finally made the homemade laundry soap

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Found the recipe in the archives and am pleased to say am very happy with it. I figured it cost me less then $1.00 for 2 gallons of soap. Filled up my old containers of store bought laundry soap with it and my picky teenageres never new the difference.LOL. For those who missed the recipe it is 1/4 bar of fels naptha soap, grated and dissolve in warm water, 1/2 cup laundry soda, and 1/2 cup borax, mix with 2 gallons of water. Mixture will gel up over night. Use 1 cup per wash load.

-- tracy (murfette@stargate.net), November 06, 2001

Answers

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I've been making home made laundry soap for three years now and would never go back to buying it. If you can't find fels naptha soap at your local store, any heavy duty bar soap will work.

-- Grannytoo (jacres40@hotmail.com), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

Hey thanks. I was just talking about doing this myself. Hopefully, my sibs will follow along too. Tracy, laundry soda? Is that the brand name and where do you get it. Likewise the borax. I'm soooooo dumb in this area. Granny, heavy duty bar soap? Any names to help me find it in the store? Do I have to go to a health food store to get this stuff? Also, I'm assuming this is a liquid. Any recipes for a powder laundry soap? Also, I've been told that vinegar is a good fabric sofener. Am wanting to try that also. All of these homemade products are okay for the environment, right? I'm wanting to use the grey water from the washer to water things around the farm and maybe help keep a pond full. What about the harm to fish, turtles, birds, and anything else that might live in or drink the water with this laundry soap in it? Thanks for the postings. You must be reading my mind. lol Iris

-- Iris (Sar_India@msn.com), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

Ooops, forgot to ask ... Can you use this soap to wash dishes? people? hair? What is the difference in this kind of soap and lye soap? A million questions here. lol Thanks, Iris

-- Iris (SarIndia@msn.com), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I only use a 1/4 cup of the same mixture and my clothes come out clean. Everyone has different water and methods of washing, but thought you might want to cut down the amount if you could. Jennifer

-- Jennifer (none@none.com), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

DO I BUY THESE INGREDIENTS IN GROCERY STORE OR HARDWARE??? PLEASE HELP ME OUT I'D LOVE TO TRY THIS... THANKS CARRIE

-- Carrie (onemaur@yahoo.com), November 06, 2001.


Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

Sounds great but what is laundry soda??

-- Mary R. (cntryfolk@ime.net), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

Safeway has all 3 ingredients. Washing soda is Arm & Hammer(not baking soda), yellow box. That is the only brand I've found. All 3 in the laundry soap section of the store. I use my own lye soap instead of the Fels Naptha.

-- jd (jd@sotc.com), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I have been making it for about a year now and really like it. My problem is that I can't find the fels naptha soap around here(lower alabama). I have to order it from Vermont Country Store and pay shipping on it. I tried to make it with Octagon laundry soap which is available here and was not as pleased with the product but it was okay. How much do you have to pay for the fels naphta soap in the stores? It seems awfully expensive to order. I also had trouble finding the Arm and Hammer washing soda but finally found it at one of the grocery stores. Borax is just the box of 20Muleteam borax in the laundry detergent section of the store.

-- Faye (rcart@millry.net), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I've never seen a bar of fels naptha soap either, I see the arm and hammer yellow box, but I thought it was just laundry detergent.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I have made this twice, with a slight difference in that my recipe calls for 1/3 bar of fels naptha. I had never heard of this soap until several years ago when I picked up two bars out of a close-out bin at the grocery store. Wish I had gotten more because no stores here carry it. Had just been rubbing it on stains. My PROBLEM with the recipe is that mine does not gel. I have made it twice. The grated soap does not completely dissolve, and the final mixture is thin like water. The good news is that it cleans OK. We do have very hard water. Any ideas why it won't gel?

-- connie in nm (karrelandconnie@msn.com), November 06, 2001.


Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I find nels patha soap in the grocery store with the hand soap like zest, ivory, irish spring, etc. It is usually on the bottom shelf all dusty! Jennifer

-- Jennifer (none@none.com), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I found a source for Fels Naptha soap online. It is at www.ecountrymerc.com. They sell five bars for $13.50 with free shipping. I have no idea how much it sells for in the store, but I always check into free shipping. You can get six bars with a free wooden carrying box for 16.95 with free shipping. It might be worth checking out. I'm still trying to find washing soda 8-).

-- ddew (ddew1962@earthlink.net), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I make my own with the same recipe too!! I agree that the fels naptha soap is usually on a bottom shelf all dusty!! I have always been able to find it at the grocery store..but sometimes in the laundry aisle and sometimes with the handsoaps. Ask if they will order it for you. It is cheap...no more than $2.00 for a big bar...it would be worth it to have the grocery manager order it in for you than to order it somewhere else and pay shipping!!!! One other place to look is with the "ethnic" in our area mexican brands of soaps and laundry stuff...sometimes it is there too!! Maybe not all stores have that little area, but ours does. The Washing soda is usually up by the Biz, or cloroxII or other dry colorsafe bleach sort of stuff. Near the Borax actually!!! I have only ever seen the arm and hammer brand of it too..and it and the borax last a long time at only 1/2 cup per batch!!

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), November 06, 2001.

Response to finally made the homade laundry soap

I have also seen it (the Fels Naptha) among cleaning supplies like Barkeeper's Friend, Murphy's Oil Soap, and Bon Ami. Either 'way high, or 'way low!

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), November 06, 2001.

I have been thinking about that very thing lately! Thanks for a very easy recipe. BTW...my Mom just bought me some fels naptha soap because I could not find it here. I needed it for my poison ivy. She found it in the pharmecy of all places8~)!!!!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 07, 2001.


I bought the Fels Naptha from the site listed above - I love free shipping. I bought the case because I had plans to sell the laundry soap. I ran about half of it thru the food processor, added washing soda to some and borax to the rest and stored it in plastic tubs. It is so much better than commerical detergents and so much cheaper - I will never change back. I never sold any of it either, I kept it for myself.

-- Linda Al-Sangar (alsangal@brentwood-tn.org), November 07, 2001.

Connie in nm, I don't think you are cooking it down long enough. All the grated Fels naptha or bar soap should be dissolved and the mixture almost as thick as honey. Sometimes it isn't this thick but definately thicker than when you first begin cooking. Give it a try again it's well worth doing it in the money savings alone. Blessings, Kelle

-- Kelle in MT (kvent1729@aol.com), November 07, 2001.

Still, does anyone know if you could pour the wash water in your garden without poisoning yourfamily (I know that's subjective) or in ponds without killing the fish.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), November 07, 2001.

The hotter the water (start with boiling if you can) and the finer the grind (if you have a food processer you can grind the flakes to a powder) the better it will work.

Ann,

Just to be on the safe side, I would only use such water on nonedible plants, and not in a pond at all. You might also try a search on "greywater usage" and see if it says anything different.

Hope this helps.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), November 07, 2001.


Thanks for the great recipe. I can't wait to try it. I hate spending so much money for laundrey soap. This sounds inexpensive. We carry Fels naptha soap in the store where i work. It is on the bottom shelf by the hand and bar soaps. A lot of elderly people around here buy it. I guess they know a good product! I have always used it for stains. I have also heard of it being used for poison ivy and swimmers itch. Thanks again.

-- Colleen (bean@northwoods.net), November 08, 2001.

I was curious what my Mom paid for the soap. She said that it was around 1.15 a bar. The bars are longer than a family sized bar of deodorant soap. They are slightly thinner and more squared on the ends. Anyway....if you can get it at the grocery store it ought to be a lot cheaper than ordering it!! Cheaper is a good thing!!!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 08, 2001.

Sometimes, and I am guessing it has to do with hard or soft water, a residue is left inside the tub of the washer. I have found that if you replace up to half the water with white vinegar this does not happen. Before I was putting vinegar in my rinse water but by incorporating it into my recipe I surely save time.

-- MelleJan (janado@msn.com), November 08, 2001.

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