# Help!!! Need laundry soap liquid & powder recipes...



## rxtellez

Okay so I have gotten into soaping, CP & HP and now I have a million bars of soap laying around that has cured. I have been on the "DIY" Train lately and have tried making my own laundry soap using the "ZOTE" bar and the "Fels-Naptha" bar and have searched the forums & web and have tried both the liquid & powder version using those bars. But since I have so many bars of my own beautiful soap, I would love to make laundry soap using my own bars. However I have read forums and saw a lot about 100% coconut oil or coco oil/lard bars being great at laundry, but their is so much info, I became a little overwhelmed with choosing a recipe. So I figured why not try out ( for the 1st time ever) starting my own thread and getting recipes that have been tried & true for you guys! FYI I have read tons of these forums & finally signed up to join so be nice! I'm new


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## lsg

Just type in laundry soap in the forum search box and you should come up with some results.


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## earlene

rxtellez said:


> Okay so I have gotten into soaping, CP & HP and now I have a million bars of soap laying around that has cured. I have been on the "DIY" Train lately and have tried making my own laundry soap using the "ZOTE" bar and the "Fels-Naptha" bar and have searched the forums & web and have tried both the liquid & powder version using those bars. But since I have so many bars of my own beautiful soap, I would love to make laundry soap using my own bars. However I have read forums and saw a lot about 100% coconut oil or coco oil/lard bars being great at laundry, but their is so much info, I became a little overwhelmed with choosing a recipe. So I figured why not try out ( for the 1st time ever) starting my own thread and getting recipes that have been tried & true for you guys! FYI I have read tons of these forums & finally signed up to join so be nice! I'm new



My favorite is laundry butter.  I did the dry soap method of which you speak above for about a decade and liked it just fine, but when I started using the laundry butter last year I found I like it even better.

Here is the link to the recipe and directions that I use. 

And if you need a video, here is one using the exact same recipe: [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tki-SPcfnRY[/ame]


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## kchaystack

rxtellez said:


> Okay so I have gotten into soaping, CP & HP and now I have a million bars of soap laying around that has cured. I have been on the "DIY" Train lately and have tried making my own laundry soap using the "ZOTE" bar and the "Fels-Naptha" bar and have searched the forums & web and have tried both the liquid & powder version using those bars. But since I have so many bars of my own beautiful soap, I would love to make laundry soap using my own bars. However I have read forums and saw a lot about 100% coconut oil or coco oil/lard bars being great at laundry, but their is so much info, I became a little overwhelmed with choosing a recipe. So I figured why not try out ( for the 1st time ever) starting my own thread and getting recipes that have been tried & true for you guys! FYI I have read tons of these forums & finally signed up to join so be nice! I'm new



The problem with using the bars you already have made is you probably have a superfat built into them.  You really do not want to use bars with extra oil in your laundry.


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## KristaY

^^^Exactly what Kchaystack said. You don't want the extra oil in your clothes. I make soap specifically for cleaning that's 100% CO, -1% SF. This can be in bar form using NaOH or liquid using KOH. Once the soap is made I proceed from there grating and/or blending into laundry and general household cleaning soap.


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## dibbles

100% coconut, -1% SF here too. Since you probably don't already have that made, you get to make more soap! :mrgreen:


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## dixiedragon

I agree. If you have soap you don't care to use or give away for some reason, chop it up and make confetti soap.
Here is the powder recipe I use:
1 part soap (70% coconut, 30% lard, 0 superfat)
1 part washing soda
1 part OxyClean

1/4 c per load

Measure out ingredients and put them in a food processor to get a fine powder.

Liquid (makes 2.5 gallons)
3 oz soap shreds (same soap recipe)
40 cups of water
1/2 cup of borax

1 cup for a large load.

Melt the soap shreds in 20 cups of water. Stir in borax. Add remaining 20 cups of water. Stir well until Borax is dissolved. I store mine in gallon jugs. 

My personal preference is for the liquid version, because I don't want to ruin my food processor with the powder version. I need to make more this weekend - with the puppies (see my thread Puppies!!), we are doing at least one, often 2, LARGE loads of dog laundry a day, and we go through some laundry soap! I use 2 cups a load if the dog laundry is especially gross.


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## milky

I'm very new to making soap and was wondering about laundry/cleaning soap. Is it a lot better and/or cheaper than store-bought? Or is it just that there are fewer chemicals in it?


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## dixiedragon

I've only been using it for a few months. It's definitely cheap - according to this, 5 gallons for $2. I like doing it b/c I like making my own soap so I like doing this.

People here in SMF have been using recipes very similar to these for years and reported good results. I have not noticed any decrease in effectiveness, but my clothes are not super dirty.


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## earlene

Milky, for me it has always been cheaper either when I did the powder method or now doing the laundry butter method.  If you read the different links, often a cost analysis is included because people are so interested in cost savings.


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## earlene

dixiedragon said:


> I've only been using it for a few months. It's definitely cheap - according to this, 5 gallons for $2. I like doing it b/c I like making my own soap so I like doing this.
> 
> People here in SMF have been using recipes very similar to these for years and reported good results. I have not noticed any decrease in effectiveness, but my clothes are not super dirty.



I noticed a difference in how clean my clothes got when I went to using the Zero SF 100% CO soap as my base.  When I used the Fels Naptha, it got my clothes very clean, too, but the CO soap with Zero SF got them even cleaner.  In conclusion, in the past decade of making my own laundry soap, I noticed greater efficiency right from the start and it has only improved.

