The laundry detergent that wasn't
Okay, so you all know that I'm a rather eclectic person. I love some modern conveniences and technology (like my pink laptop!), but I also have a soft spot in my heart for many old-fashioned things, too. My love for the old-fashioned coupled with my frugality seemed like a perfect fit for making my own laundry detergent. Or so I thought.
I had seen Tammy and others rave about homemade laundry soap... how easy it was to make, how inexpensive it was, how much money they were saving by using it, and how much better it was for one than traditional laundry detergent. I kept thinking, "I really should try that."
When Erica Johns from Super Mom's Health and Wellness offered to let me try the laundry detergent kit she sells, I jumped on it. Here, at last, was my chance!
And so, Thursday night I set about to realize my longtime dream of making my own laundry detergent. I couldn't have been more excited.
First, Kathrynne and I took the bag of Ole Pioneer Laundry Detergent and lavender scent and dumped the laundry detergent mix it into a pot on the stovetop.
We added 6 cups water and heated it on medium-high until it was dissolved (the instructions didn't say what temperature to use, just to heat it and stir constantly until it was dissolved). It took quite awhile to dissolve and I got a little impatient after a number of minutes of stirring and finally decided it was good enough.
So I followed the next direction to let it cook on medium-high for 15 minutes.
The directions said it was supposed to look like honey after 15 minutes. I got distracted (what's new?!) and let it cook a little longer than 15 minutes (maybe more like 20-25 minutes?), but when I came back to check on it, it didn't look much different than before and certainly didn't look much like any kind of honey I've ever seen.
The next step was to get two one gallon containers and pour half of the soap mixture in each. It was then that I realized I hadn't thought through what I was going to put all this detergent in. I finally scrounged up a bucket and a bowl and poured half of the mixture in each. I added enough cold water to make a gallon each and mixed well (maybe I added a little too much water? I was using a 3/4 gallon laundry detergent bottle to add the water in.) and then set the detergent aside for 24 hours. 
The next day, I went to use the laundry detergent. It had separated all right, just like the instructions had said. When I shook it up and poured some into my washer, it looked like - well, the best I can come up with is that it looked like baby spit up. Um, I've been seeing enough of that recently, so I really wasn't excited about my laundry soap looking like that, too.
After dumping in half a cup of this "baby spit up" laundry detergent into my washing machine, I noticed there were no bubbles and the proceeding loads of laundry I did did not seem to be getting clean.
So much for my brilliant idea to make homemade laundry soap! I think I'm just not cut out for being a pioneer woman! For the time it took and the mess it made, it just really didn't seem worth the end result. Maybe I should just stick with buying detergent on sale with coupons like I have been for years?
But I really don't want to be a quitter and give up on something just because the first time it didn't work. So, help me out here. For all of you who have made your own detergent before, what did I do wrong? I'm positive it wasn't the detergent mix (which I'm sure is a wonderful product that I completely botched!). Any suggestions or thoughts? Is homemade laundry detergent really supposed to look all lumpy like mine does?
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Oh and I had to add: Erica was kind enough to also send me some Natural Shampoo bars and some Lavender and Loofah Goat's Milk soap - we've very much enjoyed these chemical-free soaps. I especially love using them on my little girls. The less chemicals, the better, right?!
I had seen Tammy and others rave about homemade laundry soap... how easy it was to make, how inexpensive it was, how much money they were saving by using it, and how much better it was for one than traditional laundry detergent. I kept thinking, "I really should try that."
When Erica Johns from Super Mom's Health and Wellness offered to let me try the laundry detergent kit she sells, I jumped on it. Here, at last, was my chance!
And so, Thursday night I set about to realize my longtime dream of making my own laundry detergent. I couldn't have been more excited.
First, Kathrynne and I took the bag of Ole Pioneer Laundry Detergent and lavender scent and dumped the laundry detergent mix it into a pot on the stovetop.
We added 6 cups water and heated it on medium-high until it was dissolved (the instructions didn't say what temperature to use, just to heat it and stir constantly until it was dissolved). It took quite awhile to dissolve and I got a little impatient after a number of minutes of stirring and finally decided it was good enough.
