Homemade cleaners

 

HOMEMADE NO GRATE LAUNDRY SOAP

 No more grating soap for laundry detergent .Yes you heard right ,no more grating. I love my old laundry soap but hated having to grate that hard bar of soap. With this new recipe I found I don't have to. It works just like the old one with mostly the same ingredients. It is so much easier and faster then the old one. You will need.
1 gallon container
1/2 cup arm and hammer washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup liquid Castile soap
2 tablespoons baking soda ( optional )

Bring half a gallon of water to a boil, add your other ingredients   . Whisk till dissolved then pour into your gallon container. Add enough hot water to full the container. That's it  your done.  Use a 1/4 of a cup to 1/2 cup depending on how big your load is.
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Foaming Soap Recipe.

I found a foaming hand soap I really like. It's so easy. Add 2 to three tablespoon of liquid Castile soap.Depending on the amount of foam you want to a foaming hand soap bottle(I use Lemon liquid Castile soap) then I added 20 drops of jasmine essential oils. This is optional but the lemon and jasmine smell so good together. Add distilled water to the bottle just till it reaches the bottom of the mechanism . Shake and that's it. I did add a few drop of my soap coloring which gave it a pretty color.

Note : This recipe is for a foaming soap container. Not sure how it will work in a plain hand soap container. You will probably have to add more Castile soap.

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 Goats milk soap Recipe ( My favorite )

 

Materials

• Protective mask and gloves
• Stirring spoons or sticks
• Candy thermometer
• Electric hand blender
• Spatula
• Large bowl
• Pitcher
• Soap molds
• Cookie racks
• 12 ounces partially frozen goats' milk
• 3 ounces lye
• 4 1/4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 ounces coconut oil
• 12 ounces soy or vegetable shortening

 

1. Step 1

   Wearing a protective mask and gloves, place milk into large bowl and slowly add lye. Stir until the mixture is smooth and without lumps. The lye will interact with the fat molecules in the milk and should bring the mixture to between 95 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Step 2

   Melt the olive oil, coconut oil, and shortening together in one pot and bring to 115 degrees.

3. Step 3

   Add the oil mixture to the milk and lye and use a hand blender to combine until the mixture demonstrates "tracing" (drips from the blender leave a noticeable path in the mixture). This will take 2 to 5 minutes

1. Step 4

   Using a spatula, fold the mixture to remove bubbles. Transfer to a pitcher and pour the mixture into soap molds.

2. Step 5

   After 24 hours, turn the soaps out of the molds onto cookie racks. Allow to cure for 2 weeks.

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Bubbling Dish Soap

WARNING: This is not totally homemade .

I found a homemade dish soap that worked great, only problem was no bubbles. I am a big bubbles girl. I know they don't do anything to help  clean the dishes.  But on those cold days,there is nothing better then sticking your hands into a hot sink full of bubbles.

I tested this dish soap for a week before posting it. I wanted to make sure it would work as well as the store bought. I am happy to say it does.

                                           My own bubbling dish soap

2 cups water

2 tablespoons of moisturizing shampoo ( I used VO5 that I got at the dollar store Tea tree is my favorite )

1 tablespoon Borax

1 tablespoon Baking Soda

1 tablespoon Vinegar

3 spurts of glycerin

 6 to 8 tablespoon Dawn dish soap.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a spoon. Using a funnel  pour into a large empty dish soap bottle .
 The original recipe  calls for clear shampoo. I used moisturizing shampoo since I like the way it makes my hands feel. I added dawn and glycerin to the recipe for my bubbles.
UPDATE: I posted this recipe two years ago. I am still using this recipe today. With the price of Dawn ( my favorite store bought dish soap. ) it has saved me a lot of money and cut way down on the chemicals that you find  in store bought dish soaps.

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Testing homemade laundry detergent and softeners update

About a week ago my friend Heidi  gave me some homemade detergent. I tried it out on my husbands work clothes. He works on fighter jets so he comes home smelling of jet fuel.  I had a hard time getting the jet fuel out of his coveralls .  Not any more, it did great!  Even in the stores I never found anything that works this good. I was so happy with it,that I decided to look up more recipes. These are the best that I found. I have tried everyone of them out before writing this post. I don't think I have one dirty item left in my house.( That's a first for me.)

                                                    Heidi's recipe ( great for oil, fuel, and tough grim)
2 cups borax
2cups Arm & hammer Super Washing Soda
1 bar Zote
1 bar Fels-Naptha
1/4 cup baking soda


Grate your bars of soap very fine. Mix with the other ingredients and place in a quarts size canning jar. Make 3  jars. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons a load depending on your machine. I have a large high capacity washer, so I use 2.

UPDATE:  I  found if you add a cup of oxi-clean to the mix it works Great for whites also.( I also added Purex Crystals.About 1 1/2 cups to the mix. It makes my clothes smell so good. This is optional.)

