I made a batch of homemade laundry soap Wednesday night, this is my big big fun. I didn't have any Zote laundry bar soap, so I used the bar of Octagon I got from Key Food. Octagon, the name makes me happy. Is there a diagnosis for that?
I grated half the bar of soap. Once I start grating soap, it's a little hard to stop. It makes me wonder what it would like to be a tallow renderer, like Benjamin Franklin's father.
I added the grated soap to a pot of boiling water and in a little while it dissolved. Then I added 1/2 cup each Borax and Washing Soda and some more water, and stirred fast because it started to get really thick and cool, very slimy. Since the Octagon soap is a brownish grey color, my laundry soap was looking pretty much exactly like snot. When I use Zote, it's bright pink snot.
Then I added the stuff in the pot to a large bucket half filled with cold water and added a few drops of grapefruit extract. When it's cool I filled up my 3 empty Seventh Generation containers with it. It works really, really well and costs a fraction of store bought soap. But what I'd really like to know is if Zote, Octagon or Fels Naptha, the three laundry bar soaps I can get, (Zote at C-town and Mexican stores, Octagon at Key Food, and Fels Naptha via mail order) contain phosphates. People ask me, and I have no idea.
The picture above shows what a pad of post-it notes looks like after it's been through the wash. In case you ever wondered or theorized about that in your spare time. They no longer stick to anything.
Laundry Soap Recipe
(There are recipes for making the soap dry but I found that I don't enjoy breathing in the powder (i.e., huffing it) so I make it wet.)
1/3 grated bar of zote soap
1/2 cup borax
1/2 washing soda
In a large pot, dissolve grated soap in 6 cups water over medium heat. Add washing soda and borax.
Put 4 cups hot water in a bucket add soap mixture and stir. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water. Use 1/2 - 3/4 per load.
I've seen 20-Mule Team Borax (best brand name ever) and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda for sale at the Windsor Terrace Key Food and Park Slope C-town. If Key Food is out, I'm sure you can request it. Ask for Michael Jordan, the manager/part owner, and say Amarilla sent you if you feel like it. I wonder if they'd start stocking Zote?
Is this soap gentle enough for a baby? I don't know, but it hasn't aggravated my 10-years old's eczema or affected my 3 or 6-year old in anyway.
10 comments:
This sounds like an awesome project for, say, a teacher off for the summer. But 2 questions:
--where do you get Borax and washing soda?
--is this gentle enough to be used on infant laundry?
Thanks!
Hi Lo!
I've added that information to the post, thanks for asking.
Phosphates were phased out of laundry soaps and detergents by the mid-1990s. They are still used in some dish detergents.
I live in the US and am unfamiliar with the brands of soap you mentioned. When you say laundry bar soap, do you mean the kind of soap for washing your hands that is sold in bars (such as Dove)? Or are you talking about something else entirely? I am very interested in making this stuff. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi,
Yes, it's laundry soap that comes in a bar. The Zote is bigger than the average bar of hand soap and bright pink.
Look for these brands - Fels Naptha, Zote or Octagon. And ask around, there may be some sort in your area people don't carry here in Brooklyn.
I saw that this website carries it, but I can't vouch for the site, I've never used it.
http://www.shopfoodex.com/zote-pink-laundry-soap-p-21143.html
I just made this - been meaning to ever since your post. Used Octagon, and tea tree and peppermint essential oil instead of the grapefruit.
I think I'll do this from now on. It smells yummy and works great. The only thing I noticed was that I have to give the bottle a good shake before pouring it out, as the soap starts to solidify near the bottom otherwise. No biggie, though. I can shake it.
Thanks for letting me know Ms. Motley! I can shake it too. I'm a little bored with homogeneity these days anway.
Hi,
I found your post through http://www.emilygertz.com/apartmentecology/2008/06/of-phosphates-frogs-and-homema.html
I was also curious about Octagon soap, because I like it and they sell it at my local store. A little googling around, however, brought me to the MSDS
http://callico.chemtel.net/msds/CO-Z-14500.pdf
Which under Clean Water Act Reporting tells me:
"CLEAN WATER ACT:
Contains sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate and
pentasodium triphosphate which are Section 311
materials"
Boo! Now I am sad. I will need to see if the others you mention are available around here. (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn!)
Thanks for your excellent research. Good to know. What about Zote?
I use plain Ivory soap for my laundry detergent, but if the load is very dirty I grate some fels naptha in the wash.
Does anyone know if Fels or Octagon is the stronger of the two?
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