...and we're lovin' it. All the clothes seem brighter, softer, and fluffier. Best of all, there's absolutely NO smell or scent, just the smell of CLEAN. We were afraid that everything would smell like Fels soap or the vinegar, but it really doesn't even enter into the picture as far as the final outcome.
We found recipes on the web, and decided to try the simplest one we could find. Just grate up one bar of Fels (we actually grated it and then used the Cuisinart on the grated chips to get it as finely ground as possible...worked great!) and combine with two cups each of Washing Soda and Borax, all three readily available at most large grocery stores. We keep it in an airtight plastic container and stir it around before we use it.
All we use of this is ONE Tablespoon. That's it. We always start the water off on "HOT" for about thirty seconds of filling, add the tablespoon of powder and let it dissolve, and then switch the temp to either warm or cold, depending on what we're washing. Then one 1/4 cup of plain white household vinegar into the Fabric Softener dispenser in the middle of the agitator on the 'Tag, and that's it.
The way the clothes come out would be enough reason to keep using it, but the $$$$$ we're saving is definitely incentive. We used to use one capful of whatever liquid we had (that worked out to $4-$5 every two weeks) along with 1/4 cup each of Washing Soda and Borax (that added up, as well). With only one tablespoon of the homemade stuff, we're not only saving bucks, but putting far less "stuff" into the drain.
Something we can feel good about all around, basically.
We found recipes on the web, and decided to try the simplest one we could find. Just grate up one bar of Fels (we actually grated it and then used the Cuisinart on the grated chips to get it as finely ground as possible...worked great!) and combine with two cups each of Washing Soda and Borax, all three readily available at most large grocery stores. We keep it in an airtight plastic container and stir it around before we use it.
All we use of this is ONE Tablespoon. That's it. We always start the water off on "HOT" for about thirty seconds of filling, add the tablespoon of powder and let it dissolve, and then switch the temp to either warm or cold, depending on what we're washing. Then one 1/4 cup of plain white household vinegar into the Fabric Softener dispenser in the middle of the agitator on the 'Tag, and that's it.
The way the clothes come out would be enough reason to keep using it, but the $$$$$ we're saving is definitely incentive. We used to use one capful of whatever liquid we had (that worked out to $4-$5 every two weeks) along with 1/4 cup each of Washing Soda and Borax (that added up, as well). With only one tablespoon of the homemade stuff, we're not only saving bucks, but putting far less "stuff" into the drain.
Something we can feel good about all around, basically.
The water here was very hard, did not use softener, and always used extra rinse. To this day, I do not know if I was underdosing, or it was the hardness of the water. Or it could have been a combination of lots of things. I would use it again, because I now have a whole house softener, and the cleaning was fine. But, I do not wanna risk all that grayness again. So, thats my experience......
