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Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent with Scent Crystals

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So I bought some Zote Laundry Soap a couple weeks ago and have been waiting to make some powdered detergent till my Whipped Detergent was gone. I  used the Fels-Naptha Soap in my Liquid & Whipped Laundry Detergents, and that does smell good, and works really well too,  but after the clothes are washed and dried they don't have a scent. I like a good smelling shirt. :) That's why I made the Dryer Sheets , but I wanted to try the scent crystals in the Powdered Detergent. I used the Blue Bottle which is "Fresh Spring Waters" I would like to try the  Lavender Blossom but my hubby needs to smell that one first to see if its okay by him! Wouldn't that be so pretty though? Pink, Purple, & White!!! Even the Purex Crystals for Baby smells good...

Here is what you need:

2 Bars of Zote, or Fels-Naptha (You can use any bar soap you like, I've seen some recipes  with Dove, Ivory etc. (but I wouldn't use any that had oils in them, just my opinion)
2 Cups of Borax
2 Cups of Super Washing Soda
1 1/2 Cups of Purex Scent Crystals (you can use more or less to your liking) Updated  6/29/13 (see Edit below) I used my Gain Scent Crystals...I used the whole bottle. :)
1 Cup of Baking Soda (optional) (I didn't add this in, but have seen it added to other recipes)

I cut my Zote with a knife (its kinda soft-ish) into small cubes and put it into my little food processor  along with some of the borax or washing soda so it wouldn't stick to the blades so much.  I just did a little at a time so as not to burn up the motor. I also put the scent crystals in the processor too, it kinda chopped those up as well. If you don't have a food processor you can put your bars of soap in the freezer and use a small grater. Freezing the soap makes the grating a little easier and makes it into smaller flakes.

You only need 1 or 2 Tablespoons Per load! If its a really dirty load, you probably want to use 2. This detergent dissolves in cold water just fine. Its safe in HE machines, as this doesnt suds up at all, so don't add more thinking you'll get suds ;)

Edit 6-29-2013
I made a new batch with the Gain Scent Crystals ♥♥ Love the smell!! I missed my Gain....

Homemade Laundry Detergent with Gain Scent Crystals

Homemade Laundry Detergent with Gain Scent Crystals

Homemade Laundry Detergent with Gain Scent Crystals

Happy Laundry Day! I just know you love doing Laundry!  ツ  

Homemade "Whipped" Laundry Detergent

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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!

How To Clean & Sanitize Your Washing Machine

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After I made my Homemade Laundry Detergent, I was washing all sorts of things to "try it out" and I still love it!!(that's was probably the only time I have ever done ALL the laundry and nothing else to wash! lol) It gets things really clean!
Well my husband was working on the cars here recently and he had some of his work rags that needed washed (he does throw the really nasty one away... he doesn't want to ruin the washer, or get grease on our clothes!) anyways after washing his rags there was a nice black ring in the washer (•̪●) so that was a perfect time to do a post on Cleaning the Washing Machine!

Ewww! Ring around the washer! Do you see the ring on the basket too?

Ewww  #2

I HAD to do something after seeing this in my washer! I couldn't let this go, sooooo.... I cleaned it.

What you need:
3 Cups Bleach
2 Cups White Distilled Vinegar
1/2 Cup of Homemade Laundry Detergent (optional)

Set your washer on longest wash cycle, fill washer with Hot water and 3 Cups of Bleach, once filled let it agitate for a minute, then turn it off and let it sit for 1 hour. Start washer after the hour is over (you can let it soak for longer if you would like) This is when I added the Laundry Detergent in mine. Let it run through the whole wash and rinse cycles until its done.
**(if you need to wipe it down, this would be the time)
Then...
On the longest wash cycle fill washer again with Hot water and add the 2 cups of vinegar,once full let it agitate for a minute then turn it off and let it sit for 1 hour. Again turn it back on and let it run through the wash and rinse cycles.

**If your washer is in bad shape you may have to do a little wiping down to get the extra grime off, between the bleach and vinegar cleaning.

While I was at it, during the bleach soaking, I detailed the rest of the machine with a toothbrush, a rag and a scrubby using the bleach water. I cleaned the front where all the knobs are and the inside lid where the lip is (that always gets dirt and dust in there!) also the rim around the basket. Pretty much where there was dirt and grime. I don't have any dispensers in my machine, but that would be a good time to clean them also. You might want to run some clean water through the dispensers after the bleach though.
My machine is all shiny clean now. I am confident that I have a clean washing machine, and not afraid to wash my whites!

You should have a clean and sanitized washer now. The bleach and vinegar will kill bacteria, it will clean soap scum, and if you have hard water, it helps break up any mineral deposits in your hoses and basket. It will also freshen any funky smells that you might have

That's it! Just clean..

Happy Washing! Ha!

Homemade Laundry Detergent (s)

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Liquid  Laundry Soap 
Concentrate Whipped Soap 
Powdered Laundry Soap

I've been waiting a long time to make this! I couldn't justify not using up my "store bought" detergent before I made this. I loved the smell of my Gain, but hopefully they will come out with the scented laundry crystals for the Original Gain too (maybe they already have?!?? ) Or I could just make my own dryer sheets! (light bulb! ...blog idea (•̮̮̃•̃) ) Anyway I finally ran out the other day and was looking forward to making some detergent. (funny huh!?) I never in my life wanted to do laundry so bad! Haha!
 We already had all the ingredients since I used them for other "homemade" things, but I was trying to be  being patient! 
I have used Fels-Naptha for years, but not for laundry... growing up if we got into poison ivy we were told to wash with the Fels-Naptha, and my husband seems to always get into poison ivy or poison sumac a couple times a year, so I have it on hand for that. And I've been using the Borax in my wash for about a year now, and was really impressed with the results of adding it in with my regular detergent, so I knew the homemade version would meet my expectations!

