Superfat soap question

[Hersheyk19]

Hello- I have a question. I have strictly hard water at home. I’ve read Castile soap (dr Bronners for example) doesn’t go well with hard water and can clog pipes over time. Mama Suds has a non-supperfatted Castile soap that supposedly won’t leave residue. I’m wanting to use the soap for laundry so will Mama Suds not be an issue with hard water or clogging pipes?

 

[DeeAnna]

ALL true lye-based soap will create soap scum if you use it in hard water. You can't get away from that fact; you can only manage it.

Dr Bronner is highly soluble in water because it's high in coconut oil and it is also a potassium-based liquid soap (at least the Dr B I'm familiar with). This type of soap will still form some soap scum, but is not as likely to cause plumbing problems as, say, a soap made with lard or palm. Not sure who has decided exactly the opposite, but that advice doesn't make sense

If you're wanting to use true lye-based soap to wash clothes, you want to use soap that is highly soluble and has a low superfat. In addition to that, you must use a water conditioner, such as washing soda to maintain a high pH in the wash water and also to remove hard water minerals. If you try soap alone, you'll be sorely disappointed.

I have no idea how this Mama Suds product is formulated or what it's supposed to be used for. Dr B isn't formulated for using in a clothes washer. Mama Suds may be okay for laundry but probably isn't suitable for bathing. Like I said before, all soap makes soap scum in hard water -- you can only manage and minimize the scum, you can't prevent it.

 

[Hersheyk19]

ALL true lye-based soap will create soap scum if you use it in hard water. You can't get away from that fact; you can only manage it.

Dr Bronner is highly soluble in water because it's high in coconut oil and it is also a potassium-based liquid soap (at least the Dr B I'm familiar with). This type of soap will still form some soap scum, but is not as likely to cause plumbing problems as, say, a soap made with lard or palm. Not sure who has decided exactly the opposite, but that advice doesn't make sense

If you're wanting to use true lye-based soap to wash clothes, you want to use soap that is highly soluble and has a low superfat. In addition to that, you must use a water conditioner, such as washing soda to maintain a high pH in the wash water and also to remove hard water minerals. If you try soap alone, you'll be sorely disappointed.

I have no idea how this Mama Suds product is formulated or what it's supposed to be used for. Dr B isn't formulated for using in a clothes washer. Mama Suds may be okay for laundry but probably isn't suitable for bathing. Like I said before, all soap makes soap scum in hard water -- you can only manage and minimize the scum, you can't prevent it.

Mama Suds ingredients are:

MamaSuds laundry detergent contains the following ingredients:

• Water
• Potassium olivate, also known as saponified olive oil
• Sodium carbonate
• Sodium borate
• Pure essential oil of lavender, lemon, or unscented

If this isn’t good, do you know of any brands out there with a good laundry soap for hard water?

 

[AliOop]

Olive oil doesn't have a lot of cleansing power, so I wouldn't consider it a good choice for washing clothes. If you want to stick with a soap-based laundry detergent, I'd recommend looking for something that includes coconut oil or palm kernel oil in the ingredient list, like this one. For a non-soap option, the Molly's Suds brand is rated very highly on Amazon.

 

[Hersheyk19]

Olive oil doesn't have a lot of cleansing power, so I wouldn't consider it a good choice for washing clothes. If you want to stick with a soap-based laundry detergent, I'd recommend looking for something that includes coconut oil or palm kernel oil in the ingredient list, like this one. For a non-soap option, the Molly's Suds brand is rated very highly on Amazon.

Ok great thank you so much! I’m ditching the toxic Tide so I’m trying to find a safer but good type of soap or non-soap but I’m just not familiar with what ingredients are best.

 

[AliOop]

I made my laundry soap for a long time using ground up coconut oil soap, borax, and washing soda. It worked well in hot water (both wash and rinse), but not in cold. As DeeAnna mentioned, there was also soap scum build-up on the washer, which had to be cleaned regularly. So, maybe try a non-soap version first, like the Molly's Suds brand, and see what you think.

 

[PaintyLiz]

I have been using my own soap for laundry detergent for a couple years with no problem. It is 100% coconut oil 0 SF. I also make it for dishwashing soap.

The last time I made dishwashing soap I ground up some dried orange peels and threw them in. It has improved the cleaning power and citric acid is supposed to reduce soap scum so I will probably add it to the laundry soap next time I make it.

When I wash clothes I fill the washer a couple inches of hot or warm water throw 1/3 c of my homemade soap in (5 oz coconut soap, 3 cups each baking soda, washing soda, borax) and stir it around a bit until it dissolves and then I turn the washer to cool to finish filling, add clothes and wash. They come out great.

For very dirty loads I add warm water about 1/4 deep and put the soap in, add the clothes, smush them down to get them wet and let them soak for a while. Then I run the washer cycle normally.

Everything is coming out really clean. Much better than the original mix I had

 

[Hersheyk19]

O

I made my laundry soap for a long time using ground up coconut oil soap, borax, and washing soda. It worked well in hot water (both wash and rinse), but not in cold. As DeeAnna mentioned, there was also soap scum build-up on the washer, which had to be cleaned regularly. So, maybe try a non-soap version first, like the Molly's Suds brand, and see what you think.

k thanks!