I’ve been making a powder version for years. This is a very basic detergent and some may need to tweak it a little. Hard water, add 1 part kosher salt to your mix. More effective yet is TSP available in the paint section. It is washing soda & 3% phosphate. Use that in place of the washing soda. My current recipe is
2 part grated Zote
1 part TSP
1 part borax
1 part noniodized salt
1 part baking soda

I use 3 tablespoons per load in my he front load washer.

I use vinegar scented with essential oil in place of fabric softner. For whites I add 2 tbsp of oxygen bleach. I never wash or rinse in cold as in the north cold is too cold. Unless your washer has a heater, hot is not hot enough to kill any bacteria. Warm water will allow fibers to relax and the detergent to do its job.

I have been making homemade liquid laundry detergent for over a year. I love it! So does my husband. For a family of five it cost us $15.74 for a year. Four bars of Fels Naptha ($1.79 each), a box of Borax $4.79, and a box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda $3.79. (Oh, I forgot to mention we also share with my mother and step-father.) Anyway, we were having a problem with our clothes looking dingy over time. I purchased some non-chlorine bleach (color safe bleach-powder form)from the Dollar Tree it was a brand called Sun. I added 1/4 a cup to the water, a cup of my detergent and then our clothes on a large load and noticed a difference immediately! So I will continue to use homemade laundry detergent. However, I will purchase the non-chlorine bleach from the Dollar General because you can purchase a larger box for $2. I think it was 56 ounces if I remembered correctly. I also use white vinegar for fabric softener in a Downy ball; store brands have some nasty chemicals. ($1.99 for a gallon at a grocery store called Compare Foods.)

I reached into my 5 gallon bucket with my measuring cup to scoop out some detergent with my large measuring cup to place into my old laundry detergent container and my hand started to burn a little. This has happened before and lead me to do some research. I no longer am using Fels Naptha as of yesterday. It contains petrochemicals. Not so good. I went to the Compare Foods grocery store (Hispanic grocery store) and the store had several (over 10) different types of laundry soap bars. There were several that were just as natural as Kirk Castille Soap! I purchased four to try out. Zote pink soap (14.1 oz. for $0.99), Viva (12.33 oz. and biodegradeable for $1.39), Lirio (14.1 oz. for $1.29) and Vel Rosita [12.25 oz. and contains an optical brightener agent (therefore non-chlorine bleach should not be needed) for $1.59.

So the search for a better laundry soap continues. I hope my information has been some help to others. Happy detergent making people!

(Mrs. Stewart’s bluing)

Ooops. This is the video with the bluing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb5tMCXWqIA&feature=related
at 1:35
I have not tried it yet. The only store product I know of is Martha’s liquid bluing. Has anyone here tried it???

Kendra, I did read about how you no longer have a dryer. I used to have no dryer and use a wringer washer. Wish I still had the Maytag wringer and the James Handwasher. I do appreciate my current washing machine as it extracts much of the moisture and thereby cuts down on drying time…also, it uses less water and soap than a top loader. On the occassions when we use the dryer, we use dryer balls from a reputable company. They lessen the drying time and the wrinkles, without chemicals. We recently watched a series online called the victorian farm and they talked of using bluing…they how and the why. It was really interesting to learn about whitening white without bleach (which is toxic and rots fabric). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQg_4CHj-1M&feature=related starting at 4:35 That series was fascinating and sure helpd my appreciation for the life we now have.
BTW, my family and I all appreciate your news/information on here.
Blessings!

MrsS-

Thanks for the health info I recently wrote about how we got rid of our dryer, and only line dry now… so no more dryer sheets to worry about