Alright...taking a break from folding laundry to give you an update on what I think of the
The price is awesome.
The results... SO not awesome.
Just washing a few loads I couldn't really tell a difference.
But it's been about two weeks that I've been using it.
My whites are incredibly dingy and dull looking.
Definitely not bright like they usually are and should be.
And alot of the stains in the boy's shirts have been harder to get out.
I am headed out to get myself some name brand detergent tomorrow.
Honestly I don't think I'll be using the rest of what I made.
In my opinion it's more expensive because it's ruining nice clothes by making them look gross.
But it's been about two weeks that I've been using it.
My whites are incredibly dingy and dull looking.
Definitely not bright like they usually are and should be.
And alot of the stains in the boy's shirts have been harder to get out.
I am headed out to get myself some name brand detergent tomorrow.
Honestly I don't think I'll be using the rest of what I made.
In my opinion it's more expensive because it's ruining nice clothes by making them look gross.
So...there you have it. :)
I'd be curious to hear if anyone else has felt this way?
That's the recipe I use minus the unstopables and love it. I do use Downy fabric softener (cant give that up, lol). We normally use Purex and don't notice a difference.
ReplyDeleteHayley
www.theiskras.com
Thank you so much! I have been wondering if the homemade stuff is any good, and I'm so glad you posted this.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I'm not going to lie, this made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteUgh! I am so bummed! I was hoping it would have been great! HOWEVER, I am so glad you shared your results so that we now know! Sorry about your whites!
ReplyDeleteBummer! I use homemade laundry detergent most of the time! I have never noticed a difference between the store bought kind and my homemade kind! I use a similar recipe as yours! However, I never get bright whites . . . EVER!! Can't say I've mastered laundry yet! I am hoping line drying in the summer will help with getting my whites brighter!! What detergent were you using before to get them so white!? We have hard water that is better with the softener, but still hard none-the-less. Anyway, I would love to hear any other tricks you have! Also check out some other homemade recipes! I know there are lots of women who rave about how much better it is! :) Maybe another recipe would work for ya! Perhaps a powdered version!? Or try using ZOTE instead of Fels Naptha! :)
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Megan @ A Blossoming Homestead
This is the million dollar debate in our house! I'm not going to lie, I giggled a bit when I read this. My husband doesn't like it because he likes fabric softener. I don't... I don't like my clothes to smell, like anything and the fabric softener can age clothes prematurely.
ReplyDeleteI have gone back and forth with my recipe. I use the washing soda, borax and the feels naptha. If I use MORE borax, it works the same as bleach without the smell. If fact, I feel like it gives a clean smell when the laundry is done.
Also, have you tried the bounce bars for the dryer? Amazing.
I was so excited to make homemade detergent as well. I went to three different stores to buy everything I needed. After a couple loads, I noticed the stains in our clothes were not coming out and they didn't seem that clean either. I ended up throwing away the whole batch of detergent I made. Bummer. I just bought some natural detergent from Trader Joes and so far I really like it. I forget how many loads it is but it was only $4.99 for a big jug. Also, I stopped using fabric softener sheets after I read they are made out of animal fat? (gross) plus all the other chemicals. I just put straight vinegar in my fabric softener dispenser in the washer. I love the results and will never use dryer sheets again.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you there! The basic problem with homemade detergent is that it is way too diluted with water to start with, and then you add more water in the wash cycle and as you can guess, it just doesn't help any more!Storebought detergent is just so much stronger than homemade. It does the trick the first time. The million dollar question- are you really saving money if you are having to run more loads of laundry with homemade soap? I don't think so!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Kaylee. This made me laugh too! Cause you can totally tell you wrote it right after you folded a load of dingy whites and were so irritated. hahaha! Oh well, you would've wondered if you hadn't tried you know?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm obsessed with store bought detergent and softener. Its like, my favorite thing to buy when I go grocery shopping. I found a perfect combo of ALL detergent and blue sparkle snuggle softener. You would never think, but this combo makes your laundry smell SO good! Oh and gain fabric sheets or bounce.
