wash your drawers (Page 5 of 8)
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Originally Posted By kevin101:
I just made my 3rd batch last week. I helps alot to have a large power drill mixer attached. I also have bottled a bunch up and have handed it out to a few friends and family to try out. I'm hooked, I don't think I'll ever buy detergent again. I also use a paint mixer. I bought a 5-gallon bucket from fleet farm with a screw on lid. I stick the paint mixer in there for a few seconds to mix it up before putting it in with the clothes. Using the screw on lid, I don't even worry about a secondary container. |
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Just made mine, waiting for it to cool.
Standby for review. Also, my apartment smells really fresh. I got the ingredients for the following prices: Fels-Naptha Bar: $1.19 Washing Soda: $2.99 (box) Borax: $2.99 (box) I will stocking up on ingredients after I try it and like it. 
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MrM4: Welcome to the land of the free (South Dakota) Liberals are required to bring their own rope and we prefer they bring their own tree as well.
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I made some powdered stuff over last weekend(for mothers day I washed all the clothes). Everything turned out great, nice and clean. Recipe- 2 cups of grated Brommers Lavender soap. 1 cup washing soda 1 cup borax |
If a criminal attacks me homicidally, isn't that God's will? Maybe.
But if God allows you to fight back, is that also not God's will?
The Truth About Self Protection, Massad Ayoob, pg 223
But if God allows you to fight back, is that also not God's will?
The Truth About Self Protection, Massad Ayoob, pg 223
| I added 3 cups of the normal liquid Tide to the final mix before it cooled and it transformed it into a very thick and viscous solution and adds a hint of smell to it. I did this so my wife would use it more. I know it ups the costs but the thicker consistency and the hint of the old Tide smell she is used to made the difference. The consistency is much better than the egg drop soup I was coming up with before. |
NOBAMA, you keep the change.
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Originally Posted By decypher:
Anyone know if there is a baby-friendly version of this? Perhaps ivory instead of fells? Thoughts? Yes, you can use it with any soap you want. Don't get stuck on having to use the Fels Naptha. Any soap will work. We really like the smell of Coast and Zest, so we use that when I can buy it on sale. I also save all my hotel soaps (even the used ones), chop them in my food processor, and make laundry detergent with them, too. We've been making our own soap for several years now and we use anything we can find cheap. I buy a lot of cheap soaps at yard sales and have noticed no difference in the cleaning ability. |
| Does the liquid detergent recipe work better when washing in hot, warm or cold water or does it really make a difference? |
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
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Originally Posted By dab2:
Does the liquid detergent recipe work better when washing in hot, warm or cold water or does it really make a difference? I've been using the liquid for months now. I've washing ton cold, warm, and hot. I'm sure like any other detergent, it will work better in warmer liquids. I've not had any problems at any temp. I run 99% loads at warm/cold. |
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9 pages and no one has mentioned this.....
http://i52.tinypic.com/2mzikgy.jpg |
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Originally Posted By Kskvetski:
9 pages and no one has mentioned this..... http://i52.tinypic.com/2mzikgy.jpg l don't get it Mr./Mrs./Miss 40 post count person...please explain?! |
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.
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Originally Posted By dab2:
Originally Posted By Kskvetski:
9 pages and no one has mentioned this..... http://i52.tinypic.com/2mzikgy.jpg l don't get it Mr./Mrs./Miss 40 post count person...please explain?! *snicker* I'm going to brew a batch up this week and try using powdered Tide Instead of the bar soap.Will see how it turns out?!Maybe a half batch in case its not up to snuff. |
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Just made a batch per the first post. I just did two loads and it worked perfectly. I like it. Thank you to the OP for posting. I had a very hard time finding the Washing Soda, but found it at my local commissary (military grocery store). CVS pharmacy had the Borax and Fels-Naptha.
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| Last batch I made I added about 4 TBS of Tea tree oil to it for the summer time. It worked great the family did not get bite up by bugs during my time camping in TN and through the summer only places that I got bite was on my lower legs where I had no clothing but well above where my socks ended. |
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." --Mark
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My first post, after lurking for quite a while, so I'd like to start with a huge "Thank You" to everyone that's taken time to share their knowledge/observations...
Now on to my question - has anyone else noted a change in the consistency of the Fels-Naptha bars? I bought an armload a month or so ago (to make soap for family members) and just got around to opening them yesterday. The bars seem to be much "wetter" than before, and it makes it very hard to grate them... Even then the grated pieces are almost fluffy, in that they don't mix well with the other powders and tend to separate into "layers" within the container. I had the same separation issue on the first batch i made (using the older, dry bars but on a grating surface with too-large holes). I found that the soap mixture had to be added to warm water before clothes were put in the washer, otherwise we'd end up with spots of soap residue on the clothes when the cycle was done... 
Guess the Christmas gifts will have to come with a "pre-mixing" instruction manual this year... 
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I am still looking for washing soda locally. If the bars seem too wet have you tried just letting them air out and dry out? A lot of folks do this with all their soap bars and say they last longer in the shower that way. I bought some and stacked em up but I am currently using dry powder laundery soap with arm and hammer involved in some way. Got it on a nice cheap sale and since I refuse to pay silly shipping for washing soda I just went with it for now. Finding borax is easy. Finding fels naptha bars was more difficult but doable. Last place said they must have sold out because they normally stock washing soda so I will try them again in a few days when I am over that way. One thing I do with the dry washing powder is go ahead and disolve it in some water and make sure it is disolved as I fill up the washing machine and then put clothes in the washing machine. I expect to do the same thing with the home made stuff as well but I may have a lead on a few 5 gallon buckets of powdered laundery detergent for free or cheap so I don't know when I will get around to making my own if I get that stuff. |
DK-Prof quote
Please do not engage in personal attacks, even if they are correct.
