Washing removes one year from the life of a quilt. Never wash a quilt in a machine with an agitator; it will tear up a quilt! Do not use an iron, chlorine bleach or fabric softener. Since quilts are 100% cotton, everything used to clean them should be completely natural and not caustic.
Most of the items that stain are acidic, so alkaline substances are the best cleaners. Laundry water should have a pH of 10 to be effective.
Water Softener
Tetrasodium EDTA is a high pH chelating agent able to bind metal ions (e.g. sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc and many more). It is widely used in the cosmetic industry for various purposes. It is easily soluble in cold water. Available from Making Cosmetics.
For every gallon of water, dissolve 1/2 tablespoon of pickling lime in 2 cups of warm water. Add the lime water to the wash water, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the cup. Add more warm water to the sediment and disperse. Lime water should do no more than raise the pH of your water. It is not a laundry additive and should not be used as such.
Odor Neutralizer
Baking Soda is Sodium Bicarbonate; its natural mineral form is nahcolite. It also raises the pH of water and acts as an odor neutralizer.
Fabric Softener
Cleaning Vinegar is 6% Acetic Acid; it is 20 times stronger than 5% pickling vinegar. Horticultural vinegar is 20-30%; it is used for killing weeds. Vinegar is a fabric softener. It breaks down detergent, removes soap residue and deodorizes. However, it cannot be combined with soap or sodium. It can be used in the rinse compartment or a dispenser ball in the rinse cycle. It can also be used in dryer sheets. If you can't find it locally, it's available from Walmart.com.
Oil Additives
Essential oils may be used for scent or active properties. However, scenting detergent will not leave a scent on your clothes because it washes out. Scenting laundry is best done in the dryer with sheets or wool balls. I think a hydrosol would be a better option than oil for scenting detergent.
Lemon oil is a great disinfectant and deodorant for surface sprays. Triethyl citrate is a triester of ethyl alcohol and citric acid derived from lemons. It is an odorless and colorless food additive used to increase foaming when whipping egg whites and prevents oxidation in fruit. It's an emulsifying solvent that dilutes essential oils and allows them to mix with grain alcohol or water, thereby retaining the oils scent or flavor. It is commonly used as an extender by the perfume industry. It is also a plasticizer and a natural substitute for phthalates. Get triethyl citrate from Perfumer's Apprentice for $10.00/30 ml.
Citrus Cleanse from Gritman is a good oil blend for sprays. It contains orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit and spearmint.
Orange Essential Oil contains D-Limonene; it dissolves oil, grease, and wax. Purchasing pure D-Limonene may be more economical. Get it on eBay for $7.99/4 oz.
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) oil contains 78% cineol, terpenes, pinenes, linalol, phenol and limonene. It's a great multi purpose cleanser and anti microbial. It dissolves oil, grease and wax and is a skin-safe alternative for those allergic to orange or other citrus. It has traditionally been used in medicine for first aide and skin problems. It is stronger than lavender oil and therefore more effective. A blend of lavender, eucalyptus and camphor oils will work as well. Get it on eBay for $9.99/4 oz.
Scotch Pine or Pine Needle oil (Pinus sylvestrus) contains terpeniol. It kills germs and bacteria. Add 15-20 drops to 1 teaspoon of liquid soap and a 1/8 teaspoon of polysorbate 20 in 32 ounces of distilled water. Use as a household spray or add a 1/4 cup in the wash water to disinfect diapers, undergarments, socks, linens, and clothing during times of sickness. Get it on eBay for $11.81/50 ml.
Polysorbate-20 is an emulsifier and stabilizer that allows essential oils to mix with water. It's available from Making Cosmetics.
Surface Tension Breaker
A surface tension breaker allows water to penetrate cotton. Without it, soap can't do its job of removing dirt. Ox Gall is the bile from cow bladders. It is a mixture containing cholesterol, lecithin, taurocholic acid, and glycocholic acid. Ox gall was used by traditional watercolor artists to improve paint flow. It's hard to find real ox gall, but I found some on Etsy.
