I think I am just DONE trying to make natural laundry soap work for me.
Back in 2008 when I started blogging, I decided I was going to be super frugal and make my own laundry detergent.
I was so excited about the way my detergent looked and smelled, and I gave it a really, really good try.
Sadly, after using it for a while, my clothes started to smell funky, like they hadn't been washed at all.
In fact, they came out smelling like they'd sat in the bottom of the hamper for a week.
I switched back to regular detergent and ta-da!
No more Eau De Hamper.
I've been using mainstream detergent ever since, but when I signed up with ePantry, I thought, "Ooh, maybe some of these natural detergents will do the trick!"
I bought Mrs. Meyers' laundry soap first, and though I didn't have smell issues, it did have a little trouble removing grease spots, and it came in a super annoying, messy container.
(There is seriously no way to use this container without it becoming a sticky, soapy mess.)
So then I bought a container of 7th Generation laundry detergent, which comes in a super cool, compostable container.
Unfortunately, that dreaded hamper smell started to return.
Sigh.
So, this is currently what I'm using, and my clothes are smelling clean again.
(Interestingly enough, the clear plastic lid on that container says P&G. Which makes me pretty sure that Costco's private label detergent is actually Tide.)
I know other people use natural detergents and they're not walking around smelling like they live in a hamper, so I'm not sure what's going wrong for me.
Maybe it's something about the makeup of my water?
I dunno.
But I think I just am going to give up and make peace with the fact that mainstream detergent and I are going to be lifelong friends.
I think you may be onto something with your water. Everyone's water is different with more or less mineral content, and that definitely will affect the way soap works. I've been afraid to try the homemade soap thing because my high efficiency washer says using soap except specifically designed for HE washers can break it. I know many do use their homemade soap without any problem, but I'm chicken. So my compromise is using what Aldi's sells. Seems to work for us and it's not very expensive.
I've heard that using anything but HE soap will void your warranty but I've never heard that it will break it! We have an HE washer and I've used quite a few different soaps over the years. We had one issue a few years back with the door locking mechanism, but the guy who fixed it never said anything about it being related to soap usage.
I resisted trying the Aldi brand detergent for a long time. Last week, I needed detergent, I was at Aldi, and I'm really committed to buying as little as I can at another store, so I went for it. My husband was unaware of the switch, and, (at the risk of sounding like a detergent commercial), said " my shirt smells so good! Did you switch dryer sheets or something?" I was shocked, because I had used Tide and then Gain ( Gain has a super-strong smell in the box, not so much on your clothes). Now, I don't have kids at home anymore who play outside, our clothes don't really get DIRTY, but I do have my share of challenges in that department anyway. The Aldi brand (Tandil? can't remember)really does clean well.
Yep, I use their detergent all the time, unless I happen to be near Costco to pick some up there.
I wondered about the Aldi brand. Thanks for the testimony.
Thanks! I have never tried the aldi brand although I buy everything else there. I luv aldi. Now I will have to give it a try
I also like the Aldi brand. No problem at all!
I made my own homemade laundry powder for a while but noticed after moving here, that all our laundry had a build up or residue on it. The only thing that helped was to strip everything in hot water and vinegar cycles and then return to regular detergent. My thought was the well water we have here? I had the same issue years ago when we had city water when trying Eco brand detergent. Loved the smell--oh it was so nice! But it also left a filmy feeling on everything; I think it was the added fabric softener. Anyways, then too, a simple switch back worked wonders!
We use mainly natural detergents but I add a heaped table spoon of soda crystals to each load, and feel this help with getting the laundry clean. If they don't I found it's time for running the washer on 90C to clean it. European style...
Hmm. I wonder if that's part of my problem...I wash almost everything in cold water.
I have to wash everything in warm or hot water, otherwise I get that funky smell too. Most frugality blogs advocate always washing in cold water, but that doesn't work for me. Clothes and towels just don't get clean that way.
I've often wondered why everyone wants to wash in cold water -- our great-great-grandmothers used to practically boil their clothes in a washtub!
I use homemade and the cold water loads don't have a problem. Nor do the warm water ones, for that matter.
Do you use dryer sheets? Another possibility is some interaction between the dryer sheets & the detergent???