The only problem I ever have is when our town flushes out the fire hydrants and everyone's water turns yellow for a few days.  Whites just get dingy if you wash in yellow water.  And it plays havoc on our drinking water filter as well as put an added burden on our water softener.


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## Cindy2428

I played around with a few recipes and the one I like best was 90% coconut oil, 10% palm kernel oil flakes, 0% super fat. Very cleansing.


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## dixiedragon

earlene said:


> I noticed a difference in how clean my clothes got when I went to using the Zero SF 100% CO soap as my base. When I used the Fels Naptha, it got my clothes very clean, too, but the CO soap with Zero SF got them even cleaner. In conclusion, in the past decade of making my own laundry soap, I noticed greater efficiency right from the start and it has only improved.


 
Can you share your recipes?


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## rxtellez

Thanks for all the tips, tricks and support! I am going to take you'lls advice and make a 100% coconut oil bar of soap tonight or i might try the co/lard recipe that most of you guys are swearing by! Arlene i love the recipe for the "laundry butter" i will be making that too. So much more creative then the basic 2:1:1 ratio i have tried using the Zote soap & Fels-Naptha bar. 

For my laundry journey i have tried the basic 2:1:1 recipe using Zote/Fels-Naptha, washing soda & borax. As far as my Soaping recipes, this week alone I have made 100% castille soap, clay & charcoal face soap and my version of "grandmas's old fashion lard soap". I am actually thinking i should name it "Not your Grandma's Old Fashion Lard Soap" lol because i used stearic acid in mine, with a 10% sf, Honey & 1.5 tbs of glycerin. So my recipe went a little something like this.

Lard:63 oz
Stearic Acid:3oz
NaOH: 8.39 0z
H2O: 25.08

1.5 Tbs of glycerin 
2Tbs Honey



kchaystack said:


> The problem with using the bars you already have made is you probably have a superfat built into them.  You really do not want to use bars with extra oil in your laundry.


 
Thank you kchaystack, you just gave me another reason to soap today! I will be making CO soap tonight, just for laundry!



KristaY said:


> ^^^Exactly what Kchaystack said. You don't want the extra oil in your clothes. I make soap specifically for cleaning that's 100% CO, -1% SF. This can be in bar form using NaOH or liquid using KOH. Once the soap is made I proceed from there grating and/or blending into laundry and general household cleaning soap.


KristaY, what did you mean -1% SF. will soapcalc allow me to choose a negative sf percent?


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## shunt2011

Yes, you can enter negative SF.  I have been doing the same in my last couple batches.


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## Susie

I make liquid laundry/dish soap using 100% CO, 0% superfat, and KOH with the CP method.  Easy peasy.  I keep the paste on hand to put on a brush, cloth, or sponge to clean with.  Works fine, with no ingredients that are going to cause me problems.


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## Arimara

milky said:


> I'm very new to making soap and was wondering about laundry/cleaning soap. Is it a lot better and/or cheaper than store-bought? Or is it just that there are fewer chemicals in it?



It gives me an excuse to make soap. I just recently made laundry soap using NaOH and I can't say whether I find it more efficient than making the liquid variety.  If I made the bar variety again, I would definitely try to let the soap come to full gel and maybe cure it for a week or so. I had an easier time grating a fully cured 100% CO soap and an attempt at a solseife. Both of them were incredibly hard bars of soap.


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## earlene

dixiedragon said:


> Can you share your recipes?



Look at my first post on this thread for the Laundry Butter link (post #3).  It's not really mine, so I linked to my source.  But here it is again.

My powder was just the common run-of-the mill one that's gone around the DIY laundry soap circuit forever and ever.  Grated bar soap, washing soda, Borax initially.  Later on I added in Oxiclean to the powdered soap.

But now I prefer the Laundry Butter.  Unless I have to fly, in which case I will pack the powder as it doesn't alarm at the checkpoint like a gel does.  (TSA considers whipped soap a gel.)


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## artemis

rxtellez said:


> Thanks for all the tips, tricks and support! I am going to take you'lls advice and make a 100% coconut oil bar of soap tonight or i might try the co/lard recipe that most of you guys are swearing by! Arlene i love the recipe for the "laundry butter" i will be making that too. So much more creative then the basic 2:1:1 ratio i have tried using the Zote soap & Fels-Naptha bar.



You may have already made your soap... I just wanted to add that I make my 100%  soap for laundry in a multi-cavity mold, or in a bunch of margarine tubs- that stuff hardens up FAST.


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## dixiedragon

rxtellez said:


> Thanks for all the tips, tricks and support! I am going to take you'lls advice and make a 100% coconut oil bar of soap tonight or i might try the co/lard recipe that most of you guys are swearing by! Arlene i love the recipe for the "laundry butter" i will be making that too. So much more creative then the basic 2:1:1 ratio i have tried using the Zote soap & Fels-Naptha bar.



The soap will be much easier to shred if you do it soon after you cut it. Wear gloves! Because the soap is so new AND 100% coconut aND 0 super fat, it will be very harsh and drying. I have a Salad Shooter that I use for this. I usually get them for $3 at thrift stores. I actually have 3 right now, b/c the motors were not built for soap so they tend to burn out, so I pick them up at thrift stores whenever I see them for under $5.


