Mix up some laundry powder to have on hand for very heavily soiled loads.
5.5 oz grated bar soap
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
Mix everything in a food processor and store in a moisture proof container.
Makes 3 cups (about 40 loads) Use 1 to 2 tablespoons depending on size & soil level of load.
adapted from www.duggarfamily.com/recipes
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To make just 1 gallon:
1 cup hot tap water
1.5 oz grated bar soap
1/4 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
2 Tablespoons 20 Mule Team Borax
Add the grated soap to the hot water in a saucepan. Stir it over med-low heat until melted. Add washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved. Fill a 1 gallon jug half way with hot tap water. Add the soap mixture. Shake it up and then fill to the top with more tap water. Let it sit overnight to thicken. Shake before each use.
1 gallon = 128 oz = 16 cups = 32 half cups (extra-large top loader) = 64 1/4 cup (recommended top loader) = 128 1/4 cup (front loader)!
To make 5 gallons:
4 cups hot tap water
5.5 ounces grated bar soap (save your slivers for this)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not Baking Soda)
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
Add the grated soap to the hot water in a saucepan. Stir it over med-low heat until melted. Add washing soda and borax and stir until dissolved.
Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water. Pour in the soap mixture and stir with a whisk, immersion blender, or paint stirrer drill attachment. Add more hot tap water and stir again. Cover the bucket and let it sit overnight to thicken. Transfer to gallon jugs and shake before each use.
5 gallons = 640 oz = 80 cups = 160 half cups (extra large top loader) = 320 1/4 cup (reg top loader) = 640 1/8 cup (front loader)
adapted from www.duggarfamily.com/recipes
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My homemade laundry soap recipe was by the Portland Tribune today. Also in the Sustainable Life section is an investigative report about cold water washing. They felt the three detergents they tested did well in cold water for all but the greasy lip stick stain. I'm on the fence about cold water washing. This time of year I wash dark colors in cold water and that's about it. Experience tells me that despite the detergent or soap used, my clothes get cleaner in a warm or hot wash. My friend Michelle came up with a good illustration of this: does soap rinse from your hands more readily in warm or cold water?
Something not addressed in the investigation is what constitutes 'cold'. Some new and fancy washing machines have thermostats that heat water to the correct temperature for the selected cycle. Hot is upwards of 130 degrees Fahrenheit, warm somewhere from 90 to 110, and cold is actually between 60 and 80 degrees.
Most of us are relying on less sophisticated machines. In our older machines hot is whatever temperature our water heaters are set for. Warm is a fifty-fifty or sixty-forty mix of what is coming from the water heater and what is coming out of the cold tap. Sometimes, specially in winter, the cold water coming through the pipes is well below the 60 degrees needed to wash clothes effectively. I wash more clothes on the cold setting during summer than I do in winter.
I've decided to write about the topics covered in my laundry classes so check back soon for more laundry talk.
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Workshop Descriptions
Cold Process Soapmaking
Never buy soap again! In this class Kristina will share the olive oil & beeswax soap recipe she’s been perfecting over the last decade. Learn why she and others favor this high quality, moisturizing, and versatile soap made with easy to obtain natural ingredients. Topics covered will include: budget-wise equipment, why use olive oil, beeswax & lye and how to obtain them, choosing essential oils, the cold process method, getting comfortable with lye, choosing molds, and proper curing and storing. We’ll make a batch of Lavender & Honey Organic Olive Oil and Local Beeswax Soap from start to finish and everyone will take soap to cure at home along with the basic recipe and variations such as anise & poppyseed kitchen hand soap and peppermint & pumice foot soap. Please bring a large bath towel and apron.
Natural Laundry Care
Do you do laundry every day? Learn how to make- in 20 minutes and with $5 worth of materials - enough laundry soap to last you six months! Get tips for saving time and other precious resources and find answers to your most pressing laundry quandaries: Should I really wash everything in cold water? How can I keep my whites bright without using chlorine bleach? Is there a science to treating stains? How do I keep my clothes looking new for longer? What causes static cling? What does permanent press mean anyway? Go home with plenty of tips, recipes, and enthusiasm!
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