Making your own laundry detergent/stain remover, what would you use?

[Saltynuts]

Because I want to try to make my own! Both laundry detergent generally, but probably even stain remover more so.

But what would you use? What oils to make the soap? Would it be lye based because easier/better to use hard soaps (like Zote of Fels Naptha, easier/better to just throw a small piece into the washer or to rub some onto stains so that it sticks to them?), or potash based because liquid soaps better (easier to just pour into the washer or spray onto clothes)?

What "additions" would you add to the soap to make it clean better? Thinks like vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, etc. etc.

Thanks!!!

 

[Elise]

I made a laundry powder i like following @DeeAnna 's advice from here : https://classicbells.com/soap/laundrySoap.asp
It is basically a blend of shredded 100% coconut soap (0% superfat) and washing soda. Works well for cleaning sheets even those with oil stains (like the ones my partner uses when giving massages). I still included citric acide in my coconut oil recipe even though DeeAnna says chelators won't help when used in big amount of water, but I figured it won't hurt either.

For stain sticks I also make 100% coconut oil soap, 0% superfat and citric acid but also add a fair amount of highly absorbing clay (in France we have a kind which is called Montmorillonite, but I believe bentonite would work just as well).
I pour in stick-shaped molds. When using : wet the stained area, rub with the stain-stick till saturated, leave for an hour so the clay works its magic and then wash it as you would normally.
I had great success so far with wine stains, fatty stains and blood stains (but only use cold water in that case). If I'm not confident the stain will be removed at first application I may first rinse and check before dumping in my washing-machine. If the stain is still here I go an other round with the stain stick.

You could add vinegar instead of citric acid but in both cases don't forget to compensate for the lye. You don't wan't superfat in your laundrysoap.
Are you familiar with chelators ?
Just in case, here an other graet read from DeeAnna's website : https://classicbells.com/soap/chelator.asp

 

[Zing]

I'm sorry but don't have the recipe but Mrs. Zing has made laundry detergent for years. She uses
borax
soda ash
Fels Naptha soap, shredded
"a ton" of water

Good luck.

 

[Saltynuts]

I'm sorry but don't have the recipe but Mrs. Zing has made laundry detergent for years. She uses
borax
soda ash
Fels Naptha soap, shredded
"a ton" of water

Good luck.

Haha, thank you Mr. Zing, and thank Mrs. Zing for me! I ran into that formula a lot researching after I posted my OP. Thanks!

 

[Saltynuts]

I made a laundry powder i like following @DeeAnna 's advice from here : https://classicbells.com/soap/laundrySoap.asp
It is basically a blend of shredded 100% coconut soap (0% superfat) and washing soda. Works well for cleaning sheets even those with oil stains (like the ones my partner uses when giving massages). I still included citric acide in my coconut oil recipe even though DeeAnna says chelators won't help when used in big amount of water, but I figured it won't hurt either.

For stain sticks I also make 100% coconut oil soap, 0% superfat and citric acid but also add a fair amount of highly absorbing clay (in France we have a kind which is called Montmorillonite, but I believe bentonite would work just as well).
I pour in stick-shaped molds. When using : wet the stained area, rub with the stain-stick till saturated, leave for an hour so the clay works its magic and then wash it as you would normally.
I had great success so far with wine stains, fatty stains and blood stains (but only use cold water in that case). If I'm not confident the stain will be removed at first application I may first rinse and check before dumping in my washing-machine. If the stain is still here I go an other round with the stain stick.

You could add vinegar instead of citric acid but in both cases don't forget to compensate for the lye. You don't wan't superfat in your laundrysoap.
Are you familiar with chelators ?
Just in case, here an other graet read from DeeAnna's website : https://classicbells.com/soap/chelator.asp

Thank you Elise! Its funny, after I posted my OP, I started researching the subject, doing some googling. And that first DeAnna 's page you linked kept popping up to me over and over again haha! I'm not familiar with chelators, I'll have to check out her page in that second link of yours, thanks!