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## earlene

dixiedragon said:


> The soap will be much easier to shred if you do it soon after you cut it. Wear gloves! Because the soap is so new AND 100% coconut aND 0 super fat, it will be very harsh and drying. I have a Salad Shooter that I use for this. I usually get them for $3 at thrift stores. I actually have 3 right now, b/c the motors were not built for soap so they tend to burn out, so I pick them up at thrift stores whenever I see them for under $5.



You are so lucky to find them at Thrift Stores.  I have not found one yet, and just don't want to buy a new one.  But I do find lots of silicon molds at the Goodwill and still I find myself wanting more!


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## HowieRoll

I'm new to soaping (only 4 months), but one of my first batches was a 100% CO laundry soap (0% superfat), hot processed.  Like many others, I mix it with washing soda and borax, but have only been using it about 3 months now.  We have well water that is otherwise hard, but goes through a salt water softener thing, a top-loading washer, and septic.  I have been amazed how clean our clothes get with this concoction.

When researching the topic, I came across a couple companies who use goat milk in their laundry soap and was intrigued.  Important To Note:  I am not the least bit scientifically-minded, and have absolutely no idea if there is an advantage to adding it. 

Anyhoo, here is my recipe:

8.6oz Distilled Water
4.4 oz Sodium Hydroxide
24 oz Coconut Oil

Hot Process as normal.  After cook, I whisk together 0.6oz powdered goat milk (approx 8 tsp) with 0.5oz distilled water and mix well into soap.   Pour into molds (I use small, lined cigar boxes).  When it is set and fairly hard (after a few hours), I chop it up and put it into the food processor to grate.  Then I let it cure/dry out for at least 4 weeks.

Next, the grated soap goes into the food processor again with a touch of Washing Soda to grind it up as fine as possible (warning: this creates quite a dust cloud), before mixing it with the remaining washing soda and borax.  I store it in an airtight container with a couple desiccants and use 2 TBSP/load.  Each load starts on hot to dissolve the powders/soap, then I switch to whatever temperature I need.  I also add 1/4 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle.

Again, I've been very happy with the results, but am new to both soaping and using it so I can't say for sure if this is wreaking havoc on any household systems!

EDITED:  I removed the bit about adding lemon juice to my soap recipe, as DeeAnna (in post twenty-eight) explains why that is a bad idea and I don't want to perpetuate bad intel!


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## dixiedragon

Do any of you scent your laundry soap?
If so:
Do you add your scent to the soap, or do you add it when you are making the soap shreds into laundry soap?
Is any of the scent on the clothing?

Thanks!


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## shunt2011

I've added orange 15x and lemongrass to the soap when made. Does it stick, no not that I've noticed though my laundry soap smells good when it goes in.


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## artemis

dixiedragon said:


> Do any of you scent your laundry soap?
> If so:
> Do you add your scent to the soap, or do you add it when you are making the soap shreds into laundry soap?
> Is any of the scent on the clothing?
> 
> Thanks!



I make a good-sized batch of plain, then add a drop or two of FO as I go, if I feel like it. Sometimes I will put some in a smaller jar and scent it. My experience is that the frangance only stays on clothes if I put a few drops on one of my wool dryer balls. We have been fragrance free for many years now, so that doesn't bother me  much. I scent mostly if I'm giving it away, or to make the laundry process more enjoyable.    That's been my own experience.  Maybe someone else has a better method. I also make a scouring powder that is mostly baking soda, plus soap shreds. I add fragrance to that all the time.


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## Susie

shunt2011 said:


> I've added orange 15x and lemongrass to the soap when made. Does it stick, no not that I've noticed though my laundry soap smells good when it goes in.



Same.  No scent at the end, but it smells good going in.  I was experimenting on formulating a white vinegar/EO spray to put on a rag in the dryer when I got married.  My hubby likes his Snuggle.


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## HowieRoll

dixiedragon said:


> Do any of you scent your laundry soap?
> If so:
> Do you add your scent to the soap, or do you add it when you are making the soap shreds into laundry soap?
> Is any of the scent on the clothing?
> 
> Thanks!



I have not added any scents to the soap itself or mixture, but have added a little sachet of dried lavender into the airtight container I store the mixture in.  It's pretty faint to begin with, and none of that smell survives the wash, but it does provide a brief smell of goodness going into the machine.


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## DeeAnna

Oh, gosh, don't add an acid to the laundry wash water. If you add an acid (lemon juice, citric acid, vinegar, etc.) it should go in the RINSE, not the wash. Acid added to lye-based soap => more superfat and LESS cleaning.


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## KristaY

I add scent to my soap batter just like a normal body bar but I scent a bit heavier. Not a lot of scent remains once the clothes are out of the dryer but I like it that way.


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## Arimara

dixiedragon said:


> Do any of you scent your laundry soap?
> If so:
> Do you add your scent to the soap, or do you add it when you are making the soap shreds into laundry soap?
> Is any of the scent on the clothing?
> 
> Thanks!



For my liquid soap, I smell a lingering scent, which I found nice. For the dry soap, I'd scent your bars as you're making them. My dry soap scent barely lingers however but I was not aiming for using a lot of an FO.


