Laundry Soap

[HerbJane]

I would love to make my own laundry soap but I cannot find "Washing Soda" where I live, is there anything I could substitute? I am at a loss.

 

[smellsrfun]

Can you post your recipe for it? I would love to try to make laundry soap too and I don't even know where to start.
Have you tried looking online for the "washing soda"?

 

[HerbJane]

Making your own laundry detergent is not only a fun and easy craft, but it's also good for the environment and it saves money versus buying costly name brand laundry detergents. Following is a simple recipe for making your own detergent at home.

Ingredients:
1 Bar of Handmade Cold Process Soap
1 Cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
1 Cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

Directions:
Grate the handmade soap into a bowl using a cheese grater. If soap is damp, allow to dry. Combine with borax and washing soda - note that washing soda is NOT the same as baking soda - along with grated soap in a food processor or blender. Blend into a powder. Store in a container of your choice. Use 1 Tablespoon of detergent for small loads or 2 Tablespoons for large loads. For extra cleaning power on heavily soiled linens, you may add 1/4 Cup Oxi-Clean or generic alternative to your wash cycle.


Here is the recipe, enjoy!

I have checked online, I may end up having to order some, I would rather be able to source it locally though.

 

[ThymeforRodney]

I know this may sound strange, but have you tried your local hardware store? Call around and see if someone in the hardware business may have something like that. I may have to try the soap too. I need to save money any way I can. I do know you can buy plastic 5 gallon buckets with tight fitting lids to hold the solution or powder after you make it, at my local hardware store.

 

[remidies]

I looked into ways to make your own laundry detergent on the internet. It takes a few ingredients to make your own detergent. What do you think the benefits would be in making your own? I purchase my laundry soap at Big Lots and it is very reasonably priced.

 

[HerbJane]

I think it is more you are in control of what is in it and in control of the additives and the scents as well as the cost factor. Not everyone can buy things in bulk at a decent price.

 

[Whitecrow]

To make laundry soap, I grate a bar of soap, either my own or Fels Naptha, and add 1 1/2 cups each of washing soda and borax. This works as well as any commercial product for a tiny fraction of the price.

For those who asked, washing soda is sodium carbonate (as opposed to baking soda which is sodium bicarbonate). If you can't find it in the laundry aisle, go to a pool supply house. It is also used to adjust the pH of pools. MalWart sells it under the name "pH Plus." It is very cheap. You can also use baking soda, it just costs more.

 

[vanillabean]

It never occurred to me to make my own laundry soap. My Mom uses borax and something else already for her laundry soap. It seems like it would save a lot of money. There's probably a lot of things in commercial soap that isn't needed, too.

 

[natural1]

That seems like a lot of work to me lol. I think I`d rather stick to buying by laundry soap. Some of the ingredients I have never heard of. What is the cost comparison to buying the things you need to make it versus just buying it?

 

[Whitecrow]

That seems like a lot of work to me lol. I think I`d rather stick to buying by laundry soap. Some of the ingredients I have never heard of. What is the cost comparison to buying the things you need to make it versus just buying it?

First of all, making your own does just as good a job at about 25% of the cost. You save 75% by being willing to work just a little bit. If that's not enough, there is no ingredient in homemade laundry soap that will harm the environment such as perfumes, dyes or plastic containers. You don't think those plastic bottles you throw away are free do you? No, they charge you for them. And in the landfill they last decades or even centuries.