Its kind of weird. In my research I see many, many people saying its a bad idea to make your own laundry "soap" (i.e. lye based or potash based soap I assume). It can build up in your clothes and make them dirty, making cleaning them harder, etc. etc. But then I watched many youtube videos, I see a ton of people making their own laundry soap, using real lye/potash soap (among other things). For example, here is one:



She makes her homemade laundry mix with Zote soap (among other things), and I'm about 99.7% sure Zote is a lye soap (coconut oil based I think). And if you read the comments, and no one is telling her that Zote/lye/potash soap is bad for her laundry.

So it leaves me a bit confused about why the soap we make is (potentially) bad for laundry. Is it that we tend to use too much? Well then it seems like cutting it back, and doing a few things to clean our washer/clothes, is in order. Or is there just inherently something wrong with it, that you should really use the store bought stuff (and then, not ANY store bought stuff, since Zote and Fels-Naptha are store bought, but I think both are basically just soap like we think of them).

Would love some further feedback on this from people! Thanks!!!

 

[artemis]

It's not the soap we make vs zote. Both are lye based. The Zote based one can build up, too. It all depends on your water. Not everyone who has made detergent is posting videos and blogs about it, so you don't see their experiences.

 

[Elise]

Thank you Elise! Its funny, after I posted my OP, I started researching the subject, doing some googling. And that first DeAnna 's page you linked kept popping up to me over and over again haha! I'm not familiar with chelators, I'll have to check out her page in that second link of yours, thanks!

Its kind of weird. In my research I see many, many people saying its a bad idea to make your own laundry "soap" (i.e. lye based or potash based soap I assume). It can build up in your clothes and make them dirty, making cleaning them harder, etc. etc. But then I watched many youtube videos, I see a ton of people making their own laundry soap, using real lye/potash soap (among other things). For example, here is one:



She makes her homemade laundry mix with Zote soap (among other things), and I'm about 99.7% sure Zote is a lye soap (coconut oil based I think). And if you read the comments, and no one is telling her that Zote/lye/potash soap is bad for her laundry.

So it leaves me a bit confused about why the soap we make is (potentially) bad for laundry. Is it that we tend to use too much? Well then it seems like cutting it back, and doing a few things to clean our washer/clothes, is in order. Or is there just inherently something wrong with it, that you should really use the store bought stuff (and then, not ANY store bought stuff, since Zote and Fels-Naptha are store bought, but I think both are basically just soap like we think of them).

Would love some further feedback on this from people! Thanks!!!

I believe DeeAnna covers this part on the first page I linked it would indeed be a bad idea to use ONLY soap in your laundry. Hence the washing soda. As far as I remember, she also talk about alternatives to washing soda, but I haven't reread it myself recently. But I'm pretty sure reading it will solve your problem

 

[AliOop]

So it leaves me a bit confused about why the soap we make is (potentially) bad for laundry. Is it that we tend to use too much? Well then it seems like cutting it back, and doing a few things to clean our washer/clothes, is in order. Or is there just inherently something wrong with it, that you should really use the store bought stuff (and then, not ANY store bought stuff, since Zote and Fels-Naptha are store bought, but I think both are basically just soap like we think of them).

Would love some further feedback on this from people! Thanks!!!

I've made and used homemade laundry soap in a variety of combinations. Most are a blend of 100% CO with 0%SF, washing soda, and borax, maybe with some enzyme powders. Here is my experience, which applies across the board to all the combinations I've tried.

When we had hard water, the homemade laundry mix definitely left a lot of soap scum on our washer, and in our clothes. Having softer water helped. Pre-dissolving the mix in some hot water, and washing/rinsing the clothes in hot water, definitely helped, as well. Adding citric acid or sodium citrate to the mix did not seem to help.

Unfortunately, most modern washers don't offer hot rinses, and some don't even offer a warm rinse option - only cold. Also, some clothes don't do well with being washed in hot water. That meant taking an extra step to pre-dissolve my powdered mix in some hot water, which I then poured into the washer. Even with all of that extra time and effort, my clothes eventually had build-up, and I did have to clean the scum off the inside of my washer fairly frequently.