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## earlene

*Dixiedragon*, I did add some lemongrass EO to the last batch of laundry butter that I made.  Basically I did it to see what it would be like, not expecting it to last, but also because I thought it would be nice to give a scented option to my SIL and niece.  I sent my SIL one without fragrance and one with fragrance so she could see how it works for herself before bothering to buy an EO to add to her own batch and then finding out it doesn't survive the wash.  (I also sent her some grated Zero SF coconut oil soap to use to make her own.)  I like lemongrass, so it's nice going into the washer, but nothing remains after the dryer is done.  Personally I prefer unscented clothes anyway, so I'm glad it doesn't survive the wash.


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## HowieRoll

DeeAnna said:


> Oh, gosh, don't add an acid to the laundry wash water. If you add an acid (lemon juice, citric acid, vinegar, etc.) it should go in the RINSE, not the wash. Acid added to lye-based soap => more superfat and LESS cleaning.



Thanks, DeeAnna, that makes perfect sense and the fresh lemon juice is getting the boot going forward.  Appreciate the input!


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## biarine

I used 50% coconut oil and 50% palm kernel oil with 0% SF.


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## Nanditasr

kchaystack said:


> The problem with using the bars you already have made is you probably have a superfat built into them.  You really do not want to use bars with extra oil in your laundry.



1. So, in order to use up the existing bars, would it help to grate and use them in the top-loading washing machine, and pour a small amount of weak lye (after calculation) to nullify the SF in the soap?

2. And this brings me to a totally wacky question. Since soap (including laundry soap) is alkaline in nature, why can't we do laundry with just a weak lye or ammonia solution? There must be some science as to why this may not work -- I'm ignorant and in need of some education!



DeeAnna said:


> Acid added to lye-based soap => more superfat and LESS cleaning.



So, my question is: If I add a teaspoon of citric acid to soap that has a lye excess (let's say I superfat the soap at _minus_ 5), will I still have a problem? Some part of it will react to form sodium citrate and remove the scum. Will the cleaning still come down?


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## DeeAnna

_2. And this brings me to a totally wacky question. Since soap (including laundry soap) is alkaline in nature, why can't we do laundry with just a weak lye or ammonia solution? There must be some science as to why this may not work -- I'm ignorant and in need of some education!_

It's less about science, and more about practicality.

NaOH is an extremely strong alkali and it reacts with many chemicals indiscriminately. Soap is a surfactant and prefers to react only with certain types of molecules. Which do you think will do a better job of removing greasy dirt without eating a hole in your favorite jeans? If you still think using an alkali is the answer, then why not a milder alkali such as sodium carbonate (washing soda)? Study up on how surfactants work -- lots of good stuff available on Google.

As far as using ammonia solution (5% ammonia in water) in laundry -- the answer is easy to find. Do a 1 minute check on the internet if you do not have access to the instructions on a bottle of household ammonia.

I usually don't mind answering questions, but I'm more inclined to give a detailed answer if I get a sense that someone has done a wee bit of homework first.

_1. So, in order to use up the existing bars, would it help to grate and use them in the top-loading washing machine, and pour a small amount of weak lye (after calculation) to nullify the SF in the soap?_

Think about what I said in reply to the previous question. A load of laundry with NaOH, soap, cotton, and other fibers. Do you think the NaOH will be able to target only the excess fat molecules and react with only them?

_


Nanditasr said:



			So, my question is: If I add a teaspoon of citric acid to soap that has a lye excess (let's say I superfat the soap at minus 5), will I still have a problem? Some part of it will react to form sodium citrate and remove the scum. Will the cleaning still come down?
		
Click to expand...

_
This question cannot be answered due to lack of information. Think about it. If you add 1 teaspoon of sugar to a cup of tea, is that the same as adding 1 tsp of sugar to a swimming pool?

More: https://classicbells.com/soap/citricAcid.html


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## Nanditasr

DeeAnna said:


> If you still think using an alkali is the answer, then why not a milder alkali such as sodium carbonate (washing soda)? Study up on how surfactants work -- lots of good stuff available on Google.
> 
> As far as using ammonia solution (5% ammonia in water) in laundry -- the answer is easy to find. Do a 1 minute check on the internet if you do not have access to the instructions on a bottle of household ammonia.
> 
> I usually don't mind answering questions, but I'm more inclined to give a detailed answer if I get a sense that someone has done a wee bit of homework first.
> 
> _1. So, in order to use up the existing bars, would it help to grate and use them in the top-loading washing machine, and pour a small amount of weak lye (after calculation) to nullify the SF in the soap?_
> 
> Think about what I said in reply to the previous question. A load of laundry with NaOH, soap, cotton, and other fibers. Do you think the NaOH will be able to target only the excess fat molecules and react with only them?
> 
> 
> 
> This question cannot be answered due to lack of information. Think about it. If you add 1 teaspoon of sugar to a cup of tea, is that the same as adding 1 tsp of sugar to a swimming pool?
> 
> More: https://classicbells.com/soap/citricAcid.html


Thanks, DeeAnna, for a rather patient response to dumb questions. I've avoided washing soda for coloured clothes, because I find it makes them dull. Of course, as you say, _only_ alkali may make them even worse.
I should have specified; I meant a teaspoon of CA in a load of laundry. My thinking was that it might remove the scum without compromising the cleaning ability of the soap, since there's a lye excess anyway. I use about 40 grams of soap (1.5 oz.) for a load (the machine capacity being like those of the smaller ones in the US).


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## DeeAnna

How do you know, by the time your soap ends up in the washing machine, that the soap will still be lye heavy? My experience suggests it won't be. NaOH loves to react with anything it can find, including the carbon dioxide in the air. 

