When homemade detergent doesn't cut it
 

I have tried all sorts of homemade detergent recipes, and none of them get my husbands nasty work clothes clean. He comes home with all sorts of smelly, greasy stains (coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid, oil, diesel, bondo, etc)... and the only detergent that seems to make them come out less smelly and spotty is Tide.

Anyone know of anything I can use to "boost" the power of my homemade detergent? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy a jug of Tide to use only on his clothes?

Thanks!

TSP (tri sodium phosphate) if you can find it anywhere. Maybe up to a tablespoon in a five gallon bucket, presoak, then wash

Try rubbing in some waterless hand cleaner and then Dawn dish liquid. Or even WD-40 and then Dawn. Adding baking soda to the wash always gets the nasty smells out for me.

Buy Tide.

My husband has oily skin and his pillow case is always stained with oil. This drives me crazy and I always try to give him the same one.I couldnt get it out with Dawn dish soap. I found some FulSol from Fuller Brush and added to my wash and it takes the Oil stain completely out of the sheets. I love this stuff it will work wonders.You can get it on Ebay if you dont find a dealer near you.

I gave up on homemade laundry soap. It doesn't clean stains.

I keep Tide on hand for clothes my homemade soap won't get clean.

I love my homemade soap. It works great 85% of the time. The other 15%, a detergent is the way to go.

TSP should work and you should be able to find it in the wallpaper department of your local store.

I hate to be a negative nelly here, but I have to weigh in on the Tide suggestions. I have used Tide for years and I LOVE it - but recently I have broken out in a rash on various parts of my body. I am miserable with it. I went to the Dr. for a checkup and mentioned it and she said "You don't use Tide, do you?" I said, yes, I've used it for years. She said that Tide is about the most effective detergent you can buy, and it is a dermatologists nightmare. People who have never had allergies, will suddenly react to Tide. She said it's the worst for that. I have no other proof of it, but I am changing my detergent.

Just something to keep in mind as you decide what to do.

Penny

If they are just work clothes, stick with the home grown detergent. A few stains aren't the end of the world. If it's the smell ur concerned with, add baking soda.

Ah yes, where the tire of philosophy meets the road of reality. Get some detergent, Tide or otherwise. If you get a rash, double rinse. Life is too short to go around in stained, smelly clothes just because Grandma did.

I too gave up on homemade detergents. I've made all sorts of differnet recipes and have used them on/off over the years. I now just buy the All Free & Clear from Costco and call it a day. We just have too much laundry and it is just too dirty to use the homemade. We have really hard water though and I may try and another go at making homemade once we get our water in order.

Try presoaking in Biz. If that doesn't cut it make a mix of Biz and Simple Green in a spritz bottle and pretreat the stains that way.

This stuff is GREAT!!
http://www.charliesoap.com/index.asp

It's biodegradable and really gets the dirt and odors out. It doesn't cover it up like Tide and other detergents. It gets stuff really clean. You can use it for just about anything too. And their all-purpose cleaner is fabulous too.

We get heavy-duty degreaser in the janitor section at Sam's Club and I use that in greasy loads. Took the body oil out of my husband's and son's collars and works really well on pillowcases, too. Doesn't harm the colors, fabric, or septic tank. Doesn't take a lot, either.

I can't use the homemade soaps as we have really hard water. I do add white vinegar to the rinses, and it's amazing how much the interior of the machine has cleaned up.

Yep, I gave up homemade laundry soap as well. Talk about dingy!

I use triple strength All because is was on sale at an unbelievable $2.00 a bottle. (regular $4.99).

Now, what in the world am I going to do with 30 bars of fels naphta bar soap that I bought in to big of a hurry?

You can check out Jerry Baker's gardening books...he tells how to use it in gardening to keep pests at bay.

My homemade soap works great, but I am using my old fashioned lye soap. It works great on stains.

As part of history my daughter read a book about a family in charge of washing George Washington's uniforms....the women collected the bedpans in the morning and set the uniforms to soak for a day :shrug: Cheap source of amonia :rolleyes:

I also gave up on the homemade detergent. I am going to try and use my five gallons on fire ant beds. Any other suggestions welcomed. I have been using liquid Trend from Dollar General. I soaked some oil drenced blue jeans in it and it got it all out. It is very inexpensive too.