In any case, IIRC the last time you posted about homemade detergent, I posted the financial calculation I conducted about homemade vs. commercial. The overall annual savings was less than $50. (In my case it was about $20, given local prices and # loads.) So while even $20 isn't anything to sneeze at, you're not wasting a whole lot of money by buying commercial.
Nope-no dryer sheets at all. Or fabric softener.
I think it could be the water. We have really hard water and I've been
using my homemade powder for about a year (with a dose of Aldi
about every 12th load just in case!) - and now I think I've killed our
washing machine! The repair guy is coming next week for the final
diagnosis but it doesn't look good. As much as it pains me, if we have to
get a new machine, I'll only give it the commercial stuff!
I made my own laundry soap for 2 or 3 years. It just got to a point where, like you, I realized that my clothes were not clean nor did they smell clean! My husband's workout clothes were the worst. I'd wash them separately with vinegar and on hot water and the soap still didn't get the oils/sweat out of the fabric.
That's interesting about the Costco detergent, I'll have to check it out (though I would need to buy unscented because scented anything drives bothers me greatly!)
I so get you!
For me it was natural deodorant. First I tried making my own with coconut oil and powder... it gave me the worst rash! Then I tried a commercial one (Green Bever?), didn't work for me. Then another from a different company... nope1 I always felt gross, unclean, and smelly. I got back to my regular deodorant, much better.
My husband on the other hand has been making his deodorant for about 2 years now and he never smells bad (and he bikes to and back from work 45 min x2 each day, go figure!). I guess it depends of the body chemistry.
I would not start making my own laundry soap eighter, I can get it for pretty cheap. I get that it's not as healthy but... oh well.
I've been too nervous to even TRY natural deodorant. I sweat so much even with regular deodorant/anti-perspirant.
But my husband is like yours...not nearly as sweat-prone. I'm so jealous.
LOL...yeah what is it with guys not getting sweaty. Should be the other way around right?
There is a natural deodorant that is called 'Crystal Stick'... it is a solid in a holder and you run it running water, and then rub against your armpits... this is the BEST deodorant that I have ever used, everything else that I have tried in last few years was ineffective, and I always felt stinky... but not with this product. Try it, you will love it... Full price at CVS is about $5.99, and it lasts for a year. And no aluminum chlorhydrate.
I'll have to give this a try! Thanks.
It's not necessary to run water over a crystal deodorant. I've been using one for coming up on five years, and all I have to do is rub it on my wet armpits after a shower and let dry. If you shower every day, it's super easy to do.
Everyone's body is different, but the crystal works great for me and a stick lasts for a couple of years for me.
I totally get it about the deodorant. I tried so many different natural ones and NOTHING worked until I found - now don't laugh - Primal Pit Paste. I have not found it in stores. A friend told me about it and I ordered it from the website. I sweat like crazy (maybe even more than my husband) and Primal Pit Paste actually works BETTER for me than regular chemical-laden deodorant. It is nothing short of a miracle. Although it is a little messy, I find the one in the jar works better for me than the stick. The stick version is a little rough on my underarms.
Alrighty, you convinced me. I just ordered a jar...we'll see if it works for me!
What kills me about the natural "deodorant" is that 1) it makes me smell way worse then if I just used nothing, and 2) a lot of people who use it say that you have to wash/reapply several times a day. That's not deodorant, people!
I use homemade and can skip a day without any odor. Commercial stuff is a whole other story. I'm a sweaty, stinky mess.
that's very comforting. I tried the natural deodorants when I suddenly developed an allergy to antiperspirants. I just smelled like a stinky pine tree.
I found Arm & Hammer solid stick and haven't looked back - no waxes (parabens) and I'm good!
I was using homemade deodorant with a lot of success until I had my third baby. Oh MY! Those hormones, I can't believe she would even nurse with the odor!!! I went back to Mitchum and have been using it since.
My husband and I both used homemade deoderant for about 3 years straight. It was just coconut oil and baking soda. It worked wonderfully! Then we both started getting rashes from it- no other lifestyle changes. I tried tweaking the recipe several times. We finally gave up and switched to unscented Secret. It just wasn't worth perpetually itchy armpits.
