cleaning agent for laundry, dishes ,floors, tiles, bathrooms.... $2.00 for 9 litres..

here is the recipe.

* 1 cake pure soap
* 1 cup washing soda
* water
* 3 buckets.

*grate the soap ,bring to boil in at least i litre water (the exact amount is not important so long as its a minimum of 1 litre) mash with potato masher or mix in food processor.i scraped the soap with a knife, then put in food processor, before puting in water, it was like powder and easy to dissolve.
*dissolve one cup of washing soda in 1 litre of hot water in a bucket
*strain in the soap solution.
*Divide the soda/soap solution into 3 (9 litre) buckets and fill each bucket slowly with cold water.mix with your hands or a wooden spoon.
This will set into a soft jell,which can be used in you washing machine with hot or cold water.you can make a thicker mixture , two buckets,but it will need to be disolved in hot water before adding to machine. use 2-3 cups per wash depending on size of the wash.
grubby clothes can be rubbed with a bar of the soap and put to soak in mixture.
if you feel now and then you need to use a comercial stain remover, you can still use this mixture for the general wash.

so thats all it is, 30 minutes of your time and about $2.00. happy Cleaning !! let me know if you find other uses for it. or if you have any problems.


This was posted by Roxanna on the old Yafooey. The name for this section also came from Roxanna. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Roxanna, you mentioned something about this on old Yafooey which I now am asking about.
"i think it would have been better to mix the soap with cold water rather then boil
,as per instructions. definately do that next time."
What did you mean by that?

don't remember !!
i have been making it ever since that first time,and always boil the water!! soap disolves easier in hot water than cold.

Well, since Roxanna can't remember... I'll let it go... but gee!... That sounded kind of interesting! lol

Roxanna! Your help is needed here!!


here is the recipe.

* 1 cake pure soap
* 1 cup washing soda
* water
* 3 buckets.

*grate the soap ,bring to boil in at least i litre water (the exact amount is not important so long as its a minimum of 1 litre) mash with potato masher or mix in food processor.i scraped the soap with a knife, then put in food processor, before puting in water, it was like powder and easy to dissolve.
*dissolve one cup of washing soda in 1 litre of hot water in a bucket
*strain in the soap solution.
*Divide the soda/soap solution into 3 (9 litre) buckets and fill each bucket slowly with cold water.mix with your hands or a wooden spoon.
This will set into a soft jell,which can be used in you washing machine with hot or cold water.you can make a thicker mixture , two buckets,but it will need to be disolved in hot water before adding to machine. use 2-3 cups per wash depending on size of the wash.
grubby clothes can be rubbed with a bar of the soap and put to soak in mixture.
if you feel now and then you need to use a comercial stain remover, you can still use this mixture for the general wash.

so thats all it is, 30 minutes of your time and about $2.00. happy Cleaning !! let me know if you find other uses for it. or if you have any problems.

This is what I want clarified.....
*Divide the soda/soap solution into 3 (9 litre) buckets and fill each bucket slowly with cold water.mix with your hands or a wooden spoon.

Will each bucket hold nine liters or will this be nine liters total? Another words, is finished product going to make 27 liters total or nine liters total?

each bucket will be filled =27 litres.
i got one 25 litre container the solution is a bit stronger, that's ok. but much stronger it would gell to thickly.

help breezey !! in previous posts you had the usa equivalent soap was it ivory ? and what did you call the washing soda ? can you check on that ?

Rox,
GREAT! idea; Thank you! smile

GOOD Ol' GOOGLE - apparently we are not the only ones puzzled by that term "washing soda"...

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1.
Buy Super Washing Soda
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Washing Soda In Stock. Low Price Try to Beat Our Low Price Promise!

Web definitions for washing soda
sodium carbonate: a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn - Definition in context
Search Results

