Tuesday, January 29, 2013

DIY: Laundry Detergent - Good Clean Fun

Sorry I finally got batteries! Horray! Though I did miss out on lots of things I would have loved to take pictures of. So what did I do with my new batteries today? Well take a picture of the flower that's come out from bulbs I forgot I planted.

Pretty!

So this past  weekend I was busy and I didn't get my 'To Do List' taken care of. Dusting and cobwebbing kinda hit the back burner. 

Saturday we took the kids out to the Science museum and they got to play with soap bubbles filled with CO2 which was neat. They loved all the dry ice experiments. Sadly no pictures. 

Sunday I did take my camera and we got a few snap shots made. First we made laundry detergent which I'll go over in a moment and then we tried to make liquid dishwasher detergent which I won't be going over it's a work in process as we try to figure out amounts and how cost effective it is. 

Laundry Detergent!
Sarah graciously hosted and showed us all how to make it. It was great fun and there was more chattering than actual work. 


Step 1: Grate the Cheese (with generous amounts of coffee in you if you decide to do this in the morning)




Step 2: Get a big pot ready and start setting up! And measure ingredients. *Cues Dramatic Music for Sarah*












1 Bar Fels-Napha Soap
1 Cup of Borax
1 Cup Washing Powder
1 pot of water heated to boiling






Add in order. 

Mix finely grated soap into boiling water while stirring  Continue to stir until dissolved.   

Add the 1 cup of Washing Soap. Whisk in until well blended.


 Then add 1 cup of Borax. Whisk in until well blended.












Thanks to Carrie our note card maker and additional helper!


This is where my camera died. So here we go. Take your 5 gallon bucket fill it half way with hot water then add the soap and whisk until well mixed. Fill the bucket the rest of the way, lid and let sit 24 hrs. It will jell pretty thick on the bottom and at the top you'll have to re mix it all I suggest gloves for this because hands in soap for too long I found out is bad and maybe safety glasses so it doesn't splash up into your eyes like it did poor Sarah. Separate out into smaller containers and there you go. Use about 3/4 cup per full load and best to shake the bottle before each use to make sure it's well mixed. 

There you go! Laundry Soap! 5 Gallons worth :)

3 comments:

  1. Have you tried out your laundry soap yet? I've always wondered about it.

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    1. I have tried it but don't really have a yeah or neh on it as it happens the kids for once have decided to stay relatively clean for once. I'm tempted to purposely dump ketchup on a washcloth and see how it does.
      So far no bad comments yet and a friend of mine swears by it. I'm still using normal fabric softener because I have some though my friend uses vinegar with essential oil.
      I'm waiting on seeing what Carrie says about it too since this was her first shot with it also. If it works out then the cost savings are pretty large!
      The only annoying thing is you do have to make sure to shake it well before each use because it will try to separate.

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    2. Update on this. I've been using it for awhile and while I wouldn't say it does 'better' than the All Free and Clear it hasn't spiked up any of my husband's skin allergies and things are coming out clean.
      Carrie said she's finding clumps of it between fabric and I hadn't heard of that before. I've suggested that either 1. she's over loading her washer and/or 2. she's using too much soap. She said a second rinse cycle takes care of it without a problem and has no other complaints.

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