And even if the soap does remain lye heavy, you've assumed once again that the citric acid and the NaOH are going to ignore everything else in the wash tub and react only with each other. Do you really think that's realistic?


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## Nanditasr

DeeAnna said:


> NaOH loves to react with anything it can find, including the carbon dioxide in the air.
> 
> And even if the soap does remain lye heavy, you've assumed once again that the citric acid and the NaOH are going to ignore everything else in the wash tub and react only with each other.



Thanks. I guess I'll just safely use my leftover soap for washing my whites.


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## biarine

I’ve been using my potassium hydroxide liquid soap for nearly 3 years but sometimes I am wondering if the soap really clean the clothes compare to store bought. In my eyes they do but in scientific I am not so sure.


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## Nanditasr

biarine said:


> I’ve been using my potassium hydroxide liquid soap for nearly 3 years but sometimes I am wondering if the soap really clean the clothes compare to store bought. In my eyes they do but in scientific I am not so sure.


I too am trying to find that answer! I would _so_ like to find an equally good homemade alternative to the store-bought stuff.


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## earlene

biarine said:


> I’ve been using my potassium hydroxide liquid soap for nearly 3 years but sometimes I am wondering if the soap really clean the clothes compare to store bought. In my eyes they do but in scientific I am not so sure.



Do they smell clean as they come out of the washer and again as they come out of the dryer?  Do they still smell clean when you wear them the next time?  Do your linens smell clean when you use them after the wash?  Does the homemade laundry soap remove simple spots/minor stains without pre-treating?

If the answer to those questions is yes, I would be satisfied.

The place I find gives me the best smell test evidence is right out of the dryer.  If my husband's t-shirts still smell of body odor out of the dryer, then I am not happy with the performance of my laundry soap.  The only time I have experienced that happening was when I switched my recipe a bit, used less soap in the laundry in conjunction with  minimal water (HE machine).  I found using double the soap of that particular formula (it's still a lot less than store bought detergents recommend) and making sure to double rinse, there is no body odor smell as the undershirts come out of the dryer.


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## Nanditasr

earlene said:


> Do they smell clean as they come out of the washer and again as they come out of the dryer?  Does the homemade laundry soap remove simple spots/minor stains without pre-treating?
> 
> If the answer to those questions is yes, I would be satisfied.


They _smell_ fine, but they just don't _look_ as clean as with commercial detergent. So here are my results so far:

1. Only grated soap (this is my old batch of soap with no citric acid/ sodium citrate, and I have hard water): Scummy; not clean at all
2. Grated soap plus citric acid in water (what DeeAnna says you should not do): No scum, but still not very clean -- better than 1, though.
3. Grated soap plus citric acid plus washing soda: Fairly clean. Even better if I use vinegar in the last rinse. It may actually be as good as commercial; I'll have to use commercial on my dogs' cloths the next time, for a fair comparison.
4. Grated soap plus washing soda (no citric acid): Something like 1.

So, I think, the next time, I'll add CA/SC to my soap itself (as I have been doing of late with my other batches). Then I may be able to use just this soap and washing soda. I use washing soda with whites, not with coloureds. Maybe I'll try a shade of ammonia for that. BTW, for a load of laundry, I use about 40 grams (1.5 oz.) of grated soap.


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## earlene

*Nandistar*, one difference I see in your #4 formula from mine is the absence of borax.  I have never used citric acid in my laundry soap, but I have changed the actual soap I use.  

The soap I currently use is 100% Coconut Oil soap with 0%SF with no additives. The washing soda is Arm & Hammer washing soda, but I doubt the brand matters; it's just all that is available where I shop.  The Borax is the 20 mule-team Borax, which is the only Borax available where I shop.  

I have been able to compare how clean the clothes look or smell using my soap versus commercial soap because I travel a lot, and don't always bring enough homemade laundry soap for an extended trip.  Therefore I do occasionally use commercial soap on my clothes while traveling.

How do they compare?  The laundry appears to be and smell as clean with my homemade soap as it does when I use store bought laundry detergent in all cases.  I have used whatever laundry detergent I could find, so the comparison is not to any one brand.


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## biarine

earlene said:


> *Nandistar*, one difference I see in your #4 formula from mine is the absence of borax.  I have never used citric acid in my laundry soap, but I have changed the actual soap I use.
> 
> The soap I currently use is 100% Coconut Oil soap with 0%SF with no additives. The washing soda is Arm & Hammer washing soda, but I doubt the brand matters; it's just all that is available where I shop.  The Borax is the 20 mule-team Borax, which is the only Borax available where I shop.
> 
> I have been able to compare how clean the clothes look or smell using my soap versus commercial soap because I travel a lot, and don't always bring enough homemade laundry soap for an extended trip.  Therefore I do occasionally use commercial soap on my clothes while traveling.
> 
> How do they compare?  The laundry appears to be and smell as clean with my homemade soap as it does when I use store bought laundry detergent in all cases.  I have used whatever laundry detergent I could find, so the comparison is not to any one brand.



Smell good for me Earlene but I use a scent granules. Yes a minor stain is always gone without pre-treating it.  
I am currently using potassium hydroxide liquid soap ( 100% coconut oil ) With little borax. I don’t use the grated one.


