Laundry Gloop - Gloopy Thread !!!

honeythewitch

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Borax isn't utterly necessary, except for stain-removal or brightening whites, and there are a fair few substitutes for that. Like a good scrub with some household soap and a nail-brush before laundering perhaps.

The soda may not be necessary either. It all depends what sort of washing powder you want to emulate i suppose.
If you are expecting stain removal and bright whites from borax substitute i think it might be a disappointment. For everyday washing, soap and soda is fine.
Biotex (from pound shop) added to it is quite effective but no cheaper or more "natural" than the cheapest soap powder. (smells a lot better though :cool:)

BitterAndTwisted

For brightening whites I chuck in a measure of that Oxy additive stuff bought from the pound shop. Of necessity (heater doesn't work on machine) everything else is washed in cold water just using gloop. Nothing bad has happened yet.

Ravenshade

Thanks for the information. I've updated the original post and I'm somewhat concerned about Borax since it is no longer the uncontrolled substance it used to be.

The EU have decided to regulate it and sold containers containing borax must be labelled with Harmful to Reproduction. I'm assuming you're not supposed to eat the stuff anyway but... it's interesting to know. Borax is a poison, so I think people should be aware of that, but would you eat washing powder anyway? O.o

I decided to update the Op to include recipes so that they can easily be found. I probably should add that Borax is optional and for major stain removal treatments. Surely there has to be an alternative... vinegar? o.O

Butterfly_Brain

http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/laundry-cleaning-tips/make-your-own-washing-powder.html#.UWVRcPJWD6s

http://www.mrsbeeton.com/

http://www.carbolicsoap.com/grandma-s-store-cupboard

mcculloch29

Posting the recipe and method that works for me again. The borax is optional - I've made my last two batches without it as I Couldn't Be A**** (CBA) to go down to Boyes and get some. (Boyes is a North of England dept store.)

By a cupful, I mean a measurement of roughly 100ml - using this stuff isn't an exact science by any means!

Hope that info fills a few gaps.

I put together this recipe / method from various threads and websites and thought I would add it as it really worked well. Some of the recipes and methods on the Net are so poorly written (not those here!) that they are really difficult to decipher.

Laundry Gloop

Equipment req.

1 v. large saucepan (stockpot is ideal)
1 wooden spoon
Jug
Bucket or similar v. large plastic storage container pref. with lid.

For the gloop:

1 bar of ordinary soap, finely grated (c. 100g in weight if you are wanting to grate up unloved mini soaps that have sat in the bathroom for years.)
8 oz (250 g) washing soda
8oz (250g) borax substitute (not essential but stops gloop from foaming and acts as deodoriser)
9 litres hot water.
A few drops of essential oils (not necessary, but adds a bit of scent)

Method.

Grate the soap as finely as you can. Old, hard soaps seem to grate the best.
Put grated soap in the large pan and add one and a half litres of boiling water. Bring this to a simmer on the stove and stir until dissolved. When the soap has dissolved, add the washing soda and borax substit. together and stir until this is fully dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow this to cool SLIGHTLY then pour into a bucket or other large receptacle, pref. one with a lid.

Add up to 8 litres of hot water, pop lid on and allow to set in a cool place.

Mine took about eight hours to set.
When set, it will look like blancmange.
To use:
Add a small cupful (c. 100 ml) directly to the DRUM of your washing machine (not the dosing drawer) with the laundry.
If you have v.smelly laundry you may wish to add a scoop of Oxy -clean type granules to the dosing drawer.
Each washload will cost me about 2p, I calculated. It would have been 1p if I hadn't used the borax.
The borax is actually borax substitute - there's no need to order this from the States, it's made in the UK by a company called Dri Pak. They do mail order.

Ravenshade

Why not just get the real Borax?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FIZZYS-COSMETICS-LTD-Powder-Decahydrate/dp/B003DU5NTW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365613682&sr=8-1&keywords=Borax

So far as I can tell according to...

http://web.archive.org/web/20110725113454/http://echa.europa.eu/doc/candidate_list/svhc_supdoc_disodium_tetraborate_anhydrous_publication.pdf

It's not actually the Borax used in cleaning products that is the problem, although it has been reclassified along with Boric Acid (helluva mistake I think).

Edit: Unless you're planning on using it an eye wash or eating half a kilo... >.> yuck.

mcculloch29

Thanks Ravenshade. The 1kg of Borax linked to costs £5.90, (so enough for four batches of gloop and just under £1.50 per batch)
This does knock the cost of making gloop up substantially - although still well below the 10p or so a wash of commercial product.
I've only ever tried borax substitute and I'm not convinced it made a massive amount of difference.

bmma

made first batch of laundry gloop-just checked ready for use -just using soap 55p and 250 grams of soda (1kg cost 65p) so 9litres of LG for less than 75p.The wash turned out fine, I usually use soapnuts, will keep using them, but will also make LG as a stand-by.

carebabe

have been making and using gloop for ages now and never bothered with borax or borax substitute.

Honeythief

I just made my first batch today (borax is easy to get here so I used that) - am very interested to find out how it works. It's certainly very cheap.

As I needed to do laundry today anyway and had no detergent, I made a quick one using soda crystals, borax, and Dr Bronner's liquid soap (equal quantities of each, mixed with hot water). It was a dark wash so no obvious stains, but everything came out smelling clean and looking fresh, and a sniff test of my husband's socks suggest it worked well!