diy detergent: chemical truth, lies, alternatives, possibilities?
Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2021 8:52 am
there is in frugal circles the folk notion that you can "make your own detergent" by combining shaved laundry soap, sodium tetraborate (borax), and sodium carbonate (washing soda).
some recipes just mix this as a powder, some recipes have it melt together as a thick solution to liquefy.
my view on this recipe is that it's bullshit: this is not a true detergent, this is just soap with some water softeners and an extra alkali. very hash and possibly leaving residue on the fabric.
moreover, the borax requires hot water to become soluble, which wastes energy vs detergents which work in cold water. the heating of the original mix might help this but i'm not sure how much this extends when added to cold water.
so to me this is the equivalent of my great grandmother boiling the kitchen rags with soap and lye.
moreover, the sodium carbonate is going to be harsh on protein-based textiles (wool, silk), amd the residue might irritate the skin.
from this premise, a couple of questions:
1. am im right with this premise, more or less?
2. how do you make true detergent? some stupid explanations i've read online say "you make detergent my mixing chemicals." um, everything is a chemical, lol. so--what chemicals? what reactions? and most importantly, how easy is it to diy?
3. what is the best way to wash protein-based fabrics? i mean from the chemical pov, because every marketer with claim magic properties for their product. (i currently use some bubble bath i received in error, and acidulate the water a little bit). soap? detergent? either? neither? what ph do we want?
hoping for a bit of actual chemistry here-- i don't think we need equations, but just the rationale.
many thanks in advance.
eta ive updated the title
some recipes just mix this as a powder, some recipes have it melt together as a thick solution to liquefy.
my view on this recipe is that it's bullshit: this is not a true detergent, this is just soap with some water softeners and an extra alkali. very hash and possibly leaving residue on the fabric.
moreover, the borax requires hot water to become soluble, which wastes energy vs detergents which work in cold water. the heating of the original mix might help this but i'm not sure how much this extends when added to cold water.
so to me this is the equivalent of my great grandmother boiling the kitchen rags with soap and lye.
moreover, the sodium carbonate is going to be harsh on protein-based textiles (wool, silk), amd the residue might irritate the skin.
from this premise, a couple of questions:
1. am im right with this premise, more or less?
2. how do you make true detergent? some stupid explanations i've read online say "you make detergent my mixing chemicals." um, everything is a chemical, lol. so--what chemicals? what reactions? and most importantly, how easy is it to diy?
3. what is the best way to wash protein-based fabrics? i mean from the chemical pov, because every marketer with claim magic properties for their product. (i currently use some bubble bath i received in error, and acidulate the water a little bit). soap? detergent? either? neither? what ph do we want?
hoping for a bit of actual chemistry here-- i don't think we need equations, but just the rationale.
many thanks in advance.
eta ive updated the title