Please do not engage in personal attacks, even if they are correct.
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Originally Posted By biere:
If the bars seem too wet have you tried just letting them air out and dry out? A lot of folks do this with all their soap bars and say they last longer in the shower that way. Thanks biere, I may try actually opening the wrappers on a few, but I'm suspecting it won't help too much... The bars just feel much more waxy now. I've been wanting to switch to using a small food processor to grate the soap, so maybe the electrical assistance will help resolve the issue. |
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Originally Posted By bubalus: Call Church and Dwight (makers of A&H washing soda) at 800-524-1328. Ask who carries it locally. They will offer to sell directly to you and if you buy 2 boxes, ship free. Mine was still cheaper to buy locally. Thanks. I am probably going store wandering tomorrow, well today now. Relatives are in and have some big plan and I can just ride around and look for stuff. If that fails I will make a call. |
DK-Prof quote
Please do not engage in personal attacks, even if they are correct.
Please do not engage in personal attacks, even if they are correct.
| For everyone looking for dishwasher detergent, Try the good value brand from walmart, Consumer reports rated it the best product available and you can get the big boxes for about 1,39. I know its not making your own but it is like 1/4 the price of cascade and it works better. no hazy residue at all. |
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Been making my own (as per the recipe here) for over a year now and love it. My mom's allergic to most fragrances in detergent, so she really loves the stuff. I make it a couple gallons at a time, but I should probably up the recipe to 5 gal at a time just because it gets used so much....
The mrs. wants more smell, so I think I'm going to make a batch that stinks and a batch that's au naturel for my clothes. Not sure where to get fragrance, though.... |
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Wet Soap-
I get a bit of humidity in my basement during the summer. Any soap bars that I have stored (that aren't proteced) will get bubbly and soft. I have over a hundred bars of bath/shower soap put up, not to mention Fels and Zote for laundry. In order to keep it from crapping out in humidity, I vacum sealed them. The Fels Naptha and Zote bars I sealed individually, and I put the bath bars in packs of 4. I made my first batch of laundry soap in June. I've gone though about 2/3 of the original batch since. (Family of 5) Mrs. Paddy didn't like the lack of suds and the fact that the clothes didn't smell like soap when the load was finished.  I wasn't about to go hunting for whatever the hell "essential oils" are. (Essential oil is either 5W30 or HOPPE's, and it's in the garage, where it belongs)
So, for sudsing and scenting, I put Arm n Hammer liquid into a squeeze bottle and squeeze a ?tablespoon? into each load. Everyone's happy, and we still spend 95% less for laundry soap. S.F. is truly "The Shit" |
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Originally Posted By TxRabbitBane:
Been making my own (as per the recipe here) for over a year now and love it. My mom's allergic to most fragrances in detergent, so she really loves the stuff. I make it a couple gallons at a time, but I should probably up the recipe to 5 gal at a time just because it gets used so much.... The mrs. wants more smell, so I think I'm going to make a batch that stinks and a batch that's au naturel for my clothes. Not sure where to get fragrance, though.... Try a scoop/cup of powder tide or liquid tide after the gel phase.When you mix to dispense into smaller jugs.Thats what i did for my ladies in the house 
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Originally Posted By dab2:
Originally Posted By Kskvetski:
9 pages and no one has mentioned this..... http://i52.tinypic.com/2mzikgy.jpg l don't get it Mr./Mrs./Miss 40 post count person...please explain?! First rule of soap molds from Fight Club? You don't talk about soap molds from Fight Club |
| I've been making laundry soap since this thread first turned me onto to it a few years ago. After long term usage, I would say it is pretty good stuff, I have noticed our whites aren't as "bright" with this formula, oh well. My very first batch separated and gelled up pretty badly, I had to empty the jugs and hit it with an immersion blender for a few seconds. Since then, I shake the jugs I put it in every 15 minutes or so as it cools down after making it. I have not had separation or gelling issues doing that. It truly is remarkable, we do laundry for a family of four for a few dollars a year! |
"If you loan someone $20 and never see them again, it was worth it."
"Patriotism... is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." ~Adlai Stevenson
"Patriotism... is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." ~Adlai Stevenson
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Originally Posted By Sniper1444:
Originally Posted By Marty369:
Does this soap not foam up as much as normal stuff? no it doesnt Thanks! One more for you guys, I noticed tonight that some of the small batch I brought in had seperated into two layers. Shook it and it came back. I hadn't seen anyone mention seperation like I saw tonight and wanted to make sure something hadn't gone wrong. |
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Originally Posted By Marty369:
Originally Posted By Sniper1444:
Originally Posted By Marty369:
Does this soap not foam up as much as normal stuff? no it doesnt Thanks! One more for you guys, I noticed tonight that some of the small batch I brought in had seperated into two layers. Shook it and it came back. I hadn't seen anyone mention seperation like I saw tonight and wanted to make sure something hadn't gone wrong. I actually see that as well sometimes. I take a paint mixer to the bucket to mix it up before I put it in the smaller bottle for the house. Side Note: Others have seen this as well so we didnt do anything wrong 
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