waxing philosophical about homemade laundry soap

[PunkinPeep]

I may wax philosophical. Please bear with me. I need your input.

Whenever i make a change or addition to my methods, i try to imagine what would be my solution if normal goods were not available to me. You know, the when-the-soap-hits-the-fan type situation.

For example, when i thought my chickens might need extra calcium, i thought about adding oyster shell (the normally recommended calcium supplement for laying hens) to my feed store shopping list. But then when i considered what would happen if the oyster shell were not available, my husband and i opted to start raising crickets instead. As long as we can eat and drink, the crickets can eat and drink and reproduce on little more than our crumbs, so we figured this is a much more "sustainable" calcium supplement for our chickens than oyster shell.

So now, on to homemade laundry soap.

This idea intrigues and excites me a little. I really want to do it, but i find the products less than simple to access in my literal neck of the woods. When i look at the prices to mail order, etc., i'm not sure how much money i'll really be saving.

I started to imagine that i could store up dry laundry soap for when it is not available in the store. But then i realized that the situation i'm imagining includes a lack of electricity, and thus a lack of running water.

So, this switch from store bought laundry soap to homemade laundry soap is starting to seem like just replacing one store-bought product for another that requires more work from me and is more difficult to obtain.

Would i not be better off to buy a really great washboard (if they even make washboards that are "really great") and a case of fels naptha soap (i'm assuming that's what would be used)?

I'm not really making an argument here, so much as i am asking an important (at least to me) question.

How should i really plan to clean things, like my clothes, in the scenario in which the "soap" really hits the fan?

Are there other benefits to homemade laundry soap that i'm not considering?

 

[kcsunshine]

Wow! Never thought of waxing philosophically about soap. But here goes - I make mine mostly so my husband can tell people, "She even makes her own laundry soap." It's so worth the effort!

 

[elijahboy]

.75 to $1 a gallon would be one

you can make like 10 or more gallons the first time you buy the products

if your on a well then your not putting all of those chemicals into your systems

the clothes are super clean

you dont walk around smelling like a perfume bottle

if you cant find the items just ask your local grocer to order them for you pay for them and wait till they come in

i have been making homemade for like 2 years its great and my kids clothes have never been this stain free

 

[elijahboy]

oh you can use ivory soap instead of fells

 

[freemotion]

How philosophical do you want to get? Really, in the soap-hits-the-fan situation with no running water or electricity for an extended period (months-years?) you would have lots of wood ash. You would be able to run water through it until it makes a lye solution strong enough that an egg or small potato floats at a level that the size of a quarter (coin) shows above the lye. This will make soap when stirred into lard/tallow from your pigs/cows.

Here now you've just made your soap for washing, bathing, dishes, laundry, etc. Any batches that come out a little on the caustic side are set aside for laundry, and any that are superfatted are set aside for washing people. This is how one would handle not having access to purchased, standardized lye.

Farm nerd all the way....

 

[pioneergirl]

I often think of that, and I have, as of late, been using a washboard and ringer to wash my clothes. For the last 3 or so years I've made my own dry soap with the recipe on here. It works great but since using the washboard, I've found I use the fels alone more than anything.

Anyway, I know there is a plant called 'soapwart', and although probably not as potent as commercial soap, placed in a pot of boiling water with a bit if vinegar it will probably get the job done. I rely heavily on vinegar for many things around here. I need to learn to make a 'mother' so I don't run out. In a 'soap hits the fan' scenario, I won't be worried about stains as much, since all of my clothes will be work clothes at that point. As long as they don't smell I'm good.

And of course, what Free said, cuz she's so dang smart!!! LOL

 

[freemotion]

Yeah, well, I haven't actually made lye....yet. I do think that having a store of fels naptha is a good idea. If the soap hit the fan, you would be scrambling on getting other things up and running (FOOD! FUEL!) that it would be wise to have a year or two's soap saved up until you have the time/energy to learn through trial and error how to make soap from nothing purchased.

 

[Beekissed]

In that situation, do you really care if your clothing is sparkling clean? I would say we would all be down to the creek washing our clothing in the stream and drying them on the bushes like they used to. The ozone and sunshine can really get rid of a lot of smells when given the chance.

I know folks who don't use any soap at all for their laundry.

Then you got to figure....in that situation, cloth is going to be pretty scarce and valuable. Would you want to be scrubbing it against any rough surface just for the sake of cleaning it?

In the SHTF scenario, you all can just eventually count on getting used to bodily smells. Also, when you are eating better foods for your body, you barely have body odor anyway unless you are out working in the hot sun. A little vinegar under the armpits and such will work nicely at getting rid of body odor.

Honestly, though, if we are out scrabbling around trying to survive I don't think clean clothing will be a big priority.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Thanks to all of you for responding! These are really good answers and very helpful to my thought processes.

Wow! Never thought of waxing philosophically about soap. But here goes - I make mine mostly so my husband can tell people, "She even makes her own laundry soap." It's so worth the effort!

That is actually a pretty good reason. Whenever i do something outrageously domestic, like butcher a chicken, my husband goes to work and brags on me to the guys. They all think i'm very cool.

if you cant find the items just ask your local grocer to order them for you pay for them and wait till they come in

i have been making homemade for like 2 years its great and my kids clothes have never been this stain free

oh you can use ivory soap instead of fells

Using ivory would definitely simply this for me.

You are the first person i have "heard" say that it makes the clothes much cleaner (or any cleaner) than regular detergent.

I had totally not thought of asking my grocer to order them - nor did i know that was an acceptable practice. That's very exciting! I may have to call in the morning and just see what my options are.

you would have lots of wood ash. You would be able to run water through it until it makes a lye solution strong enough that an egg or small potato floats at a level that the size of a quarter (coin) shows above the lye. This will make soap when stirred into lard/tallow from your pigs/cows.

Is it really that easy? What if i don't have lard, but i have goat's milk? The one thing wrong with the animals we've chosen to raise is that none of them produces any substantial amount of lard.

In a 'soap hits the fan' scenario, I won't be worried about stains as much, since all of my clothes will be work clothes at that point.

Yeah, me neither. Actually, me neither right now.

Honestly, though, if we are out scrabbling around trying to survive I don't think clean clothing will be a big priority.

I agree with that, and i have thought about that. And then (WARNING, I'M FIXIN TO GET REAL; i don't mean to gross anyone out, but i might) i go to the bathroom or think about other feminine things and think that there are certain things that are really going to need to be washed - and preferrably disinfected. For example, what do you use for toilet paper when you run out of your stores? A cloth that you wash and re-use? Do you want it - if nothing else in your whole world is really clean - do you want that one thing to be REALLY clean? I do.

 

[Wifezilla]

Just wanted to say I love the phrase

WHEN THE SOAP HITS THE FAN