Oh man, dont give up...It's totally worth it if you find the right recipe. I tried the homemade liquid and also hated it. I thought it was so nasty. I found a simple recipe that I love. 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Arm and Hammer washing soda, and 1 bar of grated Fels Naptha. It's dry and doesnt make a humungous batch that I have to store for a year. It's just enough to fit in a cute container. I use 1 to 2 tablespoons. It works great! And trust me, I'm picky. I also use vinegar instead of fabric softener. It keeps my brights, bright and my whites have been really white. I also still pretreat all my stains, even little ones. You can do that with Fels Naptha too. Besides saving money, this is such a great way to cut out some nasty chemicals out of our lives. Once in a while I use some of the Gain scent boosters. Have you smelled them? They're so great. So seriously, you shouldn't give up yet, especially if you still have some ingrediets yet :)
ReplyDeleteYES!! I didnt want to say anything because some people really love it so I thought it may be my machine. My clothes smell like mildew and I literally have stains every time that I cant get out. I bought the tide boost things so that I can maybe try and use both together? I don't know. I may have to throw mine out too. And I don't understand. Oxyclean and borax? that should work! Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI leave mine as powder and add a scoop of oxyclean to loads that have lots of stains and it comes out great. I have 3 boys with lots of stains and it gets them out
ReplyDeleteI havent noticed that with mine. I hardly ever have bright whites anyway, and don't buy white clothes, so that isn't an issue. One commenter said her clothes smelled like mildew. I will admit that I am awful about leaving clothes in the washer because I forget about them. I have actually found that with this detergent, my clothes DON'T smell like mildew when I put them in the dryer and I don't have to re-wash them. I am not crazy about the consistency, but it doesn't bother me enough to change. I just can't buy name brand detergent. I cringe when I see the price...and chemicals. I also use vinegar as a softener and have found some recipes for softener that I want to try as well. I especially like it because I know I can use it when the baby gets here and I don't have to worry about keeping things seperate. Oh - and I agree with the other poster...add some extra borax. When I had whites or stains that needed help, I would add that to the detergent I used to use. So just add some to the wash! Sorry you don't like it!
ReplyDeleteOk I have to giggle too! :-) I just wanted to mention that the unstopables may be the culprit... I have been trying them in my laundry since your last post (I just add since I already had my batch done up) I like the smell of them, but notice that some of the stains are harder to release. I do still use the tide stain release... may use just pure felsnaptha after ready above comments. The hardness of your water may do better with different recipe tweaking... sorry you are bummed... I did go to half a tablespoon unstopables with my half cup laundry soap with better results... I don't think I will buy them again though because the smell can be so strong it gives me a headache. I like the pure clean smell of the homemade soap... and it cleans my hubby's work clothes great! and that says a lot cause he works in a water/sewer plant and on all sorts of outdoor equipment and vehilces etc... so dirty work clothes is an understatement! ;-)
ReplyDeletehaha I just started following your blog and love this post. I haven't tried the laundry detergent yet but I have thought about it and definitely am NOT going to do it. I have done a lot of DIY stuff (including a "cleansing mask" that apparently I was allergic to) and it never turns out quite like you hoped. love your blog!
ReplyDeletekarissabarker.blogspot.com
oh my...so glad i decided not to try it! i love the idea of doing everything myself but thanks to a handful of "backfire" stories i am learning to really choose my battles!
ReplyDeleteI love the receipe I made. I agree with someone above about mildew smell. If I forget and leave my clothes in the washer they never smell! I did make a powder recipe (and I never used powder before) I don't think I'll ever go back! And the bonus is it was about $8 when I split it with a friend and it's going to last me from Feb.-July :) YEA!
ReplyDeleteMy recipe has oxyclean too :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to read this. I had thought about trying out the homemade kind, too. I think I'll pass now. :) I like for our clothes to look and smell clean, not dingy!
ReplyDeleteWe've used homemade laundry soap for a couple of years and haven't had any problems with it. Our recipe is a little different, though. (You can pop over to my blog and do a search for Laundry Soap.)
ReplyDeleteWith an extra large family, it has saved us a TON of money.
Laurel
I had never used powder detergent before, but I have been using a version of this receipe and I love the way it works!!! I spilled a little bit of sangria on a white shirt and it got the stain out!!! Maybe you should try powder instead of the liquid...Hope this helps!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update. I was headed to the store this morning to get some supplies to make this and checked your post for the recipe - looks like I'll be getting the regular stuff now. Bummer it didn't work but I appreciate your attempt for all of us!
ReplyDeleteI make mine with borax, washing soda, and fels naptha and just leave it dry. It works great for me, keeps my whites bright and gets stains out (especially if you rub an extra bar of fels naptha into the stain first). I also use vinegar for fabric softener (no, your clothes don't smell like vinegar) and it really helps with the stains and colors too. Sorry you didn't have luck with it.
ReplyDeletepowdered an oxyclean here too. I pre-treat stains with a homemade stain remover. The minerals in water will make a difference too.
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