Vintage Laundry

[VanillaT]

I happened upon an interesting recipe for "old fashioned" laundry powder "just the way grandma used to make it" using Fels Naptha (or other bar soap such as Kirk's or Ivory), washing soda and borax. I grated one full bar of the Fels Naptha and added that to 1 1/2 c. each of the borax and washing soda. I put all of the aforementioned into a large ziploc back and mixed. I have done several loads so far with it (2 tablespoons per load) and the laundry has turned out fantastic so far. I haven't needed softener and the towels (which usually have a very slight mustiness to them even after washing) smell fresher than sunshine itself. I am really interested to see if over time I will get a dingy build-up on the clothes or if this is a long-term solution to overpriced laundry detergents which I normally would buy in the stores. I am wondering if this would be a better way to clean vintage and delicate garments. Anyways, just wanted to share with you ladies!

 

[Paisley]

Lizziemaine makes her own laundry soap, I think. You might ask her.

 

[Joie DeVive]

Wow you do use a lot less, but there is something you should keep in mind.
While I'm far from a chemist, what you are using is a soap mixture. The modern laundry powders are detergent. The major difference between detergents and soaps being that soaps have fats in them and detergents do not. Detergents are meant to repel oils and fats such as stains and natural body oils, and the fats in soap can leave a residue over time. Just something to think about.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That mix is similar to what I use on all my laundry --- Fels Naptha soap and washing soda. I don't use the borax because I get decent results without it, but if you've got really hard water it will help.

The main advantage over modern detergents is that it's really really really cheap. One bar of Fels Naptha, chipped, will last me about two months, and a box of washing soda will last over two years.

I do my washing in a wringer machine, and add one half-cup of soap chips/soda mixture per load. Do the whites first, then the colors, drain the tub, and rinse, and that's all the soap you'll need to use.

I've also used soap and soda as the basis for a liquid solution, but chips work better in my current washer.

Haven't noticed any problem with buildup -- the key is in the wringing and the rinsing. I wring double coming out of the wash water, and then rinse in fresh water for about ten minutes before double-wringing again.

I have no idea how the mixture would work in an automatic machine, but as long as you've got a long rinse cycle buildup shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Paisley]

I've used Fels Naptha as a stain treater; it works better on my towels, and not as well on other stains. I never noticed a buildup on the towels.

Biz doesn't seem to do much for me; I don't even think it dissolves in cold, hard water.

I love Mrs. Stewart's Bluing--it does help get whites whiter without bleaching.

If you prefer store-bought detergent, you can use less than the recommended amount--about 2/3 the amount it might recommend.

I admit I use the fancy packaged laundry detergent, but I save a little by not necessarily washing things after one use.

 

[Redhead]

Biz works great if you want to whiten delicates. I used it on a horribly yellowed 1850s veil and after multiple washings its true ivory color came through. It's really gentle and even got the weird "I've been a funky old box for decades" smell out.

Chandra

 

[BombshellBella]

Not sure if this is helpful, but I was talking to my mom the other day about washing things by hand, and how women in the olden days really had their housework cut out for them....

My mom told me that my grandma who was a Greek immigrant to Turkey, used to boil her whites with ashes... my mother says that she never saw whiter whites than that.

 

[BeBopBaby]

Wood ashes are also used to make lye soap, which also would have been used to clean laundry with. So the ashes must work well.

If you really want to get anacronistic with your laundry, urine was also used to whiten whites. This was common practice in the 18th & 19th centuries, the ammonia in the urine worked as a whitening agent. Then the whites would have been spread out in the sunlight on a clean patch of grass. The sunlight and the chlorophyl from the grass would have also worked to bleach the whites.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Washing soda -- sodium carbonate -- is made from ashes, so all the smart grandmas of the world were definitely onto something there.

 

[BombshellBella]

That is sooo cool, thanks for the info

 

[Lorena B]

I love this thead!! how interesting!!

 

[vampygirl13]

I know you can get some lovely laundry supplies on Etsy that are nautal and do clean well. I haven't tried them yet since my DH is very into his Tide! :eusa_doh:

 

[chanteuseCarey]

ingredients??

