converted all my sibs to this stuff!
Homemade Laundry Soap
- Thread starter letscook
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OP
OP
letscook
Head Chef
Fels Naphtha is usually found in the laudry isle of a grocery store not where bar soap is but where spot removers are. I saved my milk jugs till I got 10 of them and now when I make a batch I fill all 10. For conveience I brought a 1/2 gallon of milk for the container, that way measuring out into containers much simpler.
i also use the softner recipe to replace dryer sheets. went to the 1.00 store brought some wash cloths so I would know them from everyday ones.
you take 1 container of fabric softener and dilute using the fabric softner jug filled with water 2 times 2 to 1 ratio. then when going to put goes in the dryer take your washcloth in the diluted softer ring it out and toss in the dryer with clothes. works great. duggars use sponges but i find they will leave pcs of sponge here and there.
Everytime I start a new jug i but what money I would of spent for a gallon of laundry deterent in a jar. Wow I can't believe how much I have saved. I have my xmas money already
i also use the softner recipe to replace dryer sheets. went to the 1.00 store brought some wash cloths so I would know them from everyday ones.
you take 1 container of fabric softener and dilute using the fabric softner jug filled with water 2 times 2 to 1 ratio. then when going to put goes in the dryer take your washcloth in the diluted softer ring it out and toss in the dryer with clothes. works great. duggars use sponges but i find they will leave pcs of sponge here and there.
Everytime I start a new jug i but what money I would of spent for a gallon of laundry deterent in a jar. Wow I can't believe how much I have saved. I have my xmas money already
Zote soap works great, too. I usually have 2 batches of laundry soap -
a batch made with Fels and a batch made with Zote and Ivory. the Fels
is for my husbands ultra-nasty work clothes and stuff like throw rugs,
beach towels, dish rags and towels, etc. the other I use for my everyday
laundry. the Zote also has optical brighteners in it so it helps your whites
stay whiter and your colors more vivid.
another softener method (and one that flushes soap scum out of your
washer pipes) is about 1/2c of vinegar in the rinse cycle. or put it in a
couple Downy balls. it kills static and softens clothes and it doesn't
stink like vinegar, either.
a batch made with Fels and a batch made with Zote and Ivory. the Fels
is for my husbands ultra-nasty work clothes and stuff like throw rugs,
beach towels, dish rags and towels, etc. the other I use for my everyday
laundry. the Zote also has optical brighteners in it so it helps your whites
stay whiter and your colors more vivid.
another softener method (and one that flushes soap scum out of your
washer pipes) is about 1/2c of vinegar in the rinse cycle. or put it in a
couple Downy balls. it kills static and softens clothes and it doesn't
stink like vinegar, either.
There is no Fels Naptha here. I've even gone online to ask. I can get Sunlight bar soap or Ivory but thats it.
OP
OP
letscook
Head Chef
try this one as well
Soaps Gone Buy - Where Soaps of yesterday are found Today!
Soaps Gone Buy - Where Soaps of yesterday are found Today!
I sure appreciate the trouble you have gone to for me guys. I won't be buying the soap online simply because it is cost prohibitive. Shipping to Canada is far too much and negates the whole purpose of making my own laundry detergent. Sad, but true. If it ever becomes readily available here I will purchase it, but otherwise I'll stick with what I've already tried.
Glory hallelujah! Got a new washer today. Its a fabulous front loader. My question for all you folks is can I use this soap in it?
I think I can, just a ton less right? I was reading about the HE detergents and it says that its the sudsing action that is the issue. So what do you all think? Yes or no?
I think I can, just a ton less right? I was reading about the HE detergents and it says that its the sudsing action that is the issue. So what do you all think? Yes or no?
I have a friend who has a front loader and she uses the soap, but less. Works just fine.
WOOHOO! Thanks Katie. I wasn't just sure if I should try it but I have a HUGE amount of it left and didn't really want to buy that other stuff. I like how this works on my clothes. I'm looking forward to using even less of it now!
Randy_
Senior Cook
I just wrote a book and then pushed the wrong button and lost it all. Guess I should know better as I have done it before. There were a few tidbits that might be of interest to some so I will redo it tomorrow; but will do it in MSWord and then copy it here so I don't lose it again.
Oh Randy I hate it when I do that. Looking forward to your info!