We have tried all of the natural deoderants you can buy, none of them work. But thankfully, we were using an all-natural brand when my then two year old son ate a stick of deoderant. The lady at poison control laughed when I called to ask. She said, "well, the good news is that it's completely non-toxic. The bad news is that it is entirely ineffective as deoderant."
I had the same issues, off and on. The homemade detergent would work for a couple of months and then my clothes would look dingy and I would switch. I have now been using grab green pods that are eco, smell yummy, and clean my clothes!! Method is pretty good also.
Yeah ... long story short, I went back to Tide.
I know you hate it. but line drying does get rid of a lot of the smell. I'm going to miss the clothesline as autumn is here and (brace yourself) winter is coming.
I've been doing a lot of research on laundry detergents for the cloth diapering that awaits my wife and I and we've learned that water quality definitely has a lot to do with what detergents work and which do not. The general consensus is, if you have an HE machine, use powdered detergent as they are more likely to have more water softeners and optical brighteners in it.
Also, there is a lot of suspicion that Kirkland is the old formula of Tide and made by P&G.
Personally we use Sears brand Ultra Plus which is actually on sale again this week (it's on sale all the time, you just have to watch it) and it gets stains out that nothing else has.
I dunno...when I made my homemade detergent, I was line-drying everything and I STILL had stink issues.
I didn't even know Sears sold laundry detergent. Huh.
Yup, Sears Ultra Plus. Slickdeals users go nuts about it plus I have a friend who works at Sears and it's all he uses.
When it's on sale it works out to like 7 or 8 cents a load. The only thing that we get cheaper usually is Purex which works well but Sears has enzymes so it has more stain fighting power.
I use whatever free and clear detergent that's on sale. I had the same problem as you with the homemade. I also didn't like grating soap. I never found an easy way to do it.
Cut it with a sharp knife. Very quick and easy.
I use a kitchen grater. One can also buy soap flakes rather than a bar, but I use soap from hotels (specifically, the bar that I unwrapped while staying there).
I used my kitchen grater too!
Yep! I use whatever unscented soap is on sale due to allergies. I go to the laundry mat to do my wash and they're actually really strict so I can't use homemade.
I use Ivory in my homemade detergent. Pop a bar in the microwave and it puffs up like Jiffy pop. When it cools, you can crumble it into powder. Google "microwaving Ivory soap" and you'll see. No grating necessary.
I have used homemade detergent -- in powder form -- in my HE machine for years. However, it is not all natural. I add Oxi-clean powder to the washing soda/baking soda/soap combination. And I wash in warm water and line dry. No odor problems and the clothes get really clean. Our water isn't real soft, but it isn't real hard, either.
Interesting. We have hard water hear and I use the standard homemade recipe in liquid form. Once in a while I throw a scoop of Oxy Clean in. I have a HE machine and it has worked pretty reliably for over 2 years. Now when my kids come home from their Grandma's and she has washed their clothes I feel like you could knock me out with the scent of Tide. I also hated the perfume/dye free stuff Tide and others sell. That did NOT get my clothes clean. Gotta go with what works, especially on the laundry front!
I sympathize on deodorant, I am a sweater too, while my husband is not...give me Secret or Dove or I am going to smell...gross.
I use Method and love it! The Honeysuckle Apple smells great and it comes in a no-mess pump bottle.
I had the exact same problem! And then I became a nurse, so I wanted something that would really clean my scrubs. So I switched to Costco's Eco Detergent which works really well! I'll try the one you mentioned next time. I'm also convinced Costco's diapers are Huggies, they look and feel exactly the same.
I've never tried the Aldi brand! I am kind of particular as I generally like free and clear detergents. I am allergic to so many things.
It's not just you - I quit too. I was using homemade...then I was using Soap Nuts. I still like soap nuts, but not for whites because I noticed they were starting to look yellowish? But then I kept having this really bad ammonia smell in my cloth diapers. I had tried EVERYTHING. And stripped them multiple times. No help. I almost gave up and trashed them....till I washed them in Tide. Problem solved!
Ditto on the Tide saving my cloth diapers. I switched all our laundry to Tide after that to simplify my laundry supplies.
My cloth diapers have that strong ammonia smell too. I had to stop using them when my 1st was 10 months old. We're now a few months away from our second arriving and I was not even going to attempt cloth again. I think I'll go out and buy some Tide (usually use natural detergent or soap nuts) and see if that helps. I'd love to use my cloth diapers again!
