The guys who suggested maybe we had the wrong laundry soap? Yep -- it's HE, which I guess isn't referring to the brisance, and our washer is more black powder era tech. This is not a happy mix.
I'm washing Carhartt dungarees with Woolite right now. What? It's the only other option!
Dammit, I still miss Lux flakes (with Color Freshener).
For what it's worth, 20 Mule Team Borax is still available as a laundry additive.
ReplyDeleteUncle had a link to a homemade laundry detergent some time ago; I made some up and it seems to as well or better than store-bought. Mucho cheap, too. In fact, it works well enough that I made a double batch and dumped it into a 5 gallon bucket I keep next to the washer (gamma lids are your friend). Should last me about 4 years at current consumption rates (I use 2 tsp/load because that's the size of throwaway plastic scoop I found in a kitchen drawer).
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Pro tips: I add a 4th bar of Fels Naptha, do run the bar soap through a blender to get the granules small, and mix ingredients together in small batches before dumping into a large container because getting 18 lbs of powders well mixed is a hemorrhoid without a rotating drum mixer.
2nd pro tip: I dump in a big box (3 lbs) of TSP in each batch because, well, because.
"You'll look better in a Carhartt washed in Woolite(TM)" doesn't quite scan as well, but maybe it still works?
ReplyDeleteThe DIY laundry detergent is an interesting idea. Well, commercial packaging is mostly for convenience, eh? But there was a comment about not using it on diapers due to affecting water absorption, so, not good for towels either? What is it about residue from baking soda that would do that, I wonder?
FWIW, I use All Free/Clear, with a bit of Biz booster thrown in. And I use maybe half of the recommended dosage.
Once saw an article that claimed (with evidence and references and 8"x10" color glossies with paragraphs on the back) that the folks behind Tide (P&G?) did two things - one, keep working on their product's effectiveness, and two, target male college students, because, apparently, when they get married, laundry detergent is the one thing they get "sticky" about to their wives, and the cycle continues as sons see their folks use it. Alas, my google-fu is weak
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