I add ammonia to my really grimey laundry. I also wash blankets and pillows in ammonia. When your "dainties" get dingey, do a 10 minute soak, then wash in ammonia, vinegar in the rinse and they perk right up again, almost like new.

Please buy a commercial detergent like Tide instead of using TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) as a laundry additive!

Phosphates are no longer used in laundry detergents because of the harmful effect they have on the environment. Modern laundry detergents like Tide and All do a great job of cleaning clothese without phosphates.

Used laundry water goes down your drain will through your septic or sewer system and it eventually ends up in our lakes & rivers and then the ocean.
Using modern detergents may seem harsh, but some of the older laundry cleaning solutions like TSP are actually much worse.

When DH gets used chainsaw oil on his clothing, I spot treat it with Dawn dish detergent, scrub the area a bit, then soak it in warm water then wash like usual. Putting Dawn directly on the oil lets it start breaking up the oil and soaking it next lets the oil start washing out.

deb
in wi

Wow ~ I haven't had an issue with my homemade laundry detergent. I just put the washing machine on its 'heavy duty' selection and the work clothes come out without stains. But...we are usually not working around motor oil or grease. I hope you are able to find something that works for you. :)

Me either. Seemed it worked better than store bought detergents. Our whites actually got whiter and even some old stains came out (Red clay). I don't care for the smell much but i don't notice it after the clothes are done. But then again I'm a painter so i don't see many oil stains, just ground in dirt and mud on my painters whites. :shrug:
I really didn't expect it to work so well for us. :hobbyhors

The washing machine sure makes a difference. The newer they get the more gentle they make them. We don't need gentle cycles we need grime busting cycles. :p Hoping to get one of those new front loads some day. Tumbling has to be better.

I have temporarily stopped using home made too but that is because I haven't gotten around to making laundry grade lye soap to make a new batch.

If you use you nice gentle face soap to make it, like I was, then I can see why it doesn't work so well.

I have a recipe for a much stronger lye soap and I plan to try that in the near future.

Tide is bad for alergies. Bad for the aquifer, and bad for the septic system.
We also itch and break out with red rash.

We also use free and clear for now. My DH complains about my laundry soap being too slimy and slippery. :)

you're not alone - have had that problem for years and years so I won't use it. Also the fragrances in it give me an asthma attack.

I use Greased Lightning on my DH work clothes. He works road construction and comes home filthy. All that grease on the equipment. I just spray the worst with the greased lightning and it takes care of it. I tried it first time cause the clothes were ruint anyway, but it worked.

I like homemade laundry detergent ok but I like All Free Clear and I really like no perfumes or dyes. I've used it for a couple years now and I cannot stand the smell of regular detergent. I keep a bucket of 20 mule team borax and baking soda(equal parts) next to machine and use half cup per load. I also don't use fabric softener anymore but now use the dryer balls and really like them.

use a grease cutter for hands-i forget what the name of mine is-i get it at dollar general for $1 for a little tub that lasts a while-i just rub it in the greasy spots and wash as normal. i also sometimes add borax to the wash.

I see folks talking about 2 different things here ~ Soap and Detergent ~ they are not one in the same!

I will use my 0% superfatted, homemade soap (made with lye) mixed 2:1:1 (soap:borax:washing soda) with sweet orange essential oil & rosemary essential oil for a pre-soak.

For washing, I choose detergent which was formulated to remove oil.

When detergents first came out, they were the god-send of America's housewives because they did not leave the clothes dingy.

that charliesoap site confused me - is it soap or is it detergent??

I am allergic to tide and a lot of other detergents. I use a mild detergent and if I have stains I use Murphys oil soap.(Yeah! the stuff for wood) Works great! I mix it in a quart spray bottle, about 1/4 to 3/4 water. you can make it stronger if you want or for tough stains apply directly.

I also have all kinds of rashes from some detergents, but not even Tide gets me if I get it in the stinkless dyeless type.