not going back to commerical detergent

[cheles2kids]

So this is my version.

I use an Ivory soap bar-it's cheap and I have a baby and a kid with eczema so scents are not a necessity for me. I make the bar into a powder by-NOT grating it, but MICROWAVING it. Microwaving dries out the bar and makes it puff up into a big cloud. Then I just rub chunks of the puff between my palms and voila! Powder! You cannot do this with bars heavy on the moisturizers. Please note-it does powder very fine. use a mask if the dust bothers you or I powder it in a bag now. Seems to do the trick.

I use:
1 bar Ivory soap, powdered
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Oxy Clean
1 cup baking soda (I used cloth diapers and found this to be helpful-you can buy a huge bag at Sam's for fairly cheap!)

use 2 Tbs for a reg load.
Obviously, you can double, triple, etc to suit your needs. I usually just make a batch very 6 weeks (family of 5, and with a baby, I tend to wash clothes all day long it seems)

Happy Washing!

I've seen this "method" mentioned around Pinterest...the microwaving the Ivory soap bar, that is.
Those pictures amaze me everytime I see one...lol.

Thank-you for sharing your take on it...I love seeing the different variations, especially the addition of the baking soda.
I've been known to add some into my water before but never really thought about just adding some into my mix. I like using it for those stinky kitchen dish towels...oh & socks!

[cheles2kids]

Our local Walmart supercenter carries both Fels-Naptha and Zote, I noticed the Zote bars are much larger than the FN, do you use the whole bar or just a portion of it in your recipe?

No mam...the Zote bars are just a teeny bit smaller than 3x the size of the Fels-Naptha...so I just adjust accordingly.

I am still using the recipe that I posted above but just make a larger batch so that I can go ahead and use up my entire bar...not that it would hurt to just cut it into 3rds & save the rest for another couple of batches. But I figure while I'm in the middle of having to shred up the soap I might as well make up a larger batch to last awhile.

Thank-you for sharing about finding the Zote at Wal-mart...I have read that alot of people are finding it at their local stores but for some reason or another ours still doesn't carry it.

That's okay...we have 3 Hispanic stores in town that I can purchase it from...I also have read that some people prefer the Fels-Naptha to the Zote because it isn't "Made in the U.S.A."...and I totally respect their opinions.

I think we all do what we can do...and for now I buy the Zote because 1} It's cheaper than the Fels-Naptha.
2} I like the scent better.

Would I buy Fels-Naptha again? Well sure I would...I have nothing personal against it, but for now Zote is what I use & have been happy with so far.

[sunflowers*8890]

I tried making the homemade detergent one time, and me & dh broke out in a rash! (We rarely have skin issues) I have an idea it was the Fels-Naptha. Maybe I will try the recipe again, but with Ivory or Zote.

I was also considering making it just to stretch the store bought detergent, by mixing it together.

I'm currently trying a 'cheap' brand detergent instead of a pricier brand. Any opinions on how these stack up? I think what I bought is Xtra. We used to use Tide or Gain.

[zakity]

I know people who have issues with soap who use Dr Bonner's in their laundry soap instead of cheaper bars. They know they won't react to Dr Bonner's.

[ShadowMom]

I tried making the homemade detergent one time, and me & dh broke out in a rash! (We rarely have skin issues) I have an idea it was the Fels-Naptha. Maybe I will try the recipe again, but with Ivory or Zote.

I was also considering making it just to stretch the store bought detergent, by mixing it together.

I'm currently trying a 'cheap' brand detergent instead of a pricier brand. Any opinions on how these stack up? I think what I bought is Xtra. We used to use Tide or Gain.

I use Xtra or Sun, both are inexpensive and give good results, I am going to try making some hm detergent also, and alternate between the two to stretch it out.

[bunnys]

Interesting thread.

Had thought about making homemade detergent but I don't have the room to store (only have a laundry closet) and I live alone and only do about 4 loads per week. Don't want to invest in making soap and not like it or not have it work and for how much saved for a single person over the course of the year?

I do use a cheaper brand like Purex or Sun or something like that. I do use the Sun Oxyclean. I get good results with these and they are SO MUCH CHEAPER than Tide.

Any thoughts on if this is smart for me to do moneywise? I really don't want to invest in making soap if it's not going to save me that much.

Thanks.

[leighcat]

I started to make my own again but I switched to Zote. Fels naptha was making our sensitive areas burn! I find that Zote gets the clothes much cleaner. I use a whole bar and one cup each of the borax and washing soda. I fill one laundry soap bottle and then pour my excess into rinsed out cat litter jugs for storage. That way when I start to get low on soap, I have a clean bucket to make more. I have also added some essential and fragrance oils and I find that fragrance oils leave more scent than essentials do.

[HappyMama]

I know people who have issues with soap who use Dr Bonner's in their laundry soap instead of cheaper bars. They know they won't react to Dr Bonner's.

I use Dr Bronners in mine or my homemade organic soap. Love the homemade dry mix I make.

[leighcat]

I use Dr Bronners in mine or my homemade organic soap. Love the homemade dry mix I make.

Recipe please?! I have Dr. Bronners and I also have Sal's suds. I love the smell of the Sal's suds!!

[cheles2kids]

Interesting thread.

Had thought about making homemade detergent but I don't have the room to store (only have a laundry closet) and I live alone and only do about 4 loads per week. Don't want to invest in making soap and not like it or not have it work and for how much saved for a single person over the course of the year?

I do use a cheaper brand like Purex or Sun or something like that. I do use the Sun Oxyclean. I get good results with these and they are SO MUCH CHEAPER than Tide.

Any thoughts on if this is smart for me to do moneywise? I really don't want to invest in making soap if it's not going to save me that much.

Thanks.

Well as for not wanting to invest in spending the extra money to try it out...I can completely understand this.

But I thought that I would mention that both the Borax & Washing Soda can just be added to your regular laundry detergent to 'boost' it's washing abilities.
Also I believe that Borax can also be used to clean other areas around your house, other than just laundry.

As for the Fels-Naptha or Zote, both of these bars can be used for stain treatments directly on the fabrics.
I've read that alot of people just keep a bar of these for that particular reason.

So in other words if you buy the items and make a small batch & then realize that you don't care for it, you can always use up the ingredients for other applications. Just another thought to consider.

[cheles2kids]

Okay I thought that I would add another 'recipe' to the mix...this is the one that I've used the past few times that I've made it & has worked the best for me.

Tide clone recipe

{Scroll all the way down to the bottom...I use aa62579's recipe and it works fantastic. }

[tiachandler]

How is this for front loading machines??? Could I add lavender essential oil for fragrance? How much would you say?

[Karen1160TX]

I use a bar of Ivory soap that has been sitting out overnight or for a couple of days to dry out, cut it up in chunks with a knife, and process it along with the powders in my food processor until it's a fine powder.

Alternatively you can put a bar of ivory soap in the microwave and it will fluff up in 90 seconds. This is especially fun if you have young kids.... a psuto science project !