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Since there are chemicals everywhere I try to avoid the ones I can and I love making laundry detergent anyway. I've gotten into just keeping the raw ingredients in the laundry room and that way I can vary the type.
So if something does get greasy and needs hot water and Fels Naptha, I will grate a lot of it right into the washer. Most of my clothing doesn't really get dirty though, it just needs freshening. So most of the time I use a tiny bit of Woolite and the borax which REALLY whitens and brightens along with sanitizing, along with some washing soda. I save the Fels Naptha soap for my husband's working on the car clothes mostly or towels and sheets.
Today I washed a couple of things and didn't bother with the borax and what a difference! They came out so dingy. Borax is wonderful.
But why wrap you body in chemicals if you can avoid it?
You know, I used to say things like that all the time. About food too. Now I have an autoimmune disease. And I wonder......
A little over a year ago, I was also diagnosed with autoimmune disease, an extremely rare one that will eventually blind me, and I also wonder. I have rid our home of as many household chemicals as possible. No more noxious bathroom cleaners, detergents, adhesives, bleach, ammonia, etc. And no more Tide. I use laundry soap.
A little over a year ago, I was also diagnosed with autoimmune disease, an extremely rare one that will eventually blind me, and I also wonder. I have rid our home of as many household chemicals as possible. No more noxious bathroom cleaners, detergents, adhesives, bleach, ammonia, etc. And no more Tide. I use laundry soap.
I'm so sorry to hear that! Did you go natural on soap, shampoos and body lotions too? Really easy to do and much cheaper than commercial stuff - and better for you!
I'm so sorry to hear that! Did you go natural on soap, shampoos and body lotions too? Really easy to do and much cheaper than commercial stuff - and better for you!
Thanks. Yes, I have. It's probably too late to affect my prognosis, but it *might* stave off the disease in my children if they are also vulnerable. It's impossible to know what triggered the on-set, and these changes may very well end up being in vain -- at least where the disease is concerned -- but I don't believe they can hurt matters.
Last edited by randomparent; 01-28-2014 at 01:14 PM..
Thanks. Yes, I have. It's probably too late to affect my prognosis, but it *might* stave off the disease in my children if they are also vulnerable. It's impossible to know what triggered the on-set, and these changes may very well end up being in vain -- at least where the disease is concerned -- but I don't believe they can hurt matters.
Also sorry to hear that (jumping in here). So many people out there and luckily online are discovering new ways to cure their diseases, I for one am optimistic about the ways we can go "natural" or no-chemical to improve our lives and our health. Things we once thought were irreversible (tooth cavities, the latest I've seen) may not be. So I applaud you for taking on your new lifestyle and outlook, is basically what I wanted to say! I have also gone natural before, changed my diet forever, etc. and am much healthier for it, have recovered from disease, you name it. Laundry soap is just one piece of the puzzle, and once one changes their lifestyle, one's heart is always in the right place. ::getting down off the "soap"-box now::
Reading this thread has reminded me that one of the great things about City-Data is its window on the world - a slice of life from all obscure corners. I am 69 and this is the first I've ever heard of people mixing their own laundry soap. It had never occurred to me that anyone would do such a thing.
I have not been convinced from the discussion that it's something worth doing, but that's beside my point. People are endlessly fascinating.
I make laundry soap at home. I just went in and loaded up on ingredients (stockpiling)
Two of the ingredients have doubled in price and the Fels Naptha was 99 cents and it is now $1.79. Not yet double, but getting close.
So $40 out the door. I bought enough stuff to make 18 gallons of laundry soap, with a bunch of the washing soda and borax left for next time. The laundry soap was costing me $1 a gallon to make and now it is somewhere around $2 a gallon to make.
It's still frugal, with the quality commercial laundry soap costing $20 a gallon or more. But, yikes, it is a shock to the system to see prices go up so much in a year's time. It's a good thing that there is no inflation (according to our government) or we'd all be hurting.
This is why i stocked up on All when I could get it for 50 cents a bottle after coupons and purex for free after coupons...got the free and clear scents
........I bought enough stuff to make 18 gallons of laundry soap, ..........
Oops, my math error. Enough stuff to make 18 batches, but each batch is 2 gallons. So enough stuff to make 36 gallons of laundry soap.
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Did you go natural on soap, shampoos and body lotions too? Really easy to do and much cheaper than commercial stuff - and better for you! 
One of the great things about City-Data
