Laundry Soap – version of MikeInPdx’s

Thanks to MOGal70 who mentioned using less water.

I know these are boring pictures but I posted them to show what the soap looked like for the people who’ve been following the Natural Laundry Soap thread. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f24/natural-laundry-soap-no-shredding-4479/

That's a helpful picture. I know the first time I made laundry soap, I had no idea what it was supposed to look like when it came together. I was very uncertain those first 2 days!

Is it light and fluffy like whipped cream or is the consistency more like whipped Shea butter? Looks wonderful!

Right now it's like whipped cream - soft and fluffy but I also used a hand mixer to whip it because I didn't think a stickblender would have the power to mix it up. The first time I made a batch I followed MikeinPdx's instructions. It was soft at first (I didn't whip it - just used a spoon to keep stirring it) but it stiffened up over a period of time. I thought it was because of water evaporation and it became heavier similar to whipped shea texture.

I'm going to make an assumption but I think this will also stiffen up as some of the water evaporates. I scooped up some and held it underneath the water as it poured into the washer. It broke apart and dissolved easily into the water. There were some small lumps but they broke apart when I swished my hand in the water. I probably didn't need to do this because I'm sure they would have dissolved when the machine started to agitate the clothes.

I used 1 cup for a load of jeans and they smell fresh. :grin: Now I'm doing another load of jeans but this time I only used 1/2 cup since the first load had some suds in the rinse water. More than I thought there should have been. I'll have to report back on how the second load turns out.

@ newbie - I know what you mean. When I first tried a batch, I wasn't sure and I was so happy and relieved when it set up.

Thank you for all the wonderful info. I currently make laundry soap by shredding Fels Naptha but I'm not totally satisfied with my results. I'm going to give this a try, thanks!

I don't know if this recipe is significantly different from the one I use, but mine has to dissolve in warm-ish water first. I have put mine directly in the washer (perhaps I didn't swish come to think of it) and had small chunks of soap come out on the clothes. Now I put the soap in a small tub and run some warm water in it, squish it and then add it to the washer. I always wash in cold water, so that may be the issue for me.

Thanks for the pic Hazel its helpful.

Hazel, I am a very visual learner, so the pictures are great for me.

So I have been thinking. Normally with my laundry detergent I just pour. End of story. So with this I am going to have to scoop. So what do you scoop with? I don't want messy fingers. Although I always go wash my hands after loading the washer anyway. Do you leave your scoop in the laundry soap?

I'm glad people found the pics helpful. :grin:

@ newbie - I just use 100% coconut, 20 Mule Team borax, Arm & Hammer washing soda and baking soda for my batches. I think that's just a typical recipe. I did add a cup of brightener to this batch. I got the brightener from my sister and it's really old (like years old). She doesn't use it so I asked her if I could take it since I had forgotten to buy some oxiclean.

Also, I had to dissolve soap from the first batch I made of Mike's recipe in hot water before adding it to the washer. I figure I'll eventually have to dissolve this once the excess water evaporates out of it.

@ AngelMomma - I used the cap from a 50 fl oz container of All detergent. This cap equals a 1/2 measuring cup and the soap weighed a little less than 3 oz. I saw some small scoops at the dollar store which I might buy next time I'm there to use for the soap. They might work well.

BTW, the jeans that I washed with only 1/2 cup soap still have a greasy smell. So, now I know I have to use a cup for a load of jeans or else keep using store bought for them.

@ Sammi_552 - The no shred method is really easy. I just used the shreds for this batch because I didn't feel like grating up the entire batch to make laundry powder. Yes, I admit it. I'm a bit lazy when it comes to soapmaking.

This is great. I hope I remember it when I use up all I have made for shredding!

Ruthie - Do you already have it shredded? I used shredded for this batch. The first time I made the laundry soap I did it the "no shred" way which really is easier but takes longer to set up.

Now I'm wondering about making this the regular cold process way - you know, lye into cold water and add to the oils but heating the extra water which goes into the bucket on the stove the next time. I know Mike said to add cold water to the bucket but I'm wondering if adding hot water would make it set up faster. It will be quite awhile before I try this because the amount I make lasts for months.

Hazel said:

Ruthie - Do you already have it shredded? I used shredded for this batch. The first time I made the laundry soap I did it the "no shred" way which really is easier but takes longer to set up.

Now I'm wondering about making this the regular cold process way - you know, lye into cold water and add to the oils but heating the extra water which goes into the bucket on the stove the next time. I know Mike said to add cold water to the bucket but I'm wondering if adding hot water would make it set up faster. It will be quite awhile before I try this because the amount I make lasts for months.

Click to expand...

No it is not yet shredded. I'll have to go back and read and get a better understanding of this process! Thanks Hazel!

You're welcome! :grin: