A while ago I mentioned that we had made some homemade laundry soap using Recipe #1 on this page.
At the time of my last posting, I had only tested it on some towels and I didn’t want to give my opinion on the soap until I had tried washing something more “stubborn” since our towels are mostly used after showers and don’t get really dirty or stinky.
My rat cage houses three female rats. I use towels for bedding – rags, tea-towels, bath towels, all purchased from Value Village or the dollar store – and I wash them in the machine each week to clean them. They totally stink when it’s time to clean the cage.
Today I washed a load of those towels and I used the new homemade laundry soap as an official test.
And whoah, it passed that test with flying colours!
There was absolutely no “rat” smell, no urine smell and everything was fresh and clean when I lifted it out of the washing machine.
So, the first verdict is that this stuff works WONDERS on stinky clothing.
The next test will be to wash something that’s actually visibly dirty – something stained. I suspect it’ll just be a matter of days until I get a chance to do that test..
For the record, the container we’re using to store the laundry soap is an 11.5L bucket from ice cream. That’s one of the benefits of a big family – you buy things in HUGE containers that really come in handy later!
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LOL as you might remember, I worked in a laundromat for a spell. I’m actually a bit of a laundry products afficianado if there is such a thing. I use the stuff that I like the smell of, but it is common knowledge that Tide is kind of the product to beat as far as stain removal goes.
Some secrets I learned in laundry work… use only HALF the soap you think you need. Soap manufacturers are in the business of selling soap. They WANT you to use twice as much as you need so that you buy twice as much. When you wash your hands, do ten squirts of soap make your hands any cleaner than five squirts?
Also, don’t overpack the machine. Good agitation is KEY. LOL
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The recipe we made makes a LOT of soap – and we use 1/4 of a cup for a regular sized load (double that for a GIANT load or something really stinky). And it worked fabulously!
I’m also using vinegar instead of fabric softener now – which means no dryer sheets or Bounce or whatever. I’m noticing the same amount of static reduction using vinegar as I was noticing with the liquids or dryer sheets. Nice change! Plus, the vinegar helps clear out any soap residue in the clothes, machine, pipes, etc.
My favourite commercial stuff is definitely Method. It smells fantastic and works really well – but it’s hard to find in Canada and, well, my trips to the US are obviously limited these days. :)
The recipe cost about $10 for all ingredients and, no joke, the quantities we purchased will last us for YEARS. Major money-savings there!
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I’m curious, how long did it take to make the laundry soap?
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Isn’t this stuff amazing! Thanks very much for blogging about your experience with the detergent, I’m looking forward to following the results from your next test :).
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All told, including the grating, it took about 30 minutes. Keep in mind that it was the first time we’d made it, so we were ultra-careful and cautious and spent some time (mid-process) discussing things. :)
Really, the grating took the most time – but it was, for me at least, quite fun. Then we just boiled water, stirred the grated soap in, added the dry ingredients (then stirred again) and finally added it to the plain water.
The quantity we made will last us about 2 months, I think, give or take a bit.
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That is freakin’ awesome. I have read about vinegar in lieu of Fleecy, but as you might recall, I’m a Fleecy whore and I can’t actually imagine life without it. I take it the clothes don’t smell vinegary afterwards? Do they still smell like the soap?
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We added in some “melon” essential oil into the soap that gives all the clothes a light melony scent – and, if you wanted, you could totally add that to the vinegar too when you use it as fabric softener!
The clothes don’t smell vinegary and no other real scent either – just.. clean. Like water.
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I use my salad shooter to grate the soap.
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I made the powered laundry soap used castile bar soap worked great. Next I had Ivory much cheaper love the smell. I was really looking to be more chemical free all natural so next I am going to try kirks casteel soap.
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I made laundry detergent #1 yesterday afternoon. I woke up this morning and opened up my bucket and ta-da! I ended up with a white layer of soap and then a lot of soapy water. Did your’s turn out like this? I stired mine and it broke up the soap layer, but it’s like the soap didn’t dissolve. I still have water with saop bits in it. I am going to assume that it is still usable the way it is. Why didn’t it turn into slime? Help!
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excuse all the type-o’s….I don’t know how to make laundry detergent but I do know how to spell… just doesn’t seem like it!!! LOL
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There’s a layer of white soap on top (sort of gel-like) every time I open the container – but yep, I just stir it up and it’s all good. :)
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