 

                                              For Whites

 Although Heidi's worked great on the fuel and dirt, I didn't care for it for doing my  whites.  This worked out better for me. The ingredients in the dial soap made the clothes come out whiter. How I don't know, it just does. It also smells great.
2 cups Borax
2 cups arm & Hammer super washing soda
1/4 cup baking soda
1 bar Zote
1 bar Passion fruit Dial (or any smell you like)

Follow the directions from the above recipe.

UPDATE:  I  found if you add a cup of oxi-clean to the mix it works Great for whites also.( I also added Purex Crystals.About 1 1/2 cups to the mix. It makes my clothes smell so good. This is optional.)

                                                            Liquid Landry Detergent

 Love this! It makes so much. For so little ingredients it work really great. I will still use Heidi's for the jet fuel.  There is nothing better. I wrote all my recipes on the side of the bucket. That way I won't lose them. ( I tend to lose things )

1 cup Arm & Hammer
1/2 cup Borax
1 bar grated Fels-Naptha
4 cups water
 ( 5 gallon) buckets with lid

Grate your bar of soap finely. You can use a food processor. Put 4 cups water in a old pan and melt soap over a med-high heat. Do not boil! Stir on and off until it melts . While your soap is melting, fill your buckets half way with hot water. Pour in the washing soda and borax. Stir until dissolved. Add your melted soap mixture. Stir together. Then fill the bucket up with hot water. Leaving room to stir. Cover with lid and let sit over night. Next morning  stir your mixture.I also use my hands to break up the  jello like mix. You can also use a broom handle to help you stir it. 

  Use  1/2 a cup of detergent depending on your machine.  I put mine in empty laundry bottles and use it just like I would if it was store bought. Most lids are about 1/2 a cup. Make sure to shake it well before using it.

UP DATE:
For white, I separate my bucket in half.  Then add a cup and a half of liquide  Oxi- clean to one of the halves. ( I worry the oxi-clean might fade my dark's over time. )I also wash my socks in hot water  . My family loves wearing their sock outside. So by the time I get them back to wash their black.  I also add 1/4 of a bottle of  Purex Crystals to the mix. I line dry my clothing so with the Purex I get that great smell you get from dryer sheets.

                                                                Fabric softener

3 cups hair conditioner
1 and 1/2 cup vinegar
9 cup water
1 gallon jug
funnel
1 downey ball
Place conditioner, vinegar and water in a gallon jug. Stir or shake really well. Let sit overnight for foam to settle. Use as you would any softener. For HE washers you can use the downey ball. Makes one gallon
Update: love this!!!!

                                               Fabric softener dryer sheets


2 cup hair conditioner
2 cup water
spray bottle
funnel

Mix the ingredients in spray bottle. Spray a wash cloth till damp ,throw into dryer. This makes one bottle.

                                             Flannel dryer sheets


 No this is not chicken livers. I made them for dinner ,so I cleaned and used the tubs for my flannel dryer sheets.

4 tablespoon liquid softener (  I used my conditioner. It works just as well)
10 tablespoons water.
flannel fabric squares. ( I used scrap flannel from a quilt I made. )
plastic tub

Mix water and softener together. Place flannel in the plastic tub. Pour mixture over it. Let it sit for 2 to 3 days. Pull one out. If to wet, ring out excess liquid. Throw in dryer with your clothing.

All the detergents and softeners are safe for a HE washer. I found that spraying a wash cloth will make the clothes soft . However It has a real light smell. I couldn't smell the flower sent from the conditioner. If you want a stronger smell use a stronger smelling conditioner (it may work better for you).

  
 Here is a run down of every thing I bought and the cost.

2 bars Fels-Naptha  .87 cents each
2 bars Zote  $ 1.00 each
1 bar Dail .75 cents (on sale)
1 box Borax (4 lbs 12 oz) $2.25
1 box Arm & Hammer super washing soda  (55 oz) $ 1. 69
1 small  bottle of vinegar $1.00
5 bottles of conditioner. $ 1.00 each
1 box baking soda (I had it)

TOTAL $14.43

This is what I got for $ 14.43 

6 quart jars full of the dried detergent.
  5gallons of liquid detergent
A gallon and a half of liquid softener
3 spray bottles  full of softener
Two tubs of dryer sheets.
UPDATE:  Adding Oxi-clean  and Purex  will adds  $ 2.75 to your cost for 6quarts dried detergent and 2 1/2 gallons of liquid detergent.

What I have left.
1/3 of a box of borax
1/4 of a box of super washing soda
2/3 of my bottle of vinegar  

 I have tried all these recipes. I only have one more bit of advice. If you want a strong smell use a heavy smelling conditioner. No matter what conditioner or softener recipe you use, your clothes will come out nice and soft.

One last thought . If you don't want to use softener, just use vinegar in your rinse cycle. No Your clothes will not come out smelling like vinegar. Measure as you would softener. 

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