Check out fluffloveuniversity dot com for the science behind cleaning cloth diapers effectively. I met a chemist mom in the park who put me on to it. The website goes into the difference between soap and detergent, how water softness/hardness effects your laundry, and why certain brands work better than others- they are very pro-Tide, but have other detergent recommendations as well.
Thanks for the recommendation. We have super soft water which I think causes some of the problems. I'll look up the website to see what they recommend.
I agree about the Costco detergent. I wasn't one to make my own but I have tried numerous commercial brands and this one reins supreme and love the low cost. We just started using their fabric softener as well and it's just like downy. They often run them on sale which makes them an even better bargain. I use fabric softener about every 2 times I wash my towels and vinegar in place of softener the rest. It really makes my towels fluffy. Also, if I am working on some seriously smelly boy clothes (boys can stink so bad!), I add half a cup of borax to my washer.
I had the same problem, switched back years ago myself.
I've tried switching to natural dishwasher detergent. I think my dishes are permanently ruined. It left horrible rough feeling residue, the clear glasses looked the worse. After trying to scrub them with baking soda/vinegar I just threw them out. They looked gross to drink from. Using a rinse aide didn't help much either. If you have any suggestions on how to remove the residue off my dishes please leave a comment.
I've thought about trying to DIY that too, but then I've read of stories like yours and I've felt unmotivated!
Citric acid! My sister had the same problem & thought it was her dishwasher. She tried citric acid and the problem cleared up. She buys it in bulk at a wine/beer making place.
Did she use citric acid instead of dishwasher detergent or in addition? I have a terrible problems with spotty dishes/glasses, and nothing helps... mainstream, natural, or rinse aid. I end up washing them by hand before guests come. Day to day, we just deal with it. 🙁
She uses citric acid in addition to dishwasher detergent every time she runs the dishwasher. I'm not sure how much... I don't think it's very much. Her water is hard and that helps prevent the buildup. If she doesn't use it, her dishes start looking dingy again. It definitely works!
I agree, too: we use Tide now that we are not near Safeway for their store brand or Costco for theirs. I am the same with dishwasher detergent: P & G is hard to top. I can be frugal in other areas.
I have been reluctant to make detergent because of the "science project" feel of it. I know, silly. But I can usually get Purex detergent pretty cheaply with BOGO sales and coupons, and I've been happy with it, so I don't see a reason to change. I would like to use more "natural" detergent, but have heard the mixed results before, and am therefore reluctant.
This makes me feel so much better! I have tried for years to make my own laundry detergent and dishwasher soap. Colossal fail- The dishes kept coming out filmy and spotty and our clothes never got clean and the glycerin or something actually added spots to my black t-shirts. I wash almost everything in cold water to save the energy. I switched to eco-friendly detergents and after a year my very supportive, patient, tolerant husband asked if it were possible to please use detergent that didn't leave his clothes smellying like musty lavender! 🙂 So back to Tide we went and as much as I hate to admit it- the clothes all look better and now that I am using phosphate-free Palmolive dishwasher soap the dishes don't even need to be dried in the machine. I think our Southern California water is just way too hard… I'm glad it wasn't just me!
I know...I'm feeling much better reading all these comments from people who have had trouble like me. I was starting to wonder if I was the only one!
Do you have a front loader? I was at my mom's last week and everything I washed there had a funk to it. No, nope, no thanks. I'm team top loader for life now.
Nope! Mine's a super old top-loader and I plan to repair it until it can't be repaired anymore. I love it.
We use Kirkland as well, it's less expensive, works just as well, and you get more!
I was resistant to homemade detergent for a long time until I saw Jamerril Stewart's vlog where she shows you how to make it. I finally took the plunge and did it and love it so far. The only thing I had to do before starting was run some vinegar in a hot water cycle to get my machine nice and clean.
Like you I have tried the powder homemade & after awhile the family started to complain!!! Not to mention my husband is a dairy farmer & gets super dirty w/ all that goes w/ that & his clothes wasn't getting clean. We have sensitive skin around here so Tide doesn't work for us. I use the Arm & Hammer Powder most of the time sometimes the liquid & PRAY they never quit making it!!!!!! we all like it & our clothes get clean so plan on using it all the time from now on.