Hello Vanilla T,

What is "washing soda" please? Do you use this recipe in a modern washing machine? Would this work for hand washing just small items in a bathtub as well?

I happened upon an interesting recipe for "old fashioned" laundry powder "just the way grandma used to make it" using Fels Naptha (or other bar soap such as Kirk's or Ivory), washing soda and borax. I grated one full bar of the Fels Naptha and added that to 1 1/2 c. each of the borax and washing soda. I put all of the aforementioned into a large ziploc back and mixed. I have done several loads so far with it (2 tablespoons per load) and the laundry has turned out fantastic so far. I haven't needed softener and the towels (which usually have a very slight mustiness to them even after washing) smell fresher than sunshine itself. I am really interested to see if over time I will get a dingy build-up on the clothes or if this is a long-term solution to overpriced laundry detergents which I normally would buy in the stores. I am wondering if this would be a better way to clean vintage and delicate garments. Anyways, just wanted to share with you ladies!

 

[Foofoogal]

http://www.home-ec101.com/borax-and-washing-soda-and-where-to-find-it-all-oh-my/

towards the bottom it has a recipe that says one can use lavender ivory soap grated instead of the felsnaptha. I bet that would help make the laundry smell nice.
I am a lavender freak.

http://www.healthtohealthy.com/images/WashingSoda.jpg

 

[beaucaillou]

My Mother just sent me all of my Great-Grandmother's old Mason jars. In one of them is homemade laundry soap, likely made back in the 30's-40's. It doesn't smell like anything and is surprisingly still loose - no clumps! It doesn't smell like anything at all, but Borax and Fels Naptha came to mind. I can't think of a good reason for keeping it, as it's so old now, but I like the idea of having something my Great Grandmother made, never thinking that it would matter to anyone.

 

[StaceFace]

I have no idea how the mixture would work in an automatic machine, but as long as you've got a long rinse cycle buildup shouldn't be a problem.

I made my own powdered laundry soap about a year ago with equal proportions of Fels Naptha, washing soda, and Borax. Mind you, I was using this in my grandmother's Whirlpool HE front loading washer, and it worked great at first...then the washing machine started beeping after a few weeks every time I went to do a load, and then it would just click I don't remember what we did to fix it, if anything, but I never used homemade powder in it again! I do know that there are numerous sites that have this same recipe in a liquid form, usually from adding boiling water to the powder resulting in a very thick goop. Never tried it. I use Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds.

 

[DaisieWilde]

I use a made-by-hand (still commercially available) laundry powder. It only has sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), borax, pure castille soap and pure essential oils in it. I only use a little bit (2 tablespoons) and it cleans really well. Plus it doubles as a stain remover when mixed into a paste. It removed black mineral eye liner from my carpet a little too well...there was a bright clean spot when the rest of the carpet was a dingy color!

 

[fortworthgal]

I use storebought soaps, but I read a lot of "frugal" forums and articles, and homemade laundry soap is always very high on the list. Usually second only to clotheslines, which I'm already using. From what I have read, most people seem to lean towards the homemade liquid/gel laundry soap.

 

[StaceFace]

I use a made-by-hand (still commercially available) laundry powder. It only has sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), borax, pure castille soap and pure essential oils in it. I only use a little bit (2 tablespoons) and it cleans really well. Plus it doubles as a stain remover when mixed into a paste. It removed black mineral eye liner from my carpet a little too well...there was a bright clean spot when the rest of the carpet was a dingy color!

Do you have the name or brand of this soap, and where one would be able to find it? Do you know of any online retailers?

 

[DaisieWilde]

It's called Moon Works. There are a few online retailers. You can buy direct from the website or do a google search and find some secondary retailers...

www.moonworks.org

I cannot attest for other retailers as I get mine directly from the company.

I have used both the lavender and the balsam fir scent. Neither will scent your clothes...they also have unscented. It might seem more expensive ($25), but you use only an 1 oz. per load as opposed to those giant scoops with detergents. 80 oz. will get you 80 loads.

From the concentrated Tide I've used...I only got 30 or so loads. Plus you don't get all the chemicals.