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

[earlene]

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!

 

[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!

 

[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!

 

[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.

 

[artemis]

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.

 

[Susie]

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.

 

[HowieRoll]

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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Arimara]

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.

 

[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.

 

[HowieRoll]

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!

 

[biarine]

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

 

[Nanditasr]

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!

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?

 

[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?

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?

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

 

[Nanditasr]

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).

 

[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?

 

[Nanditasr]

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.

 

[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.

 

[Nanditasr]

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.