I actually have three recipes to share today, a liquid, a "whipped" version and a powder. I made the liquid formula and when I'm finished with that I would like to make the whipped version. I would also like to try it with the Zote soap, depending on the smell, just to see...I'm pretty sensitive to smells though.  

This is safe for all washers including the HE(High Efficiency), this actually does not make suds at all so don't keep adding detergent looking for suds because there wont be any... you'll just have really, really clean clothes!

**Liquid LaundrySoap

Here is what you need for the Liquid Soap:
I didn't want to make a full batch to make sure I was going to like it so I halved the ones I saw, it still made a bunch!

1/2 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (found in the Laundry Isle) (also its Not Baking Soda)
1/2 Cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
1/2 Bar of Fels- Naptha Laundry Soap grated (also found in the Laundry Isle)
1 Grater ( grated to any coarseness you would like)

This made about 3 gallons (I used a 5 gal bucket to mix it in)

I use about a half cup per wash load (which equals about a cap full on my handy dandy recycled laundry soap container)


Grate up  half of the Fels-Naptha soap add it to a medium size pan of water (about 6 cups of water)
slowly cook the grated soap until all is melted, stirring frequently, don't let it come to a boil.

 

Once it is melted then add the Borax and the Washing Soda

Stir until all the powder is dissolved, and its thoroughly blended....mix and stir over low heat until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat.

Pour into the bucket or container you will be mixing it in, let it sit over night or until it gels up. Once it gels up break up the soap with a spoon.

 I then added HOT water to the half way point on my 5 gal. bucket, stir, stir, stir... I actually used my hand and broke up (squeezed) any "chunks" when I felt it was broke up enough, My husband helped me pour the soap into my storage containers.
I used a old liquid laundry soap container and two 1 gal. milk jugs and filled them about half way (easier to shake them up)

Reused Laundry Soap Container

Before giving it a shake - separated 

 Do make sure you shake your soap before each load as it will separate.

After giving it a good shake

Idea's for storage containers:
~ This Beverage Dispenser from Walmart
~ Reuse Liquid Laundry Detergent containers
~ Empty gallon Vinegar Jug
~ Empty Kitty litter Container
~ Gallon Milk Jug

make sure that which ever container you use has a tight sealing lid

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** Concentrated Whipped Soap
credit for this recipe goes to- The White Silk Purse   

You only need to use One (1) Tablespoon per wash load! 
256 loads of laundry!!!

Picture from White Silk Purse

2 Bars Fels Naptha
2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
2 Cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda 
Grater
6 Cups of Hot Water 


Add the grated soap to 6 cups of water over med-low heat until soap is melted. Stir in Borax and Washing Soda stir until dissolved. Don't let this boil over!
Once it is mixed well pour into storage container(s) and add 4 more cups of hot water, stir to blend. Let mixture sit over night. It will separate in 2 layers, one firm one gel, that is normal. Cut up or stir  to break it up a bit. You will have to do this next step a little at a time.  Spoon mixture into blender or mixing bowl and on low speed start mixing and work your way up faster. Using a spatula scrape the sides down  a few times to get it all the way mixed. It will be really thick, like thick cool whip :) 
Spoon your newly whipped soap into the storage container your going to use. Continue blending with the rest of the soap until you've finished blending it all.

Idea's for Storage Containers:
~ A Container like this from Walmart would hold the concentrated mix, the recipe makes 10 cups in total (4 quarts)
~ 1 quart mason jars

make sure that which ever container you use has a tight sealing lid

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**Powdered Laundry Soap
1 Tablespoon Per Wash Load 

2 Bars Fels Naptha Soap
2 Cups of 20 Mule Team Borax
2 Cups of Super Washing Soap

To make the bar soap easier to grate(by hand), place your soap in the freezer, it makes a finer grated soap if you use a small grater. The finer you grate it the better it will disintegrate.  Or you can use your food processor to make it more into a "Powder" it will be closer to the store bought texture
After grating up bar soap,pour into your storage container along with the Borax and Washing Soda. Mix thoroughly 
If you have a really dirty load of laundry you might want to use 2 Tablespoons.
If you wash a load in cold water you might want to put the tablespoon in a little bit of hot water to disintegrate it first, then add it to the wash.
* See my updated version of this Here it has scent crystals! smells so MMMMm. I also used Zote, instead of Fels Naptha, so pretty

Idea's for Storage Containers:
~ Kitty Liter Container
~ This Container from Walmart
~ Large Plastic cereal containers
~ 4 Qt. ice cream container (this is what I use)

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Tips:
I would avoid soap with oils, they might leave a residue that could stain your clothes.
Baking Soda and Washing Soda are NOT the same.
You CAN use bleach
You CAN use bluing 

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All of these recipes are:
Safe for Septic Tanks- does not contain phosphates 
Safe for HE Washers - low to no suds

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If you like these recipes you might want to try my Homemade Dishwasher Detergent &Vinegar Rinsing Aid 


Have Idea's or Tips from your experiences? Please share in the comments section below or email me.
whitfieldshomeinthecountry(at)gmail.com