Episode 9 – Homemade Cleaners

Wow!  Sorry I sound so bad in this one, I had a cold earlier in the week and it’s still in my throat.  I had to edit out several minutes of  coughing and clearing my throat.  But hey stick in there this is a pretty good show and I kinda go off on a rant near the end.

Anywhoo, today we go through the recipes and procedures to make Laundry Detergent/Soap, Dishwasher Detergent, and Window Washing Fluid.

[display_podcast]

Before we get started this is just a couple of recipes, feel free to google your heart out, there is a million out there, so if these don’t work go figure it out for yourself 😉  I HEREBY EMPOWER YOU TO LEARN!
Laundry Soap
Equipment
  • Box Grater/Food Processor/Cheese Grater
  • Pot (big ~1gal is best)
  • Whisk or Long Spoon
  • 5 gal Bucket
  • Measuring Cup
  • Dispensing Container
Ingredients
  • 1 Bar Soap
  • Fels Naptha (5.5oz) ~$3 or ½ – 1/3 bar ZOTE (14 oz)~$1.50 or Ivory (4.5oz) ~$1
  • 1-1.5 c WASHING SODA (Sodium Carbonate) – Arm & Hammer 55oz box ~$10 (4 batches?)
  • 1 – 1.5c BORAX – 20 mule team 76oz ~$7 (5-6 batches)

OOOOOHhhh A picture, I’m Big Time Now BABY!
Directions
  • If you are making the powder just mix the ingredients (powder the soap first) (use 1-2 Teaspoons per load)
  • For liquid soap – Start ~ ¾ gal water boiling
  • While waiting for water grate your soap
  • When water and soap are ready, add the Soap to the water, stir / whisk till dissolved. (turn down heat)
  • Add Washing Soda and Borax to pot while stirring, turn off heat.  Will start to get thick
  • Add 1-2 Gal Warm/Hot water to bucket, pour pot into bucket, mix well
  • If you really want add a bit of essential oils at this point
  • Fill bucket rest of the way and mix well.  Let sit overnight.
  • After several hours / overnight it should look like egg drop soup, give it a good stir and fill your dispensing container
  • Shake before each use, 1/2 – 3/4 cup per load (top load machine) – 1/4 – 1-2 cup per load (front load machine)

Fabric Softener / Laundry Rinse

  • In Laundry use 1/2 – 1 cup vinegar in the softener dispenser (this will also help clean out your washer.)

“Dryer Sheets”

  • Take 1 part fabric softener and 2 parts water, keep in a bucket.
  • Take common kitchen sponge and cut into halves or thirds, add these pieces to the mix
  • Use 1 sponge piece (well wrung out) per dryer load.

Dishwasher Detergent

 

Ingredients

  • ½ c Borax
  • ½ c Washing Soda
  • ¼ c Kosher Salt
  • ¼ c Citric Acid (or ~10pkg lemonade unsweetened koolaid)

Directions

  • Mix all ingredients together in a container
  • Close Container
  • Shake the hell out of said container to mix
  • Use 1-1 ½ Tablespoon per load
  • Use Vinegar in Rinse Agent contraption

List of product links, you will most likely find these products much cheaper locally, so get out of the house and spend a few minutes at the local grocery.  You need the fresh air anyway.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Add to favorites
  • email
  • Google Buzz
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

8 Responses to “Episode 9 – Homemade Cleaners”

  1. rhino says:

    1. Did you buy a separate box grater to do this or can you scrub it clean enough afterwards to turn around and use it on cheese again?

    2. How different is dish washer soap from “regular” dish soap? I don’t have a dishwasher but between brewing and cooking I go through a lot of the “regular” kind of dish soap.

  2. Brian says:

    1 – Nope, it cleans just fine.
    2 – Dish washer soap really has no soap and is not a good replacement during hand washing. First of all it is quite rough on the skin and isn’t sudsy at all. You might be able to use the laundry detergent but probably better off with just buying it.

  3. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by WendyNC and WendyNC, WendyNC. WendyNC said: @threebadseeds This is a great detergent recipe that works great and is easy to make: http://bit.ly/9m79yd #momenttoponder […]

  4. I love reading your website for the reason that you can constantly bring us fresh and cool stuff, I think that I ought to at least say a thank you for your hard work.

    – Henry

  5. nick says:

    Cool post, you stole my podcast idea. ;<

    Good work, I ordered 10 boxes of washing soda. If you have an ace hardware near you, you can have them shipped free for store pickup

    • Brian says:

      Feel free to do it yourself if you want. I certainly don’t own any topics.
      Thanks for the tip on the ACE order.

  6. […] (thank my wife for the random product).  Dude you could totally use that to grate soap to make laundry detergent! THAT IS FREAKING SYNERGY […]

  7. rhino says:

    Forgot how hippy trippy you got in this one…