Washing powder made from soap and soda ash

In the context of the economic crisis, families with limited incomes are faced with the need to cut back on expenses. What can they save on? It's great if they can save on luxury items, like skipping a piece of jewelry—there's a saving there. But what if they have to skimp even on basic necessities? That's where resourcefulness comes in. Experienced homemakers suggest saving on laundry detergent by making a homemade solution from soap and washing soda. Whether this is realistic or not, let's find out.

Simple composition

The general idea behind saving money is very simple. You need to make an effective replacement for expensive detergent using very inexpensive ingredients. The key phrase is "effective replacement." The homemade laundry detergent needs to be at least as good as the one you had to give up, otherwise, this cost-saving option simply becomes pointless. The most persistent online recipe for a fairly simple laundry detergent, the only ingredients of which are soap and washing soda, is being promoted. Here's what you need:

• 100 g of baby soap;
• 100 g of soda ash;
• about 1 liter of hot boiled water.

When preparing the powder, it is better not to use laundry soap instead of baby soap, since in this case the composition will be more aggressive and will have an unpleasant odor.

To prepare the washing soda and soap powder, open the windows and isolate the room where you'll be preparing the powder from the rest of the house by closing the door. Take an old pot you don't plan to use for cooking, a spoon, and a grater. Regular spoons and graters are fine; after washing, they can be used for cooking. Here's how to do it.

1. We select the finest mesh on the grater and use it to grind a bar of baby soap.
2. Pour all the soap crumbs into a saucepan and place it on medium heat.
3. Immediately pour a liter of hot water into the soap and begin stirring the mixture vigorously.
4. Without bringing the mixture to a boil, dissolve the soap completely. Make sure that no grains remain.
5. Once the soap has dissolved, add another 0.5 liters of hot water.
6. After about 10 minutes of vigorous stirring, add 100 g of washing soda to the soap solution. Continue stirring.
7. Once the baking soda is completely dissolved in the soap solution, the recipe can be considered successfully implemented.

The most important thing is the finishing touch. Don't cool the mixture abruptly, but don't leave it on the stove either. To obtain a smooth laundry detergent, cool the mixture gradually at room temperature. The end result won't be a powder, but a washing gel with the properties of a decent laundry detergent. However, it won't be as effective, so the recipe will need to be updated. How? We'll discuss this in the next section.

Improved composition

A recipe for baking soda and soap powder can be significantly improved by adding borax. Our ancestors have long known about borax's amazing properties. Our grandparents knew firsthand about borax's disinfecting properties and its ability to dissolve even the most stubborn stains. The recipe must be followed strictly, otherwise you won’t be able to cook anything good. To prepare a laundry detergent gel based on borax soap and soda ash, you will need:

• 100 g of baby soap (do not use laundry soap);
• 100 g of soda ash (baking soda is worse);
• 100 g of borax;
• 3 drops of essential oil (whichever you like best).

We do everything the same as when preparing a simple laundry gel for washing up to the stage of dissolving the soda ash.

The washing gel will be of higher quality and more uniform if you first add borax to the hot soapy solution and then, after it has dissolved, add the washing soda.

Once both the borax and baking soda have dissolved, you can add 3 drops of essential oil to the solution and remove it from the heat. While the gel is still warm, pour it into jars and let it cool completely at room temperature. The cleaning gel is ready.

One more question remains: where to get borax? But that's not a problem at all. Borax or sodium tetraborate can be purchased at a pharmacy, although in this case the purchase will cost a pretty penny. It's best to order borax online from specialized stores. Just do the math: good-quality technical borax can be ordered online for $1.20 per kilogram, while a 50-gram jar at a pharmacy will cost you almost $1.00. As they say, feel the difference!

Recommendations for use

Despite all the assurances and reviews from housewives who frequently use washing gels prepared according to the above recipes, such products should not be used in automatic washing machines. You can use this gel almost without restrictions for hand washing, even in a semi-automatic washing machine, but not in an automatic washing machine. Why is this?

The main reason is that this product is based on a soap solution. While soap solution likely won't cause irreparable damage to your washing machine, it will clog the hoses and pipes, which could eventually lead to breakdowns or, worse, flooding.

By the way, the same problem can arise when you use any detergent in an automatic washing machine. eco-friendly washing powder Soap-based. Our experts warn against using any soap powders, especially homemade ones, in these washing machines. Conclusion: If you've made your own laundry detergent using soap and soda ash, use it to wash your clothes by hand or in a semi-automatic washing machine. Otherwise, saving money will turn into repairs to your automatic washing machine.

In conclusion, it's worth noting that making laundry detergent from the above ingredients is simple and inexpensive, and the ingredients themselves are easy to obtain. However, don't get carried away with homemade detergent; it's not a panacea for all stains, and it's not suitable for washing delicate fabrics. Be sensible—saving is best in moderation!

   

2 reader comments

1. January 3, 2017 at 10:05 PM

   Aurora:

   Good article. And a good recipe.
   But if you don't have time, you can buy a ready-made version of soap and soda powder - Chistaun.

   Answer
2. September 8, 2018 at 3:05 PM

   Nata:

   Why bother with boiling when machine washing isn't recommended, and you can hand wash it with just soap? It works great, but not everything can be hand washed. By the way, we may have very hard water, but that mixture of soap and washing soda won't clean the clothes.

   Answer