I love this soap!! Its cheap and easy to make. The ingredients are fairly easy to find. 1 Gallon washes about 32 loads...and costs $0.54 per gallon...that's less than 2 cents per load!!!! I've tried other recipes that grate soap and cook it on the stove...too much work. I came up with this version and it works great. I've been using it for several years with satisfactory results. Please note that washing soda is different than baking soda. Washing soda is more potent than baking soda, but if you're in a pinch definitely use the baking soda. See the post titled "Where To Find Ingredients For Cleaning Recipes" to help you get started.
NOTE: Find my general cleaning recipes here.
NOTE:I like Dr. Bronners brand because its fairly easy to find. I buy mine online by the gallon. Google it, or check with you're local food co-op, health food store, or Amazon. I pay about $35/gallon which I use to clean everything in the house and it lasts me about 2 years. Still much cheaper than commercial products. I like the fresh clean peppermint smell. It comes in unscented, and other herbal smells too. The smell doesn't stay in the clothes, though. Because of this, I generally buy whichever scent is the cheapest. Clothes come out of the wash with a slight vinegar smell (if you use vinegar in the rinse) which dissipates as they dry.
CHALLENGE: Take the price you pay for laundry soap now, and divide it by the number of loads it will wash...that's how much you pay per load. Is it less than 2 cents per load? This one is!
Liquid Laundry Soap
1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) Arm & Hammer washing soda OR baking soda
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) Borax
1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) lemon juice(I use the bottled kind)
1 gallon hot water
Fill a clean gallon jug or jar about 1/4 of the way with very hot water. Add the washing soda and Borax. Put on the lid and hold the lid down with one hand while you shake the jug vigorously to dissolve the powders. Add the castile soap and lemon juice. Finish filling the jug with hot water and gently shake again. Shake prior to using each time. Use 1/2 cup per large load for regular washing machines. Use 1-2 Tbsp for HE washing machines.
I used to have a large capacity washer...if you have a smaller washer, start with 1/4 cup...if it doesn't clean as well as you would like, increase amount gradually until you find the right amount for your washer size. It will depend on how hard your water is. I now have an HE front loading washer, and I only use 1 Tbsp.
Note: You should strip your clothes every once in a while to remove soap and other residues. I do mine about once a year. I choose a month, usually just before we transition to summer clothes, and strip all the first week's laundry. The second week I'll try to round up the stuff worn pretty often that wasn't in the laundry on week 1. The third week I'll do bedding. The fourth week I'll do towels. I don't usually strip clothes only worn once in a while. This article will tell you how... http://www.fortheloveofclean.com/laundry-love/special/strip-deep-clean-or-sanitize/strip/
Fabric Softener
1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) white vinegar
Optional...essential oil
Place vinegar in fabric softener cup (if your washer has one built in), OR add to final rinse. NOTE: If you have hard water, fill the whole cup with vinegar. If you use a dryer, add 2-10 drops of your favorite essential oil to a small cloth and toss in with the clothes. Refresh the oils on the cloth as needed. Use real oils, not synthetic ones. They are a little pricey, but a little goes a very long way. I like lavender and lemon balm.
(Vinegar acts a softener, because it rinses any extra soap out of the fabric. I don't usually use a dryer. I hang clothes on a clothesline, and even the towels are always soft and fluffy.)
Stain Pretreater
Fels Naptha soap
Wet the corner of the bar and rub directly on a soiled area. Let sit a few minutes. Wash garment as usual. Let the soap dry out when not using.
OxycleanI still use a commercial Oxyclean product for really stubborn stains. CAUTION: Test your fabric for colorfastness. Oxyclean will make colors run in some darker fabrics that aren't colorfast. This happens most often with natural fibers like cotton.
Oxyclean Substitute
Hydrogen Peroxide...A good all around stain fighter. Pour on stain. Let sit about 30minutes. Wash as usual. Could be combined with baking soda to make a paste. ALSO, use 1 cup of peroxide instead of bleach in a load of whites. CAUTION: do not use hydrogen peroxide on linen, or silk.
FOR BLOOD STAINS: rinse the blood stain under cold running water. Lay the stained area in a shallow bowl and cover with hydrogen peroxide. Let sit at least an half hour and check to see if the stain is gone. If the stain hasn't disappeared by this time, add a little more peroxide to the bowl and let sit until the stain is gone....sometimes overnight.
We wear mostly cotton garments and this process has never failed to remove blood stains....even dried on stains. CAUTION: hydrogen peroxide with eat right through linen fibers. If you use it on linen or linen blends, only let the peroxide sit on the stain for a minute or two, then rinse with cold water and reapply. Repeat until the stain is gone. I learned this the hard way!
Color Safe Bleach...I still invest in commercial color safe bleach. It removes body odors and brightens clothes. I don't use it all the time...just around once a month to keep the clothes bright.
Grease Stains...Dawn dishwashing soap removes old and new grease stains. Put on a drop, rub it into the stain and let sit 10-60 minutes, depending on the age & saturation of the stain. Launder as usual.
OR
Greased Lightning is another good product. It doesn't have a harsh smell, is safe for clothes, and works like a charm. You can find it at most hardware stores, and in the general cleaning aisle of most big box stores. Spray it on the grease stain and let sit about 10 minutes.
OR
Rub white chalkboard chalk onto greasy stains. The powder absorbs the grease making it easily removed once you put it in the wash. This generally works best for fresh, light grease stains.
Underarm Stains...Dawn dish-washing liquid, 3-4 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide, and a couple tablespoons of baking soda create a scrub that gets stunning results.
No comments:
Post a Comment