So I followed the next direction to let it cook on medium-high for 15 minutes.
The directions said it was supposed to look like honey after 15 minutes. I got distracted (what's new?!) and let it cook a little longer than 15 minutes (maybe more like 20-25 minutes?), but when I came back to check on it, it didn't look much different than before and certainly didn't look much like any kind of honey I've ever seen.
The next step was to get two one gallon containers and pour half of the soap mixture in each. It was then that I realized I hadn't thought through what I was going to put all this detergent in. I finally scrounged up a bucket and a bowl and poured half of the mixture in each. I added enough cold water to make a gallon each and mixed well (maybe I added a little too much water? I was using a 3/4 gallon laundry detergent bottle to add the water in.) and then set the detergent aside for 24 hours. 
The next day, I went to use the laundry detergent. It had separated all right, just like the instructions had said. When I shook it up and poured some into my washer, it looked like - well, the best I can come up with is that it looked like baby spit up. Um, I've been seeing enough of that recently, so I really wasn't excited about my laundry soap looking like that, too.
After dumping in half a cup of this "baby spit up" laundry detergent into my washing machine, I noticed there were no bubbles and the proceeding loads of laundry I did did not seem to be getting clean.
So much for my brilliant idea to make homemade laundry soap! I think I'm just not cut out for being a pioneer woman! For the time it took and the mess it made, it just really didn't seem worth the end result. Maybe I should just stick with buying detergent on sale with coupons like I have been for years?
But I really don't want to be a quitter and give up on something just because the first time it didn't work. So, help me out here. For all of you who have made your own detergent before, what did I do wrong? I'm positive it wasn't the detergent mix (which I'm sure is a wonderful product that I completely botched!). Any suggestions or thoughts? Is homemade laundry detergent really supposed to look all lumpy like mine does?
---------
Oh and I had to add: Erica was kind enough to also send me some Natural Shampoo bars and some Lavender and Loofah Goat's Milk soap - we've very much enjoyed these chemical-free soaps. I especially love using them on my little girls. The less chemicals, the better, right?!
posted by Crystal Paine at 1:12 PM
40 Comments:
There is a powder version of this detergent, which I have made in the past with suceess. The detergent, powder or liquid, should produce few to no suds. From your description, it sounds like you didn't let the soap completely dissolve, which probably contributed to the resemblance of your baby's "products." That is my guess, but I am no expert on the liquid detergent.
Kim in WI
So, those of you who make your laundry detergent, is it typical that there aren't suds? I'm all new to this so I haven't a clue. I think I equate suds with "clean." :)
Is the soap supposed to be completely and totally dissolved before letting it cook? It was all dissolved before I added the cold water because it finished dissolving during the cooking time.
Maybe I'm just not used to homemade laundry detergent and how mine looks is the way it's supposed to look?
Sorry for being so clueless here!
Hi Crystal,
I am Jill, the mom of 5, who made the detergent and soap that Erica sent you. I am glad you like my soap and sorry about your detergent experience.
I heat it at about medium or medium-high [it will vary with individual stoves] till it boils, then adjust it about medium or so and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes. I have found that humidity, air pressure and other factors seem to affect how it looks, but it works the same.
If you want a thicker detergent, only add enough water to make 1 gallon, then only use 1/4 cup in your laundry. It is a detergent, so it is not supposed to suds. That is not what does the cleaning.
Maybe you got a pack before I put in the instructions about putting vinegar in the rise water. I have been using this detergent for a couple of years or more with really great success. What I have found is since it is all natural, the naturally occurring glycerin is still in the soap that is grated to make the detergent. This can leave some clothes dingy, especially after many washings.
However, if you put about 1/4-1/2 cup of cheap white vinegar in the rinse cycle every time [I put it in the fabric softener dispenser] it takes out all the glycerin and leaves clothes really clean and fresh [they don't smell like vinegar after they are dry]. This saves money on fabric softener costs as well, as vinegar is really cheap.