I had the same experience with homemade when I moved to a new area.
Charlie's soap. It's got no smell (I can't abide laundry soap perfumes) and only one tablespoon per load. I get it on Amazon
Yes!!! I use Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder also... I have it on Subscribe and save from Amazon. The clothes are super clean and I love the fact there are no perfumes!
I like making the powdered homemade laundry soap. I add purel crystals, super washing soda, borax, and fels
naphtha. It works better than the homemade liquid. I also have to dry out the bars before I put the in the food processor, otherwise it doesn't break up. I think hot water is essential because it doesn't melt the soap well in cold water. If you make the liquid, best tip ever, don't grate the bar. One word Crockpot! Just put the bar in the Crockpot with wster, turn it on and go to bed. When you wake up all you need to add is the washing soda and water.
I wish I could make all that I need, but I run out of time. I make some detergent, and buy some detergent.
We switched to Honest Company detergent when our 3 foster kids came to live with us (our youngest has really sensitive skin) and we have LOVED it. We also use one pod of the Honest "Oxi clean" packets in every load. We wash with cold water and have been using it for about a year. Very happy with it!
We use Charlie's Soap (http://www.charliesoap.com), which we order through Amazon. It's great and I've never found that the clean clothes smell anything but clean, but I do wash most things on warm or hot.
I concur with the commenters who have pointed to the water. In hard water, soap based cleaners just don't work as well because the minerals in the water react with the soap creating a kind of salt that we all know as soap scum. Not only does this reduce the cleaning capacity of the soap significantly, it also leaves a residue that won't rinse clean without the use of some sort of acidic rinse agent (like vinegar). In fact, when detergents were first introduced, one of their big selling points was that they worked as well in hard water as soft. I don't know much about the "natural" commercial detergents, but I think that they're probably phosphate free... not sure what effect that has, but I do think they don't clean quite so well.
I do think there's something to the hot water thing too... I get much better results using warm or hot water. I also know that HE machines have "issues" with odors in general. If you have a side loader there are problems with mildew buildup, and even if you have a top loader, the fact that it uses so much less water makes it difficult to get things to really rinse clean. I read the manual of my machine and it suggests that you always use the fabric softener setting (even if you're not adding fabric softener) because it will ensure that you get a good rinse. Sorta begs the question as to why that's not part of the standard cycle, but my guess is that it has something to do with efficiency ratings.
That's all I know on the topic! BTW, I use All Free & Clear (recommended by my allergist) and always use both the soak feature and the fabric softener setting, which allows me to get things clean using about half the recommended amount of detergent.
We have hard water and a front loader( HE) and I only use the homemade detergent for doggie puppy pads( which are incontinent pads for people) and it works great. I also keep our washer door open when the washer is not in use.
I am a huge fan of ALL Free & Clear, also recommended by my dermatologist. I just hope and pray they never change the formula.
I did the homemade detergent for a while but what I didn't like about it was I had to change the clothes from the washer to dryer immediately after the washer stopped or my clothes started to sour. I can't stand over my laundry like that; I always likened it to the detergent not being compatible to my water, so I switched back to regular detergent.
The problem with homemade detergent is that it doesn't actually contain DETERGENT. It has soap and water softeners, which just take off the top layer of grime but doesn't actually push through the fabric to get out the dirt and sweat. Plus, you're told to use a few teaspoons of it, which is not enough at all to get stuff clean.
You might need to do a strip with RLR to get the residue from all that soap and softener out of your clothes- it's pretty built up at this point and it can be hard to get out.
Exactly! Soap and detergent are NOT the same thing.
I also used home made laundry soap for a while, and I had to switch back to commercial. I felt that it is worth the few extra cents a load to actually have clean clothes! I was ruining my clothes. Not worth it.
I've been making my own laundry soap for 2 years. It still works great for me. I did have a problem with one batch when I put too much soap in the mix. The clothes felt tacky. I added a bunch more baking soda and borax. After that, it worked fine. BTW the recipe I use is:
2 bars Fels Naptha, 1 bar Kirk's Coco, 1 box baking soda, 1 box washing soda, one box borax and I throw in some Downey scent pellets. (I grind the soap very finely.)
what is Kirk's coco?
