How to: Make your own laundry detergent

Good Morning Northwest's Colleen O'Brien took to the challenge of making homemade laundry detergent. Check out the recipe at wikihow.com

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[Jibbie49]

You can use 1/2 the recommended detergent that they say to use on the commerical soap, if you RUB it into stains and then fill the washer and let the load SOAK for 20 minutes, then wash. I have five children, so I learned to stretch lots of things. The directions ALWAYS tells u to use more of the product than u need, since they want to sell more product.

Same goes with shampoo; buy the cheapest and ONLY wash once. U don't need to rewash clean hair.

[breakspirit]

someone needs to actually do this and let us know how it works

[AndrewKFletcher]

@AndrewKFletcher Ok Test completed with excellent results using 2/3 of a cup of home made detergent. Rubbing heavy / stubborn stains with detergent will help! Whites looked bright, no perfume and no petro chemicals, all biodegradable so will prove useful on the garden in the summer. (see my video Water & Money Saving DIY Pumped Grey / Waste Water System for under £65 )

[AndrewKFletcher]

First test 2 small bars of supermarket cheap soap 55 pence for 2 bars. 1 cup of Borax Substitute, 2 sups of washing soda, grated soap into almost boiling water, stirred until all dissolved, add washing soda and stir, add borax Substitute and stir well while reheating. Fill tub up to half way, add hot liquid and stir well, stand for 24 hours, stir again. Used half a cup (not enough as stains still present) had to rewash with 2/3 cup, washer is on will update shortly.

[Reximusprimebeta]

@breakspirit I have and it works. and my wife loves it, both the cleaning power and the savings.

[chefcolby1]

@MsLilacLover1 not worth buying special bar soap. you can use any soap out there, i use lever 2000 aloe fresh bar soap and it smells fantastic and is awesome in the laundry.

[chefcolby1]

@mimart83 no, liquid wouldn't work, or at least not as good because the ingredients are different and foam up a lot more, this recipe, or at least the one i use is he compatible, meaning it doesn't suds up, but commercial liquid body soap (assuming that is what you are talking) suds up a lot so it wouldn't be very good in your laundry machine. i wouldn't try liquid if it suds up and you are under warranty it will void it.

[SpazChat]

@Jibbie49 , But there are points you are missing here. You can't use less of the conventional stuff like you say, if you live in a hard water area. The ingredients they suggest using for the laundry soap you make yourself are a lot more environment friendly. Most of the store bought stuff is petroleum based. The soap you make yourself also helps to keep your washer clean by de-ionization and is very low-sudsing and safe for HE washers

[meshelda]

she even said laundry detergent at the beginnin



[spokanetrish]

We have used Homemade detergent for 2 yrs now--I would say as close to completely non-irritating as possible since it rinses SO fast. Simpler recipe is 1 bar Fels-Naptha, 1 c Borax, and 1 c WASHING Soda...all available at Walmart & Rousaur's...plus 5 gallons water. Use BOILING water, and store in old jugs, shake before each use--BRILLIANT! 1/2 amounts on everything for 2.5 gallons.

[mimart83]

Can you use liquid soap instead of bar soap? If yes, then how much liquid soap would you need?

[122172639]

@breakspirit The user mahiney8184 did it with ivory--the video's called Powder Laundry Soap and for me shows up in the related vids on the right... the comments she left later explain her results--she went to making a liquid one instead.