Community Chat

[foggy!]

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@Eliana wrote:

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@Dusty1 wrote:

I've been making our laundry detergent for years. Fels Naptha bar soap, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda & 20 Mule Team Borax. The boys like to add the different color "freshening crystals" because they make it look pretty & more fun, but it doesn't do anything extra & they are expensive. I will do it for my grandsons, though. :}  I always used Tide, but since I switched I have been very happy. It gets my laundry clean. Anything that my husband, 2 dogs & 5 grandsons can throw at it. And, my husband never mentioned it before, but he said that in the summer when he would sweat his clothes would smell sour. He doesn't have that problem with the homemade. So it's cheap & it works.

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@Dusty1  This is the recipe I use as well.  I use three bars of Fels Naptha, one box of super washing soda, one box of borax, and I also mix in one lb. of baking soda.  I use vinegar for the rinse.

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I've seen this recipe before and wanted to try it. We are a large family and I'm thinking it has to last longer than commercial brands. My husband also has that stink on clothing or pillow cases I'd like to lose. I never thought about it being related to our detergent. I read you dedicate a potato peeler to shave off pieces of Fels Naptha. Does that work well enough to blend evenly into the other ingredients? Once its combinded, how much do you use per full load? Thanks for your advice

[Eliana]

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@foggy! wrote:

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@Eliana wrote:

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@Dusty1 wrote:

I've been making our laundry detergent for years. Fels Naptha bar soap, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda & 20 Mule Team Borax. The boys like to add the different color "freshening crystals" because they make it look pretty & more fun, but it doesn't do anything extra & they are expensive. I will do it for my grandsons, though. :}  I always used Tide, but since I switched I have been very happy. It gets my laundry clean. Anything that my husband, 2 dogs & 5 grandsons can throw at it. And, my husband never mentioned it before, but he said that in the summer when he would sweat his clothes would smell sour. He doesn't have that problem with the homemade. So it's cheap & it works.

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@Dusty1  This is the recipe I use as well.  I use three bars of Fels Naptha, one box of super washing soda, one box of borax, and I also mix in one lb. of baking soda.  I use vinegar for the rinse.

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I've seen this recipe before and wanted to try it. We are a large family and I'm thinking it has to last longer than commercial brands. My husband also has that stink on clothing or pillow cases I'd like to lose. I never thought about it being related to our detergent. I read you dedicate a potato peeler to shave off pieces of Fels Naptha. Does that work well enough to blend evenly into the other ingredients? Once its combinded, how much do you use per full load? Thanks for your advice

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@foggy!  You can dedicate a peeler or a grater, but I grate the Fels Naptha in my food processor, first cutting it into blocks and using the shredding disk.  Once I have it all shredded, I change to the S blade and add it back in a little at a time with some of the powder ingredients to help grate it finer and to keep the soap from sticking to the blade. Then I mix it all together at the end.  I usually use just one tablespoon per load, sometimes up to 2 if it's extra smelly, usually just on the towels.  I usually open the Fels Naptha and let it dry out for a week or so; it makes it easier to grate. The triple batch lasted a year for two adults, and a teenage grandson who moved in halfway through the year.  I also supply my boyfriend's mother.  This is very low sudsing, so it's safe for HE washers.  There is just a fresh, clean scent, so if scent is important to you, you can add scent crystals.  I prefer it without.

[Twins Mom]

I was a loyal Tide user, especially like Tide stain remover and Oxi formulas. But since they make me go online to get their coupons (but provide P&g other coupons in newspapers ) I have been using Persil and like it.

[foggy!]

Thank you Eliana, you're very helpful!

I'm so surprised and excited at how long a triple batch can last!

Well, as excited as laundry soap can make me

Now I just need a 5 gallon tub with lid.

Here's to smelling good, looking good, and saving money!

[saltysails]

I have made the homemade laundry soap before, but found I didn't like it all that much and it was too much trouble to make.  The eco egg is just so easy and works really well.  They are also available on amazon.

[stevieb]

I guess I prefer Tide, but any brand, as long as it's the 'clean and clear' version. I don't want scent, softeners or other additives in a product that's supposed to clean... 

[tends2dogs]

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@febe1 wrote:

I recently got the Ecoegg laundry egg, the 864 washes from England at HSN. I like it. You get two eggs: blue one for colored and white egg for white clothes. I won't be buying detergent for a long while.

When I received the eggs, the blue one was easy to open,while I couldn't open the white egg. Their Customer Service is super. They gave me several tips which didn't work and then told me they would send a new one and it would take about a week since it came from England. True to their word, I got it in a week and it worked perfectly.

The wash is bright and clean. I will see how many washes I get.

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@febe1  I bought these, too.  So far, so good.  You have to pretreat spots as usual, but this is so simple and natural.  I like that.  I stopped using fabric softener when I heard how that coats yours clothes. 

[tends2dogs]

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@Caligurll wrote:

I use Planet  because it is not tested on animals.

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Unlike Tide, which is Proctor and Gamble.  I am sure that many other mentioned here are animal tested.  It is something a lot of people never consider.  Glad you do!

[shoekitty]

Mrs Meyers, lemon verbena. I use the laundry soap and the fabric softener.  I usually go to soap dot com or another site when they have a big 20% off, and use mrrebates and order a case of both.  So It probably works out to about to half price grocery store prices.  The stuff works, really works for us

[Dusty1]

@foggy! It is really fun to make. I just cut my Fels Naptha into chunks with a knife & then put it into my food processor with the s blade & start adding the powders to grind it up into a fine powder. I never thought to let the bars dry out like @Eliana said, but I will try that. I usually make 6 batches at a time, since I give a lot away to my daughter & DIL. I keep it in a large glass canister on the top of the dryier & I love how homey it looks. LOL