[Article] Article: Make your own laundry detergent
- Thread starter fly
- Start date
So April and I are always looking for easy ways to save money here and there. Neither of us want to work forever and every little bit counts. In fact, she may have just figured out how to never work again. (Shit, she just punched me.) Anyway, in this article I'm going to show you how we make a three month supply of laundry detergent in five minutes with a food processor.
The ingredients, as seen above:
A box of Borax - http://www.amazon.com/Borax-Laundry-Booster-76-Box/dp/B000R4LONQ
Some soda ash - http://www.amazon.com/Jacquard-Soda-Ash-Dye-Fixer/dp/B0009IJZOU
Zote laundry soap - http://www.amazon.com/Zote-Laundry-Soap-Pink-14-1/dp/B0050VKEWS
A food processor - duh
Now, on to the fixings. Step One.
Slice that bar of Zote in half. You don't need the whole damn thing!
Step Two.
Shred the bar of Zote into little pieces with whatever that attachment is called.
Step Three.
Remove the SHREDDAR attachment, throw on the knife thing, add 1/2 cup of Borax. Sick pour, right?
Step Four.
Add 1/2 cup of the soda ash.
Step Five.
This can get kinda dusty, so throw some saran wrap over the top as a seal before putting the top on.
Step Six.
Will it blend? Yes. Pulse it a few times to break up the big chunks, then let it run for 30 seconds or so. The end result will be a nice smelling pink powder.
Step Seven.
You made it. I just pour it on to a sheet of paper as a funnel and then into the container.
And there you go. The steps are obviously drawn out and you'll probably actually be done in less than five minutes. But maybe you're retarded or something, so who knows. Anyway. We have an HE washer and have been using this recipe for well over two years, with clean clothes, and no issues. We use about a tablespoon per load. Yep, that's right - a tablespoon. You don't need much of this stuff to do a great job on your laundry. And there's less detergent shit to go back out into the water system. It's a win-win for everyone.
Now let's talk about another part of the win. Price. This stuff can't be beat. If you were to buy the ingredients as listed at the top, you would be able to do several loads a week for over a year (probably closer to two) for just about the same price as a single box of the big name detergents.
The ingredients, as seen above:
A box of Borax - http://www.amazon.com/Borax-Laundry-Booster-76-Box/dp/B000R4LONQ
Some soda ash - http://www.amazon.com/Jacquard-Soda-Ash-Dye-Fixer/dp/B0009IJZOU
Zote laundry soap - http://www.amazon.com/Zote-Laundry-Soap-Pink-14-1/dp/B0050VKEWS
A food processor - duh
Now, on to the fixings. Step One.
Slice that bar of Zote in half. You don't need the whole damn thing!
Step Two.
Shred the bar of Zote into little pieces with whatever that attachment is called.
Step Three.
Remove the SHREDDAR attachment, throw on the knife thing, add 1/2 cup of Borax. Sick pour, right?
Step Four.
Add 1/2 cup of the soda ash.
Step Five.
This can get kinda dusty, so throw some saran wrap over the top as a seal before putting the top on.
Step Six.
Will it blend? Yes. Pulse it a few times to break up the big chunks, then let it run for 30 seconds or so. The end result will be a nice smelling pink powder.
Step Seven.
You made it. I just pour it on to a sheet of paper as a funnel and then into the container.
And there you go. The steps are obviously drawn out and you'll probably actually be done in less than five minutes. But maybe you're retarded or something, so who knows. Anyway. We have an HE washer and have been using this recipe for well over two years, with clean clothes, and no issues. We use about a tablespoon per load. Yep, that's right - a tablespoon. You don't need much of this stuff to do a great job on your laundry. And there's less detergent shit to go back out into the water system. It's a win-win for everyone.
Now let's talk about another part of the win. Price. This stuff can't be beat. If you were to buy the ingredients as listed at the top, you would be able to do several loads a week for over a year (probably closer to two) for just about the same price as a single box of the big name detergents.
This is interesting.
I've got a HE washer, but it's designed to take liquid detergent only. I wonder if I can just mix the ingredients in a pop bottle with a bit of water, give it a good shake and measure it out using a bottle shot pourer.
I've got a HE washer, but it's designed to take liquid detergent only. I wonder if I can just mix the ingredients in a pop bottle with a bit of water, give it a good shake and measure it out using a bottle shot pourer.
Interesting.
How much would you recommend for a non-he washer. We have a standard top load commercial washer. (Coin op, because condo)
How much would you recommend for a non-he washer. We have a standard top load commercial washer. (Coin op, because condo)
eileenbunny
Druish Princess
Thanks for the article. This is something I've been thinking about. Question: Is it necessary to use that kind of laundry soap or can I substitute something else? I'm not a big fan of citronella/lime scent as it tends to trigger a migraine.
I'd start your experiment with the same amount, and go from there. The really important characteristic for HE is simply that it has a low suds ability, otherwise it's pretty much the same detergent.
You can, but it would need to be a laundry soap otherwise you could end up with a ton of suds.. Is that what Zote smells like? I've never noticed.
edit: What about this. The comments mention that people are using it for detergent
http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bronners-M...d=1372430393&sr=8-8&keywords=laundry+bar+soap
reedit: This would probably be even better as its fragrance free
http://www.amazon.com/Kirks-Natural...=1372430393&sr=8-12&keywords=laundry+bar+soap
Last edited:
Here's a similar article for liquid. I've seen where people have made 5 gallon buckets at a time. I'm sure something like that would be good for a year by itself!
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-make-homemade-liquid-laundry-detergent.html
eileenbunny
Druish Princess
We use the kirk's castille for everyday washing/bathing. It's a very nice soap and has a nice natural soapy smell to it. We noticed right away that our skin felt much nicer after the switch. My wife has oily skin and get blemishes because of it, washing with kirk's has helped her, she rarely if ever gets blemishes now. Even my daughter's skin got better, she used to have very dry skin and constantly ask for lotion to stop the itching. She has no issues now. We even use it to wash the boy's hair and it works well. My only complaint is that it seems to "melt" faster than other bars of soap.
Edit: it also seems to completely rinse away when we visit my parents who have softened water. Most soaps leave you still feeling slimy when you wash with softened water
Last edited:
Yea, big problem here, too. Not just with migraines/severe headaches, but then with allergies, too...which lead to hives...and allergies....and headaches. Ugh
ur groce
That's the best part about this is that you get to control the exact ingredients.
It's just detergent. Will not affect softness. FWIW, we have a water softener and still use Downy.
I'm on a well, same problem. Fabric softener's pretty much necessary (and I'm wondering if there's a cheap way to make that..)
I don't use fabric softener on towels though. I hang towels on the clothesline, they end up hard as cardboard but they'll soak up a tsunami.
but does it... you know.. clean
I want a side by side test with some tide.
Dirty-ass pants, with grease on them, paint, so dusty that when you smack them, they look like the guy from Peanuts that has a cloud of dirt around em.
Im sure asa has a few pairs you can use for this scientific test.