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Cleaning Up:  Help! Washing soda!!!!  |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9540 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9540 Posts |
 Posted - May 17 2010 : 08:23:17 AM
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oh we would never have gotten one if it hadn't already been in the house. They had to put it in for the inspection so that worked out well for us. It got rid of the iron and that was what was keeping it from passing. It's well water so I really didn't see the big deal but that is the township we live in.
It probably has a lot to do with the suds too. 
"All you need is faith, trust and......a liitle bit of pixie dust" ~Peter Pan |
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MissLiss
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
322 Posts
Melissa
Corona
CA
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2010 : 11:04:29 AM
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Well ladies, I finally found it! I found two boxes of washing soda in a tiny little store the next county over and don't you know I bought the only two boxes they had! So today I'm grating Zote and making my very first batch of detergent! Yipee! I've never been so excited to do laundry! Hope this feeling lasts! :-)
Melissa ~ Farmgirl #724
Mother Hen to The Knitty Gritty Farmgirls of the Inland Empire
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clothedinscarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
1333 Posts
Siobhan
Battle Creek
MI
USA
1333 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2010 : 12:18:29 PM
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And those two boxes will last you a LONG time! Yay! So glad you found some, Melissa!
Farmgirl Sister #1110
Siobhan - AKA Liza-Jane (my farmgirl name), wife to my best friend, Trent, and mommy to Camden (11/28/05) and Bennett (7/11/07). and Truman (7/28/09) |
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Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2010 : 1:54:05 PM
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You can get soda ash from dye suppliers - Dharma trading sells it on line.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
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beekeepersgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1423 Posts
Luanne
Cresco
PA
USA
1423 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2010 : 07:46:48 AM
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Hi all -
I just found this forum. Could someone give me the original recipe for the soap? I've looked back a ways but didn't find it.
Thanks!
Luanne
beekeepersgirl
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
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phonelady
True Blue Farmgirl
323 Posts
Carla
Loveland
Colorado
323 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2010 : 09:38:01 AM
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This is the one I use.
Powder Laundry Soap
1 bar (4-6 oz) Castile soap, grated
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
1 cup Baking Soda
Essential oil (optional)
Combine all ingredients. Add several drops of essential oils. I like to use Teatree oil as it has fungal/anti-bacterial properties.
Place is covered jar. To use: 1/4 - 1/2 cup per load, depending on type of water and type of washer. This is a low suddsing detergent.
It's not just life-
It's an adventure! |
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beekeepersgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1423 Posts
Luanne
Cresco
PA
USA
1423 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2010 : 09:40:22 AM
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Thanks Carla!
I'm really new at this - so, is castile soap the same as the Zote they were talking about in this thread?
Thanks again!
Luanne
beekeepersgirl
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
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MissLiss
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
322 Posts
Melissa
Corona
CA
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2010 : 11:03:23 AM
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Hey Luanne. The recipe I'm using is larger than the one Carla uses. It is as follows...
1 4lb box Borax
1 4lb box baking soda
1 4lb box washing soda
1 bar Zote soap (grated really fine by hand or in an old food processor)
Mix all ingredients together and there you have it. You only need 2-3 Tablespoons per load. But remember to use cold water in the wash because the borax go through a chemical reaction when heated and can bleach colors. At least that's what MaryJane says...I haven't tried it myself! And to answer your other question, some ladies us Zote, some use Fels-Naptha and some use Castille soaps. For this recipe, you need either 1 15 oz bar or enough bars of whichever soap you are using to equal about 15 oz. That's 3 bars of Fels-naptha or 1 bar of Zote.
Melissa ~ Farmgirl #724
Mother Hen to The Knitty Gritty Farmgirls of the Inland Empire
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2010 : 11:38:16 AM
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You don't even need to use Castille soap....I have seen folk use vegetable oil based soaps, and even animal oil based as well. My laundry soap is 100% lard and works great. you're just adding some sort of cleaner in there for the really tough stains.
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2010 : 12:22:14 PM
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If you have a 99cent store, they have bar laundry soap that is veggie based.
Zote has a lemony smell from citronella. It is good for washing the floor to clean up oily food spills too.
You can find Castile at Cracker Barrel.
www.mrsrooster.blogspot.com
Farmgirl #1259
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MissLiss
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
322 Posts
Melissa
Corona
CA
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - May 21 2010 : 12:15:35 PM
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Finally made my laundry soap today and it smells wonderful! And looks pretty too, since I used Zote there are tiny little pink flecks in all that lovely white powder. I purchased an old colander at the thrift store and poured a little bit of each ingredient into it and kind of sifted them all together that way. It worked out great, everything was very evenly distributed and when I'm not using it to sift, I put all my clothespins into the grannyware colander! Now I just can't wait to try out the soap for the first time!!!! Yipee!
Melissa ~ Farmgirl #724
Mother Hen to The Knitty Gritty Farmgirls of the Inland Empire
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Candy C.
True Blue Farmgirl
823 Posts
Candy
Mescal
AZ
USA
823 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2010 : 05:56:09 AM
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Melissa,
When you need more washing soda, you can order it at acehardware.com and choose the ship to store option to save the shipping costs. That is what I do. It is in the cleaning/laundry section on the website. If you search for Arm & Hammer it will come up. I actually live in a pretty rural area and no-one carries it. Glad your soap turned out! Let us know how you like it!
Candy C.
Farmgirl Sister #977
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. |
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2010 : 06:34:51 AM
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Hooray for you.