Kirk's Original Coco Castile soap made with coconut oil.
Do you happen to have a top loader? Is it an older one? If so, your agitator may have stopped working properly. This happened to me - my clothes were stinking after being washed and I didn't know why. Then, one day I opened the lid while it was washing and saw the agitator wasn't turning all the way. After researching, I found a YouTube video about how the agitator "dogs" break and they need to be replaced and then the it will turn again. We bought ones for our machine (it is really old!) on Amazon for $8 and then hubby took the agitator apart following this guy's video tutorial and sure enough, these "dogs" were broke and we replaced them and my clothes (after a few cycles to get the old stink out) no longer smell!! They are clean! I can't believe I went so long without knowing this but who looks in there when it is cleaning? So glad I did!
If this is your problem, here is the video (the guy is a bit funny haha): https://youtu.be/C-HcsXQr1jM
I do have an older top-loader and that actually did happen to my washer a few years back...the dogs all bit the dust! We fixed it, so that part of my machine is definitely operating correctly now.
I totally agree about Mrs. Meyers. Someone should be fired in their design department. The bottle simply doesn't work. The basil dishwashing liquid smells delicious though!
Yes! I googled it when mine started getting messy and was relieved to see that other people felt the same way. One wonders how that design made it into production...
I ordered Method with my first ePantry order and I love it! Now I just get the refill bag and re-fill my pump when needed. Gets the clothes clean and only requires 2-4 pumps depending on the "dirtiness" of the clothes.
I am sorry about your homemade laundry didn't work out! I read somewhere that the detergents used to make laundry soap are not for clothes but for skin, so of course it doesn't work correctly. Many say it saves them a ton of money, but there are always flaws or problems. As with Tide! my husband loved Tide and wouldn't switch to anything but he had such skin rash issues and my kids were also allergic, come to find out that it is full of chemicals and fillers. I was looking for a long while to find something then I found Melamagic! and it is magic! for the past 9 years I have used scent free, no more allergic reactions and you amazingly only need one ounce per load. It is super concentrated and family friendly! I now used lavender scented and love it!! rave about it and tell everyone about it! You can only get it online, but you save so much money and time, like epantry. Here is a better description of it http://www.saferforyourhome.com/mela_power.htm
I can get you a $1 membership so you can shop all you want
I recently finished a HUGE batch of homemade detergent and I was so glad! It did NOT work for me-in spite of containing washing soda and those Downy Unstopable bead things that smell amazing in the bottle! I have teen age boys who play sports and sweat A LOT. Their clothes were smelling awful! Not to mention, my whites were sooo dingy. I have always been a Tide girl, and I was never so happy to be reunited! I buy the powder at BJs and use half the recommended amount, and it has made a WORLD of difference. So much so that my teenage son recently ommented on how good his clothes smell!!
I ditto the hot water comment as well. I have found that hot water is a MUST when cleaning their clothes, especially. The cold water just doesn't work on the grime and sweat. I'll have to save money in other ways! 🙂
I make homemade( powder) and ONLY use it for reusable doggie puppy pads( which are actually incontinent pads for people). Its the ONLY detergent that gets them clean. I use borax, washing soda, baking soda, fels naptha, oxy clean and purex crystals. I only use the tinest amount in my HE machine and it works great for me.
Hi,
I've never made my own detergent, but I've thought about doing it. But now I know better! It's awfully expensive that's for sure. I have used the Costco brand as well as Tide and I wasn't aware they were made by the same company, that's interesting. One thing you can do is use no more than you actually need, which varies by the size of the load.
Thanks for your interesting post!
Laura Beth
You have to wash in hot water when you use plant based detergent. The natural detergents you were using also might not contain enzymes to get your clothes super clean. Home made laundry soap is just that. Soap, not detergent, and builds up if you don't use something like an old fashioned wash board to get it out! You can get water hardness and mineral kits where they have fish kits to test and see what's in your water. You might need to add some softeners to get your clothes really clean.
Having been without a computer for a couple of days, I'm a little late joining the conversation! But I thought I'd like to add my own two cents since I went through the same thing a few years back.