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## Nanditasr

earlene said:


> *Nandistar*, one difference I see in your #4 formula from mine is the absence of borax.
> 
> The soap I currently use is 100% Coconut Oil soap with 0%SF with no additives.
> 
> I have used whatever laundry detergent I could find, so the comparison is not to any one brand.



In my case, I always use the same brand of commercial detergent, so it should be easier to compare. I've run out of it; I'll wash my dogs' cloths once I buy some.
I have used a coconut oil soap in the past, but my current one is 8% coconut and 92% palmolein, with 0% SF. The newer batch is -10% SF.
I did use borax initially, but got the same lacklustre results -- somewhere between my #1 and 2 mentioned in my earlier post. And then, with the debate over borax (and its being rather expensive here), I decided not to use it.


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## biarine

Nanditasr said:


> In my case, I always use the same brand of commercial detergent, so it should be easier to compare. I've run out of it; I'll wash my dogs' cloths once I buy some.
> I have used a coconut oil soap in the past, but my current one is 8% coconut and 92% palmolein, with 0% SF. The newer batch is -10% SF.
> I did use borax initially, but got the same lacklustre results -- somewhere between my #1 and 2 mentioned in my earlier post. And then, with the debate over borax (and its being rather expensive here), I decided not to use it.



But I noticed that in my work uniform my homemade liquid laundry soap can’t take off my makeup stain but my store bought brand can do without  pre-treatment.


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## Nanditasr

biarine said:


> But I noticed that in my work uniform my homemade liquid laundry soap can’t take off my makeup stain but my store bought brand can do without  pre-treatment.


My clothes are not all that soiled -- commercial detergent gets them clean without any pre-treatment.


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## biarine

Nanditasr said:


> My clothes are not all that soiled -- commercial detergent gets them clean without any pre-treatment.



Always my problem is the makeup stain because I use  a very heavy concealer to cover my vitiligo in my neck area.


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## DeeAnna

My experience is similar to yours, Biarine. I think homemade laundry mix has its place, but it's not the ultimate alternative to commercial detergent.

For example, I often get oil spots down the front of my tee shirts from my big leather stitching machine. The thread runs through a bath of oil and sometimes little drops of this oil get flicked into the air while I'm stitching, and of course they land center-front on my shirt. It's unsightly as well as a little embarrassing -- it looks like I need a bib to eat my food. Anyway, when using my homemade laundry mix I have to pretreat those spots. I don't have to when using commercial detergent.

Off topic -- Here's the stitcher I'm talking about. It's from the 1910s and has a needle about the diameter of coat hanger wire -- pretty deadly if a finger gets in the way. The long black box in the upper center of the stitcher is the gizmo that holds the oil to lubricate the thread.


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## biarine

DeeAnna said:


> My experience is similar to yours, Biarine. I think homemade laundry mix has its place, but it's not the ultimate alternative to commercial detergent.
> 
> For example, I often get oil spots down the front of my tee shirts from my big leather stitching machine. The thread runs through a bath of oil and sometimes little drops of this oil get flicked into the air while I'm stitching, and of course they land center-front on my shirt. It's unsightly as well as a little embarrassing -- it looks like I need a bib to eat my food. Anyway, when using my homemade laundry mix I have to pretreat those spots. I don't have to when using commercial detergent.
> 
> Off topic -- Here's the stitcher I'm talking about. It's from the 1910s and has a needle about the diameter of coat hanger wire -- pretty deadly if a finger gets in the way. The long black box in the upper center of the stitcher is the gizmo that holds the oil to lubricate the thread.
> 
> View attachment 28959



Wow that’s awesome Machine DeeAnna, we have an antique singer sewing machine but yours it’s big. You can use it in sewing leather. 

Yes that’s my experience too with liquid laundry soap. Because of heavy oil base concealer. I always have makeup stains in my clothes, it’s embarrassing sometimes but I can’t go without covering my white pigmentation.


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## Tomek1979

Nanditasr said:


> They _smell_ fine, but they just don't _look_ as clean as with commercial detergent. So here are my results so far:
> 
> 1. Only grated soap (this is my old batch of soap with no citric acid/ sodium citrate, and I have hard water): Scummy; not clean at all
> 2. Grated soap plus citric acid in water (what DeeAnna says you should not do): No scum, but still not very clean -- better than 1, though.
> 3. Grated soap plus citric acid plus washing soda: Fairly clean. Even better if I use vinegar in the last rinse. It may actually be as good as commercial; I'll have to use commercial on my dogs' cloths the next time, for a fair comparison.
> 4. Grated soap plus washing soda (no citric acid): Something like 1.
> 
> So, I think, the next time, I'll add CA/SC to my soap itself (as I have been doing of late with my other batches). Then I may be able to use just this soap and washing soda. I use washing soda with whites, not with coloureds. Maybe I'll try a shade of ammonia for that. BTW, for a load of laundry, I use about 40 grams (1.5 oz.) of grated soap.



Hello from far far Poland! I'm new on this forum, but I practice soapmaking for 5 years.
I have an idea to make a 100% coconut oil soap, -1% SF with citric acid and washing soda addition. Then cure it, grade it well and use it. Did You try to make it this way? Sounds easier than making soap, then drying and curing it, then mixing with CA and WS.
What do You think, folks?


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## Nanditasr

Tomek1979 said:


> Hello from far far Poland! I'm new on this forum, but I practice soapmaking for 5 years.
> I have an idea to make a 100% coconut oil soap, -1% SF with citric acid and washing soda addition. Then cure it, grade it well and use it. Did You try to make it this way? Sounds easier than making soap, then drying and curing it, then mixing with CA and WS.
> What do You think, folks?


