I started the hunt for ingredients for my homemade detergent experiment today. I found Borax at Safeway ($6.49 CDN) and London Drugs ($4.99 CDN). Safeway also had washing soda by Arm & Hammer but it smelt like it was perfumed which I’d rather stay away from. No luck finding Fels Naptha Soap yet. I did find some Sunlight bar soap at Safeway that would work but it came in a plastic package that couldn’t be recycled or composted so my hunt continues. I think I need to find an old time pharmacy as the mainstream ones only carry Tide and it’s competitors.
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Go to http://www.SoapsGoneBy.com you can find all that you need there. If you don’t want or can’t find Fels Naptha, you can use Octagon soap.
I have recently tried this formula & I have found it works well for me & others in my family love it also. Many of us have allergies to most chemical products and this hasn’t bothered anyone & cleans very nicely
2 Bars Octogon Soap.. shredded or shaved (I use potatoe peeler)
1 gallon boiling water… and then another gallon to be boiled and added
1 cup baking soda (not washing soda)
1 cup Borax
In your bucket, add the first gallon of boiling water & your soap shavings… stir & stir, and stir… then add some more water & stir & some more water & stir… until you have all of the boiling water & the soap shavings well blended.
then add the baking soda and the borax & mix some more… then you can pour this mix into jars (I re-use juice jugs for storage).. the beuty about this one is that you can store this formula with a lid on it (you can’t really do that with washing soda)
So here is the washing method:
use 1/2 cup to a regular sized load. Add 1 tablespoon of either washing soda or oxyclean (I use a generic oxyclean)… you will be washing slightly alkaline
I throw a downy ball filled to the downy line with plain white vinegar so it will activate in the rinse water. If you don’t have a downy ball, simply add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your rinse water.
Octagon soap has lemongrass oil in it & it smells great without being over-powering, perfumy, or anyone in my family having allergic reactions
If you are washing a really grimy load of clothes, you can double any or all of the components.
Hope this helps
Make lots for you & lots to gie away to, your family & friends will thank you for it