Tuesday 20 November 2012

Laundry liquid - the results

Well to say that I am thrilled is an understatement  It is not every 39 year old man that get's excited that home made laundry liquid actually works, but this one really does! Makes me a bit odd but who cares.
So I have tried it with first rate results. It makes the clothes come out fresh and clean and I have even tried it on a cold wash with excellent results of fresh clean clothes, no residue.
I used about an American cup size of liquid for a wash, maybe I could use less, I will experiment  but so far so good. I also used a small amount of white vinegar with it in the fabric conditioner section.
No more shop bought washing powder/liquid for me, and I can't really say why it has taken me so long to discover this in the first place!

22 comments:

  1. I think this is a fab idea. I might have to try it. Does the vinegar leave any smell on the clothes?
    Kindest regards
    Kay

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    1. No smell at all. Just leaves them soft.

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    2. Dan, for stubborn stain removal I have made up a mix of 2/3 laundry liquid plus 1/3 vinegar in a handy spray bottle. I pre-treat spillages and food stains on clothing with this mix before putting the garments in the usual wash cycle. It`s a brilliant little help/product when wanting to remove grease stains or accidental ketchup or curry splashes. As long as you use this pre-treatment as soon as the stain has ocurred. Dried in stains are much harder to remove.

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  2. Regarding the vinegar, 1 use around 1 to 2 tablespoons, no more although some recipes say to use 1/2 - 1 cup which I think might smell. If collars are a little dirty then rub the liquid onto them first, usually comes clean. Whites can eventually go slightly off white but as we haven't many whites, it is okay. I like the fresh outdoor smell the clothes have even if they haven't been dried outside!

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    1. I don't have many whites either, and I am not especially gubby. If over time they have gone off, I don't mind doing an occasional wash with something like oxy bleach in it to pep them up.

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  3. How awesome is that! I'm going to try to make some this weekend. Thanks for the details.

    And yes, vinegar is great. No smell at all and makes things soft and fluffy.

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    1. It is pretty awesome. I can't believe it was so easy, so cheap and so effective! Good luck, I hope it goes well - only advice - really really make sure everything has dissolved first time, I had to reheat mine because it wasn't dissolved enough. Get it to nearly boiling.

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  4. Does the vinegar bleach out the colors from your clothes? I'm going to try the vinegar trick with my whites, but I'm leery about doing it with my colors.

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    1. I've used vinegar as a softener for years and I have never noticed have any negative affect at all on colours. You only use about a tablespoon, it is purely in there as a softener.

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    2. Vinegar helps to keep colours vibrant in newly bought garments, so you can use it in your wash cycle savely, right from the start.

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  5. Am going to try the vinegar. I don't use fab conditioner as a rule down to cost but a spoonful of vinegar is worthy of a shot

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    1. No, I never use fab conditioner, waste of money I reckon, but a tablespoon of vinegar seriously doesn't break the bank.

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  6. You could even try to make batches of lavender infused vinegar during the summer.
    I use vinegar as a face lotion, and when I have calendula and camilla in my garden I boil the plants in the vinegar, let rest for 15 days in the dark and then pour it in a bottle through a cheese cloth.
    For my first try I used white vinegar but it is much too strong, I will try with cider vinegar next. So if it works as a skin lotion, there is no reason it could not be used with fragrant plants for household purposes (and now I'm thinking oregano, thyme, fresh green smells).
    I will have to try the laundry soap one of these days.

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    1. It would be nice to have a herby smell to the vinegar.

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  7. I made my own laundry powder a while back with borax substitute, soda crystals and grated soap but I found I was sometimes left with bits of undissolved soap on the clothes after washing. I will have to give the liquid a try!

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    1. Yes, I can imagine that this could be a problem with the powder, especially if you wash at low temperature. Like I said, I have tried this liquid on a cold wash with no residue so it is definietly worth a try.

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  8. Daft question time, I have been trying to find white vinegar but can only find distilled malt vinegar is this the same, and the laundry liquid, does this go into your drawer of the washing machine or inside the drum, many thanks x

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    1. Yes, distilled malt vinegar is white vinegar, a clear liquid. I put the laundry liquid in the drawer of the washing machine, where I ususally would put the powder. I would think that there is nothing to stop you putting it directly in the drum though should you wish to.

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    2. Thanks for your reply, can't wait to give them a go now xx

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  9. Hi, I have been using my laundry liquid for a while now. I don't grate soap, I use soap flakes in my mix instead. They last for ages too and you don't have to grate the soap

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    1. Yes, I imagine this works exactly the same way.

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  10. i was going to try homemade washing powder/liquid before baby arrives to cut down on chemicals but i was in tescos and i saw ecover liquid for half price... £4 for 43 washes or something and i went for the easy option and bought a few bottles of that! ah well when those run out ill give it a try :) will have lots of nappies to wash next year so that'll be a real test for the homemade liquid lol!

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