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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Homemade "Whipped" Laundry Detergent




I liked the Liquid  Laundry Detergent ( link) version that I made, but really wanted to try the "whipped" version! I have been using it for a little over a month now and I have to say, I truly do like this!! 
Its really hard (for some people) to get used to the fact that you only need 1 tablespoon, per load!! Really! And it does get the clothes clean because its super concentrated!!
I do use about a tablespoon and a half for my hubby's work clothes (he gets them super
 dirty!) and I have been adding anywhere from 1/2 cup to a 1 full cup of vinegar to help get the smell out (×̯×)  whew! hehehe
I also use the vinegar in our everyday clothes too, it helps with static and softens them to!

I  use my "Homemade Dryer Sheets"( link) for the smelly good part  ツ 
I do use bleach, in with the whites along with this laundry soap, its safe to use  together. Its also safe for HE washers as it does not suds up, at all...




This is what you need:
2 Bars of Fels-Naptha Laundry Soap (or any two of your choice)
2 Cups of 20 Mule Team Borax
2 Cups of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (*not Baking Soda!)
10 Cups Total of Hot Water, Divided (6 & 4) 
Cheese Grater

Grate up the 2 bars of Fels Naptha - this requires a little bit of a workout lol ... you'll see what I mean ( and be careful of your fingers!) 



Add 6 Cups of Hot Water, on Med-Low heat stir until all the soap is dissolved.


Stir in the 2 Cups of Borax and the 2 Cups of Super Washing Soda. Continue stirring over Med-Low heat until all the powder in dissolved. Make sure it doesn't boil over. (I heard it was a mess!) I made sure to keep close watch, because I didn't want to clean up a huge mess! 

Once its all dissolved, add 4 more Cups of Hot Water, stir well and turn heat off and let set over night. It will start firming up as it cools. 



I just left it in the same pan over night.
Being that I am a impatient person, I kept going back and stirring it up (as well as did everyone else in the house lol) My daughter kept commenting on how much it looked like mashed potatoes, I told her, "sure, go ahead and take a bite" (for all those times she needed her mouth washed out with soap and never got it
 (¬_¬)  haha!) But she is old enough to know better and not to eat it! So if you have young ones, keep it up out of reach, where they can't get to it because it truly does look like mashed potatoes! That is, until its whipped then it looks like some sort of frosting!



Yummy Mashed Potatoes...NOT!
BEFORE Whipping
This was so thick, I couldn't use my tiny little food processor to whip it, nor my blender! (believe me, I tried!) And I don't have a electric hand mixer anymore.  If you have a stand mixer that would probably work, but I don't have one of those either ¯\(°_o)/¯

I had to get the big gun out!! (My hubbies idea)


Used my hubby's cordless drill and his paint mixer
  Hand model - Chelsea  ツ 
I used my husbands cordless drill and his paint mixer to whip it up (good thing he takes care of his stuff and cleans it properly after each use!) It worked PERFECT!


After whipping, I transferred it to my handy dandy 5 quart ice cream bucket. It fit perfectly in there, with a lil room to spare. Its easy to get a scoop of detergent out also! It would most likely fit in the 4 quart ice cream bucket too, if that is all you have!


5 qt. Ice Cream Bucket...with room to spare!
1 level Tablespoon scoop is all it takes



I use my fingers to get it out of the scoop and squish it between my fingers to break it up a bit, and rinse my hand and the scoop in the water. What chunks remain, will dissolve. I haven't tried just plopping the whole scoop of soap in to see if that breaks up and dissolves, I'll have to try that to see... 


Squishhhhh  ;)

That's it! Fill the tub as usual with clothes, and they come out clean!

Have Fun!

8 comments:

  1. You can skip the water all together and just mix the "dry" ingredients (after shredding the soap) in a blender. You still only need 1/2-1 TBSP per load and you need less space for storage and you don't have to let everything sit overnight. I find it much easier to use and store. Dissolves nicely and you dont' have to get "messy" adding it to your load.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi again :)
      Thanks for the tip, I'll have to give the powder a try...(I haven't tried the powder yet.)
      Did you see my other post on laundry detergent? Besides the whipped (June 2012 in archive)I'll have to try it in the blender, that would dissolve quicker than just using the grater.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  2. Thanks for posting this! I tried the "mason jar on a blender bottom" version and ruined my stand mixer so I was very happy to see this! I cooked it up last night and then just used my hand mixer this morning and it did a fantastic job. I can't use the powdered version because I only wash with cold water and this is a nice space saving option compared to the gallons I was making before.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa,
      Awww, I'm sorry you ruined your mixer! I wish I had a stand mixer!
      I like the whipped version also but,if you ever get tired of making the whipped version,or want to switch it up, you could do the powdered version and dissolve a little in a cup of hot water first and adding it to the cold as its filling. Just a thought...
      Thanks for leaving a comment, let me know how you like it!

      Delete
  3. Hi there, love this recipe. A lot easier than the jars upside down method! Just wondering if this can be used in HE front loader machines. They have a drawer compartment to put laundry products in. I wonder if the mixture would dissolve ok?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Miss Sandra,
      I don't have a HE washer, but I know from other people that its fine for HE washers, because this does not produce suds. I'm not sure about if it would dissolve or not, I guess you could try? Or you could try my powdered version here http://whitfieldshomeinthecountry.blogspot.com/2013/03/homemade-powdered-laundry-detergent.html

      but I thought I read somewhere that people were putting it in the drum? Don't quote me on that statement though!!

      Delete
  4. I use my food processor for the Fels Naptha, works wonderful and the clean up is so easy. I am going to try this whipped method nextt, thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Beverly,
      sorry for the big delay....
      Food processor's are so handy!!
      How did you like the whipped version?

      Delete

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