Many people have succumbed to the siren song of homemade laundry “detergents” for a number of reasons, to save money, to reduce the family’s exposure to household chemicals, to save the environment, to name a few. The trouble is, these recipes usually don’t end up saving you money, don’t reduce exposure to chemicals, and don’t do much for the environment, either. More importantly, they don’t even get clothes clean. They seem to do fine at first, but eventually the grime builds up to the point where it can’t be ignored, and you’re left with dingy, smelly clothes, sheets and towels.
Here we present a compilation of photos of the strip water from our members who have used homemade “detergents”. We have also listed the ingredients used in their recipe, so you can compare it to the recipe you have been using or considering. A strip is the soaking process used to strip away hard water mineral build-up or soap build-up (not to be confused with detergent) that is adhered to the fibers and get them clean again.
**The water MAY change colors or get murky. It’s also normal for it to smell slightly unpleasant. However, if your water doesn’t change colors that is okay too! There are plenty of gross things that we can’t see! Don’t worry!**
Sarah Jo K.
Ingredients Used – Borax, Oxi, Washing Soda, Fels Naptha, and Gain Fireworks Scent Booster.
She used her homemade soap for 7 months in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
Exercise Shirts
Bedding/Sheets
Kelly M.
Ingredients Used – Oxi, Borax, Baking Soda, Washing Soda, Fels Naptha, and Purex Scent Crystals.
She used her homemade soap for 8 months in a stackable top loading non-HE washing machine.
Clothes
Bedding/Sheets
Melissa M. H. B.
Ingredients Used – Fels Naptha, Borax, Washing Soda, and Oxi.
She used her homemade soap for approximately 2-3 years in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
Clothes
Kathleen L.
Ingredients Used – Fels Napths, Washing Soda, and Borax.
She used her homemade soap for 2 months in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
Clothes
Whites
Jackie L.
Ingredients Used – Fels Naptha, Washing Soda, and Borax.
She used her homemade soap for 6 months in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
Whites
Lindsay N.
Ingredients Used – Borax, Baking Soda, Ivory Soap, Purex Scent Crystals, and Oxi.
She used her homemade soap for 3 years in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
Whites
Addie R. H.
Ingredients Used – Borax, Washing Soda, Oxi, Fels Naptha, and Baking Soda.
She used her homemade soap for 4 years in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
Towels
Anna S.
Ingredients Used – Borax, Washing Soda, Fels Naptha, and Baking Soda.
She used her homemade soap for approximately 8 months to 1 year in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
Whites
Ashley R. B.
Ingredients Used – Borax, Washing Soda, and Borax.
She used her homemade soap for 2 years in a HE front loading washing machine.
Aimee L.
Ingredients Used – Washing Soda, Oxi, and Baking Soda.
She used her homemade soap for 1.5 years in a top loading non-HE washing machine.
