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Homemade Laundry Detergent
by gowithflo on February 25, 2007
Table of Contents
intro: Homemade Laundry Detergent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
step 1: Gather Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
step 2: Grate your Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
step 3: Add other ingredients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
step 4: Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
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http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
intro: Homemade Laundry Detergent
I wanted to
A. Save money
B. Be ecologically phosphate free
If you learn from my mistakes your results will surpass mine in both respects, I am sure.In addition to my clothes coming out "so fresh and so clean, clean" it was a very
satisfying and aesthetic making process!
Image Notes
1. it looks like it would be nice on a cake! but no.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
Image Notes
1. Like Buttah!
Image Notes
1. FYI natural but not good for your greywater
2. pretend you don't see this, we haven't gotten to this step yet
3. find soda ash instead, it's cheaper
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
Image Notes
1. this is what happened when I tried make it liquid, the peroxide in the oxi clean
made foam that solidified
Image Notes
1. good thing I didn't leave the cap on, would have exploded.
Image Notes
1. All this mess here is from the previous failed liquid experiment You wont have to
deal with this.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
step 1:Gather Materials
You wil need:
Food processor
1 bar laundry soap like Fels Naptha or Zote, or Ivory - Zote can be found in hispanic grocery stores
1 Box Borax - found in the laundry aisle
1 box Washing Soda or Oxi Clean, orBaking soda - (Washing Soda AKA soda ash AKA sodium carbonate available in some grocery stores made by Arm and Hammer or
you may find it art supply stores in the dyeing section)
OPTIONAL- essential oil of your choice, I didnt do it but I think tea tree might be nice.
Some recipe considerations, there are many variations to be found online but I based mine on this here http://www.thegreenguide.org/article/diy/household
'''Powdered Laundry Detergent'''
# 1 Cup Grated Fels Naptha Soap
# 1/2 Cup Washing Soda
# 1/2 Cup Borax
# For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons.
I adjusted for the fact that Zote is at least twice as big as a Fels Naptha bar, and personally if I'm going to make a mess I'd rather double or triple the recipe which still
easily fit in the food processor, also I used baking soda AND oxi-clean instead of the washing soda, the reason being that I could not find the washing soda, and Oxi-
clean is essentially the same thing but with added peroxide* which does add a mild bleaching action, should be "color safe" though. It is also my understanding that
baking soda is similar to washing soda but half as alkaline, so using baking soda will give you a gentler blend.
*note don't try and make the liquid recipe behind the link with "oxi clean" because the peroxide will make the whole mess foam, that was what I originally tried -- and
ended up with useless semi solid foamy spooge.
Image Notes
1. FYI natural but not good for your greywater
2. pretend you don't see this, we haven't gotten to this step yet
3. find soda ash instead, it's cheaper
Image Notes
1. this is what happened when I tried make it liquid, the peroxide in the oxi clean
made foam that solidified
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
Image Notes
1. good thing I didn't leave the cap on, would have exploded.
step 2:Grate your Bar
I used the ultra pink Zote laundry bar though the recipe called for Fels Naptha (or you could use Ivory), this is where I wonder if it's actually phosphate free, but look at the
color! yummy pink shreds! you may want to cut the bar down a bit before stuffing it in and using the grating disk attachment.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
Image Notes
1. Like Buttah!
step 3:Add other ingredients
The big shreds of the bar soap might not dissolve as is, so you will need to change to the chopping blade of your processor, and now is the time to add the powder to the
bowl of the food processor and blend it till it is fine, and don't huff the particulate OK? it will feel and taste beyond gross.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
Image Notes
1. it looks like it would be nice on a cake! but no.
step 4:Conclusion
Clothes came out great!
But not sure if ....
A. that Zote is phosphate free, and (EDIT: someone commented that phospahates have been illegalized anyway, havent fact checked that though)
B. the purchase of the oxy clean sure drove my cost up, next time I will find the Washing soda.
borax 3.59
baking soda .75
Zote .75
oxyclean 5.00
= 10.09
But since one or two little scoops are enough I estimate about 75 washes? so that comes out to .12 a wash, I guess even using oxi clean it's not so bad.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
Image Notes
1. All this mess here is from the previous failed liquid experiment You wont have to
deal with this.
