Dirty laundry…

This last cycle, several orders of laundry liquid and laundry powder crossed my cashier table.  Many of the consumers had never used homemade laundry soap, and wondered how well would it clean?

I have in the past made my own laundry powder and was quite pleased with the results.  My clothes were clean, I mean really clean.  No perfumy residual odor, and more so than that they felt clean.  My towels seemed more absorbent, plus more lint, and I’m embarrassed to say, cat hair wound up in my lint trap.

I emailed Kelly of Grandma’s Soap and was pleasantly surprised with the information she sent me regarding her soaps.  They are free of dyes and perfumes which can not only aggravate your skin but its safer for our lakes and streams.  She is also the sixth generation of her family to use this same recipe.  She puts alot of care and integrity into her product, each soap is cured 6 month or more, she will sell no soap before its time! 

As Kelly says “It is simple, basic and pure”.  Her liquid laundry detergent is low sudsing so its ideal for HE washing machines. 

She also offers an exceptional deal in her Sample gift set #1513, you receive a sample of the liquid laundry detergent and old fashioned soap, so if you are hesitant to commit to a gallon, at least try the sample set. 

If you want to wow and impress just about everybody,  get a Make Your Own kit #1368.  You will receive the instructions and materials to make 3 gallons of your own liquid detergent, how cool is that? Add a bar of Grandma’s Old Fashioned Soap #1365, and that is a cool green gift!

Tips for using Grandma’s Liquid Laundry Soap #1367

A cup of vinegar added to the wash will whiten clothes and eliminate odors and bacteria.

Soaking clothes in lemon water prior to washing will naturally whiten them.

A moistened bar of Grandma’s Soap makes a great pre-wash stain stick.

If you would like to see Kelly and her mom of Grandma’s Soap, they are demonstrating at the following dates:

Sept 18-19: Farmer Days, Center Grove Orchard, Cambridge, Iowa

October 2:  Country Celebration at Center Grove Orchard, Cambridge, Iowa

October 3:  Artist Bazaar at Snus Hill Winery, Madrid, Iowa

October 8-9:  Osborne Heritage Days, Clayton Country Observation Center, Elkader, Iowa

Karla of Heart of Iowa Soapworks also offers  a great laundry detergent in a powder form.  As with the liquid soap, its all handmade, even down to the bar soap she grates to make the mixture.  Its compact profile and low sudsing formula makes this a no brainer for your laundry room.  Karla also indicates that a Stain Stick is coming soon, so keep your eye out for that! 

Karla tells me that she has not tested her soap on delicate items, so if in doubt, she says don’t use it, take them to a professional cleaner.  But it does do an exceptional job on towels, bed linens, jeans and your regular laundry.  The powdered detergent comes unscented, but can also be purchased in a lavender scent #1168.

As with all of Heart of Iowa products, you can be sure of the love and care put into your soap!

Tips for using Heart of Iowa Powdered Laundry Soap #1167

 Turn the washer on and run some water in the botton.  Add 2 heaping TBSP of the soap and swish it around to dissolve.  Add clothes.

If  its a heavy load, like towels, do a double rinse.  Also add a big cupful of  white vinegar to your rinsewater.  Towels seem to like to hold more soap than other items.

For really stinky, grimy clothes, add an extra TBSP of the laundry mix and 2 cups of white vinegar.  Letting the clothes soak for a while before agitation helps too.

For white clothes, Karla uses a bleach alternative or regular bleach for a little boost.

I hope this answers any questions you have about using the homemade laundry detergent.  Both Kelly and Karla are happy to answer any other questions you have, and truly, their products are of exceptional quality.

Happy Washing!

2 Comments

Comments are closed.