If I have bad stains, I do use a pre-treat product, just like I did when I used commercial laundry detergent. Also, once in a while I use an Oxy-Clean type product, just as I did when I used commercial detergents.
I very rarely ever use any kind of fabric softener anymore-my clothes don't need it. [My disclaimer here is that in dry climates or in the winter here in KY, I will put a fabric softener sheet in with fleece or other really static-y clothes].
I hope this helps and I am sorry for your dissatisfaction.
***One other brief note, if you have an immersion [stick] blender, it does a wondrous job of blending the diluted detergent. Also the detergent can take a couple of days to gel up completely--but it can still be used before then. If it separates after a month or so, sometimes I put my immersion blender in there (I keep my detergent in old 1 gallon ice cream buckets) and re blend and it gels up more again after that.
We tried making some laundry detergent one time, but the 'clean' results (not so clean) weren't very pleasing. Some people can do it and it does well, so I don't know what we did either...
Hope you figure something else, or just go back to tried and true 'get it on sale' - :) Have a great day, thanks for your encouragement.
Ruth Ann
Hi Crystal,
Here is a recipe for a powder version of laundry detergent:
1 bar plain soap (I use Ivory or FelsNaptha) blended in a food processor
1 cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
Mix ingredients together.
Add 2 TBS per load.
Hehe Crystal, this reminds me a bit of my candle-making experiment (total disaster!). Oh well, that's part of life too.
I gave up on homemade detergent, because we have really hard water and it wasn't rinsing out well, plus grating the soap was gunking up my food processor. Maybe I should have tried Jill's trick with the vinegar rinse?
I used Crystal Miller's recipe at the Family Homestead and I find it works well. I have hard water. The only thing I do that is "extra" is add 1/2 cup borax to towel loads. I HATE foul-smelling towels. I recently bought a huge bottle of liquid laundry detergent at Sam's because I want some place to put the homemade stuff. I find this store bought expensive liquid doesn't do as well a job as the homemade stuff using Crystal's recipe. It cost me less than a $1.00 to make the liquid detergent and it did 50+ loads.
It IS typical that it doesn't suds up. I, too, equate sudsing with clean, but as I said, the towel test was passed by my homemade soap. That's the most important thing to me. I'm using store bought laundry softener (also bought a HUGE bottle at Sam's) but when that's done, I will be scenting some vinegar and putting it in the bottle.
I'm doing all this because of a recent booklet I found online about the link between reproductive problems as well as asthma to the chemicals in manufactured cleaning products.
I encourage you to keep trying!
Besides being cheaper than storebought detergents, homemade soap reduces your dependency on petroleum, because detergent is a petroleum by-product.
Why not try simmering the soap, instead of cooking it on a higher temperature? This is what my mom and I do, and you can forget about it and come back every so often to check on it (as you would for soup) and see if it's dissolved.
You can use regular soap (such as ivory or castile), and just grate it into your pot. After the soap is dissolved and cooked, when you pour it into your bucket, add borax (to make whites whiter - but is colour safe) and washing soda (for more cleaning power) and briefly stir.
My mom's proportions: 2 bars Ivory soap, 1 mugful each borax and washing soda, dissolved in a great big restaurant pot of water. It makes perhaps 8L of soap, and a mugful goes in each load of wash, more if the kids' clothes are really dirty. This does about a week of laundry.
I live alone, so my proportions are much more modest: 1/2 bar of soap, and maybe 1/3 cup each borax and washing soda in 2L of water.
Borax and washing soda are sold near the laundry soaps in stores. They are even cheaper in bulk, or by the bucket, if you can find it (perhaps at a health food store).
Hope that helps!
I, too, had a less-than-successful time getting my clothes really clean, and I chalked it up to having hard water. It seemed like I had to add way more of the stuff to my washer than what the recipe said to do just to get clothes clean. I also have children who come in the house dirty from head-to-toe after playing hard outside, so I thought I'd give it a try in the winter when we don't have grass and dirt stains. I'm glad to read Jill's suggestion for vinegar in the rinse cycle and am curious to see if that helps. I would encourage you to try it one more time just to see if any of these ladies' suggestions helps. I can relate to the excitement of doing something really homey and pioneerish and not having such a favorable result. Great try! Christy W.