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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 164 comments
aussie_jacki says: Sep 17, 2008. 9:33 PM REPLY
hey there just wondering what is zote soap never heard of it in Australia's it just a laundry soap?Going to give it a go anyway sounds like a winner!!! how
about adding eucyalyptus oil...a great cleaner...and deodoriser.
aaronjehall says: Jan 28, 2009. 2:54 AM REPLY
melaleuca, or tea tree oil should work just as well as eucalyptus oil, plus, has many other uses. I know it has been used in natural degreasers and all
purpose cleaners as well.
I buy toothpicks soaked in melaleuca oil to help my immune system defense. it kinda has a minty flavor to me. rarely do I get sick. Also, it should be
readily available in your part of the world.
maizeroad says: Dec 10, 2008. 9:10 PM REPLY
Zote comes in the form of a bar and is found in the laundry/detergents aisle. Here in America it can be found in supermarkets, and in a lot of pharmacies,
including CVS. Don't know if that helps ya'll in Australia--hope so! ;-)
cvhallmom says: Jan 2, 2009. 8:17 AM REPLY
Lacking a food processor, I did it the old-fashioned way -- I used the finest grate on my good-old knuckle buster hand grater. Using Ivory soap, I ended up
with a great fine powder (easy too!!!!)
Question: Has anybody tried to add essential oils to make it smell nicer? How did you avoid clumps of oil in your soap?
majjck says: Jan 27, 2009. 9:37 AM REPLY
Try putting the oil in a spray bottle so that when you spray the oil, the particles are so small that they don't clump in the detergent.
giddymoon says: Aug 25, 2008. 12:13 PM REPLY
I started making the liquid detergent about a year ago and I am really happy with it. It is NOT an exact science, there are MANY recipes, but they all call for
basically the same 3 ingredients.
I have even seen people use bar soap like Zest, Dial and more. But the reason I am writing today is that if you decide to make the powdered version, you
need to be VERY careful about grinding up the bar soap. When I used the mini Cuisinart today to do so, it was the right powder like consistency, but would
also float in the air when the lid was opened to the processor. People who have respiratory problems, asthma, etc may want to stick to the liquid or use a
face mask when grinding up the soap powder. My lungs have been burning all day after making a batch of the powder.
That being said, the recipe I use is one part bar soap - I have used ZOTE and Fels Naptha; ground to a powder to 2 parts Borax and washing soda each and
I only have to use 1 TBS of mix on normal loads and 2 TBS on heavily soiled. I also use Oxyclean on whites. With 4 boys and a grimy hubby, it works
wonderful and lasts me for months. Once you buy the 3 ingredients, you should easily be able to make a year's worth or longer depending on how much you
use..one whole year on less than $12 of supplies!
I switched to the powdered just to save storage space and time. I recently ran out and purchased a bottle of detergent for about $3 and I barely used it for a
week!
If you want to save and use more natural products, this is the way to go, and YOU CAN change the formula up a little bit to suit your liking and water
hardness...again, this is NOT an exact science!
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
ewalky says: Jan 25, 2009. 3:48 PM REPLY
I tried a recipe like this, and I googled the Fels-Naptha soap. In relation to your comment about breathing in particles of soap, here is a link to a Wikipedia
article talking about the safety of the product http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fels-Naptha
I used Sunlight soap instead and it worked great. Smelled like lemon meringue pie :)
cvhallmom says: Jan 2, 2009. 8:21 AM REPLY
If you use ivory, and a cheese grater (hand grating), you get the same great powder without lots of particulates in the air
strmrnnr says: Jan 25, 2009. 1:44 PM REPLY
If you really want to experiment, you can easily make potash lye from wood ashes from the wood stove or fire place.
Mix 1:4 wood ash:water (podwer ash-no chars) in a bucket. mix wel and let settle for a couple of days. Laddle off the clear lye water as needed.
You can evaporate this to a powder. Different wood ash gives different strengths.
