liquid laundry soap

[hqueen13]

Ha, I will give the salt a try. Our water isn't SUPER hard, but it is definitely hard (like using dawn to wash the dishes you have to use SO much more than I was used to growing up in NC because the soap just doesn't last in the water)
Thanks guys! That might be an easy fix!
I'll keep you posted

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

I have used the salt, AND the baking soda. I still wasn't impressed with the results. I guess I'll have to do more research on the home made laundry detergent thing.

 

[hqueen13]

Moxie, we've been using this for well over 6 months now (I can't remember how long) and it has been fine, so I take that as pretty good news. I don't think it needs much tweaking, just a little bit. Hopefully the salt will be the answer. I'll probably run a load of jeans and socks (the stuff that isn't getting clean) with some borax to try to get them good and clean again so we can start over. I think my towels could use it too, they seem to smell musty really fast, so they probably haven't gotten completely clean either.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

I hope it works better for you hqueen. I used it for a year.....I still might go back to it. I am just not sure what needs tweaking on my recipe.I dissolve the powder in hot water before using it.

 

[hqueen13]

Are you only using baking soda and salt, or were there other ingredients? I posted the recipe a few posts back that I use, though I'll be adding salt to see how that works now...

 

[Bettacreek]

It doesn't work well in hard water. Everything smells funny after being washed, so we kind of use both here, and added scent to the soap. I'm debating on adding SLSa to mine to see if it helps too.

 

[hqueen13]

Sorry, Betta, what doesn't work well? The laundry powder?
I did have just fine results with the liquid version, though I think I was still using borax in that version...

 

[Emerald]

I'm not sure if I said or not earlier in this thread but I use Zote soap and it has optical brighteners in it and I like the scent better than the fels. it is citronella and it does keep the clothing much nicer than the fels. And since the store I bought it in decided not to keep carrying it I bought a buttload when it dropped in price. I probably bought enuf for the next 10 years! lol

 

[hqueen13]

Way to go Emerald!
I've never seen Zote here. And I found out the last time I had to go by washing soda that the store that used to carry the Fels doesn't anymore. So we'll have to see what happens, but I may have to find something else anyway. Luckily (I guess...) I bought several bars of fels a while back (at .97 why not!?), so I still have several bars to work through. Once I get rid of those I'll have to try Zote and see if I like the difference.

 

[Emerald]

I still use the fels for spot cleaning.. there is a part of a bar in the bathroom with a nasty old toothbrush in a cup in the cubby. Fels does wonderful for tomato/hot pepper sauce stains. Or chocolate! and if anyone in the family gets into the patch of poison ivy that is the first thing I reach for if I don't have any impatiens growing(same as jewelweed it works well).
Zote can be found on Amazon in the different colors.. I guess it is the same(from reading the internet) but for the color added to the bars.