Hi there Crystal,
Suds do not equal clean clothes, and I haven't seen any homemade laundry detergents that makes suds. Commercial laundry detergents have a "sudsing agent" added to them to make bubbles. After years and years of seeing suds I suppose we all associate that with "clean".
I used to make my own detergent from grated soap, borax and washing soda, but it was a powder instead of liquid. The results were pretty good, but I've given up now that I live in a house with "very" hard water. I do use white vinegar instead of fabric softener and have been very happy with the results.
If you want to keep trying, there are all kinds of easy, free recipes on the internet. Happy experimenting!
I use the same recipe for dry detergent that Mandy posted. I've been using it for a few years now with success. My only further suggestion is to make an effort to make it a really fine powder. I use the smaller shredder setting on my food processor for the soap, and the use the S blade with the soap, borax and washing soda together. This helps make a finer powder. I use 1 T per load for a light/not too dirty load, 2 T for a heavy load. It lasts a long time and has been a money saver. I knew the liquid detergent recipes would be too much trouble for me and I wouldn't use them. I always bought liquid, rather than powder, detergent, but I like this recipe. It has been great for my husband with sensitive skin - no extra ingredients. Hope that helps!
Too bad the laundry detergent did not work out that well.
Supermom has a great website, thanks for the url.
(and also thanks for the elaborate answer on the Kleenex. For me washing hankies is no problem, but to each his/her own.
I've had great success with this recipe (but not others that I've tried):
2/3 bar laundry soap, grated
(I use Zote laundry soap)
2 c. borax
2 c. washing soda
Mix in food processor until fine. Use 1 Tablespoon per load. I add a little extra if clothes are really dirty, which is frequently with 4 kiddos.
I was a loyal Tide user until 4 months ago when I started using this.
I did try to make my own laundry soap once, it was a dry soap mixture, but like you found the time, effort and cost savings wasn't worth it. The cost savings wasn't that much compared to the bulk, industrial laundry detergent I buy at my local Sam's Club. It's certainly not a "natural" alternative but it works for us. I guess if you're family is looking to go strictly "natural" with your cleaning products this would be the way to go, but if you're just looking to save money I think a much better option would be to try and saving your pennies elsewhere.
I try to limit my cleaning product usage and use just water and a clean cloth for most of my household cleaning. This in itself will cut down on "detergent" costs.
I've made a powdered version, with washing soda, borax and soap, but it didn't pass my washing test, which is cloth diapers. They came out with a smell, which I just don't like, and I'm sure it wouldn't have gotten out her older, stickier poops. I recently tried Country Save, and I love the way it makes my laundry smell like NOTHING, but it didn't get out the poop stains. I'm back to Tide.
