Category: Disinfectants and Laundry Soap

Have you looked at the price of liquid hand soap?  You may not think you’re paying much if you’re paying say, .99 for 6 oz in a pump bottle.  But if you buy a gallon’s worth of soap at that price you’re paying about $10 per gallon.

So, I played around in the kitchen last week and made some liquid hand soap of my own.  I used Walmart brand bath soap that was sort of a knock off of Dove, liquid glycerin and water.

You can buy liquid glycerin at hobby shops or drug stores. Its usually cheaper at places like Hobby Lobby. I found it in the soap crafting section.

The reason you want to use it, is that it causes the liquid soap to gel just a little. Otherwise its completely liquid.  If you don’t mind completely watery hand soap, just use the bar soap and water. That’s the kind of hand soap I used ot make back in the day when glycerin wasn’t as easy to find.  I saved my soap scraps and mixed them with warm water to dissolve. Ta-Da – liquid hand soap.

Well, this recipe is better, Its thick and creamy but still pourable.

You’ll need:

1 cup of grated soap, which is about 1 bar of bath soap

1o cups of warm water

1 tablespoon of liquid glycerin.

Other equipment you’ll need:

a grater

a large pot

a wooden spoon or spatula for stirring

a container for holding all the soap

a pump bottle for dispensing the soap

20 drops of Tea Tree Oil if you would like anti-bacterial qualities in the soap

Instructions:

Grate the bar of soap. You need 1 cup of grated soap.

Heat 10 cups of water in a large stock pot.

Add the grated soap and glycerin to the water.

Stir til the soap is dissolved.

Add Tee Tree oil.  Stir.

Allow to cool for about 10 hours.

The soap will slowly gel. Pour into glass jars or jugs to store.

That’s it!

Now the particulars…..

This  would be most economical if you regularly use an expensive brand of bar and hand soap like Tom’s, Mrs. Meyers, etc. You could use a bar of the bath soap to make a gallon of hand soap.

You can add small amounts of warm or hot water to make it less thick if you need to.

You can experiment with adding oils to make the soap more moisturizing.

I get questions frequently about how well the CHK Classic laundry soap works.  It works well, but since my children are mostly grown, I don’t often get the dirt and grime that really tests the quality of  a detergent.  Today I did get the grime and dirt! My two middle sons went hiking through hill and hollow, creek and mud. They came home with mud caked on their jeans up to the knee, muddy socks and muddy shirts.

I didn’t think to take a picture of them, but I was pleased to be able to test that laundry soap on all that grime. What I got was perfectly clean clothes and no odor at all. In fact, since the CHK Classic laundry soap is not scented (unless you choose to scent it with essential oil) the clothes had no odor at all, just the scent of clean cotton.

So I can tell you that the CHK Classic laundry soap works very well on mud, perspiration, grass stains and plain old dirt. It gets out soil and odors. It costs me less than .02 cents per load. I use 1/4 cup per load.  I run water in the washer and add the detergent before I add the clothes so it has a chance to get good and dissolved in the water.

So, for those of you who were wondering if it really works on difficult soil, I can tell you  it does. Of course you’ll have to try it out for yourself. I use a Fels Naptha bar for stain removal. Just wet the bar and rub it on the stain, works well for collar dirt, grass, blood, food and more.  The homemade detergent does not suds so you may think its not working, but it certainly works for me.  Another plus is that it rinses out of your clothing very well, not leaving detergent behind in the fabric to weaken it. Follow a load of wash with the homemade cleaner with a vinegar rinse and you will have amazingly clean clothes for pennies.

Just wanted to report my findings!

In preparation for the 5 Weeks To A Clean and Organized Home event coming up on April 5th, here are some natural, homemade laundry soaps and softeners. The first soap is one that I have used regularly since 1991. It works well, does not suds so is safe for high efficiency machines (but I cannot be held responsible for your machine if you make and use this soap), is very inexpensive and usually allergy-free.

