New MF wash (test currently in progress)

nrengle

nrengle

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A while ago I posted a thread asking opinions of what you guys would think of a MF wash home brew that consisted of Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate), and Borax. I never really got a concise answer on if it would be effective or not. So I bit the bullet today as I had a coupon for some Washing Soda for a 1.50 off (made it $2.50), and Borax was on sale for $3.00. So figured WTH let's try it.

Looked up a few receipes, just about everyone calls for bar soap to be grated into the mix, or melted into the mix. I figured since it's being used for a bit of perfume and mild cleaning ability to skip it on my first iteration.

So right now I have a load of old cheap Wally World towels that I use for engine and wheel wells, etc, that look pretty nasty in the wash with my solution. I'll update you to if it works. So far watching the wash it looks promising. We'll see...
 
Well they are on second rinse right now (I always do a 2nd with MF to get any left over detergent out), and the water looks crystal clear. The towels still have the old grease stains on them, but they feel clean. I'll know after I run them through the dryer at low heat in about a hour the ultimate verdict.

I'm actually gonna run it through on some other stuff too (couple of really old pads etc.).
 
It'll be interesting to see how they come out compared to if you were to use a normal MF detergent.
 
Borax?!::eek:

Make absolutley sure that the borax grains are absolutley dissoved before you pull them towels out of the washer.


Or..... am I thinking of Boraxo(hand cleaning powder)?
 
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It's already dissolved. It's in a solution currently. Mix the borax and washing soda with 1 gallon of boiling water, stir until well blended (IE it was just about clear again. Then I poured it through a paint filter into a cleaned out detergent bottle.

The towels seem clean. I know when I stuck my hand in the water in the machine it was like instant dry skin, so it's definitely removing oils. Also one of the towels had some beading action to it before if you poured water on it. Now it just soaks it up.

I'm gonna try it on a few other things here next like a set of old bed sheets, and some old t-shirts (gonna throw some dirt and mud, and grass on them to see what happens).
 
Well so far so good, just checked the sheets, look good, feel clean, no weird smells, and the pillow I threw in cleaned up well too...

So looks like this stuff will work in a pinch, or as a good pre-soak if need be and you're out of MF detergent. And for the price it's not a bad backup plan.
 
Sounds like a good pre-wash for wax MF so you can get the wax off that sometimes does not get taken off in a normal wash. What "formula" are you using. This may be dumb to ask but not very knowledgeable in making a detergent but what agent is the actual "decreasing/oil lifting" component and were can you buy the parts from? Will any drug or Target like store carry it.
 
Microrestore was on BOGO this weekend, certainly a better deal when your offered two instead of one ...
 
Oh I know Microrestore was BOGO. My old man picked some up I believe. But this is something I wanted to do anyways to play around a bit. After looking at a lot of MSDS lists, it appears most laundry detergents have at least the washing soda in them along with some kind of hydrogen peroxide or ethanol derivative.

AGPatel I picked up the Borax and Washing Soda at Meijer (it's like Target or Wal-Mart). My blend is 1 cup soda, 1 cup borax to one gallon boiling water.

I've got to run a smell test next. I've got a few pretty gnarly things from my gym bag, and from Kings Island today to try that on tomorrow after I get done playing with my new Foam Gun.
 
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