I made laundry soap for the first time last night.
The recipe I used:
1/3 bar fels naptha soap (grated)
3 pints water
- cook over low heat until soap is dissolved
- then add:
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
- put 1 quart hot water in bucket
- dump hot soap/soda/borax mixture into bucket
- stir
- add more hot water to make total of 2 gallons
(Instructions say to use 1/2 cup of this per wash load)
Pretty easy so far! The hardest part was finding a funnel to pour from the bucket into my used liquid laundry soap dispenser. :haha:
I was surprised how runny it was, but the instructions said to wait 24 hours until it thickened up.
That was last night.
This morning (I know it wasn't 24 hours, but I'm impatient!) I try to see what comes out of the spigot of the soap jug. I eagerly hold the measuring cup under the spout, and open the valve.
Nothing.
It solidified into a pretty hard gel in the container! I took the container down and shook vigorously to mix it up again. I now have a gloppy mixture that mostly runs out of the spigot, but it's pretty thick and not very uniform. (The container I'm using is a 300 oz, lay down on its side with a pushbutton spigot, container I originally got filled with laundry soap at Costco.)
Should I wait longer and see what happens? Have I ruined it by shaking up halfway through the 'curing' process? Do I need to use some other type of container (i.e. a bucket with a ladle?) How thick is this stuff when you make it?
Also, I've read that some people use vinegar as fabric softener or to make sure everything is rinsed out of the clothes. I use a ball to dispense the fabric softener. Any issues with using this for vinegar?
Thanks for your input!
John
The recipe I used:
1/3 bar fels naptha soap (grated)
3 pints water
- cook over low heat until soap is dissolved
- then add:
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
- put 1 quart hot water in bucket
- dump hot soap/soda/borax mixture into bucket
- stir
- add more hot water to make total of 2 gallons
(Instructions say to use 1/2 cup of this per wash load)
Pretty easy so far! The hardest part was finding a funnel to pour from the bucket into my used liquid laundry soap dispenser. :haha:
I was surprised how runny it was, but the instructions said to wait 24 hours until it thickened up.
That was last night.
This morning (I know it wasn't 24 hours, but I'm impatient!) I try to see what comes out of the spigot of the soap jug. I eagerly hold the measuring cup under the spout, and open the valve.
Nothing.
It solidified into a pretty hard gel in the container! I took the container down and shook vigorously to mix it up again. I now have a gloppy mixture that mostly runs out of the spigot, but it's pretty thick and not very uniform. (The container I'm using is a 300 oz, lay down on its side with a pushbutton spigot, container I originally got filled with laundry soap at Costco.)
Should I wait longer and see what happens? Have I ruined it by shaking up halfway through the 'curing' process? Do I need to use some other type of container (i.e. a bucket with a ladle?) How thick is this stuff when you make it?
Also, I've read that some people use vinegar as fabric softener or to make sure everything is rinsed out of the clothes. I use a ball to dispense the fabric softener. Any issues with using this for vinegar?
Thanks for your input!
John