Hello Tomek! I have not done it so far, but I do plan to make one with citric acid in it, probably something like the traditional recipe or variations at https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/sudsy-ammonia-in-soap.41965/.


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## biarine

This remind me to make a batch of laundry soap today.


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## S.S

Susie said:


> I make liquid laundry/dish soap using 100% CO, 0% superfat, and KOH with the CP method.  Easy peasy.  I keep the paste on hand to put on a brush, cloth, or sponge to clean with.  Works fine, with no ingredients that are going to cause me problems.


Hi Susie. Can you please explain the process in detail. Thanks


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## DeeAnna

@S.S. -- https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/cold-process-liquid-soap.49852/


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## Susie

DeeAnna said:


> @S.S. -- https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/cold-process-liquid-soap.49852/



Thank you, DeeAnna!


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## cmzaha

DeeAnna said:


> My experience is similar to yours, Biarine. I think homemade laundry mix has its place, but it's not the ultimate alternative to commercial detergent.
> 
> For example, I often get oil spots down the front of my tee shirts from my big leather stitching machine. The thread runs through a bath of oil and sometimes little drops of this oil get flicked into the air while I'm stitching, and of course they land center-front on my shirt. It's unsightly as well as a little embarrassing -- it looks like I need a bib to eat my food. Anyway, when using my homemade laundry mix I have to pretreat those spots. I don't have to when using commercial detergent.
> 
> Off topic -- Here's the stitcher I'm talking about. It's from the 1910s and has a needle about the diameter of coat hanger wire -- pretty deadly if a finger gets in the way. The long black box in the upper center of the stitcher is the gizmo that holds the oil to lubricate the thread.
> 
> View attachment 28959


My husband's grandpa had similar machines when he was still making shoes. He was a Cobbler his entire life. I wanted one so bad when he passed away and I did not know my Father in Law sold them cheap at a yard sale. I asked my husband if I could have or buy one and it just did not happen. 

Back to topic, I still prefer laundry detergent over soap, because it always seemed to leave my clothes a bit dingy.


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## Susie

And even with bleach, I could not get my whites white.  And that was when I lived where there was soft water.


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## Seawolfe

LOL funny you guys are bringing this up again. We started using commercial detergent (Ariel) + Oxyclean (or similar) last year. I ran out of soap and thought it would be better, or at least no different. Then I noticed that even with pretreating my stains (Awesome or Spray & Wash), some weren't coming out and a lot of spots that shouldn't need pre-treating were staying. Remember, Im the one that works in a disgusting job in the marine sciences where fish yack and grease are the norm. Oh and we don't wear white because it doesn't suit our lifestyle 

So I made up a batch of 0% SF coconut oil soap with citric acid, grated it just as it hardened and cooled.  I mixed it with washing soda & borax (2 parts soap, 1 part washing soda & 1 part borax by volume, yep because I'm lame). And saved some bars for stain treatment. Ya know what? Im not crazy, it is better - no more stains.  I KNOW my mix isn't the norm, and I bet if I paid for the really expensive detergent I might have the same results, but why?


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## gloopygloop

I totally find soap far better for laundry than any of the commercial detergents. Its cleaner and fresher for sure. I use 0% SF 100% CO and about 10% koh  to help for a fast dissolving when in the washing machine, I add oxy bleach and washing soda always and all washing comes out bright, clean and fresh. The loathsome part is grating up the bars....sigh!!! I think I am going to get an electric cheese grater to do the job!


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## Seawolfe

My salad shooter with the grater wheel makes this so easy. Interesting about the KOH, I might try that next time. Mind you, I travel a lot and use my stuff for handwashing too, and never had any issue with dissolving, even when I (rarely) use cold water - like on a delicate cycle.


gloopygloop said:


> I totally find soap far better for laundry than any of the commercial detergents. Its cleaner and fresher for sure. I use 0% SF 100% CO and about 10% koh  to help for a fast dissolving when in the washing machine, I add oxy bleach and washing soda always and all washing comes out bright, clean and fresh. The loathsome part is grating up the bars....sigh!!! I think I am going to get an electric cheese grater to do the job!


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## gloopygloop

Seawolfe is this what you mean by a slab shooter?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simlive-El...cheese+grater&qid=1559817445&s=gateway&sr=8-6

 I had my eye on getting one of these!
Even with the koh my laundry soap is still a bar and I too can use it for hand washing, but the koh just makes it easier to dissolve and to grate, the all naoh was very hard and brittle compared with a regular CP soap, so now my laundry soap is more like a CP soap in hardness.

That should read SALAD shooter!!!!!!!


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## MGM

Gonna reply here, as I always do when HM laundry detergent comes up on all the natural living-type boards I'm on. I was making my own detergent when our youngest was born, and spent 2 years trying to figure out his eczema with creams and food restrictions. It couldn't be the detergent, right, because I was making my own with no fragrances or colours. We visited my parents for a couple of weeks and used their Tide detergent and all of a sudden, the eczema cleared up! Went home, washed everything in commercial (free & clear) detergent, and NO skin issues for years. Then, eczema on his groin...doc thought it might be psoriasis (which my father has). Poor kid is only 7, not psoriasis (on his genitals no less!) yet!! Then my wife pointed out that I had started soaking everyone's underwear in Oxyclean and TTO as a pre-wash. Stopped treating his underwear and everything cleared up...we were able to cancel the dermatologist appointment. 
SO! Borax is fine for most people (as is whatever's in Oxyclean), but some can be hypersensitive to it. If my story saves even one person from doing a brown-rice elimination diet, I'll keep telling it!