I read somewhere that you should use powder detergent in hard water and liquid (gel) detergents in soft water. My liquid version also continued to separate. I just used the lumpy soap until it was gone. Since then I have used the powder formula given by Mandy. I let it dissolve in the water first before I had the clothes. I am still using the commercial softener for my dh! He likes the smell. It is much cheaper and now I don't look for the suds although you do get some if you let the detergent dissolve first and then add the clothes. I have three food spilling children ages 8-4 so we have certainly put it to the test. Hope it goes better next time! Eva
It is not homemade but it is awesome, I love Charlies's soap powder. It only takes 1 tablespoon and and one package does 80 wash loads. The more you buy the cheaper it is and shipping is free. Here is the link:http://www.charliesoap.com/
Phallin
Crystal,
I made some dry homemade deteregeant a few months ago and was pretty unsatisfied with it, too. I was so excited for it, but I found that it wasn't getting my clothes clean. I read how no suds was normal, but the proof was in those smushed bananas that were still on my shirt from lunch with my one-year-old daughter the day before, LOL. I now use Arm and Hammer's new detergeant that's a bit greener than what they had before, though still not as green as homemade...I just can't handle the possibility of dirt still being on my clothing, or my family's. I also do all of our laundry in cold water, except towels and sheets, and the homemade detergeant didn't dissolve as well with it. But...I'mstill intrigued by homemade and green detergeants and will always be on the look-out for a good recipe! :0)
I've been making my own laundry soap for about a year now and love it... I use Crystal Miller's recipe, which is easy, cheap, and it really works! You will not have "suds" with homemade laundry soap... the "sudsing" agents are what remain in your clothing and cause build up. Don't give up yet- making your own laundry soap really is worth it! Here's the link to the recipe:
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm
~Kristy Howard~
I posted about making my own here. Mine doesn't look like baby spit up. It does clump some after it sets up overnight, so I whisk it before I pour it up into containers, and shake it before I pour some into the washing machine, to make sure it's mixed well. Mine works fine on getting stuff out, but if there is a strong odor on a particular load (like very sweaty clothes or rags I've used to clean with) I sometimes add 1/2 to 1 cup of extra Borax or washing soda to help deodorize. Both of them are so cheap that I'm still saving money that way.
The recipe I posted makes about 4 1/2 gallons for about $1.50. I never did that well using coupons and sales, so I'm pretty happy with it.
I also make the homemade recipe from Crystal Miller, using 50% more borax and washing soda, though. Also, I've found this to work best if I bypass the homemade soaps, Ivory and Zote and use actual Fels Naptha laundry soap. I think it works fine for all but the dirtiest loads such as stained children's clothes, for which I "splurge" and use commercial laundry detergent. And yes, the lumpiness can be completely normal as is the "no suds" factor...doesn't affect the cleaning power.
Cathy
I made the powdered version recently.
I also added about 50 drops of lavender oil and some lavender sprigs.
I'm liking it.
I do use hot water though on almost all loads--sheets, towels, underthings, wash cloths. Washing that stuff in cold makes my skin crawl;)
Maybe try the powder once. Otherwise it's ok to not make your own;)
I've tried two versions of homemade laundy soap one powder and the other liquid. I used the liquid for a while and I thought it was getting my clothes clean until one day I was all out and used Purex (which I had on the shelf)on the cloth diapers and they came out so sparkling white. Even old stains came out. I am sold on Purex and it is pretty inexpensive.
Hi there,
The liquid detergent recipe that my mother and I both use makes 102 loads at .02 cents a piece.
1 bar of soap, grated
1.5 c. Borax
1.5 c. Washing Soda
3 gal. Hot Water
1, 5 gallon bucket from Home Depot
1. Dissolve the grated soap in 3 cups of water on the stove.
2. Add 3 gallons of hot water to the bucket.
3. Add dissolved soap and dry ingredients.
4. Stir thoroughly.
5. Let cool over night, uncovered.
We use 1/2 cup per load, and like others have commented you may need to add some white vinegar to your load if you have hard water.
Concerning the missing suds, it is not overly bubbly in the wash, however the cleaning is still very potent. Good Luck!
This sounds like something fun to do.....but, I have a question (forgive me if I am repeating a question here....I didn't have enough time to read through the comments..). Can you use this in H E washers too? I was told (instruction book) to use only "H E" type detergent because the regular detergent would somehow ruin the washer.
Anyone care to enlighten me? Thanks so much!!
Cheryl
in response to the last question, the reason regular soap can ruin HE washers is because regular soap suds up too much and can overflow out onto the the gears, or so I read. That is why you use a low suds soap or less soap with them or you kill your washer eventually.
Since this homemade soap is low suds I assume you could use it.
We did make homemade detergent before, it was the one in one of the last comments. It worked okay, but some of the clothes did not seem really clean, so we went back to cheap stuff from Costco.
I use the same dry recipe as Mandy - and it's worked like a dream for a year. My Dh doesn't like anything else now. It cleans so much better than the store bought soaps and is great for DH and DD's sensitive skin. I use a microplane (for grating zest, nutmeg, ginger, etc.) and it's perfect. For those concerns about food processor gunk - it's just soap you're running though and when rinsed out with hot water - everything will be clean. I was worried about the microplane, but it just comes out spotless. Keep trying - it's worth it!! (and no suds here - just super clean laundry!)
