# Okay, what am I doing wrong, re: laundry soap



## mouso (Oct 10, 2009)

You would think having made soap for the past 13 years, both liquid and bar, as well as even having a soap business for years, I would be able to make the basic Fels-Naptha detergent.
Nope. 

I used:
1 bar fels naptha
3 cups washing soda
3 cups borax

Grated soap, heated with water until melted. Added borax & soda and heated until it was dissolved. Put in 5 gallon bucket with more HOT water, let sit.

I keep getting a THICK skin of what appears to be the soap on top when it cools. It's not "egg drop soup" or chunky. It is like the soap is not dispersing, and the liquid underneath has no soapy feel to it, it feels like water.

And I heated it up again until I was certain all had dissolved (it was boiling!), and boom, when it cooled, same thing. 

Any advice? What I am doing wrong?
Thanks!


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## mozarkian (Dec 11, 2009)

It might be the amount of borax and washing soda you are using. We have used the following recipe for nearly 3 years with good results:
1/3 bar fels naptha, or zote, grated
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

Melt grated soap in 2 quarts water, when melted add the soda and borax and simmer for a bit until all is well blended. Put a gallon of hot, tap water in a plastic bucket, stir in the soap solution, whisk well. Add more hot water to finish filling bucket (we use a 2.5 gallon bucket with lid that we got from the bakery). Mix well, stir a few times through the day as it cools. Let sit overnight and then stir again before use. We use 1/2 cup per load of work clothes, 1/3 to 1/4 cup for less grimy loads.


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## PJJIN (Sep 6, 2008)

I also think it's the amount of washing soda and borax. I use the same amounts of all 3 ingredients as mozarkian does. I always double the recipe though so I don't have to make it as often. We've been using this for over 2 years now. Mine never completely gels but it does get the "egg drop soup" texture.


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## Jean in Virginia (Oct 5, 2008)

My last batch has been the only one that came out perfect.

I melted 1 bar of fels in 2 qts of water, meanwhile I put 3 gallons of hot water in a bucket, added 1 cup each of washing soda and borax, stirred to dissolve it, added the fels liquid, topped it off with hot water.

My tap water is 150 degrees, that's how hot it was. 

I stirred well, then half filled a large liquid detergent bottle, topped it off with hot water, and it's been great.

No snot, no globs, clothes are clean.

Seems like the batch before I added the dry ingredients to the soap on the stove, and it was super gelled. I used it anyway, but what a pain. A cheap pain, but a pain nonetheless.


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## mouso (Oct 10, 2009)

THanks, all. Upon sitting for a couple of days the soap chunks appear to be dissolving and tuning into more of a soup. 
I'll see if they completely dissolve, as they won't dissolve in the washer- found that out the hard way- unless we wash on hot.


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## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

Mine is always globby and snotty.

I just mix it up and use it.

If I don't dissolve the Fels completely, then I have issues. Otherwise, snot it is.

My mom says she remembers her grandma using Fels for dishes and seeing glumpy dishwater.


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

have you considered just using the powder by grating and mixing the ingredients and using 1-2 Tbls powder per load?


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

I hate the snot. I just mix it up dry and use 2 heaping TBSP. per large load .


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## ekjns (May 31, 2002)

This has happened to me before and I used it anyway and it worked fine. But I don't like it when the consistency comes out like that.


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## Jean in Virginia (Oct 5, 2008)

Has anyone used the powder in cold water only?

I've always worried about it dissolving.


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## acde (Jul 25, 2011)

I use cold water for most loads and never any problems. I also put vinegar in my downy ball.


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## krmnandi (Sep 20, 2011)

You can actually dry the fels naptha after you grate it, send it through a food processor, and add it to 1c borax 1/2c washing soda. Then, melt it in 1/2 gallon water, put it in the bucket and add 3-5gal water. I have always heard it's 1 bar to 1 c borax to 1/2c soda.


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## KyMama (Jun 15, 2011)

krmnandi said:


> You can actually dry the fels naptha after you grate it, send it through a food processor, and add it to 1c borax 1/2c washing soda. Then, melt it in 1/2 gallon water, put it in the bucket and add 3-5gal water. I have always heard it's 1 bar to 1 c borax to 1/2c soda.


This is the same one I used and mine didn't gel. Does anyone know if the powder version is bad for septic tanks. I prefer to use powder, but I kept reading bad things about it clogging the leach lines and such that I am afraid to keep using it. 

TIA


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

I KNOW our septic doesn't like powder, could be because the tank and leach field are quite a ways from the house.
I like the gel detergent that I make, it comes out quite thick, so I found that if I take my soap making stick blender to the bucket of stuff it smooths out nicely so I can just add it directly to the water without having to break up any clumps of gel.


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## giraffe_baby (Oct 15, 2005)

I made my first bucket load today.. and my recipe was 1 bar, 1 c borax and 1/2 soda... melted really good, I mixed dry in the bucket with hot water while melting bar.... so far not gel'd but by am it may be..


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