Comments on: Bargain Babe’s homemade soap recipe

By: Carson Oyola

Carson Oyola — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:06:24 +0000

Thank you for providing valuable info about the topic. I�m an admirer of your blog. Keep up the great job.

By: suzie

suzie — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:57:20 +0000

I ran out of home made detergent a few days ago. I found some old HE tide I had put away, so I used it. I noticed a stain was not removed on something this morning. I am going to experiment this weekend. I will stain an old towel.I will then cut the towel into sections & let the experiments begin….I have to know once & for all….Am I just fooling myself or does this stuff work better than store bought detergent….I will keep you posted.

By: Steven Rosenberg

Steven Rosenberg — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:26:20 +0000

I also wonder about the costs of making your own vs. buying it cheap.

By: Kristin @ Making Cents Out of Life

Kristin @ Making Cents Out of Life — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:22:13 +0000

My mother-in-law made her own laundry soap a few times, and it worked great. I loved the it smelled and cleaned, and our clothes looked great. She didn’t stick with it though, and now she buys her deterg.ent again. It depends on how determined you are to save money and how bad saving $5-$10 on detergent matters to you. Hard core frugalistas do it every week or however often; unfortunately life is just too hectic at our home to add one more time consumption so we have to save that money another way but if I didnt have to deal with so much I’d definitely make my own because buying it is a waste fo money when you see how great the homemade stuff is!

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:13:40 +0000

How much do these ingredients cost?

I’m wondering if this will be cheaper than buying laundry detergent with coupons & store sales?

By: suzie

suzie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:58:14 +0000

Hi I am a new coupon user/ soap maker (my husband was laid off) I can’t believe how clean my clothes are. I went on you tube & watched a bunch of videos & came up with a formula that works for us. I use borax,washing soda & fels naptha…I am not kidding my clothes are cleaner than with tide …keep us posted

By: Jamie

Jamie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:56:22 +0000

Also, I found all the needed ingredients at Wal-Mart. The Fels Naptha was a bit hard to find but I think it was near the laundry stuff, up high on a shelf.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:54:57 +0000

I’ve made a similar laundry detergent in the past. It used borax, washing soda, & Fel Naptha. From what I remember, it did the job but created a small nightmare for me for about a week. At night I would get so itchy and have blotches all over my skin. It got so bad that I suspected my husband of bringing back bedbugs from his recent business trip. After researching bedbugs & thoroughly inspecting every nook and cranny of our room, it turned out that it wasn’t bed bugs. My skin was reacting to my homemade laundry soap. (What a relief that it wasn’t bedbugs!) It didn’t bother my husband or the kids. Just me. So just keep in mind that if you have sensitive skin, this may not be your best option. I’m not sure which ingredient caused the breakouts. Although, I’ve used borax in my regular wash and had no reaction. Maybe it was from the washing soda or Fels Naptha.

By: Susan

Susan — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:31:12 +0000

I made this detergent a few months ago, a word of caution, my dark purple towels faded a little using it. I now use it for whites and light colors but not black or really dark colors. Also the arm and hammer super washing soda is sold at Albertson’s. It is the only place around the valley I could find it.

By: Dara

Dara — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:10:45 +0000

I have made this and was not pleased with the cleaning results. I used both soaps, Ivory* & Felsnapa . . . I have also made and used liquid detergent and found it cleans much better than the powdered. Soaps can be bought online @ soapsgoneby (don’t remember the exact website but it can be googled) I do plan to make more of the liquid.

By: lisa

lisa — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 01:46:53 +0000

I, too, am curious to know if this detergent is HE safe and also if the lavender oil would stain the clothes.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:41:05 +0000

“Clean House, Clean Planet” is available through Amazon, new or used for as little as $3.11 plus shipping. I just ordered a copy.

By: Rabbi Wendy

Rabbi Wendy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:59:13 +0000

The most amazing and effective book of recipes for household products is “Clean House, Clean Planet” by Karen Logan. It is still in print, with plenty of copies on Amazon. The recipe for spray cleaner on page 85 is the best spray cleaner I’ve ever used, hands down. Logan is so thorough in her explanations. She even sells bottles for the finished products. It’s a fun read, even if you don’t make any of the cleaning products. Check it out!

By: JUNIE

JUNIE — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:49:06 +0000

Let me know how much the ingredients cost and how much nees stroing from the original ingredients and how much time it takes, then I’ll decide if making soap is worthwhile. I do hope it is, sounds like fun.

By: Tamara

Tamara — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:42:48 +0000

I have not made my own detergent, but I bought the ivory soap, the borax and the washing soda. I am just waiting for my store bought detergent to run out so that I can re-use the plastic dispensers.