# Why are my clothes turning green?



## celephais72

I have been making my own washing powder for a while using, IIRC (don't have the recipe in front of me), roughly equal parts Fels Naptha, borax and washing soda. I make it up as a powder and then dissolve it in hot water right before adding it to the wash. 
The problem: I have noticed that my white clothes are turning greenish since I've been using this! Could this be from hard water (mine is a little on the hard side) or the proportions of ingredients in my washing powder? I've had to bleach my clothes to get the pronounced green cast out. Is there anything I could possibly add to the wash to keep it from going green?
Thanks all!
Amanda


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## MullersLaneFarm

Most likely caused by your hard water.

Up the amount of borax (it softens the water)


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## Cyngbaeld

Also wash in hot water. It makes a big difference.


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## Our Little Farm

I use homemade laundry powder and because we have hard water I was told to add baking soda as well as washing soda, fels naptha and borax. Never had a problem. I've always used cold water.


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## HOTW

I agree with the other posters up the borax or add another softener. It almost sounds like copper you should have your water checked to make sure it is within the norms. Had a frined who had a mjor issue with copper her ahir tunred green literally


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## Ellen West

I had to take up a dye issue with the Fels Naptha company - I was getting staining on white fabric from direct rubbing with the bar, they confessed they used dye in the product for "cosmetic" purposes, meaning the yellow color sells soap. Some of the bars were really streaky with color, they said it varied from batch to batch. Your other ingredients are a known, but the soap ingredients are a trade secret. Maybe some kind of chemical reaction with your water?


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

we were making homemade laundry soap for a while, using the homemade soap or fels napatha , borax and washing soda. we were getting yellow streaks in our clothes. I assume it was either the fels napatha or old oil leaching out of some of the soap i made. the kids wear the streaky clothes round the house and we went back to buying seventh generation...


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## backachersfarm

I had been making this type of washing detergent up too. I don't think I will od it again. I have noticed my whites getting dingier and dingier....even tho I still use a little bleach. our dark clothes that get very sweaty never do smell good.


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## MullersLaneFarm

Detergents have their place ... for me, laundry is it.

I do make my own pre-treatment spray that works very well.

Equal parts of white vinegar, ammonia, concentrated liquid detergent and water.

Because of the ammonia, you can't use it on some fabrics (like silk & I know there are others). The vast majority of our laundry is cotton though


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## AR Transplant

I use my homemade soap on a rotation basis. And, I add the aldie store brand of oxi clean, and baking soda to it. 
Since I made those changes I have not had a problem with dingy clothes.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl

More than once I've forgotten towels in the washing machine. Talk about pee-yew... For that and other funky smells, I use a big gob of distilled vinegar in the final rinse water. Putting it in the first rinse doesn't seem to quite do the job.



backachersfarm said:


> I had been making this type of washing detergent up too. I don't think I will od it again. I have noticed my whites getting dingier and dingier....even tho I still use a little bleach. our dark clothes that get very sweaty never do smell good.


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