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 Frugal vegan laundry soap
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rabbithorns
True Blue Farmgirl

544 Posts

Allison
Fort Scott KS
USA
544 Posts

Posted - Feb 01 2009 :  11:53:06 AM  Show Profile
Just figured out my new batch of homemade dry powder.

2 bars Kirk's Castille bar soap
6 cups washing soda or borax

Total cost: $4.85

Will do 130 loads of laundry and I do 2 loads a week. That's a year's worth of soap for less than $5. Less than 4 cents per load for soap.

I use washing soda OR borax, not both, because they are almost the same chemically. Washing soda is a bit less caustic and easier on clothes. They are meant to help wash the soap residue out of the clothes.

I used to use Ivory bars but they added a new fragrance recently and it makes me wheeze.

http://www.rabbithorns.etsy.com & www.wayofthewife.blogspot.com

chessie
True Blue Farmgirl

403 Posts

Karen
Vista CA
USA
403 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  07:29:03 AM  Show Profile
Allison, What kind of washer do you have? I have a frontload high efficiency washer and am having trouble with the dispenser and homemade products. Not compatible. I need to figure out a system that works with a recipe like yours and my machine...I ave found that these "smart" machines that use less water can not dissolve my homemade soap. So i am trying to make it liquidy first, etc...

www.edgehillherbfarm.com "where the name is bigger than the farm, but no one seems to mind"
blog http://edgehillherbfarmer.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
happy farmgirl #89
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl

3890 Posts

Karin
Ellenwood GA
USA
3890 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  07:43:33 AM  Show Profile
Karen- Try dissolving your laundry soap in 1/2 cup hot water and add it to the dispenser. I have a front loader as well and that is what I had to do. Works like a charm now!

Karin

Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)



www.perfectlittlemiracle.blogspot.com
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chessie
True Blue Farmgirl

403 Posts

Karen
Vista CA
USA
403 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  08:11:49 AM  Show Profile
Karin! Thanks. Here's another question, have you or anyone tried to use bluing in your hefl? If so, how did you do it and did it work?

www.edgehillherbfarm.com "where the name is bigger than the farm, but no one seems to mind"
blog http://edgehillherbfarmer.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
happy farmgirl #89
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rabbithorns
True Blue Farmgirl

544 Posts

Allison
Fort Scott KS
USA
544 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  08:19:15 AM  Show Profile
Karen, I don't have a front loader so I don't know about soaps. Thanks, Karin for the tip. Since bluing is liquid, could it be poured in where the bleach would go?



Allison
Farmgirl #473

http://www.rabbithorns.etsy.com & www.wayofthewife.blogspot.com
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chessie
True Blue Farmgirl

403 Posts

Karen
Vista CA
USA
403 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  08:28:38 AM  Show Profile
well, that's what i thought at first but the buing has to be diluted... but then the bleach dispenser is so small that bluing doesn't work. i'm afraid to do too strong a bluing solution, that I'll stain everything, the machine, the clothes, the floor, me.... Also the same with the fabric softener dispenser too small to work with the dilution. hum...maybe i need to buy brown or gray towels and give up. Thanks for the laundry soap recipe, It is a winner! Karen

www.edgehillherbfarm.com "where the name is bigger than the farm, but no one seems to mind"
blog http://edgehillherbfarmer.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
happy farmgirl #89
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl

2099 Posts


Finger Lakes Region NY
2099 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  11:30:26 AM  Show Profile
I notice that you say the washing soda is easier on clothes than borax...

I've been meaning to ask, with all these homemade laundry formulas showing up lately, whether homemade laundry soap is hard on colors? I use the kinds of laundry soap with "bleach alternative" or "won't fade colors" on the package. I wear a lot of black and I hate when it looks dingy and washed out! Which laundry ingredients will be good for me?
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl

4738 Posts

Dawn
Naperville Illinois
USA
4738 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  11:45:30 AM  Show Profile
I've been making my own laundry soap for two years now. Our colors come out just fine. I use a mix of 1/2 cup Castile soap, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup washing soda, 1/4 cup borax & 4 drops of tea tree oil. I also put in half a cup of white vinegar in the rinse dispenser. Our whites come out nicely and there isn't any static cling either. We have our own well water here. Have fun making your own laundry soap, experimenting is half the fun!

Dawn in IL

Edited by - ddmashayekhi on Feb 04 2009 11:46:34 AM
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lulu bell
True Blue Farmgirl

94 Posts

Karen
Ashland NE
USA
94 Posts

Posted - Feb 04 2009 :  1:21:42 PM  Show Profile
Dawn with this mixture for soap how much do you use per load?
Karen
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