Classic CHK Laundry Soap
1/3 Bar Fels Naptha soap (grated)
1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Borax (20 Mule Team stuff)
3 pints water (more water added later to make 2 gallons)
Stir gently over medium heat until it thickens like honey. If for some reason it does not thicken, it will still work! Just use it in its liquid state.
Add enough water to make 2 gallons.

Another Good Laundry Soap
2 cups pure soap flakes                                                                                                  A scoop of  Classic CHK Laundry soap …..
1 1/2 cups Borax
6 cups warm water
1/2 cup glycerin
2 teaspoons essential oil of either lavender, lemon or eucalyptus

1) In a medium saucepan, stir together the soap flakes, borax, and water. Heat slowly and stir until the mixture is clear. Add the glycerin and set aside to cool.

2) When cool, add the essential oil and stir thoroughly

3) Pour into a mason jar or other container and cover until needed. To use, add 1 cup of Gel per load of clothes, making sure the soap is dissolved well before adding clothes to the water. This gel works best with warm water, or dissolve it in a quart of warm water before adding it to the wash water.

Fabric Softener
1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 cup white vinegar

1) Fill the washing machine or basin with water

2) Add the baking soda, stir it around to dissolve, then add the clothes.

3) After rinsing the clothes, make a final rinse and add the vinegar to it.

The vinegar rinses away and does not leave an odor. To add a pleasant fragrance to the rinse, add 10 drops or so of Lavender essential oil to the vinegar/baking soda mix.

Another way to soften clothes is to add 1/2 cup baking soda to the wash water, or use 1 part soap flakes and 1 part borax in the wash water before you add the clothes.

On a daily basis I use natural cleaners and disinfectants.  These are my recipes for natural cleaners and disinfectants:

Favorite Disinfectant Cleaner Spray

12 oz water
20 drops lavender essential oil
20 drops Tea Tree oil
20 drops Rosemary or Thyme essential oil
Shake and pour into a spray bottle.

Antiseptic Spray

A handful each of dried lavender, rosemary, sage, rue and mint
A large glass jar
1/2 gallon organic cider vinegar

Place the herbs in the jar, cover with the vinegar. Cover tightly and let sit for about 6 weeks. Strain into a spray bottle. Be sure to label the bottle. It will store indefinitely. Use this spray to disinfect clean surfaces.

Lavender Antibacterial Spray
1 cup warm water
1 tsp pure lavender essential oil
pour water into a spray bottle, add essential oil. Shake gently to mix. Spray surfaces and allow to sit for 15 minutes before wiping or rinsing.

All Purpose Cleaner and Disinfectant

• 1 teaspoon borax
  
• 1/2 teaspoon washing soda
  
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1) In a spray bottle that will hold at least a pint, combine the ingredients. Add 1 cup very hot water and shake well, mixing and dissolving the dry ingredients.2) To use, simply spray and wipe. This can be stored indefinitely.
  Homemade Soft Scrub
  
  1/2 cup baking soda
  Liquid soap
  5-10 drops pure antiseptic essential oil such as lavender, tea tree oil or rosemaryPlace the baking soda in a bowl. Slowly pour in liquid soap, stirring constantly, until the mixture resembles frosting. Add the essential oil.
  If you have hard water, use a liquid detergent instead of a soap. I use a ‘green’ product because it has no synthetic dyes or perfumes. If you have soft water, you can use castile soap.Store this mixture in a jar. Scoop out some on a cloth and scrub surfaces, then rinse.

  
  Heavier Duty Soft Scrub
  

  Straight washing soda mixed with a little liquid soap is a good heavier duty scrub.
  You will need to use gloves with this because it is quite alkaline

  
  Mirror and Window Cleaner
  Use a pure cotton cloth so that you won’t get lint on mirrors and windows when cleaning them.

  1/4 tsp all purpose liquid detergent ( a pure, non-synthetic soap is best)
  1 cup water

  Just combine the water and soap in a spray bottle. Spray on the surface and wipe clean with a cotton cloth.
  Be sure to label the bottle. It keeps indefinitely.

