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Please help thousands enjoy their diy liquid laundry detergent.
Howdy! I’m new here and look forward to future knowledge sharing. I’m sure this is probably addressed somewhere here, but I could not find it in lay language.
Diy liquid laundry detergent is a beautiful thing when raising boys on a budget.
Simply…heat, cool, blend, naptha soap, borax, washing soda, water and fragrance. Bucketfuls for pennies…BUT! How can we stabilize this aqueous/gelatinous mixture to avoid separation?? Please, no sapontificating. An easy solution would help bless a lot of people who rely on this awesome recipe. It’s all over the web, but having to “re blend” before every use takes the fun out of saving money. Any insight will be appreciated. This stuff is even safe for front loading machines that use minimal water.
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2 Replies
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Well, the easy answer is to leave this as a powder, and don’t try to make a liquid soap. Processed finely enough, the powder will dissolve nicely into your wash water. Use the method described here: http://www.sistersshoppingonashoestring.com/easiest-diy-laundry-soap-recipe-ever
The second easiest answer is to buy a cheap power drill and a paint mixer attachment. Keep it assembled and near your washing machine, and then mixing before use will only take about 30 seconds or so.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Warner-5-gal-Heavy-Duty-Power-Driven-Paint-Mixer-30388/205052759
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-Reconditioned-5-5-Amp-3-8-in-Corded-Variable-Speed-Drill-ZRD43K/206382736The third option is to use some more powerful surfactants, as well as being sure to finely grind the soap using the method above. Buy some Lestoil Concentrated Heavy Duty Cleaner: https://www.amazon.com/Lestoil-Concentrated-Heavy-Cleaner-Ounces/dp/B0036B89US
Dissolve the ground soap into 4 cups of water, cool, add 2-8 ounces of Lestoil (you’ll have to experiment to get the right level), mix/stir well without creating foam (DON’T breathe the fumes).
Add Borax, washing soda, and fragrance booster to 2-3 gallons of hot tap water, stir until dissolved. Add soap/Lestoil mixture. Mix/stir well without creating foam. Cover while cooling.
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Thank you for your reply. All ingredients were gently heated and mixed until completely dissolved. This is allowed to sit 24 hours, resulting in a top layer of gelatinous soap product and about 3/4 volume of soapy water as the bottom layer. This is then thoroughly blended together. There must be a way to increase viscosity of the watery layer…as to hold or suspend the tiny gobules of thicker gelatinous soap. The problem probably lays with the naptha soap and the saponified oils used in its making. I dont see that a stronger surfactant would alleviate this. When in it’s mixed form, this liquid detergent performs like, feels like, and looks like, quality brand detergent…it’s why I’m stuck on this. And yes I admit to the cordless drill/paint mixer in my laundry room…but this is not acceptable in light of modern chemistry and science.
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