Lauramine (lauryl amine) oxide is safe if you don't want to use ox gall. It's a foam builder, dye dispersant, wetting agent, emulsifier, lubricant, surfactant, anti-static agent, and viscosity controlling agent. Get it on eBay for $9.25.
Soap
Start with a melt and pour coconut oil soap base that does not contain detergent. Wholesale Supplies Plus has one. The ingredients are: Sorbitol, Coconut Oil, Propylene Glycol, Stearic Acid, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin. Coconut oil is full of medium-chain fatty acids which create a soap with strong cleaning ability. Coconut soaps can be drying because they grab and hold oil.
Pure liquid coconut castile soap is a good all purpose soap for liquid detergent and sprays. The ingredients are: coconut oil, water and lye (potassium hydroxide). Get it from Making Cosmetics.
Stain Remover and Degreaser
Earth Enzymes contains 255 billion active digestive bacteria per gallon that dissolve grease, fats, proteins, starch, and carbohydrates. These are the same digestive enzymes used by eco detergent manufacturers. There is no environmental harm. The bacteria simply die when their job is done and convert into carbon dioxide or water. It may also be used as a laundry additive and general cleanser. Ingredients: sodium sesquicarbonate, proteolytic enzymes (chymotrypsin, trypsin, bromelain, papain, fungal proteases, and Serratia peptidase) and enzyme blend (amylase, glucoamylase, beta-gluconase, phytase, lipase, cellulase, hemicellulase, and malt diastase). Available on Amazon.
The alternative is Super Digestive Enzymes from GNC. The ingredients are: amylase, protease 3.0, 4.5 & 6.0, lipase, glucoamylase, bromelain, papain, cellulase, hemicellulase, malt distase, beta-glucanase and phytase.
Bleach
29% Hydrogen Peroxide is an oxidizer, bleaching agent and disinfectant. It is an optic brightener and color safe bleach. It will whiten whites, brighten colors, disinfect laundry, and remove stains. Peroxide removes blood stains when used as a pre-treater.
Dilute 1/8 teaspoon of peroxide in 1 gallon of water. Add 1/2 cup to whites to brighten them. Add a 1/4 cup to colors to lift stains. Corrosive; causes chemical burns; wear gloves. Must be diluted for use. It's available from Amazon.
There are different percentages of peroxide. Make sure you're getting the right one.
3%: Common OTC grade--First aide
8%: Food grade--Tooth whitening, denture cleaner
9%: Medical grade--Used in hospitals
12%: Cosmetic grade--Hair bleach
29%: Commercial grade--Laundry, hydroponics
35%: Disinfectant grade--Food safe surface cleaning
50%: Industrial grade--Large reservoir water purification
Never combine peroxide with chlorine, ammonia or vinegar!
Sodium Hydrosulfite is an oxidizer and color remover. It oxidizes at 185 degrees F. It is a safe whitening alternative to chlorine bleach. Purchase from Dharma Trading for $7.84.
Insecticide
Pyrethrin in the laundry kills dust mites, bed bugs and lice. It's available in many forms: as a garden plant spray, horse fly repellent, pet flea spray and head lice treatment. Use 1 tablespoon per load as an additive in the wash cycle to linens and children's clothing.
Preservatives
Suttocide A (Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate) is one of the few preservatives which can handle a high pH. Suttocide has good anti-bacterial, fungi, mold, and yeast killing properties. It is water soluble, but doesn't mix with oil. It cannot be mixed with citrus! It's available from Lotion Crafter.
Germall Plus is a broad spectrum liquid preservative designed for surfactants that mixes with oil. Its active components have been solubilized in propylene glycol, making them easy to incorporate into formulations. It is ready-to-use in emulsions with an oil phase of about 25% or less and water soluble formulations. Germall Plus is heat sensitive and should be added to the water phase or to the emulsified portion of the formulation at a temperature of 122°F or below. Stable in pH 3-8. Also available from Lotion Crafter.
