I made my own laundry detergent.

[Soliloquy]

And as soon as it's gone I'm going back to Charlie's Soap.

It was cheap.
It cleans great.
And after only a week there is white soap residue in my washing machine. Which is not only bad for the machine, long-term, it's bad for clothes and horrible for diapers.

The recipe was 1 bar Dr Bronner's (grated), 4 cups baking soda, 3 cups super washing soda (I think).

I hate bathing with soap because it makes the shower filthy and my skin all tight and itchy. But I tried this anyway.

Does anyone have a soap-free detergent recipe?

---------- Post added at 01:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:52 PM ----------

I found this recipe for equal parts washing soda, borax, and Oxi-Clean. I think having a bucket of Charlie's would just be easier.

http://carriewillard.com/best-laundr...cloth-diapers/

[Mother of Sons]

My recipe is Fels naptha, borax and washing soda and Ive never had build up. Howuch are you using per load? My recipe calls for 1 tbsp but I usually use 2. I think tide is ultimately cheaper though

[Soliloquy]

I use 1 Tbsp per load. And I usually remember to put vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser to help reduce build up.

I think so much depends on your water. I had to switch dishwasher detergent after we moved here because of build up.

[bananacake]

Thanks for writing this. I get Charlie's Soap for about $10 from Amazon subscribe & save, and it lasts up to 2 months, even with cloth diapers. I just can't imagine the effort to get everything and make it would save much money.

[Soliloquy]

It was super easy to make but any savings are negated if my washing machine doesn't last as long as it would without build up. I only tried it to save money

[MariJo7]

Have you tried soap nuts? They are the husks of Sapindus Mukorossi tree. No build up!

You can use them in the laundry machine like this: Put 3-4 husks in a little cotton bag or bind them inside a cotton hancerchief. Put them in the laundry machine. for white wash or very dirty wash, add a table spoon of baking soda.
The husks are biodegradable. You can use them for many kinds of washing, not just for laundry. You can boil a few husks in a liter of water for 20 minutes and use the liquid as a shampoo.

Soap nuts hardly give any foam and they do not develop buid ups like soap.

There are also some soap nut products, such as easy to use laundry liquid. I use one with lavender, it is lovely.

[Soliloquy]

I'm glad they work for you.


I haven't tried them because, last I checked, Charlie's is much cheaper.

The reviews on Soap Nuts and diapers are mixed.

[ShangriLewis]

I just saw a recipe with Epsom Salts. I have a top loader and hard water. Homemade detergent just doesn't work.

[Soliloquy]

We have hard water, too. Hoping to get a softener in a few years.

[ShangriLewis]

We plan to buy this next year and I am definitely adding a water softener to my list.

[MariJo7]

Soap nuts may not be the cheapest, I agree . But they are worth trying because they can be used in so many ways.

http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/soap-nuts.html

I wonder would it be possible to grow such a tree in your own garden? That would be nice .

[Soliloquy]

They're wonderful! Our last two houses had one. It's really important to me that the cold water in the kitchen is bypassed from the softener so you don't have to drink softened water. . Yuck. (Unless you get a salt-free softener, which would be my first choice, but they're quite expensive. But, then you don't have to budget for and lug bags of salt, either.)

[ShangriLewis]

We had one in Seattle and I was able to wash all my clothes even diapers in soap works soap flakes. Amazing and every thing was so clean.

[FaithHopeLove]

That sounds really frustrating!

For saving money but still using natural detergent, I use Ecos Lily and Magnolia (liquid) which is sold at Costco in a huge bottle that is fairly economical, or the liquid lavender detergent from Trader Joes (which I suspect is really made by Ecos). The bottle is much smaller but it's priced well. I think my water here is fairly soft, but I still had some trouble with underarm smells not washing out of clothes worn for gardening and such, so I make a spray with Bac-out, vinegar, and dawn in it to pre-treat underarm areas and that works like a charm. I've been intrigued to try making my own, but after reading of your experience, I think I'll stick to what I'm using. I hate build-up!

[tempus vernum]

I think this is very personal and very specific to washer and water.

We cannot use charlie's soap. I have no clue why but it doesn't clean our clothes well. I think we are slobs I've also tried homemade - a ton of recipes - from the felt naptha to the washing soda/borax/oxyclean.

I gave up

I use ecos because I can get it cheap and it is pretty safe.