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New to soap nuts here...just got the first bag and tried our first time..so far so good! I just wanted to know if anybody has experimented with essential oils to get laundry to smell better in a wash. Has anybody done this..if so, what do you use and how much of it? Also, doesn't the oil 'stain' the clothes this way?
My other question was about adding baking soda to a wash. Would this do the same thing as washing soda or are they the same? Also, how much of this do you add to a wash? Thanks! |
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I haven't tried it myself but my bag of soap nuts says that you can add essential oils to give your laundry a nice scent. I would just drop a couple drops onto the bag itself, that way there's no direct contact between the oil and clothing, if anything stains it'll be the bag...
Washing soda and baking soda are not the same thing. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate while washing soda is sodium carbonate. You can eat baking soda but you wouldn't want to eat washing soda (it's not toxic but could make you sick). Depends what you really want to do I suppose but both are safe and effective additives. Washing soda is stronger than baking soda and is actually a primary ingredient in some (most??) commercial detergents. How much you use varies on what you're doing (making a homemade detergent mix would probably require more than just an additive to give your detergent or soap nuts a bit of a boost). My washing soda box recomends 1/3 cup I think... You could also use about 1/2 cup of baking soda in a load too.
Karen. |
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Thanks Karen, so would the baking soda and washing soda ultimately do the same thing? And what is that exactly..add scent to a wash or just help it clean better?
Would you suggest then adding baking soda and vinegar and soapnuts together? Would that be a 'concoction' that would help clean, whiten, your load? |
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Hmmm, honestly I would just try the soap nuts alone (with the oils if scent is important to you) first to see how they work for you. Why complicate things unless it's really necessary kwim?
Baking soda is good for odor removal and a natural fabric softener I think. Washing soda would probably give a bit of a fresh scent (it's hard to describe how it smells, it's really light, but still noticeable I find) as well as boost general cleaning ability.
Washing soda might help whiten a bit but I would probably consider an oxygen bleach of some sort for that. Many natural detergent companies have eco-friendly versions of this, not sure if they're any different than Oxy-Clean or not though really. Just a note though, oxy-type cleaners are a tad controversial when it comes to diaper cleaning, especially fabrics like bamboo that may be more susceptible. It's not nearly as bad as chlorine bleach but there is some rumbling that constant use may prematurely wear out fabrics.
Karen. |
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Thanks Karen...wow...are you married to Bill Nye the Science Guy! How helpful are you! ;-)
So one more question...what does vinegar do? Or better yet, what do we do if we want to whiten clothes but not use any oxygen bleach? Would vinegar help in this regard? |
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| You could try Borax for whitening, I don't think vinegar would help for that. Also, just remember if you're using baking soda on the diapers, don't wash your covers in the same load. The baking soda is abrasive and will break down the PUL over time. |
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| Ok..thanks. What is PLU though? |
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| Polyurethane laminate. It's the stuff on the inside that waterproofs the covers. |
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| Thanks! Are they ok with the soap nuts? |
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| Yep, soap nuts go with everything. |
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LOL! My hubby the engineer geek/Bill fan would get a kick out of that!! Me, I was more a Wonderworld fan!!
Karen.
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Vinegar acts as a fabric softener, and also works (in some, but I think not all, water conditions) to help detergent rinse out more cleanly. Because it's an acid, it helps to break up the chemical bonds between the detergent and the minerals in hard water--this is what detergent build-up usually is, because the detergent/mineral complex is in the diapers and then urine releases the detergent, which in contact with baby's bottom is not such a good thing. It's the breaking-up quality that makes vinegar useful for things like getting rid of soap scum and cleaning mineral deposits from your coffee maker.
I also like to use it in my diaper pail because it keeps it smelling fresh (once the odor of vinegar has faded!). |
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Just stumbled upon this and thought I'd post it: <A href="http://tipnut.com/laundry-boosters-vinegar/">http://tipnut.com/laundry-boosters-vinegar/</A>
Apparently vinegar can indeed be used to whiten & brighten clothing!
Karen.
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skills73,
If you're still interested in using essential oils, some can actually disinfect your clothes/diapers and you can use others for the scent. As an FYI, you can use essential oils in other ways. (ex. for calming, colds and flu protection, for cleaning, etc.) However, my recommendation is that you use only E.O.B.B.D. oils in order to guarantee their purity and quality to reduce your exposure to toxins that can affect your health. See my website to learn more www.besthealth4me.com.
Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions. Lisa_R@besthealth4me.com.
Have a great day!
Lisa R. |
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