Today I made laundry liquid for the first time. I have been meaning to do this for ages, but it has taken me a while to locate the ingredients.
I basically used the recipe at Sarina's Allsorts and I trust her judgement implicitly, not least, because she works for a dry cleaners and knows her clean clothes!
There are just three ingredients:
A bar of castille soap
1/2 a cup of soda crystals
1/2 a cup of borax.
Now borax was rather difficult for me to get, for the simple reason, that it is not supposed to be on sale in this country. So I made do with Borax substitute, which is supposed to do exactly the same thing.
So here is the method.
Grate the soap into a pan and add a litre of water. Heat
gently stirring while the soap is dissolved. When it is fully dissolved add
half a cup of soda crystals and half a cup of borax or borax substitute and
stir it all up until fully dissolved.
Pour into a bucket and add 4 litres of
water.
Whisk it up thoroughly together (or use a stick blender if you have one)
and then decant into suitable containers. Leave a good bit of the space in the
top of the containers so you can shake it up before use as it has a tendency to
‘settle’.
This whole process took me no time at all and
made 5 litres of laundry liquid. It will last a very long time and has cost me
so little money, probably about 60p. I have plenty left of all the ingredients
to make more time and time again, so this is one of the most frugal recipes I
have come across.
Sarina reckons to use about one American cup load in a
full wash so I will experiment a bit with it over the next few washes and let
you know how I get on.
As I say, I trust Sarina’s judgement on cleaning clothes
and I know that it will be kinder to clothes, kinder to skin and kinder to the
environment. Good stuff all around.
I already use white vinegar as a conditioner in the wash
and may just add some drops of essential oil for a nice scent too.
I'd be really interested in the shampoo recipe you mentioned a while back.
ReplyDeleteIf you give me your email address I will email you the recipe.
DeleteI'm going to give this a go in the new year as I need to collect the ingredients and some bottles.
ReplyDeleteCarolx
As you can see, I just used some old milk containers, good, because they hold a couple of litres.
DeleteI've used home made laundry powder for years..it works great!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Good to hear, I am looking forward to trying it now. Funnily enough I don't need to wash anything at the moment, which is a shame, because I am itching to try it.
DeleteHi Dan, glad you got around to making it, it really is great stuff. I usually use any soap I have laying around but the rest is the same. Check out this web site for lots of ideas
ReplyDeletehttp://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/Green-Cleaners/Eight-Natural-Homemade-Cleaners.aspx?page=3
Yes, to be honest, it was just some pound shop soap, basic stuff, I imagine it is probably the best way. Thanks for the website, I am checking it out now.
DeleteWas that 60p for five litres? Also how much do you use per full wash? Also how much for a heavily soiled wash?
ReplyDeleteSounds fantastic.
Yes, that is approximate pricing, because I am never good at working out how much of the stuff I actually used. The borax and the soda crystals were about £1 each, but I used a tiny amount really - there is enough left to probably do this recipe another 10 times yet in those packs. The soap was 5 for £1 at the pound shop.
DeleteSo far, i don't know how much I will use per wash, as I have not started yet, It will be trial and error, but 1 american cup size is what was suggested to me. I'll update when I have tried it a few times.
Not sure I answered your question. Yes, I think 5 litres cost approximately 60p, give or take.
DeleteThat's great value. I think I may have a foray when the 75p a bottle liquid detergent stash is used up. Thanks for sharing.
Deletei have used this for years, but having issues getting borax( i use the substitute too)where did you find yours? the last load i made i just used a bar of home made soap and soda cristals and that works, but not as well
ReplyDeleteI have never yet seen borax in the shops, I will keep my eyes open for it. Borax substitute is available in odd places, I keep my eyes open for it too. I actually got it in a pound store, surprisingly enough. I know that you can buy both borax and the substitute online, but you will pay slightly over the odds, because of the postage. Still probably worth it though.
DeleteWow, look at you all domesticated. It's nice to see a bloke getting on with the job of household chores. All power to your elbow, I'm inpressed.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know what, Ilona, if I don't do it, no one else will!
DeleteDan, it depends on how hard your water is to how much of the laundry solution you might have to use. Our water here in Brighton is very hard and chalky. So, I use quite a bit more than just 1 american measure cup. You`ll soon find your best use by trail and error. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI have nice soft water, which I am grateful for, so I may need slightly less. Thanks for the recipe and advice.
DeleteKeep us posted on how it works. Was told the liquid one goes off? But the flake version lasts forever?
ReplyDeleteI have no idea if the liquid goes off or not - can't see there is anything to go off really, but you never know. It was so cheap that it is worth experimenting with. If I did find it went off, I would try the flake version next time.
DeleteI usually make up around 5-6 litres at a time (although my recipe only uses 2oz of soap to 1/2 cup of the other ingredients and still works well). If I have heavy staining I rub some neat liquid in and it goes (such as dropped soup, mud, dirty collars etc). Hasn't gone off yet! I did use the powder version to begin with but found white marks all over my clothes where the soap hadn't properly dissolved. I find the liquid version much better.
DeleteBorax substitute is usually a mix of washing soda and bicarb. So people who can't find borax substitute you can mix it yourself! But proper borax can still be found (it is still legal to buy for other purposes in the UK, it's just not meant to be used for laundry) and I do think it's better than the substitute stuff.
ReplyDeleteWell I will keep my eyes open for it, I have never seen it anywhere, I must admit, but if I do, I will grab some.
DeleteI get mine from the tack and feed store. It's for treating poultry mite. *whistles innocently*
DeleteGreat idea, thank you! I love the idea of making our own. I'm curious why Borax isn't for sale? Is it dangerous? I see that al the time here in the states.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!
Modern women usually don`t use borax and have no knowledge about making your own laundry product. If the need does not arrise shops will not stock it, it`s that simple.
DeleteThe website I looked at, said it wasn't available in the uk because it is harmful if you eat it. Well, what can I say to that, you can't really argue with a dumb argument like that can you?
DeleteI have been making mine for years now love it. I would also be interested in your shampoo recipe! Have a great day :)
ReplyDeleteI use pure soap but have noticed that my whites are no longer white, is the homemade laundry liquid good at keeping whites white?
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that I can't answer that until I have a bit more experience of it. If I find the whites getting less white over time, I will probably just occasionally do a white wash with some oxy bleach or other whitening product.
DeleteHiya,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recipe :oD can you tell me the brands you used and which pound shop you got them in please? faith20uk at yahoo co uk. Would love to give this a go as an alternative to the eco balls we currently use... (Please feel free to delete my email address once noted).