1.
What is Washing Soda?
Brief and Straightforward Guide: What is Washing Soda?
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2.
where can I find washing soda? - Laundry Room Forum - GardenWeb
24 posts - 21 authors
Has arm and hammer washing soda been taken off shelves like red devil lye? I cannot find it in any store. I have checked walmart, ace, albertsons, ...
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3.
Baking Soda or Washing Soda? (Diaper Pin)
One of the main questions that we get asked regarding laundry is about the usage of Baking Soda and/or Washing Soda. There is much conflicting information ...
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4.
The Wonders of Washing Soda | Healthy and Green Living
Washing soda is a non-toxic all purpose cleaner that cuts grease, cleans petroleum oil, removes wax , and neutralizes odors.
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5.
Substitute for Washing Soda
I am looking for a substitute for washing soda. I was trying to make my own laundry soap but I cannot find "washing soda" in any stores around me.
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6.
Homemade Laundry Detergent Question - What is Washing Soda?
Tawra: Washing soda is not baking soda. Here is an excerpt from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] that explains it better than I would have! ;-) ...
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7.
Our Products Super Washing Soda
ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda Detergent Booster adds extra cleaning and freshening power for tough jobs throughout your home. Super Washing Soda works as ...
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8.
What is Washing Soda
Nov 8, 2008 ... Wondering what washing soda is? Here is answer. What is Washing Soda.
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9.
What does washing soda mean?
Definition of washing soda in the Definitions.net Directory. Meaning of washing soda. What does washing soda mean? Information and translations of washing ...
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10.
Washing Soda
Arm and Hammer Washing Soda is a natural water softener, boosts detergent cleaning power by 40%, cleans and deodorizes and is used in Metal Brite and ...
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I went with #6...
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Washing soda should be in the laundry section of your grocery store. It comes in a yellow box, made by Arm & Hammer, but it's NOT baking soda. If you're interested, washing soda is Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3), baking soda is Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3), and borax is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate (Na2B4O7*10H2O), all different chemical compounds.

If you can't find it locally, call this number: 1-800-524-1328. It's the Arm & Hammer number and they should be able to tell you where the closest place is that you can find it. There are places on the internet where you can order it, but shipping costs will eat up a portion of your savings, so that would be a last resort.

^^ Pretty cool site! in and of itself, too!

Thank you, Rox! };>

reply
quote
10 June 2009 09:38 AM

Any other questions... here is the link to the topic on old Yafooey.
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thank you breezey,i'll pass that on to the people who were intrested.

Hello Roxanna!! I did it! I FINALLY made that laundry soap and am now putting it to the test!
In a few days, I will let you know what I think.

Roxanna, that one bar of soap you grate up... it smells lemony!

lemony sounds nice! how long did it take you make ? remember stains need to be treated as per usual, though you can use your mixture and a little elbow grease.good luck !

I have been using pure soap, but now can only find the new improved version, it's smaller and boasts a "light" fragrance there should be NO fragrance, like it has been up till now, I will contact the manufacturers and find out what's going on .

As far as I can tell, mine doesn't state any fragrance, but it smells nice!

It wouldn't really have taken long, except... I am one to run off in different directions! lol Had to kind of rush and heat the last amount of starter.. to finish it! Did that make sense? lmao!!

Report on laundry soap... I love it!

yay!!!!
did you use vinegar instead of so called fabric softener ? rinses out any little residue and makes laundry smell clean and fresh .
did you know that you could also wash hair with the soap mixture and rinse with vinegar in final rinse?

I haven't used vinegar, but remember reading that. I just may have to give that a try.
As for using as a shampoo.. not sure I want to. Seems the bar soap, Fels-Naptha, is a little evasive with what the ingredients really are?

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Here is what this site, for the item, says about ingredients...
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But... I KNOW the bar I used didn't have nearly that much information on it.

Wow! I am learning a lot here! lol
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Fels Naptha Soap, 5.5 oz. bar
Very useful information!

Roxanna, something has been brought to my attention with this soap recipe. Have you or anyone else been having problems with sewers or septics? It seems the bar soap is made with fats that will collect and clog the lines.
I have been running into many problems and couldn't figure out why. I did some research and this is what I am finding...
"SEPTIC SYSTEMS anyone? I know for certain that Fels Naptha soap is BIG no, no for septic systems. Fels Naptha has fats in it and lines the sewer pipes with gunk that will eventually clog it."

"I have been looking and looking and looking for a homemade recipe that is LIQUID, HE compatible, encourages good bacteria, and is SEPTIC SAFE."

"We just had our septic tanks pumped and found that the pipe to the tank from house was almost backed up to the house. There was a hard powder substance blocking the opening to the tank. I make/use the Duggar’s laundry detergent recipe as above (for two years) and showed it and recipe to the septic man. After seeing that we use liquid not powder detergent, he recommended we not use it because the powders are building up."