As a WARNING: It is strong.
imrobot says: Jan 24, 2009. 4:27 PM REPLY
could you use this for a front loader washing machine?
mdauby says: Jan 24, 2009. 10:20 AM REPLY
I found washing soda at wal-mart...but I live in a rural area and maybe that is a SKU they carry in small markets...it is worth a look but all wal-marts are not
equal in products they carry
suzy77 says: Jan 18, 2009. 10:14 PM REPLY
I like the powder recipe best. It does clean surprisingly well. I just thought I would add that laundry soda (sodium carbonate) is the very same thing as PH up
which you can find at any sporting goods store or major retailer in the pool chemical aisle. It is 100% sodium carbonate. Check the label to make sure you
are getting the right thing, but it's a whole lot easier to find.
Liquidhypnotic says: Apr 9, 2008. 1:41 PM REPLY
I also had a tough time finding washing soda; a lot of stores in my area were like "huh?" when I asked. However, I DID find this:
1-800-524-1328
UPC: 33200-03020
This is the number for Church and Dwight / Arm and Hammer. Call that number, and then tell them your zip code, and they can tell you where to find stores
in your area that carry it. You might not have to give them the UPC, but there it is. That's the UPC for the 55oz Arm and Hammer box that you might have
been seeing around if you've been Googling for washing soda.
In my area (Northern Virginia) the places to look are Giant and Wegman's. I got it at Giant for $2.49. Also, Zote can be found at K-mart, or at least the one
near my apartment, for under a dollar a bar. 20 Mule Team Borax was very easy to find; even Walmart carries it. (Borax is also super handy for killing
roaches and ants and household cleaning).
Hope this helps! GoWithFlo, great instructable. Could you perhaps add this information to the main body of the thing? Might help out folks looking for the
stuff.
Personally, I'll be making a load as soon as I get my hands on a dedicate-able food processor; don't know if I'd be making soup in that thing afterwards
_
;
Actually, could you say something about that in your instructable as well? I assume you're dedicating yours to soap making, but on the off chance you aren't.
rockcreek says: Dec 14, 2008. 7:51 PM REPLY
I went to two different hardware stores, both of whom knew what washing soda was but said it had to be special ordered from A&H.
However: washing soda (sodium carbonate) is also known as "soda ash", and is easy to find at a store that sells pool chemicals, which is where I found
it. I didn't check the pool chemicals section at Target but I'd bet they have it.
Just about to run my first load with socks and dishtowels in an HE machine. Hope for the best!
beachbum1946 says: Dec 31, 2008. 10:24 PM REPLY
Don't know where you live or what grocery stores you have but Kroger has washing soda and at our Kroger it was in a weird place, with the clorox 2.
It is an arm and hammer product, and don't confuse it with the arm and hammer washing powders.
gowithflo says: May 11, 2008. 5:26 PM REPLY
hmm, Im not worried about using the same food processor, I mean its soap, it washes off, the other stuff is stuff that is in our clothes and next to our skin
daily. I'm certainly not saying its safe to eat a spoonful of it, but I never had a problem with it. How do you figure it would be bad?
thanks,
F
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
missusg says: May 11, 2008. 12:33 AM REPLY
Bless you for the help with locating washing soda! I've been looking at various homemade recipes and all call for washing soda - which I haven't been
able to find.
There's a good video on metacafe that walks you through making another recipe - search "laundry" on their site. Won't have to wait for that food
processor
rockcreek says: Dec 19, 2008. 4:41 PM REPLY
So the first batch, 1 tablespoon in the HE, appeared to make the clothes clean just fine. The 2nd batch, where I added maybe 1.5 T to the wash, left some
undissolved soap particles on the clothes. Not a big deal, just another round on the rinse cycle on warm.
I may try doctoring some white hand towels with ketchup and motor oil this weekend to see how this stuff cleans.
ajmaxmom says: Dec 29, 2008. 9:01 AM REPLY
was just wondering if home made laundry detergent is safe for the new "HE" machines?
rockcreek says: Dec 29, 2008. 2:41 PM REPLY
Well, I couldn't say for sure, but: I expect the "safety" of chemicals on your washing machine's health comes down to:
a) does the chemical cause some corrosive reaction to any parts in the machine, and
b) does the chemical form a residue somewhere in the machine
All of these ingredients - bar soap, soda ash, and borax - are easily soluble in water, so I don't think buildup is an immediate concern. And if the
powder or the liquid that you can make at home is actually corrosive, well, that would probably disqualify it as a clothing detergent.
rockcreek says: Dec 14, 2008. 7:53 PM REPLY
gowithflo: a question. Do you really need to add the other dry ingredients when you pulverize the soap shreds? They're not chemically mixing; could shaking
a closed container accomplish the same thing without the particulate cloud? (Seems like it's just sifting.)
