Life is full of mysteries. Why is the sky blue? What do they put in hot dogs? How the heck does a family of three produce so much dirty laundry?!
I just don't understand it. I always thought that once we got past the days of cloth diapers and spit-up, the laundry would be much more manageable. But the basket piled high and shoved in the back of my closet that's been awaiting folding for a week says otherwise.
Don't judge ...
So much laundry means that we blow through some detergent around these parts. Not only is that a hefty chunk of change, that is chemicals on our clothing all day long. Unless you like to run around in your birthday suit ... whatever floats your boat, man. But since I have to leave my house and see people, it's clothes for this ol' gal.
Dustin and I don't have sensitive skin or any skin irritations, but once little man came along I wanted my home and family to be as natural as possible.
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For the record although borax is "natural" it's important to note that it is toxic. In Europe and Canada products containing borax have to come with a warning label that it shouldn't be next to skin. Why? Because it's known to cause problems in pregnant women, ingesting as little as 4 oz can kill you, and in males it has been shown to be a hormone interrupter lowering sperm count.
I use a homemade liquid laundry soap similar to this article's recipe. Many years ago I used the powdered version, but I found this recipe in a magazine and have used it ever since. It calls for one cup each Borax and Washing Soda added to boiling water. I use a two-quart stockpot to get this part mixed well. Once the Borax and the Soda are dissolved in the water, turn the heat very low and slowly add in one finely grated bar of Fels Naptha. This must be lump free. Once that's done pour the soap into a clean five-gallon pail and fill it slowly with water, whisking it thoroughly. You'll also need a one gallon container, as the recipe makes six gallons.
I have been making my own detergent for four years, and until I moved two weeks ago, I used it without issues in a top loader that was 20 years old. I'm now using it in a front loader. I'll let you know if I have issues. I love the smell of Fels Naptha - must be an individual thing. My "recipe" also includes a container of OxyClean and a package of scented crystals. I use 2 tablespoons per load.
We had an HE top loading washer and about every six months we had to take it apart to get to a tube we had to clean or the washer wouldn't drain and would flood the room. It started a couple months after we started using homemade detergent (this recipe). The first time it flooded, we called a repair man who was nice enough to show us how to fix it ourselves so we didn't have to call every time it happened. I asked and he said that it was partially a fault with the machine itself, but that our homemade mixture probably didn't help. So who knows.
I've also read that this mixture damages washing machines over time. Has anyone experienced this?
My research has been that Borax is only effective in hot water - something I no longer use to save energy. And, Fels Naptha has some questionable ingredients if you are concerned with gentler ingredients. It also smells awful. I use Kirk's castile soap.
What size of each ingredient did you use? I can't read the numbers on the boxes in the picture.