While I would have liked to stay with my homemade mix, those hassles eventually led me to give up on homemade laundry cleaners. Fortunately, today's dye-free, scent-free detergents don't seem to trigger skin issues in my household like the older detergents used to do. Also, I do still use 100% CO stain sticks, which work great and are much less expensive than stain sprays. Mine are 0% SF and also contain d-limonene. I do have to be careful not to use them too heavily on bright colors, or it will strip the color out and leave a faded spot where the stain was removed.

 

[Elise]

I've made and used homemade laundry soap in a variety of combinations. Most are a blend of 100% CO with 0%SF, washing soda, and borax, maybe with some enzyme powders. Here is my experience, which applies across the board to all the combinations I've tried.

When we had hard water, the homemade laundry mix definitely left a lot of soap scum on our washer, and in our clothes. Having softer water helped. Pre-dissolving the mix in some hot water, and washing/rinsing the clothes in hot water, definitely helped, as well. Adding citric acid or sodium citrate to the mix did not seem to help.

Unfortunately, most modern washers don't offer hot rinses, and some don't even offer a warm rinse option - only cold. Also, some clothes don't do well with being washed in hot water. That meant taking an extra step to pre-dissolve my powdered mix in some hot water, which I then poured into the washer. Even with all of that extra time and effort, my clothes eventually had build-up, and I did have to clean the scum off the inside of my washer fairly frequently.

While I would have liked to stay with my homemade mix, those hassles eventually led me to give up on homemade laundry cleaners. Fortunately, today's dye-free, scent-free detergents don't seem to trigger skin issues in my household like the older detergents used to do. Also, I do still use 100% CO stain sticks, which work great and are much less expensive than stain sprays. Mine are 0% SF and also contain d-limonene. I do have to be careful not to use them to heavily on bright colors, or it will strip the color out and leave a faded spot where the stain was removed.

I'm jumping at the occasion to ask someone : does D-limonene smell like orange ? And does the smell stick well in CP soap ?
I don't have access to folded orange EO, but could buy d-limonene at the same place I buy my lye. I'm considering adding it to my stain sticks too, and if that would make them smell citrusy, it would definitively make me do it

 

[AliOop]

I'm jumping at the occasion to ask someone : does D-limonene smell like orange ? And does the smell stick well in CP soap ?
I don't have access to folded orange EO, but could buy d-limonene at the same place I buy my lye. I'm considering adding it to my stain sticks too, and if that would make them smell citrusy, it would definitively make me do it

To me it smells lemon-y, which I really like. I can definitely smell it in products that I create, but others (maybe @Servant4Christ?) have said that for them, it disappeared quickly during cure. Regardless of scent strength, it is a good degreaser, which is why I like to add it to my stain sticks.

 

[Ladka]

Elise and AliOop, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience regarding laundry soap and stain sticks. They are very precious.

 

[Servant4Christ]

I can very faintly smell the d-limonene after cure, but only when the bar is wet. The smell of d-limonene is definitely citrus smelling, like a cross between orange and lemon. I do see a difference in the degreasing value, too. I thought my version of @earlene's blacksmith soap was already heavy duty, but after adding d-limonene, there wasn't a bit of natural oil left in my hands! I gave a bar to a relative who is always working on something with his hands. I got rave reviews from him about a month later. Turns out he didn't know the meaning of mechanic soap and thought that was just a cool name I made up. He uses it in the shower!

 

[AliOop]

Turns out he didn't know the meaning of mechanic soap and thought that was just a cool name I made up. He uses it in the shower!

Oh my gosh, my skin would be gone!!

 

[Servant4Christ]

Oh my gosh, my skin would be gone!!

Same here. I almost fell over, but he positively gushed about how great it worked with just the right about of scrubbiness and light natural scent. He doesn't like strong (or even average) scent usage rates.

 

[Servant4Christ]

As for the original topic: If I were going to attempt a lye based laundry soap, I'd probably just make a 0% SF coconut oil soap and use it to make the recipe on Ellen Ruth Soap's YouTube channel.

 

[Elise]

To me it smells lemon-y, which I really like. I can definitely smell it in products that I create, but others (maybe @Servant4Christ?) have said that for them, it disappeared quickly during cure. Regardless of scent strength, it is a good degreaser, which is why I like to add it to my stain sticks.