We have a big family, and lots and lots of dirty clothes, so the idea of saving money on detergent really appealed to me. My biggest hindrance with all the early "recipes" was the grating and cooking and stirring and such, and then, like so many others, I just wasn't that impressed with how it worked and what the laundry smelled like. Since I was doing it to save money, it didn't seem like suddenly having to wash everything in hot water when I used to be able to use cold was helping either. Then I stumbled onto a site that had a liquid recipe you can just mix up in a gallon jug. The ingredients are simple--washing soda, borax, and Dawn dish detergent. The method is simple--dissolve the powders in hot water, top off the jug adding the Dawn right at the end. So I gave it a try, and I like it so much better than any of the other things I had tried. The ingredients go a long, long way. I don't know how many gallons of detergent I get out of a box of each, but I don't have to buy them more than once or twice a year.
One thing I did notice, is that for the really, really grungy clothes--grease or ground-in dirt--it sometimes isn't quite enough, at least not in a cold water wash. For those cases I either use hot water, or some Tide that I keep on-hand for the extra tough jobs, or sometimes even a combination of the two. But for everyday, regular laundry, this works well for me.
One other thing to note if anyone tries this--Dawn has ammonia in it, and ammonia and bleach aren't supposed to be used together. If I wash a load of laundry with bleach, I use the Tide. However, I have forgotten a time or two, and nothing bad ever happened. All the same, I never purposely mix the two just in case. I use 1/4 to 1/2 cup per large load of laundry in my HE washer.
Here's the web address for the instructions:
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/03/super-concentrated-no-grate-liquid-laundry-detergent.html
There are some other awesome laundry recipes here. One of my favorites is the homemade Shout stain remover.
Anyways....just in case you decide to give it one more shot, you might try this one. I have spring-fed well water, so my results may be different from someone else's, but I have been really happy with how this works.
One thing I didn't think of until later, in case anyone does try this, keep your extra washing soda in an airtight container. I didn't know it would literally turn into a brick if you don't. It's much easier to deal with if you don't have to whack at it with your meat mallet to get it apart. 🙂
I'm a little late to the game as well and I make my own detergent. I've only done the powder version and that seems to do great! However, I do keep a small container near the washer that I put the detergent in, add some hot water from the sink, shake it all up, and then pour it into the washer. I used to occasionally get a powdery residue and that seems to help with that.
I wonder too, because I've made two recipes: one with soap, borax, and washing soda, the other with epsom salts, washing soda, baking soda, and soap, and I bet the one with the epsom salts in it would help those people with soft water, and the one with borax for those with hard water.
I feel exactly the same way! I've tried every natural laundry soap I could find but they just don't seem to work for me. I bought new towels and they were already getting stinky and that really bummed me out. I've felt a little guilt about it but now I'm spending the big bucks on Tide just to see if it helps.
I am so glad I'm not alone in this... I started making my own detergent a few years ago, but I too found that the freshness didn't last. I went back to my tried and true Gain, but I try to buy it only when I have a coupon and it's on sale. I'm wondering if my front load washer might have something to do with the freshness of the clothes too... that rubber seal can't be cleaned enough! If I ever go back to a top load washer, I might try DIY detergent again.
Seventh Generation scent free detergent leaves perma mildew smell on just washed clothes. Our washer and dryer are brand new so it is likely not the machine. Thanks for posting this article it is hard to cut through the marketing B.S.
Have you ever tried ECOS? I've been doing my family's laundry with it for years and we have lived in 3 different states with different water hardness levels and it has always worked fantastic for us. I once tried the homemade route and I had a horrible result as well. Not smell but the clothes just looked dirty. I determined that buying the ECOS made our clothes last longer since it got them clean so it was worth the extra cost versus homemade. However if you buy at Costco or Sam's its really cheap. I love the smell of it too. Lavender. MMMMMMMmm. makes my house smell nice, but at the same time its very mild. Not a strong smell at all. I highly recommend it.
I live in the country and I get that smell. My hubby now once a month cleans my washer with bleach and the longest cycle. I know HE machine always needs cleaned maybe this is the problem. Check your owners manual
I have been making my own laundry soap for about 3-4 years now. I use a 1:1:1 of Borax, Super washing soda and Zote,http://www.zote.com.mx/english/about.htm
Grating the Zote into the powders and using about 1 tablespoon per load of my front loader. Zote is a great soap for body and delicates. Make sure to get the pink bar, iit smmells great too! Too many alleergies to even uuse something different in bettween..
