I have been thinking for some time to make detergent since both my kids have very sensitive skin and it seems that every detergent we buy gives them rashes, especially now in the summer time. I have been using Dr Bronner's soap as laundry detergent but that gets costly. So I found a recipe online and modified a few things and it actually came out surprisingly good and at a great price. I bought 2 bars of Dr Bronner's soap, $2.50 a bar on sale, A&H Super Washing Soda 55oz box, $3.49 a box and 2o Mule Team Borax, 76oz box for $3.99. I cup of distilled white vinegar, lavender essential oil and half of cup of oxy clean. This yielded close to 10 gallons of semi-concentrated detergent. I have used it on about 5 heavy loads (7 pumps) per load and the clothes have come up very clean and smell really nice. Yes, I do most of the laundry at home, the wife hates doing laundry. Learn how to pick your battles fellas and life will be A-OK. Anyway, I work at a warehouse and my clothes are often times very soiled from all the dust, muck and grime at the job and they actually came out very clean. Best part the kids have not shown any negative reaction to the detergent. I am making Fabric Softener tomorrow using the same hair conditioner my daughter uses everyday so that should work out well. Long post but I thought Id share. Anyone else making detergent or any other home made stuff that most people just buy at the store?
My wife did that for quite a while, using a very similar mix. I now do all the laundry as well though, and don't do that. I found that we were using way too much soap w/o realizing it. I sometimes use w. vinegar in the rinse, instead of softener.
We make our own and were having issues with clothes not smelling fresh. We ended up adding some of those new scent crystals in and it made the difference. We also use lemon scented pinesol in the bleach dispenser-- it helps with grease.
Thanks for the tip, tried that and it smells great. The detergent actually works very well. I have tried it on my work clothes and my son's soccer uniform and it cleans very well. The only thing missing was the scent and the crystals made that possible. I add a pinch to every wash and it makes all the difference.