  Tile and Glass Cleaner
  1/2 cup vinegar
  1/2 tsp mild liquid detergent
  2 cups very hot tap water

  Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well. Spray onto tiles and glass surfaces, rinse with a sponge. Label the bottle. Keeps indefinitely.

  
  Another Glass and Mirror Cleaner
  1/4 cup white vinegar
  1 Tablespoon cornstarch
  2 cups warm water

  Put all ingredients in a large spray bottle. Shake well to dissolve the cornstarch. To use, spray liberally on the glass, wipe with a clean cloth. Buff to a streak free shine with a wadded up piece of newspaper.

  Mildew Cleaner
  
  1 tsp tea tree oil
  2 cups water

  Combine in a spray bottle. Spray onto the mildew, don’t rinse. Label and store indefinitely.

  Clean The Toilet

  Pour about 1 cup borax into the toilet and let it sit for a few hours.

  Scrub the inside of the bowl using a toilet brush.

  Spray straight 5% vinegar onto the toilet rim, seat and top. Scrub the rim. Wipe the seat and top.

  Periodically, spray the toilet rim with your antibacterial spray and let it dry naturally.

  Another Toilet Bowl Cleaner
  1 cup borax
  1/2 cup white vinegar

  1) Flush the toilet to wet the sides. Sprinkle the borax all along the sides of the inside of the bowl.
  2) Drizzle the vinegar over the borax and leave over night.
  3) Next day, scrub with a toilet brush and flush.

  Hard Water Stains and Scale Cleaner

  Use an acid like vinegar or lemon juice. Just spray on, let sit for 10-15 minutes, then wipe off. For large areas, soak a wash cloth in vinegar and then lay it on the stained area overnight. Next morning, the scale should be easy to scrub off.

  Soak shower heads in vinegar to remove hard water buildup. Use an old toothbrush to scrub it away.

  Damp/Dust Mop

  One part vegetable glycerin
  One part vinegar
  One old, clean, dust free cloth

  Mix the first two ingredients. Soak the cloth in the mixture until it has absorbed all it will absorb.
  Take the cloth out of the liquid, and gently squeeze an excess liquid from the cloth. Cover a mop with the cloth and use all over your hard floors, ceilings, walls and woodwork to pick up dust, dist mites and to repel mites, neutralize allergens.
  
  Natural Cleaners and What I use Them For

  3 percent hydrogen peroxide
  good for lightening stains and as an antibacterial agent on clothing.
  Baking soda
  Good for gentle abrasive cleaning. Can also be used as a mild bleach and can neutralize acid based stains.

  
  Citrus solvents
  All purpose stain removal. Don’t use if you have cats.

  Cornmeal
  Good for absorbing oily, messy stains.

  Enzymes
  I use digestive enzymes like pepsin or papain. They are good for getting out milk and formula stains. Really any kind of carbohydrate stain.

  The Freezer!
  Freeze gum and candle wax before attempting to remove it, works better.

  Glycerin
  softens old stains

  Laundry Detergents
  There are some stains that I just can’t get out with natural stuff, like lipstick and makeup or other oily stains. Sometimes nothing works on ring around the collar except detergent.

  Salt
  salt kills some bacteria and is good to add to your cleaners to make a mild abrasive.

  Soap
  All around good cleaner but don’t use it on fruit stains of any kind, it can set them! (wine, jam, juice….)

  Washing soda
  I love this stuff. Its one of the heavy duty natural cleaners.

  White vinegar – 5%
  Good way to remove stains, deodorizes.
  

  I use most of these cleaners on a weekly basis, but with a house full of children and a few pets, I find that every now and then I need to pull out chemical cleaners for a major cleaning. Be sure to check labels on commercial cleaners and do your research to see if they are acceptable for your home.  I like the new Clorox Green cleaners, but when I look at the label…..  I realize that its just about exactly what I’ve been making here at home!