Just a thought. Thanks.
Mozie says: Nov 17, 2008. 1:35 AM REPLY
Can I use the kind of soda ash that is used to control the ph in a swimming pool? Thanks
gowithflo says: Nov 18, 2008. 7:56 PM REPLY
yes you can
NickiK says: Dec 10, 2008. 11:44 PM REPLY
Hello gowithflo - before I embark on this, i wanted to check with you once more if you still fell that washing soda can be substituted with baking soda
and oxyclean. I live in overseas and I don't think I've ever seen washing soda anywhere - it's not like in the US where everything is available if you
know where to look.
Also, I had read that it is important for drum washing machines (the type we have here) that the detergent not be overly sudsy or it will ruin the parts
of the machine. Can you tell me how sudsy this comes out? What will make it more or less so?
Thank you very much!
gowithflo says: Dec 11, 2008. 4:23 AM REPLY
I think washing soda is best but have had fine results using the other two.
As far as sudsing I dont find this to be a problem for me because the amount to use is 1-2 Tablespoons, I would say try a tablespoon and keep an
eye on it, if it looks too sudsy just use less next time.
NickiK says: Dec 11, 2008. 5:07 AM REPLY
Thanks for your help gowithflo. Also, is there an advantage of wet over dry detergent? The dry seems so much easier to prepare and store.
spanishdancer says: Jun 18, 2008. 7:59 AM REPLY
I normally add a small amount of AMMONIA to my wash to breakdown perspiration. I used to add this only to the rinse water, but with my current washer I'm
not able to do it this way, so just put it in the "softener" compartment. I'm not sure if the detergent part of the process works as well this way, but it still seems
to breakdown perspiration OK. Does anyone have any thoughts as to how adding ammonia will interact with a homemade detergent? Will it "cancel" or
interfere with the cleaning action? Thank you in advance.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
frazeeg says: Jun 24, 2008. 9:25 PM REPLY
Just don't mix ammonia with bleach - unless you enjoy suffocating to death on chlorine gas.
maizeroad says: Dec 10, 2008. 9:14 PM REPLY
Ditto. I've also heard that it's basically mustard gas! So do be careful!
mommym00n says: Dec 1, 2008. 10:39 AM REPLY
I have been having trouble finding super washing soda I got one box from the Internet but is was to much money to do every time I found a box of pure
baking soda at wal-mart for 2.18 and it said on the back to add to liquid laundry soap just like the washing soda does. so can I use it instead?
I_am_Canadian says: Nov 28, 2008. 6:42 PM REPLY
My mom will love some of this for Christmas....
april252 says: Nov 28, 2008. 6:13 PM REPLY
Hey FYI, Doller Tree carries generic OxyClean for..well $1! When you figure that into the price, this recipie is outragesously cheap!
nikki0522 says: Jul 12, 2008. 10:25 AM REPLY
How much Baking Soda and Oxy Clean did you use?
tandm says: Oct 12, 2008. 8:41 PM REPLY
I think he meant to do a 1/4 of a cup for each (that would be half and half)
jsh_ya says: Sep 18, 2008. 12:04 AM REPLY
I used to work at a swimming pool store and you can buy 50lb bags of soda ash for somewhere around $8.
people would come in and buy it for tie dying and they said it was about twice the price at a craft store.
jl_browning says: Sep 10, 2008. 11:37 AM REPLY
I've made this, used it, and LOVE it. I told a friend about it. She made some with Zote and used it in her HE washer and she said her darks came out 'dusty'
looking. has anyone else experienced this ?
I'd also like to use a white colored soap - any suggestions? Does Ivory work well? And if you add essential oils, how much do you use?
purplefuzzy says: Aug 12, 2008. 6:48 PM REPLY
My husband has dirty greasy clothes from work. Our laundry detergent wasn't getting them clean. Not even Tide was getting them completely clean. 3-4
TBSP of this stuff works wonders on his clothes. I did alter it a bit and did a bar of FN and a 1/2 c each of the washing soda, borax, and oxyclean. Our
daughter who is allergic to most detergents does fine with this as well.