The homemade liquid detergent works well with my H E washer as well as my mother's.
We spend $4-5 per month on laundry soap for a family of 8. We use the dry version mentioned previously that is 2 parts Fels Naptha and 1 part each of Borax and washing soda (not baking soda). I usually get about 10-12 bars of Fels Naptha at once. To keep it from gunking up the blender or food processor, open the bars and let them dry out for a week or so before you get started. After I let mine dry, I cut them into chunks and they grind up very fine.
This soap is great for front-loading washers, specifically because it does not make suds. The benefit of using the front loader and this soap is that we went from having our septic tank pumped yearly (due to excess water use and a lot of soap buildup) to not having it pumped in the past 3 years :)
When I make laundry soap, I make the liquid version, but I also add essential orange oil and generic oxy clean. Have been very happy with it.
Dana
I have not made laundry detergent but just wanted to point out that you need to be careful when using traditional soaps/soap flakes etc if you have Modern cloth diapers (I know you use Fuzzibunz) as the soap will coat the microfleece liners of the diapers and cause the fibres to repel rather than wick through/absorb the liquid.
I have great success using 1/4-1/3 the recommended amount of any laundry powder or liquid in my washing machine when washing diapers and all other regular loads.
Louise
Thanks, everyone, your input has been very helpful!
Louise: Yes, I've heard a number of times not to use homemade laundry soap on diapers so I'm making to keep my diapers out of this stuff! I still haven't found a detergent that I'm truly happy with for diapers yet, though. Anyone have any suggestions?
We use Allens Naturally on our Fuzzi-bunz, the one that was recommended when we purchased them. It works very well yet seems gentle.
Cathy
We found some cheap bar laundry soap at our Big Lots for 80 cents for a huge block, called 'Zote'. The soap is bright pink and has a strong citrus smell. It is originally sold in Mexico, I believe.
We shred it by hand (hubby loves this task!) and mix it half a cup of borax and a quarter cup washing soda to 2 cups of shredded soap. This has worked out much better than Ivory for us. About three spoon fulls per load.
~Anna
I have made a few batches of this (using a different product, not the kit), and I've never liked the results. No, it's not supposed to suds up like regular detergent, but it never seemed to get my clothes clean, and they always had a sour smell after a day or two, and I can't take that. I just use either All Free and Clear, or Purex Free now, whichever is on sale and I have coupons for. I really think it depends on where you live (humidity and such), plus the quality of your water.
Mrs. Paine,
My mother also makes homemade laundry soap. She buys bars of tallow soap and shreds it into water (which is heated on medium). After the soap has melted she lets it sit and cool. Once cool, it turns into a kind of gel.The soap cleans wonderfully ! I think that there are some suds but not too many!
Gracie
Hi Crystal!
I have made laundry detergent in the past and from your description that is exactly what it is supposed to look like. Mine never "gelled" up but that was fine with me. I too must have bubbles to satisfy my brain into thinking that something is getting clean. I discovered that if I added 2 capfuls of regular detergent to 100 oz. of homemade detergent that I got the bubbles to satisfy. That really got our things clean. But since I live here in Indiana where we have triple coupons in our city, I have discovered that if I dilute my store bought detergent by half (100 oz. detergent to 100 oz. water) that is as cheap as making it myself so I don't make it anymore. But I still have the knowledge "packed away" in my memory for a future necessity.
Blessings,
Miki
As a note, if you are looking for a natural laundry detergent, then don't use Fels Naptha soap [I am not sure about Zote] because it used petroleum based products.
Borax and washing soda are all natural, but pay attention to what soap you grate up.
Mine looked just like your but cleaned better than even Tide! I used Fels Napa soap, borax and soda. I also use plain white vinegar for "fabric softener" most of the year. I find we need either commercial fabric softener or drier sheets in winter for static.
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