Laundry detergent

[mayberrygal73]

I am in search for someone who makes powder laundry soap. I have a daughter with severe eczema. I am at my wits end as to what to try for her. I am willing to to change the family over if I can find some. I cannot find the supplies to make it myself.

 

[Lesa]

Sorry to hear that your daughter is suffering. I have a couple ideas, a friend of mine suffered from eczema his entire life. Due to unrelated symptoms, he was tested for Celiac Disease. Turns out he was gluten intolerant- went gluten free and never had another spot of eczema! I would recommend trying to remove gluten from her diet- and see if it helps. The great thing about the experiment is it is simple, cheap and does not require a Dr's visit. If it doesn't work- go back to gluten...Does you local store offer any "green" or organic laundry products? They may be an improvement. Hopefully, someone can help with the soap. Good luck to you!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Hate to hear that about your daughter, skin lesions are terrible!
My local walmart & the grocery stores/hardware stores carry everything but the Fels Naptha, I used Ivory on my first batch and it does fine, just doesn't remove stains as well as Fels is supposed to.

Borax is the 20 mule team brand, usually on the laundry aisle.
Washing soda = Sodium Carbonate = the PH Up (used to raise the PH in a pool) in the pool supplies.

Most of this you can order online as well, if you are able to do that.

 

[kcsunshine]

Lesa. Glad you decided to jump right on in. We need fresh ideas.

 

[mayberrygal73]

Thanks for all the ideas and information. It is greatly appreciated!

 

[Rebecka]

Have you considered Soap Nuts? A Google search will provide all kinds of info. I use them almost entirely. Including items for infants. I confess when stuff gets really yucky , I resort to the store bought detergents, but even then, I wash them again with just the soap nuts. The big draw to them for me was it leaves no scent behind. I understand for some people that takes some getting used to, but my family now turns their noses up at artificial scented things and its made life much 'quieter" about the laundry

 

[miss_thenorth]

Can you explain soap nuts to me, please? I've seen them advertised in my kijiji, but I am not sure exactly what they are or how to use them, and what all you can use them for.

mayberrygal, have you seen the threads for homemade laundry soap? It's really not difficult to make yourself.

 

[mayberrygal73]

I just read the thread on laundry soap... I ordered the laundry soap online and I got 7 bars for $10+ and they ship in a regular postal shipping box. I am super excited to try this. I can get everything but the washing soda and I think I am gonna check out the swimming area at local Wal-Mart for that. Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[Rebecka]

They are a tree fruit. They fall off the tree, they pick them up , remove the seed and sell them. I use them only for laundry and household cleaning for now. What I do is put 5 nuts in a muslin bag and toss them in the washer with my laundry. I tend to wash mostly with cold, but if your stuff is a bit yucky, you might go with warm or hot. They work better that way. They are completely biodegradable. Non-toxic and super gentle You can even skip the rinse cycle on your wash, which was another big selling point for me.

There are recipes for shampoo, toothpaste and bath soap as well, that I have not yet tried. I haven't found a recipe, but I use them for household cleaning as well. Scented things in this house are very unpopular. I take one soap nut, fill a spray bottle with 2 cups of HOT water and let it sit on the counter for about an hour. I do my light cleaning first , counters, floors ect ect and then add a few tablespoons of ACV to do tub, toilet and appliances. The the soap nut then goes in the bag with the laundry and I wash up a load of whites with whats left of my cleaning solution. I get about 7 loads of laundry with 5 nuts. I got a package of those magnet numbers for kids at the dollar store and when we start a load of wash, we change the number to keep track of how many runs they have gone through. I am told they make a great non toxic bug repellant as well, though I have not personally tried this. If you decide to give them a go.. price shop for sure! Some places are freaky expensive. I do want to add this.. they are not all that great with really grungy stuff. I like to add a bit of Dr Bronners to the wash when its stuff like automotive grease. The guys get really cranky when I inadvertently use the lavender or rose on their yucky clothes

 

[jennyj]

I have been doing this for a while now (without the baby on my back). It is a fairly easy process and it does save money. I haven't noticed a differnce in the cleanliness of my clothes or that they have worn out faster. I have talked about it before on RT. I will bump the topic under General Interst if you want to read about it. It is under the heading Disgusting.