Homemade Laundry Detergent

[gr8tdame]

I did for a while (about 18 months, 2 large batches) but after a while it just wasn't working like I would want it to (dingy clothing, etc...) I have gone back to Kirkland Tide knock off, which Consumer Reports has rated as a very close second to Tide if not the same, and I use half the amount recommended. It still cleans better than the homemade. http://lifehacker.com/5833434/save-money-by-using-just-half-the-laundry-detergent-recommended With Costco sales I calculated that I spend about .05 per load. With homemade I spent about .03 per load. I can afford the extra .02 per load. Dawn

I have tried the Costco Kirkland Brand and my family broke out in hives. We have extremely sensitive skin. We can use Tide..and the homemade laundry sauce.
I was so disappointed with the Kirkland brand detergent...I

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[DawnM]

Have you tried their free and clear?

I wonder what it was? We have no issues with it. We use the regular.

I have tried the Costco Kirkland Brand and my family broke out in hives. We have extremely sensitive skin. We can use Tide..and the homemade laundry sauce.
I was so disappointed with the Kirkland brand detergent...I

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[gr8tdame]

Have you tried their free and clear? I wonder what it was? We have no issues with it. We use the regular.

I have not tried the regular..I tried the Kirkland environment friendly detergent in the white bottle.

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[DawnM]

That is too bad. It is a great detergent.

I have not tried the regular..I tried the Kirkland environment friendly detergent in the white bottle.

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[havaneselover]

Have you tried their free and clear?

I wonder what it was? We have no issues with it. We use the regular.

Yeah, I use the free and clear for HE machines because my DS has eczema and honestly I've gotten to the point where I can't stand the smell of normal detergent. I use very little (I pay $12 on sale and it lasts 4-6 months for our family of 3) and it does a great job. One of many reasons I love Costco. And the reviews on it are consistently excellent.

 

[Sunshine25]

I use Borax, washing soda, a bar of soap and unstoppables.

I add a little more of the unstoppables directly in the drum for extra scent boost

 

[pixiewings71]

.
It seems to be the same formula I am using. I find my dh's t shirts were getting grayish previously and I only used tide and oxy clean. We bought new t shirts and I have been using my sundry sauce and I put white vinegar in the softener dispenser of my HE maytag washer. I do a load of wash everyday and have used this sauce for over a month now and the new t shirts are still bright white. I find it does the job and I am saving a bundle. I think it would be great for travel as it is thick like mayo and you only need a tablespoon per load.

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I use Tide Pods for travel, mine isn't a liquid detergent, just powder. I also don't have an HE machine, just a regular machine. lol I use vinegar when I wash my towels, blankets and sheets and sometimes I use it for my regular clothes as well, it just depends.

 

[Colleen27]

I tried homemade and went back to store bought because I just couldn't come up with a formula that worked well in cold water. Between the time involved in making it and the cost of stepping up to a warm water wash I decided store bought was better for us. In hindsight I know I probably wasn't grating the soap finely enough so I may give it another shot now that I've picked up a garage sale food processor for household (as opposed to kitchen) use.

 

[DawnM]

Do you use less than half the recommended amount?

The front of the jug says 110 washes. I use half and get 220, so I guess that is about 6 months for our family of 5. We have the super capacity washer and dryer.

Dawn

Yeah, I use the free and clear for HE machines because my DS has eczema and honestly I've gotten to the point where I can't stand the smell of normal detergent. I use very little (I pay $12 on sale and it lasts 4-6 months for our family of 3) and it does a great job. One of many reasons I love Costco. And the reviews on it are consistently excellent.

 

[havaneselover]

Do you use less than half the recommended amount?

The front of the jug says 110 washes. I use half and get 220, so I guess that is about 6 months for our family of 5. We have the super capacity washer and dryer.

Dawn

Probably 50-60% or so. Everything seems clean and stains come out : ) I would guess I do seven loads a week in the largest capacity LG front loader. We're only a family of 3, but doing my 10 year old DD's laundry is like doing laundry for three people!

 

[pixiewings71]

I tried homemade and went back to store bought because I just couldn't come up with a formula that worked well in cold water. Between the time involved in making it and the cost of stepping up to a warm water wash I decided store bought was better for us. In hindsight I know I probably wasn't grating the soap finely enough so I may give it another shot now that I've picked up a garage sale food processor for household (as opposed to kitchen) use.

I use cold water exclusively, no warm water washing around here. lol Like I said, I make two batches at a time, takes about 30-40 minutes so timewise it's worth it for me. I'd definitely suggest trying again, I grate my Fels Neptha very very fine.