Let's Talk: Homemade laundry soap doesn't work?

Becky,

I was wondering how to make homemade laundry detergent. Do you have a recipe you could share?

-Grace

Grace,

Interesting that you'd ask this question now. My Mom-in-law, Lark, started making the detergent for all of her kids (including me) two years ago. She has been using it non-stop for that entire time. I wish we'd kept track of how much money she has saved by not purchasing commercial detergents!

After a year of using the homemade laundry soap, I started having major problems. I wrote about it here. Until yesterday, I thought the only problem was hard water. So, what happened yesterday?

Hard water

Soooo...admitting defeat, I hang my head and pout a little. My home's hard water has won the fight. Calgon & all the vinegar & bleach in the world were not enough to overcome it. Commercial detergents come complete with chemicals that make them work, even in hard water. Homemade detergent, we had a good run. And someday, when I own my very own home, I will have a water softener installed and go back to making my own detergent. The savings are remarkable!

Cotton romance

Why me?! Why are my whites turning grey and smelling musty? My sheets smell musty, too! Why?! Could it be the homemade laundry detergent I've been using for over a year with no problems until recently? When I lived in my last apartment, my laundry was ALWAYS fresh-smelling right out of the wash. I've added more and more vinegar to each load, soaked overnight, tried both chlorine and non-chlorine bleach, and nothing has resolved the issue.