Just made a new batch. I used Ivory this time and the resultant liquid is almost clear. My last batch was a bit cloudier. I am pleased so far. I will post about its cleaning ability after I use some. I can't see it being different than the last batch though.
I calculated out my cost for making the 5 gallon tub. $1.93. Whoa. Considering that the same sized tub of DRY laundry soap was $18 thats a pretty big savings. I gave about half my first batch away and it managed to last until now. Sooooo thats probably less than $.01 per load.
Compares with Tide for cleanliness and gets grass stains out of white knee sliders and shale stains out of socks. I'm sold. Guess I'm done buying commercial detergent for good now.
what did you use for your soap base the first time you made it?
Ivory does work well - it's pretty tough on grease, too if you just
wet a bar and rub it on the stain. be careful doing that though. I
wore a thin spot into one of my son's shirts that way - but by God
the stain came out!
I actually keep a couple of batches with
different soaps in them. one is for my husband's clothes. I make
this one with Fels. he is a landscape construction worker and he gets
filthy. he's also allergic to poison ivy and has had to go to the ER
a few times to get shots. but in his job the poison ivy is kind of an
occupational hazard, and the Fels destroys the oil that causes the
rash. it takes it out of clothing, too. I made him a bottle of hand
soap with it to carry in his truck and remind him every day to wash
his exposed skin every two hours or so to protect himself. so far
he hasn't gotten it again, so he must be listening to me for a change!
the other batch I make with Zote and either Ivory or Lirio. mostly
Zote because it has citronella oil in it and it also brightens whites.
the Zote actually has mosquito repellent properties and oddly enough
is also used for catfish bait! I love the scent of it.
I know I'm going on here, but one more interesting thing I discovered
about the Fels Naptha. if you wet a bar and rub it on the bite right
after you get nailed by a mosquito, it stops the itch and a lot of times
stops the welt from the bite from forming. washing with it also helps
the itching from multiple bug bites, heat rash and poison ivy. mosquitos
love me and for some reason when I get bit the bites blister and scab
over and then they scar. this started happening last year and I have
scars by the dozen all over my legs and arms. when I tried the Fels
trick after my first bite this spring I was amazed and so far I only have
one bite that blistered and that was because I didn't get to it right
as it happened. so if it works for a mosquito magnet like me there
must be something to it, right?
okay, I know I've been windy this morning. I'm done now!