Anyone make homemade washing power?

Alexm7b5

Seen various recipes online for this and wanting to make some. Gone for a borax/soda crystals/laundry soap recipe.

I've got borax & soda crystals but I can't seem to find any cheap laundry soap bars anywhere? Apart from very expensive Vanish stain remover bars people I've asked don't seem to realise laundry soap exists!

If anyone makes something similar, where do you get soap from?
I assume you can't just use bathroom soap?

moneyistooshorttomention

I do. Use cheapie own brand soap from the supermarket that is.

Tiffany_Aching

Another vote for cheapie supermarket soap here. I also don't bother making the stuff into 'gloop' - can't be bothered with faffing about like that! If the wash is hot then grated soap and washing soda works fine, cool wash and I melt the mix in a little hot water.

If you are in a hard water area then I would suggest using vinegar in the wash. I am in an area with very hard water and do have to use a bit of vinegar in the final rinse otherwise I get soap scum in the machine and sometimes (rarely) on black items.

Nargleblast

I got a pack of five bars of Knights Castile soap from Home Bargains (99 pence) and they worked fine combined with soda crystals.

fannyadams

you need something called CASTILE soap as it is the right chemical make up for making laundry soap.
body soap is not made the same way so may not work as well as castile soap.
as nargleblast says you CAN get it quite cheaply now you know what you aer looking for.

SailorSam

I use Soap Nuts instead of washing powder.
They're eco friendly.

ScarletRibbons

I use 2 cups of soap flakes to one cup of borax and a cup of soda, but I know that soap flakes can be hard to get. They're often obtainable in "cheap" shops.

highlandmum77

I second that on soap flakes- saves grating up bars of soap and is cheap from my local discount shop. I mix it with washing soda crystals and borax. I have read online though that if you wash at 30 C rather than 40 then then soap won't melt, so that's why some people cook it all to make laundry liquid, so it's pre-melted...

Brambleberry

Hi laundry soap makers!

I've often wondered about this, but havent worked up the nerve to try it. I currently use Almat powder, approximately how much do you save by making your own?

Seakay

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Green-Laundry-Soap-replacement-Fairy/dp/B00HZJUT1O

CathA

Might sound like a daft question but can you use liquid soap instead of bars of soap? And what does the washing smell like; does it smell like the soap that is used? Thanks.