My homemade CD detergent = more stains

brianna611

I'm bummed.  I did it to save $$ but I am seeing more stains by far than before I used it.  Should I add more oxygen cleaner or maybe add some Simple Green or Borax?  Thoughts? TIA!

smurfetteinred

I'm assuming by your ingredients that you're using the diva detergent recipe from the dsd board. Hmm that's what I use and I found my diapers got way cleaner using it. Here's what they say on the recipe page based on what the woman's chemist friend said about the why for each ingredient.

Washing Soda ? The Arm and Hammer is the only brand I?ve ever seen. Walmart and most grocery stores carry it. Strong enough to actually change organic compounds (pee & poo) and keeps them suspended in the water so they can easily be washed away. It is a naturally occurring compound free from enzymes, dyes, and perfumes, and is the main ingredient in most powdered laundry detergents.

Borax ? Found in the grocery aisle. Whitens and brightens without phosphates and enzymes. Borax is too harsh, both to fabric and sensitive skin to be used in large amounts, and tends to not rinse out well. Less is more with Borax in laundry. (makes and excellent household cleaner, though).

Oxygen Cleaner ? I use Sun Brand?it?s the cheapest and most pure?.Oxyclean brand has additives and fillers. For Oxygen Cleaner?the cheaper the better. Stain remover and whitener. Oxygen cleaners do not react well with extremely hard water and will add to scum build up. If you have extremely hard water, as noted above, add additional water softener.

Simple Green ? A concentrated liquid cleaner?most grocery stores carry it?.Walmart has it in the automotive section. If you can?t find Simple Green, you can use any concentrated multi-purpose cleaner (ie: Lysol 4 in 1). Provides the necessary surfactants-to lessen the water tension and allow the detergent to become a part of the water and actually get into the clothes

Water Softening Powder ? This is a key ingredient?and if you have hard water you will want to double it. White King makes a powder, but it can?t be found in all areas. If you can?t find a water softening powder, use ? cup of liquid. You?ll need to use a 1 lb box of baking soda for each half cup liquid added to offset the additional liquids so you don?t end up with a solid mass of detergent in a couple of days. (I can?t find powder in my area, so I use Calgon Liquid + baking soda).

 

I would think that upping the oxygen cleaner or the borax would be your best bet but be careful because too much borax can lead to buildup so if you've ever had buildup issues with your diapers, I'd tread cautiously. 

brianna611

Actually, I didn't go exactly off a recipe, I took some direction from tipnut and just guessed  for CD's.  My mix is just washing soda, oxygen cleaner, and baking soda.  Do you know offhand the amounts the recipe you're talking about calls for?

Thanks so much for the info!

smurfetteinred

I sure do! Here's the link to the actual post but you have to sign up for the board to access it so I'll post the recipe too. 

https://diaperdivas.proboards57.com/index.cgi?board=ontopic&action=display&thread=77879&page=1

 

Diva Detergent

1 55 oz. box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1/2 cup Mule Team Borax
2 Cups Oxygen Cleaner
1/2 cup Simple Green
1/2 cup Water Softening Powder

You can get a cheap oxycleaner at the Dollar Store for 5 bucks - Sun Brand I think. It's hard to find Powdered Calgon and it's way pricey so I actually stopped adding it. I use a capful of liquid Calgon in my diaper wash (I do have hard water) and nothing in my regular washes. If you mix all the dry ingredients first and then add the simple green it doesn't really clump - some people put on gloves and mix it by hand but it wasn't necassary for me. The one time I got clumps, they were so small I didn't worry about them.  I use 2 T for my diaper laundry and 1/4 C for clothes. 

smurfetteinred

Oh yeah, I forgot. For cold washes (which I use for all our clothes) I dissolve it a bit by shaking it in a jar of hot water before adding it to the load. It was working fine before I started that but I think that not all of it was dissolving and that helped. I don't know if anyone else has done that so it might not be needed but it works for me so . . .

brianna611

Thank you so much.  Hopefully this will work.

photo_nut

I use 2 recipes. I use a few squirts (about 6 or so) of simple green and about 3-4 tablespoons of washing soda or my other recipe: a cup of washing soda, a cup of oxygen cleaner and a cup of baking soda and haven't had too much of a problem, in fact I noticed my stains got a little better, but I went from a top loader to an HE front loader. Stains don't bother me too much, I go by smell, if it's ammonia smelling, I use less detergent and add another rinse. I just sun out my stains and that works really well.