Comments on: Reader’s Question: Homemade Laundry Detergent Residue

By: Recipe: Homemade Powdered Laundry Soap | Frugal Upstate

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[...] of “Frugal Laundry Care”. Reader’s Question: Homemade Laundry Detergent Residue? Reader’s Question’s: Fading, where to find Washing Soda & more! Reader’s [...]

By: Charity

Charity — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:15:38 +0000

I think it is what several people stated here. It might be from overloading your washing machine. One thing you can do that a good friend does, she just zaps in the microwave some water in a measuring cup and the detergent to dissolve it first because she washes in cold water only (and trust me, where we live cold is very cold water especially in the winter). This way you won’t need to have buckets of “slime” sitting around from homemade washing soap.

I also would follow Lisa’s advice with the vinegar in the rinse cycle. It does wonders in removing residue.

However, none of those will work if your machine is overloaded with laundry because it will not be able to agitate enough.

Another thing, if you have a top loading machine, try putting the soap in FIRST while the washer fills. This gives the soap more of a chance to distribute and break down into the water before adding your clothes. I do this with laundry detergent and it makes a huge difference.

Also… Google the web address for “Gardenweb Laundry Room Forum” as those people there are all experts on this kind of thing. Yes, it is a forum dedicated to people that love laundry. You can get the most amazing tips there when something goes wrong with the laundry.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:00:10 +0000

Before considering switching to store bought, try making a liquid homemade soap. I dissolve half a bar of grated soap, a quarter cup of borax, and a quarter cup of washing soda (not baking soda) in a sauce pan of boiling water and then dilute it with a gallon-1.5 gallons of hot water. It will gel as it cools. In really cold weather, it doesn’t gel as well and may leave a residue in my wash. Adding vinegar to the rinse helps as does using a soak cycle before the wash cycle.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:07:39 +0000

Try adding white vinegar to the rinse. [Also works great in the rinse cycle of your dishwasher]

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:46:58 +0000

I also think the washing machine might be overloaded… either try putting less clothing in a load (your machine might be smaller than it looks) or less detergent and see what happens. This used to be a common problem for me when I was in college and I was always trying to get the most of my quarters!

By: Jenn @ Frugal Upstate

Jenn @ Frugal Upstate — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:09:36 +0000

Wow Sal-thank you so much for your detailed reply! This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping someone could provide!

By: Sal

Sal — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:59:02 +0000

For three years I’ve been trying to convince my old washer to hobble along till next spring. Along the way I’ve learned a lot about washer repair. I also work in the repair industry (not appliances).

If the powder isn’t dissolving then that means it isn’t agitating enough during the wash cycle or being rinsed adequately.
Either the washer is being over loaded, the water pump (that drains the tub) isn’t functioning properly(you wouldn’t believe what I’ve found in mine when I’ve taken it apart) or it’s not spinning out enough before the rinse cycle.
If you switch to liquid then there will just be liquid soap residue left in your clothing that you can’t see – which makes clothes smell good but could cause skin problems & shorten the life span of the clothing.

I get my repair info from a local parts store & from fixitnow.com. Appliance repair is amazingly easy – I fix all my own now and most of the time the part doesn’t have to be replaced – just habits(i.e. kids)changed.
You could check your make & model on that website (or google it and see what other people say) & see if there’s a known defect.

From the info provided, it sounds like there’s definitely a problem with the washer – not the detergent recipe.

Hope this helps out in some way

By: Rita

Rita — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:03:48 +0000

I tried the powdered homemade laundry detergent and it left powdery residue on the clothes, especially the dark ones. I also have this problem if I use powered commercial brands. I made the liquid version and it didn’t seem to get the clothes clean enough. I do have very hard well water and I am sure that is the problem. When my children were babies, I used cloth diapers and always soaked them in a diaper pail with borax. When I hung them on the line, they were very white. I could solve my hard water laundry problem by using borax in the wash load but that would be more expensive. Now, I just use liquid detergent that I buy on sale and use coupons.