"Angela, read this and tell me what you think, or what your septic service thinks…I’m SO nervously about septics! [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

These comments came from this site...
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I went to that link that had been posted and found this..
"It is also a common rule of thumb for septic system maintenance that fats and greases should not be sent into your septic tank because they can clog inlet drains and don't degrade quickly. One of the main ingredients in the homemade laundry detergent recipe is Fels Naptha Soap/or Zote soap. Soaps are made with oils or fats, and should probably be avoided in excessive amounts, such as is used laundry for 7 people! I could not find specific documentation in what sorts of oils or fats are used in the soaps in these recipes, but by virtue of them being soaps, I am assuming them to be less septic friendly, because oils and fats don't degrade quickly in septic tanks and can cause problems.

So, without further delay, here's my recipe, partially based on what another gal I read about online is doing to avoid using soap in her homemade laundry detergent. Sorry, I can't find her post, but if you do, please post it in the comments for me."
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Homemade Laundry Detergent


2 cups Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
1 cup citric acid


Fill 5 gallon bucket half full with warm water. Dissolve Washing Soda and Borax in water by stirring thoroughly. Fill to about 2 inches from top, then add citric acid, stirring again. A fizzing reaction will happen when the citric acid reacts with the washing soda, creating carbon dioxide and sodium citrate, another compound that is often added to many green detergents and shampoos as a chelating agent (meaning it takes up the hard water metal ions in water.) Don't worry, it doesn't overflow. It just makes a cool fizzing action and is done. Then, add a little more water if desired, and you're done. Use 1 cup per load for sparkly clean clothes.

The recipe is essentially my previously posted recipe, but doubled, with no bar of soap, and with citric acid added. Citric acid is used in detergents to break down food and hard water films. I added it out of experience with homemade dishwasher detergent recipes. Vinegar can have a similar, yet less productive effect. I talked to a chemist friend, because I had noticed that a lot of non soap based detergents used enzymes to break down food stains, and I wondered if citric acid could be used instead. I also was concerned that I would lose the full effect of the citric acid because of the fact that citric acid and washing soda react in solution, forming sodium citrate and carbon dioxide.

Here's what he said:
"It takes four to five one hour lectures in freshman chemistry to get the concept of how weak acids like citric acid and vinegar (AKA acetic acid) interact with strong bases like NaOH (the masochist out there can Google Acid Base Equilibrium). Bottom line here is that this effect is not negated since a fair amount of the desired component exists in solution. The underlying questions is what in this mixture is doing what. In order to keep a septic system clean and functional you need bacteria to digest the organic materials. Things like citric acid will do this by breaking down the proteins and polysaccharides into component amino acids and sugars which the bacteria use as a food source. The use of enzymes is sometimes preferred since the enzymes can do this much faster than simple acids."

So essentially, my solution should work very well both as a detergent and for the health of my septic system, because I have 4 things working for me in solution: Washing Soda (deemed septic safe on the manufacturer's website, and acting as a grease cutter), Borax (which is deemed septic safe on the box, useful in cleaning, deodorizing and brightening clothing), Citric Acid, which, as my chemist friend said, breaks down proteins and fats common in food stains, and making them more easily digested by my septic tank bacteria, and Sodium Citrate (because of the chemical reaction between the Citric Acid and Washing Soda), said to be biodegradable and septic safe and used as a chelating agent to bind with the minerals in my hard water, so that the rest of the ingredients can do their job.
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No septic tank here Breezey,so far no particular drain problems that I'm aware of.
the ingredients of Velvet soap that I use is:
Sodium Tallowate,Water,Sodium Cocoate,Glycerin,Sodium Chloride,Fragrance (boo!) Etidronic Acid,Tetrasodium,EDTA,Cl 11680,Cl16255,Potassium, Hydroxide.
It doesn't mention fat, though for all I know any of the above could mean fat !
PS if you make the soapless one let me know how well it works.

lol Here is a start!
Sodium tallowate is a true soap created when the fatty acid from animal tissue is combined with some type of lye, usually sodium hydroxide. The resulting soap is often used as an ingredient in skin cleanser.
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Now, what is velvet soap?

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breezey,when I click on this link it 'could not be found on this server'' if it doesn't work for you, just google Velvet Soap Australia, it will tell you all about it .

Well, looked up velvet soap. From what I am finding, it's not made the same as it used to be and is now made from chemicals? Are Sunlight and velvet the same thing?

Don't know if velvet and sunlight are the same thing, only ever buy velvet.
also don't know if the recipe has changed,but unless you make it yourself,there will be additions of somesort.

Looks like I will have to keep searching out more information.

Me again... can't give any proof that the laundry soap is a problem for my sewer lines since nobody knows WHAT is wrong and it's growing old...fast.

I am still using this laundry soap... now adding fragrance... essential oil.   
One of the really useful things I learned on Yafooey. lol