Making a batch today. I'm not totally out. I have two big jugs left, but thought I'd do it while I have a day or two with some spare time as that doesn't happen often for me! So...last batch was made in August of last year. Holy moly does that stuff last! I do a LOT of laundry too, but now that we have a front loader I don't need to use nearly as much.
Lets see...spend $2 a year on laundry soap or spend $17+/jug = $200+/year why would anyone NOT make their own soap????
Would anyone consider sending me a bar of Fels Naptha? I'll send you the $ for it or send you something Canadian you can't get there. I'd really like to try it but am not willing to buy 24 bars!
Lets see...spend $2 a year on laundry soap or spend $17+/jug = $200+/year why would anyone NOT make their own soap????
Would anyone consider sending me a bar of Fels Naptha? I'll send you the $ for it or send you something Canadian you can't get there. I'd really like to try it but am not willing to buy 24 bars!
Amen, Alix. You're preaching to the choir as I've been using this for several years and nearly panic when I get low.
Like you, I do a lot of laundry even though it's just the two of us and I couldn't be happier with how well the stuff cleans.
I'll be happy to send you as much Fels as you need. Just PM me with the pertinent info and you're good to go.
Like you, I do a lot of laundry even though it's just the two of us and I couldn't be happier with how well the stuff cleans.
I'll be happy to send you as much Fels as you need. Just PM me with the pertinent info and you're good to go.
babetoo
Chef Extraordinaire
fifty years ago when my kids were little, i swore fels worked wonders. i would put on the knees of their jeans. grass stains gone.all most any stain would vanish. i haven't make own soap, doesn't make much sense for just me and one or two loads a week. and no grass stains. lol.
CookLikeJulia
Senior Cook
I'm just looking around in this site where I can learn something aside from cooking. Luckily, I found this thread. Now, I have an idea of making my own laundry soap. I wonder, if I can use some other kind of soap that has a more amount of perfumes?
Stick with soap that is designed for laundry. You can add some perfume oil yourself if you really want fragrance.
With the current Borax discussion, I thought I'd bring this thread up with the results of my recent (today) experiment on streamlining the making of homemade laundry soap.
I've been making and using this stuff for years and wouldn't use anything else. I used to be a dipped-and-dyed Tide user, but this stuff is far superior to Tide, or anything else on the market.
At any rate, I've been thinking that there must be an easy, efficient way to make the stuff. Okay, it's not difficult already, but I'm always looking for ways to save time. Sooooooo...
Since you end up with 5 gallons of the soap concentrate, I scrounged up an old, empty and clean 5-gallon sheet rock mud bucket we had from a remodeling project. I poured 5 gallons of water into it to see where the 5-gallon mark would be. I drew a heavy black line there using a big, fat Sharpie. Okay, so now I know how much liquid concentrate I need to have at the end.
I have 2 glass 8-cup measuring bowls. Into one I shredded (using my good old box grater) my bar of Fels-Naptha soap. I added enough water to cover it and microwaved it on HIGH for 2 minutes. Watch it! It will boil up even for that short a time. Plenty of time. I used a wire whisk to stir, and stir, and stir, and stir until it was fully melted. Didn't take long.
In the other measuring bowl, I put the borax and washing soda. Filled it about halfway with water and nuked this for 2 minutes on HIGH. I stirred like mad after I took it out.
While all the nuking was going on, I filled my 5-gallon bucket about 2/3 full with steaming hot tap water. Ours is way hot.
Now, a long time ago I bought a huge (nearly 2-feet long) wire whisk at a restaurant supply store, only about $4.00. Light bulb time!!!! I could use this to stir my soap concentrate. And, yep, that's just what I did.
I poured the borax/washing soda slurry into the water and whisked like mad. Beautiful. Perfect. Once I was happy the stuff was nicely dissolved, I whisked the Fels/water mix and poured that in. Got my big old whisk and stirred just like the witches in Macbeth.
The concentrate came together like a charm. Everything was nicely dissolved and well-mixed.
It's taken me a little while to explain this, but the whole process really only took a few minutes.
Last piece of my puzzle. The containers to store the concentrate in. For years I've been using thoroughly washed out gallon milk bottles. They are fine...as far as they go, but the plastic they are made of can spring leaks and the lids don't always stay tight.
We drink Gatorade here, in the gallon bottles. Those puppies are sturdy and, glory, have a carrying handle.