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## gloopygloop

MGM said:


> Gonna reply here, as I always do when HM laundry detergent comes up on all the natural living-type boards I'm on. I was making my own detergent when our youngest was born, and spent 2 years trying to figure out his eczema with creams and food restrictions. It couldn't be the detergent, right, because I was making my own with no fragrances or colours. We visited my parents for a couple of weeks and used their Tide detergent and all of a sudden, the eczema cleared up! Went home, washed everything in commercial (free & clear) detergent, and NO skin issues for years. Then, eczema on his groin...doc thought it might be psoriasis (which my father has). Poor kid is only 7, not psoriasis (on his genitals no less!) yet!! Then my wife pointed out that I had started soaking everyone's underwear in Oxyclean and TTO as a pre-wash. Stopped treating his underwear and everything cleared up...we were able to cancel the dermatologist appointment.
> SO! Borax is fine for most people (as is whatever's in Oxyclean), but some can be hypersensitive to it. If my story saves even one person from doing a brown-rice elimination diet, I'll keep telling it!



Well Oxybleach is just Hydrogen Peroxide in powder form as far as I am aware. Hydrogen Peroxide was used in medicine to clean wounds and disinfect once upon a time. However I am sure that you can be allergic to almost anything and spotting what that is can be a conundrum. Here in the UK Borax is a bit of a no no and Oxy has pretty much taken its place......I think.


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## DeeAnna

Oxygen bleach -- the powdered stuff sold as Oxiclean and clones -- is not hydrogen peroxide. As sold, it is a mixture of sodium percarbonate, sodium carbonate (washing soda), and other minor ingredients. Sodium percarbonate breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and sodium carbonate when mixed with water. If not rinsed out well, the alkalinity of the washing soda (pH of around 11, speaking from memory) can be a  skin irritant.

Borax softens water and makes the wash water alkaline, but it does not bleach (whiten) clothes like oxygen bleach does. Borax isn't an alternative to oxygen bleach -- it functions more like washing soda (sodium carbonate).

Tea tree oil is pretty safe at concentrations of 10% or less, unless it's oxidized. Oxidized TTO can be a skin sensitizer and irritant.


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## earlene

gloopygloop said:


> Well Oxybleach is just Hydrogen Peroxide in powder form as far as I am aware. Hydrogen Peroxide was used in medicine to clean wounds and disinfect once upon a time. However I am sure that you can be allergic to almost anything and spotting what that is can be a conundrum. Here in the UK Borax is a bit of a no no and Oxy has pretty much taken its place......I think.



It is still used, however, hydrogen peroxide is toxic to skin and even in small percentages sensitivities to do occur, even more so in children.  Even at 3% solution, it is irritating to the skin.  Intact skin is less susceptible, however when used for disinfection of wounds, it is not usually used on intact skin.  It is also an additive in some oral products, and sometimes a mouth wash is used at 50% dilution. Serious allergic reactions to hydrogen peroxide are considered rare, but they do happen.

And, no that is not all that is in oxiclean.   Most sites list 2 main ingredients: sodium percarbonate (50-60%) & washing soda.  But there are also detergent in the form of surfactants.  And what all the remaining inactive ingredients are (I don't know) that make up the rest of the 100%. 

reference -  some of the links are now broken, but used to link to articles on the Oxiclean website.
reference - this site lists different percentages
Additional references regarding the chemical names in the two previous references:  technical data sheets, which list the chemical formula: sodium percarbonate; sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate.

Incidentally, allergic reactions can be from any component, inactive ingredients as well as active ingredients of any product.

Oops, I did not see DeeAnna's response before posting mine.


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## Susie

I am not allergic to hydrogen peroxide or washing soda.  I am, however, allergic to Oxiclean.  One of those other ingredients is the problem.  But now that I know what's in it, I may make my own if I need it.  I don't typically have a problem with needing an additional cleaner of laundry now that I switched back to commercial (free & clear) detergent.


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## gloopygloop

Thanks DeeAnna and Earlene that is so interesting, I love to know how stuff works. Oxyclean does foam somewhat and so there must be something surfactant in there, would most likely be the harshest of surfs would it not as its not intended for skin use, Susie maybe its a harsh surfactant that brings you out? it also has an aroma so presumably has an FO as well? But for me it works very well without any reactions so for now I am really liking my laundry soap with the added Oxygen and Soda, have never had laundry as clean with detergent and I have rock hard water!


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## MGM

DeeAnna said:


> Tea tree oil is pretty safe at concentrations of 10% or less, unless it's oxidized. Oxidized TTO can be a skin sensitizer and irritant.



It's true that I immediately assumed it was the Oxyclean and not the TTO...mind you, I've treated his athlete's foot with a nightly rub of TTO and OO. BTW, that stuff works like a charm....I don't think I've ever done more than 5 applications before it's gone away entirely, and once when I was aghast to find all the skin peeling off my feet (had never had athlete's foot before and was purt near traumatized), it took only *2* applications to completely cure it. I don't think I've ever had anything clear up so fast.


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