PJ~352 says: Aug 26, 2008. 12:23 PM REPLY
May i ask what FN is and also washing soda?
Thanks, PJ
bacaboi says: Sep 1, 2008. 8:40 PM REPLY
The answers to your questions are in Step one.
FN = Fels Naptha or Zote
Washing Soda = Oxi Clean
my4girls says: Sep 1, 2008. 8:07 PM REPLY
I can't wait to try this. My kids and hubby get their clothes REALLY dirty and store bought just doesn't seem to get them clean! Does anyone know if this is
good to use on delicate hand washables, or is there a different recipe I need for that?
laurenmarch says: Aug 26, 2008. 12:35 PM REPLY
Great instructable. I have a couple of tips to add. To get really fine, dry grains of soap dry it out first. Just exposing it to air will do the trick - it will be like
powder when you grate it. If you don't want to use a food processor try one of these cheese graterscheese graters. They work very well.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/
thewhiterhino says: Mar 9, 2007. 7:19 AM REPLY
$10.09 divided by 75 loads comes out to .134533 per load compared to a concentrated liquid that does 133 loads for $36.45 or .27406 per load. I'd say
you've created a bargain!!!!
Wolfrick says: Jul 17, 2007. 1:42 AM REPLY
So long as you value your labor at $0.00/hr, yeah.
giddymoon says: Aug 25, 2008. 12:55 PM REPLY
Since it only takes 15 minutes and $12 to make a year's worth of detergent, and a year's worth of detergent can run me $3 per week times 52 = $156
- $12 = $144 savings. That is mighty fine pay for 15 minutes of work. I don't have to worry about buying it for a whole year which saves me even
more time and money.
JustSayIt says: Aug 9, 2008. 6:23 PM REPLY
about a month since I've been using batch #2 with the Olive All purpose handmade soap. While I love everything about this batch, my husband has started
complaining about how his clothes itch lately. Coincidence? I don't know, but he didn't know I was using something different. I guess I am going back to
commercial cleaners again, grrrr!
purplefuzzy says: Aug 12, 2008. 6:49 PM REPLY
try doing an extra rinse or a rinse with vinegar. All the soap may not be getting out of the clothes.
krizrose says: Jul 18, 2008. 8:31 PM REPLY
Just FYI to all: there is a fake oxy clean that works wonderfully well and can be found at any Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, $1.00 per 20 oz.!!! It's LAs
Totally Awesome Oxygen Base Cleaner. Even the container looks sorta similar. Would save you quite a bit!!!
PennyPinchinMom says: Jul 17, 2008. 4:09 PM REPLY
This soap is outstanding. I made a triple batch in less than 10 minutes. I then put my son's filthiest clothes (he works in a welding shop) in to wash. The
water is so dark I can't see the whites so I'm thinking it's doing a really nice job. The value is outstanding and the Zote soap is on .68 cents at Sav-A-Lot.
Thanks for giving such great instructions.
goobygirl says: Jul 13, 2008. 12:14 PM REPLY
I also use a similar recipe, but use vegetable based soap, washing soda, and borax. The key to making it work well is the first few times you use the recipe,
you need to put in a cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle. This will help break up the commercial laundry soap and softeners residue that is imbedded in
your clothes. Try it, and you will see a difference.
JustSayIt says: Jul 11, 2008. 4:54 PM REPLY
OK, that was tough. And I already had the ingredients. And it was my second attempt. I think the tough part was that I am not intimate with my food
processor/blades/assembly/controls. But anyway, I had a super nice big bar of All Purpose Olive Handmade soap from my favorite handmade soap company
and thought I'd do this again. Last time I used the Zote. I didn't particularly love the pink color, but with the earthy color of the Olive soap, the combined color
this time is very "natural". I used a tad of essential oil with it and the scent is very very light but nice. I used the Zote batch last time for about 2 months and I
actually did notice some dingyness of the clothes so I went back to commercial laundry detergent. I'm gonna try using this recipe exclusively for awhile again
and see if the dingyness returns.
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