While my concentrate is still warm, I measure 8 cups of it into my gallon storage containers. Seal the tops and store. When I need a bottle, I gently add warm water to the top of the container, shake and I have my new gallon of soap. I've been using this storage method for several years now and it's really been handy. I don't have to deal with the jelling that occurs when it has to be reconstituted from a large storage bucket. Yes, it does jell in the gallon bottles, but it is of no significance when the other 8 cups of water is added. It's just easier and less messy to handle.
My new method of stirring and making the soap is sooooo much easier than having to measure and scoop, etc. All I have to rely on is my nice black 5-gallon line on my bucket.
P.S. As I said, I wouldn't use anything else. We do lots of laundry here, even though it's just the two of us and the 10 gallons this recipe produces lasts us almost 2 years. How's that for saving money?!
I've been making and using this stuff for years and wouldn't use anything else. I used to be a dipped-and-dyed Tide user, but this stuff is far superior to Tide, or anything else on the market.
At any rate, I've been thinking that there must be an easy, efficient way to make the stuff. Okay, it's not difficult already, but I'm always looking for ways to save time. Sooooooo...
Since you end up with 5 gallons of the soap concentrate, I scrounged up an old, empty and clean 5-gallon sheet rock mud bucket we had from a remodeling project. I poured 5 gallons of water into it to see where the 5-gallon mark would be. I drew a heavy black line there using a big, fat Sharpie. Okay, so now I know how much liquid concentrate I need to have at the end.
I have 2 glass 8-cup measuring bowls. Into one I shredded (using my good old box grater) my bar of Fels-Naptha soap. I added enough water to cover it and microwaved it on HIGH for 2 minutes. Watch it! It will boil up even for that short a time. Plenty of time. I used a wire whisk to stir, and stir, and stir, and stir until it was fully melted. Didn't take long.
In the other measuring bowl, I put the borax and washing soda. Filled it about halfway with water and nuked this for 2 minutes on HIGH. I stirred like mad after I took it out.
While all the nuking was going on, I filled my 5-gallon bucket about 2/3 full with steaming hot tap water. Ours is way hot.
Now, a long time ago I bought a huge (nearly 2-feet long) wire whisk at a restaurant supply store, only about $4.00. Light bulb time!!!! I could use this to stir my soap concentrate. And, yep, that's just what I did.
I poured the borax/washing soda slurry into the water and whisked like mad. Beautiful. Perfect. Once I was happy the stuff was nicely dissolved, I whisked the Fels/water mix and poured that in. Got my big old whisk and stirred just like the witches in Macbeth.
The concentrate came together like a charm. Everything was nicely dissolved and well-mixed.
It's taken me a little while to explain this, but the whole process really only took a few minutes.
Last piece of my puzzle. The containers to store the concentrate in. For years I've been using thoroughly washed out gallon milk bottles. They are fine...as far as they go, but the plastic they are made of can spring leaks and the lids don't always stay tight.
We drink Gatorade here, in the gallon bottles. Those puppies are sturdy and, glory, have a carrying handle.
While my concentrate is still warm, I measure 8 cups of it into my gallon storage containers. Seal the tops and store. When I need a bottle, I gently add warm water to the top of the container, shake and I have my new gallon of soap. I've been using this storage method for several years now and it's really been handy. I don't have to deal with the jelling that occurs when it has to be reconstituted from a large storage bucket. Yes, it does jell in the gallon bottles, but it is of no significance when the other 8 cups of water is added. It's just easier and less messy to handle.
My new method of stirring and making the soap is sooooo much easier than having to measure and scoop, etc. All I have to rely on is my nice black 5-gallon line on my bucket.
P.S. As I said, I wouldn't use anything else. We do lots of laundry here, even though it's just the two of us and the 10 gallons this recipe produces lasts us almost 2 years. How's that for saving money?!
Katie, good to know! I'm not due quite yet, but it will be soon. If I send you a cheque will you send me some more soap? Much cheaper than buying the big pile online.
In the other measuring bowl, I put the borax and washing soda. Filled it about halfway with water and nuked this for 2 minutes on HIGH. I stirred like mad after I took it out.
How much of each, Katie? Thank you! I'm writing as fast as I can.
How much of each, Katie? Thank you! I'm writing as fast as I can.