That is a great idea to use site to store. Wonderful advise!!
www.mrsrooster.blogspot.com
Farmgirl #1259
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MissLiss
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
322 Posts
Melissa
Corona
CA
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2010 : 09:09:09 AM
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Thanks for that Candy! I didn't know I could do that at Ace! I'm off to do a load right now to try out my new soap...I've been trying to wait until I run out of my grocery store brand, but I just can't! I'm going to do just one load of the new homemade soap, then one load of the old soap and see if I can tell the difference! Won't that be a fun little experiment? Okay, maybe not fun to your average person, but I'm excited about it!!!
Melissa ~ Farmgirl #724
Mother Hen to The Knitty Gritty Farmgirls of the Inland Empire
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katalind
True Blue Farmgirl
177 Posts
Kathy
Chapin
SC
USA
177 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2010 : 12:09:15 PM
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| I have a hard time finding it also. The only places I can find it at so far is Kroger, and Food Lion |
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2010 : 10:32:33 AM
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Amy- While I agree that Borax can be toxic, everything I read is that for humans it has to be quite a large amount before you have to worry about it. It is also extremely bad tasting which discourages ingestion. Most articles state that a newborn would have to swallow a teaspoon of pure borax for it to be toxic. I think like everything- in large quantities it starts doing bad stuff but the microscopic amounts that *might* be left in the clothes when used as a detergent shouldn't be harmful.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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urban chickie
True Blue Farmgirl
734 Posts
Catherine
Niles
IL
USA
734 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2010 : 10:56:21 AM
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Alee, I agree - I think regular store detergents are much more harmful to humans than borax. There are cosmetic formulations that use borax for on the skin application, which I do not recommend because it can be sensitizing and an irritant, but it is a far better choice than what most folk are using daily. SLS is MUCH worse and is in almost everything these days!
Catherine
Farmgirl #1370
City Girl By Birth,
Suburbanite By Location,
Farmgirl at Heart
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Thweattheart
Farmgirl in Training
21 Posts
Julie
New York
NY
USA
21 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2010 : 11:16:46 AM
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I use Borax in my white wash to whiten since I refuse to use bleach which is a class 8 corrosive and has been outlawed in other countries and has been linked to breast cancer and other diseases. I found this info on Borax to be very interesting http://www.greenfootsteps.com/borax-information.html. I hope that helps some ... I wish I had the time to make my own laundry soaps but I do use a non toxic laundry soap that is tree tea oil based and works wonderfully...
Julie~ If not me...then who?
If not now...then when?
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
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Heather Nicole
True Blue Farmgirl
127 Posts
Heather Nicole
Bolivar
Missouri
USA
127 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 12:55:40 PM
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Alright ladies I am not a chemistry chick and I have no idea if this is true or not, but I found it interesting.....
http://www.ehow.com/how_5598724_make-washing-soda-baking-soda.html
Sorry I have no idea how to list a link yet, so just cut and paste into your browser :)
I am new at this stuff as well, as I am just preparing to make my first bit of homemade detergent, but I am super picky about fading colors! Does borax fade colors? I have seen conflicting remarks all over the internet! Thanks girls! Hugs!
I know full well that joy is in the small things....Farmgirl #1473 |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Jun 17 2010 : 1:53:12 PM
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I'm glad you found it. I was going to say, it's the weirdest thing but, I usually find it in the mom and pop stores. The tiny ones! lol I live in NYC so I have the exact same problem you have. No one cares what one person wants, and aren't about to cater to me! My dad lives in a small town in Kansas, he goes to a privately owned IGA type grocery store, he pays a little more (very little) and lives only 15 minutes from the big city, but really likes that Fred the grocer owner will order him anything he wants! My dad likes a certain type of taco shell, and certain type of taco seasoning (I'm mexican) and Fred doesn't mind a bit to order it special for dad, among other things. Dad said this is a lot of stuff that the big city "Krogers" (in Kansas it's called Dillon's) used to carry, but now doesn't because 15 million people don't buy it only maybe a few hundred, so no longer stock it! UHG. Seems every thing is only catered to for the masses not the few any more. So dad gladly pays fred a few more cents, gets great customer service and what ever items he wants! We'll be moving in a basement apartment my dad is making for us to live in till we save up money for a home of our own (impossible in NYC to save money!) and I'll be shopping at Fred's grocery store too!
BTW, Krogers in LA is called Ralph's don't know if they will have it or not, but since some said that Krogers sells it, it's worth a shot!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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momdrinkstea
True Blue Farmgirl
180 Posts
Elizabeth
Ozark
AL
USA
180 Posts |
Posted - Aug 07 2010 : 12:01:00 PM
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Does anyone know how the handmade soap affects septic systems?
We have a new one installed, and I'm trying to be so careful!
I would think that the homemade soap would be MUCH better for
the bacteria than store-bought...any thoughts?
"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." -Albert Einstein |
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corrabelle
True Blue Farmgirl
71 Posts
Corrabelle
Hamilton, Morrowville
ontario, Kansas
71 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2010 : 11:18:40 AM
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I use arm&hammer washing soda, they sell it everywhere here...even walmart! Big blue box. It's really cheap too...about 3 bucks.
Corrabelle
http://themayberrysparrow.com
A Kansas gal living in Ontario. Sigh.
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Cleaning Up: Help! Washing soda!!!! |
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Help! Washing soda!!!!