I can very faintly smell the d-limonene after cure, but only when the bar is wet. The smell of d-limonene is definitely citrus smelling, like a cross between orange and lemon. I do see a difference in the degreasing value, too. I thought my version of @earlene's blacksmith soap was already heavy duty, but after adding d-limonene, there wasn't a bit of natural oil left in my hands! I gave a bar to a relative who is always working on something with his hands. I got rave reviews from him about a month later. Turns out he didn't know the meaning of mechanic soap and thought that was just a cool name I made up. He uses it in the shower!

I'm indeed considering using d-limonene to make stain sticks even more degreasing. But since they are already quite good at removing oil stains, I was wondering if that was worth adding one more ingredient to my stock. Since I know some people I would gift the sticks to would enjoy them more if they had a smell, I think it does tip the scale toward getting some !
May I ask how much do you usually add ?

Sorry @Ladka for highjacking your thread :O

 

[Servant4Christ]

I'm indeed considering using d-limonene to make stain sticks even more degreasing. But since they are already quite good at removing oil stains, I was wondering if that was worth adding one more ingredient to my stock. Since I know some people I would gift the sticks to would enjoy them more if they had a smell, I think it does tip the scale toward getting some !
May I ask how much do you usually add ?

Sorry @Ladka for highjacking your thread :O

In mechanic soap, I use it at 2-3%. Please be careful, though, as that could be the ingredient pulling color from clothing for @AliOop. I've never had straight coconut oil soap remove color before and would likely leave d-limonene out for that reason. Remember, the smell won't carry through into the wash water or clean laundry like a lot of commercial products do.

 

[AliOop]

In mechanic soap, I use it at 2-3%. Please be careful, though, as that could be the ingredient pulling color from clothing for @AliOop. I've never had straight coconut oil soap remove color before and would likely leave d-limonene out for that reason. Remember, the smell won't carry through into the wash water or clean laundry like a lot of commercial products do.

It’s possible that the d-limonene increases the color fade, but I have had straight CO bars without any d-limonene cause light spots on both red and black t-shirts.

 

[Frijoles]

I've made and used homemade laundry soap in a variety of combinations. Most are a blend of 100% CO with 0%SF, washing soda, and borax, maybe with some enzyme powders. Here is my experience, which applies across the board to all the combinations I've tried.

When we had hard water, the homemade laundry mix definitely left a lot of soap scum on our washer, and in our clothes. Having softer water helped. Pre-dissolving the mix in some hot water, and washing/rinsing the clothes in hot water, definitely helped, as well. Adding citric acid or sodium citrate to the mix did not seem to help.

I wonder if adding salt/epsom salt to the mix would help with the problem of hard water...?

 

[Becky1024]

I've made and used homemade laundry soap in a variety of combinations. Most are a blend of 100% CO with 0%SF, washing soda, and borax, maybe with some enzyme powders. Here is my experience, which applies across the board to all the combinations I've tried.

When we had hard water, the homemade laundry mix definitely left a lot of soap scum on our washer, and in our clothes. Having softer water helped. Pre-dissolving the mix in some hot water, and washing/rinsing the clothes in hot water, definitely helped, as well. Adding citric acid or sodium citrate to the mix did not seem to help.

Unfortunately, most modern washers don't offer hot rinses, and some don't even offer a warm rinse option - only cold. Also, some clothes don't do well with being washed in hot water. That meant taking an extra step to pre-dissolve my powdered mix in some hot water, which I then poured into the washer. Even with all of that extra time and effort, my clothes eventually had build-up, and I did have to clean the scum off the inside of my washer fairly frequently.

While I would have liked to stay with my homemade mix, those hassles eventually led me to give up on homemade laundry cleaners. Fortunately, today's dye-free, scent-free detergents don't seem to trigger skin issues in my household like the older detergents used to do. Also, I do still use 100% CO stain sticks, which work great and are much less expensive than stain sprays. Mine are 0% SF and also contain d-limonene. I do have to be careful not to use them to heavily on bright colors, or it will strip the color out and leave a faded spot where the stain was removed.

Where did you purchase the enzyme powders? I’ve been looking for some without success.