I have not ever experienced a stink pproblem with clean clothing since usiing this soap.
For my dishwasher I use If You Care autoomatic dishwasher tabs and Lemi-shine in the rinse cycle. Pretty dishes.
I would give it a try before givving up alllttogether.
EWG that rates all these ingredients for their level of toxicity - is very anti-Borax. Zote doesn't get high marks either. Washing Soda is very good.
We have gotten to know a cool laundry soap company called My Green Fills, which sends you little packets that let you mix your own soap in refillable jugs soooo easily. I always planned to make my own detergent, but it felt like too much of a hassle, so this seemed like the best of both worlds to me. It might be worth a shot rather than getting in bed with toxins (literally, in your sheets 🙂 ).
Oh, I forgot to give you the link http://www.ticoandtina.com/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-soap-the-easier-minimalist-way/
I know this article is older, but, DIY laundry detergent is still a popular subject. I've been trying to switch over to non toxic laundry detergents and feel like I've been going in circles. At first I was all gung ho about trying to make my own, until I read about the detergent residue from soap based detergents. And that's not the worst of it. I talked to a number of people who told me about the soap residue in the machine. Not just in the tub, but caked to all the parts in the machine. Someone who bought a used washer from someone who used DIY detergent for a year, said they repair and maintain their own appliances and they took the washer apart and to their surprise they scraped off 3 pounds of soap scum from the washer parts.
So I'm not going to use a soap based recipe. The problem then, is that there is the EWG.org group that grades laundry detergent and how toxic it is and all of the least toxic detergents are soap based. So I'm struggling to find just ONE detergent that works and doesn't leave residue behind and is non toxic. Why is that so hard?
If anyone finds the magic answer before I do...please leave me the answer. 🙂
I know this is an old post but this is exactly how I’m feeling. After using more “green” laundry detergents like Charlie’s Soap, Nellie’s, My Green Fills, Seventh Generation and having stains not come out and clothes that smell somewhat clean coming out of the dryer but like a dirty hamper when pulling g out of closet to wear, I have thrown in the towel. I feel like you need chemicals to get things clean. I don’t use too much of anything but natural things don’t work for me. What her it’s shampoo, soap, lotion, bathroom cleaner; nothing cleans a bathroom better than bleach and nothing makes my hair softer than Pantene Pro V. I’ve gone back to Tide and Downy and our clothes smell and look amazing again. Finally!!
I thought it was just me. Clean, washed clothes in my closet smelling rancid. I tried using white vinegar in the “fabric softener” to scrub any natural laundry detergent residue out. It didn’t work either. This has been going on for years. So I finally searched the internet and here I am. Think I’ll go back to commercial detergent. Hopefully I can find some that doesn’t 1) pollute the environment, 2) doesn’t reek of perfume, 3) doesn’t use nano-technology.
Not just you. I found that I had to use much more diy detergent than stated in the recipe to get my clothes clean. Do you know that point in the recipe, after you melt the soap and mix in the Borax and Washing Soda, where you are supposed to dilute it in 2 gallons of water? Skip the diluting part. Just use the detergent in the concentrated form. And use a full cup for a large top-load wash.
When I started doing this my clothes came out smelling fresh. It completely killed the sweat smell, better than Tide even.
However the problem became that I put in all that work for a detergent that only lasted for about 4 loads. So I'm not sure about cost savings over store bought detergent. Also, I hear soap-based detergents wreck the machine.
Tried Mrs. Meyers and ALL Free&Clear. Neither worked very well.
We use Persil now. We use Borax as a laundry booster in our dirtiest loads (underwear, t-shirts, bedding and towels). We are also a fan of soaking in Oxiclean overnight for stubborn protein based stains.
Nellies! Love this stuff, clothes come out clean. I've just tried dyi dry recipe, too early to tell but comments here concerning.
I just did it to save all those huge plastic containers they're insane and wanted to stop. I don't think they're recycled them all but thaya another convo.
But nellies, I can add, we love.