Lard CP soap for clothes washing

[KeepItSimpleSoap]

I can easily make me some "soap dust" by sanding a soap bar on a piece of course grit sandpaper. If I mix this 1:1 ratio with A & H washing powder is that a good mix and how much total mix would I need for an average washing machine? I know that machines vary from one make to the other and water levels vary too but I have been doing some searching and reading old posts but I didn't want to question or comment on a "dead" thread.
Thanks in advance. All of you veteran hobbyist and professional soapers have a vast amount of knowledge!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

It may take a long time to shred soap using sandpaper. I use a cheese grater. If I have a lot to do, I use a mechanical grater; then let the soap dry really well.
I do not try to make soap dust, so the grated soap seems to dissolve best in warm and hot water.
I have a large capacity top loading machine, not sure of the actual capacity - it has 4 water level settings. For each water level I use one tablespoon of each of the following: shredded soap, washing soda, and borax. So for example, if I am washing at the highest water level, I use a quarter cup (4 tablespoons) of each of those ingredients. If the clothes are really dirty, I double the amount of grated soap.
It would be interesting to hear what others do.

 

[AliOop]

The food processor is wonderful for grating soap, although I'd love to have a dedicated salad shooter machine for this purpose, since that would be easier to clean up than the food processor.

After grating my soap, I mix 2 parts borax and 2 parts washing soda with 1 part grated 100% CO 0% SF soap. I use 0% SF soap because my clothes don't need to be moisturized; they need to be stripped of oils and dirt. I prefer CO to lard for laundry soap, because CO has a much higher cleansing value. However, lots of people are happy with their home made laundry soap made with grated lard soap. Personal preference. When we lived in a hard water area, I also added citric acid to the mix.

I prefer to mix up the three (or four) ingredients into a big bucket, so that I can fill the washing machine dispenser from one bucket rather than three. However, the mixing process is messy and dusty, and requires a mask or even a respirator to avoid breathing in the particles. That's one benefit to not mixing, and simply putting in a bit of each of the three ingredients as you fill each load.

2T of the mix in each load is more enough to get our clothes really clean. Our fabric softener is about ¼ cup of cheap white vinegar; works great and leaves no smell. I do wash in warm or hot water, which is better at washing away the soap residue.

 

[Ladka]

What does borax contribute to washing efficacy?

 

[KeepItSimpleSoap]

@Ladka good question
Thanks for the input y'all. I did just make some soap with some CO in it. It is a tad (2.5%) superfatted.
Fat Amount
(ounces) % in
recipe
Coconut Oil 4.75 oz 18.92%
Lard 20.35 oz 81.08 %
Total Weight 25.1 oz
I could make a batch with a little more CO and 0% superfatted.
I have been using the Sage Soap Calculator.

 

[lsg]

What does borax contribute to washing efficacy?

Here in a link with information:
https://www.borax.com/news-events/september-2018/borates-in-detergents-for-better-laundry-care

 

[AliOop]

@Ladka I did just make some soap with some CO in it. It is a tad (2.5%) superfatted.

2.5% SF isn’t much. Some people do use 1-2% SF to have some margin for error so their soap won’t be lye-heavy. You could try grating up a bit of that soap and mixing it with some borax and washing soda, and see what you think.

If you have hard water, a bit of citric acid helps prevent soap scum. And I do find that warm or hot water works better for me, but some have no trouble using cold. Fun to experiment and find your sweet spot.

 

[gloopygloop]

I gave up pre mixing washing soda, oxytocin's bleach and grated soap as the particle size are always different and tend to separate in the container, I find it much better to mix at the time of washing to keep a continuity and balance.

 

[AliOop]

I gave up pre mixing washing soda, oxytocin's bleach and grated soap as the particle size are always different and tend to separate in the container, I find it much better to mix at the time of washing to keep a continuity and balance.

That's a very good point about the particle size; hadn't thought of that. I am almost to the end of my last batch, and was dreading mixing everything up since it's so messy and always ends up in my hair, on my clothes, and in my nostrils, even with a mask on. I think you just convinced me to use the three-bucket method, instead!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

I gave up pre mixing washing soda, oxytocin's bleach and grated soap as the particle size are always different and tend to separate in the container, I find it much better to mix at the time of washing to keep a continuity and balance.

That was my experience as well.

 

[Ladka]

Here in a link with information:
https://www.borax.com/news-events/september-2018/borates-in-detergents-for-better-laundry-care

Thank you so much, lsg! The text in the link is very informative.

 

[soapmaker]

I dry my grated soap shreds and then put them in the food processor with the blade attachment. Oh, yes, I wear a respirator and do it in the garage. Then it mixes well with the other powders. I also use spearmint and eucalyptus essential oil in the powder. Smells sooo fresh.

 

[gloopygloop]

I dry my grated soap shreds and then put them in the food processor with the blade attachment. Oh, yes, I wear a respirator and do it in the garage. Then it mixes well with the other powders. I also use spearmint and eucalyptus essential oil in the powder. Smells sooo fresh.

I tried all of that too but still found that it would separate somewhat as the food processor wouldn't make all the particle size the same size and weight which meant that the dustier stuff would fall to the bottom and in general it was not a "proper" even mixture throughout.
I do add 5% KoH to my laundry soap to help it dissolve better in the washing machine and it works well