Posted on 06/12/2009 12:31:42 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Making your own detergent is a great way to save money on doing your laundry. You get a lot more bang for your buck! I started with the powdered detergent and just got brave enough last weekend to try the liquid. It was a LOT easier than I thought.
Powdered detergent 1 cup Borax 1 cup Washing soda 1 bar of soap (I prefer Fels Naptha which is a laundry soap.) Grate the bar of soap. Combine all three ingredients in blender and mix well. I used 2 Tbsp for a normal load of laundry and 3 if I was washing my husbands work clothes. Liquid detergent 1 5 gallon bucket with lid 1 bar of soap 1 cup Borax 1 cup washing soda 3 gallons plus 4 cups water Put about 4 cups of water in a pan on stove on high heat until almost boiling. Take soap and grate or shave off pieces into the pan with the water in it. You want to keep the water just under boiling so you will have to keep adjusting temp on stove top. Once you have put the whole bar of soap in the water, stir it until all the soap dissolves.
Put 3 gallons of hot tap water in the bucket. Then stir in all the other ingredients making sure to mix well. Place in a safe spot and let cool overnight. When you get up the next day you will have a bucket of slimy looking stuff a little bit lighter in color than whatever soap you used. I use 1 cup in a load of clothes. I thought this was going to be a long drawn out process but it took me maybe 15 minutes. A box of Borax and washing soda will make about 6 batches of the detergent.
Each batch should get about 48 loads of laundry. Keep in mind differences in cost for different areas but it equals out to about .03 a gallon. LOTS cheaper than Tide!
You can get enzyme pretreater like spray n wash for specific stains. I have not found an appreciable difference that justifies the expense of Tide in my budget.
I guess I should add you are not necessarily an idiot for using Tide, I just think it’s very overpriced.
Laundry detergent, like, uhm, Tide!
You’ll find it some stores - most do not seem to carry it. Ask around.
Tide calls their product laundry detergent; I was curious where soda entered into it.
It is sodium carbonate, not to be confused with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).
I'd do this, but I'm so darned tired after churning the butter...
Baking soda and instant tea will cure brown patch in your fescue lawn.
Washing soda is a highly alkaline chemical compound which can be used to remove stubborn stains from laundry. It also has numerous uses around the house, and it is used in a range of industrial applications as well. Washing soda should not be confused with washing powder, which is a powdered soap used as a detergent; it is also not the same thing as baking soda, although the two compounds are closely related.
The chemical formula for washing soda is Na2CO3, and it is also known as sodium carbonate. It is a salt of carbonic acid, a chemical which produces a wide range of salts collectively known as carbonates. One common source of washing soda is the ashes of plants; for this reason, it is sometimes called soda ash. Sodium carbonate can also be extracted from sodium chloride, also known as table salt.
FYI; It is difficult to locate for purchase.
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