Keep in mind that all of these formulas will be further diluted in the wash water.
Stain Pre-Treater
1/2 C. Liquid Enzyme
1/2 C. Diluted Peroxide
1/4 C. Liquid castile soap
2 C. Warm water
3 Drops Germall
Mix all the ingredients together into a spray bottle and use like you would any other laundry pretreater. It removes sweat stains, pencil marks, grass, blood and grease.
All Purpose Laundry Pods
1 lb. M&P Soap, grated
1/4 C. Baking Soda
2 Tbsp. Tetrasodium EDTA
1 tsp. Pickling lime
1/4 C. Diluted Peroxide
1/3 C. Enzymes
3 Drops Suttocide
Double boiler
Plastic spoon
Large measuring cup
Ice cube tray or silicone chocolate mold
Melt soap in a double boiler. Add soda, pickling lime, and tetrasodium to the soap and stir to distribute. Allow to cool slightly. Add enzyme, peroxide and preservative. Stir to combine. Transfer to a large measuring cup for easy pouring.
Pour into a tray or mold. Level with a spatula, removing excess. Place in the freezer to solidify.
Remove pods and set on a towel. Allow to sit until thoroughly cured. Store in airtight container. Use one pod per load.
Heavy Stain Laundry Pods
1 lb. M&P soap, grated
2 Tbsp. Tetrasodium EDTA
1 tsp. Pickling lime
1/4 C. Diluted Peroxide
1 Tbsp. D-limonene
1/8 tsp. Polysorbate-20
1/3 C. Enzymes
3 Drops Germall
Follow instructions above.
Liquid Detergent
4 C. Liquid castile soap
1 C. Baking Soda
4 Tbsp. Tetrasodium EDTA
2 tsp. Pickling lime
1/4 C. Diluted Peroxide
2 Tbsp. D-limonene
1/4 tsp. Polysorbate-20
1 C. Enzymes
3 Drops Suttocide
Combine all ingredients. Store in a used detergent bottle. Use a 1/8 cup in the wash cycle.
Liquid Fabric Softener
1 C. Cleaning Vinegar
1/8 C. Glycerin
3 C. Distilled water
3 Drops Germall
Combine in a mason jar. Add 1/4 cup to the rinse cycle.
Dryer Sheets
1/4 C. Cleaning Vinegar
5 Drops Essential Oil
1 tsp. Triethyl citrate
3 Drops Germall
100% Cotton flannel or Birdseye fabric, cut to 6x6"
You may use an overcasting foot and stitch to secure the edges and prevent distortion. Place cloths in a quart size ziplock bag. Mix all ingredients in a measuring cup and stir to combine. Pour over cloths and down the sides. Remove air and close the bag. The cloths will soak up the solution and condensation will keep them damp. They shouldn't be saturated. Use as many sheets per load as you like. Re-dampen as necessary.
Wool balls with a few drops of essential oil are wonderful for absorbing excess water, softening fabric and scenting.
Flame Retardant
Borax is Sodium Borate or Boric Acid that is found naturally in evaporate deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. In its natural form, it is referred to as Rasorite. Borax is a pH buffering agent. It maintains the pH of a solution by preventing a rapid change when an acidic or alkaline chemical is added to it. It really has no use as a laundry additive. It was once used as a starch additive to help an iron glide easily and add a glossy sheen to clothing. Its primary function in starch was that of a natural flame retardant to prevent the iron from burning clothes. Welders used starch to prevent sparks from igniting their clothing. Flux slides off of it because it's a mineral. Today's starch does not contain borax, so this old wisdom will not work. Clothing or welding blankets must be soaked in a water and borax solution and allowed to air dry.
Flame Ex flame retardant should be used on oilfield FR, welding or firefighter clothing and welding blankets after every washing. It is best to soak the fabric or clothing in the undiluted solution and let it cure for 48 hours. The 5 gallon bucket for $165 may be necessary for dipping insulated coveralls. The active ingredient is probably borax.
No comments:
Post a Comment