Making Natural Laundry Bar and Powdered Detergent

Natural laundry bar soap is usually used in washing clothes. A good natural laundry bar soap has enough fat, lye and additives, which give it the ability to remove dirt and stains in clothes. The ingredients should be thoroughly mixed to produce quality laundry soap. The formula that we will use in this guide will produce 10kg of soap, hence, the amount of each ingredient recommended can be derived in percentage (%), and which can be applied to any amount of soap produced in large quantity. Note that caustic soda takes another preparation and is used as “lye”. Ingredients:

	Quantity (grams)	% to Total Weight
coconut oil	6050	60.5
lye	3700	37
CDEA	50	0.5
sodium silicate	50	0.5
lemon fragrance	50	0.5
soda ash	100	1
TOTAL	10,000 grams	100%

Note: Each 36°Be (Baume) lye concentration, lye solution uses:

• caustic soda: 1.0 kg or 2kg
• plus water: 2.5kg or 5g
• total: 3.5kg or 7kg

Materials:

pail stainless steel mixer and mixing tank dipper ladle weighing scale stove graduated cylinder thermometer beaker or Erlenmeyer flask

dropper stirring rod funnel hydrometer mixing bowl hand gloves and nose mask katsa or cheese cloth soap frame

Procedure: A. Preparing the lye solution:

1. In a pail, slowly add 2kg of caustic soda in 5kg of water. Mix thoroughly. This mixture is the lye solution with 36°Be (Beume concentrate)
2. Allow the lye solution to cool by dipping the pail in a bigger pail containing cold water. Continue stirring until lye solution cools.
3. Using a hydrometer, check if the lye solution has reached the right concentration level, which should be 36°Be

B. Mixing the oil and lye solution:

1. Weigh 3.7kg lye solution. Set aside.
2. Measure 6.05kg coco oil and pour it into the mixer.
3. Switch on the mixer. After a few minutes, pour the lye solution. Mix very well.

C. Adding other components as additives:

1. When the oil and lye solution mixture has thickened, add 50 milligrams of coco diethanol amide or CDEA. Then add 100 grams soda ash.
2. While mixing the ingredients continuously, add 50 grams of lemon fragrance.
3. With a stirring rod, test the consistency of the mixture from time to time while mixing it continuously for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture becomes as thick as condensed milk.
4. When the mixture reaches the right consistency, pour it evenly into the soap frame or mold lined with katsa cloth.

D. Hardening the soap before it is sliced:

1. Let the soap stand in the frame overnight for the saponification process. The chemical elements added to the soap will take effect during this process.
2. Wipe the soap once in a while with a rag to remove moisture.
3. After 24 hours, slice the soap according to desired size and weight.
4. The soap should only be used after 2-7 days when if has achieved the desired hardness and has passed the effects of caustic soda.

POWDERED DETERGENT The powdered detergent is a kind of soap, which is usually used in washing clothes and in cleaning. Powdered detergents easily dissolve in water, produce suds easily, and have abrasive strength that is not present in any ordinary laundry bar soap. These make powdered detergent popular for washing and cleaning. Among the different kinds of soap, the powdered detergent is the easiest to make. Its basic ingredients is dry soap chips, which can be bought by the kilo in soap factories. Soap chips are small pieces which have been pared off from laundry bar soaps. Soap chips can also be made by breaking into pieces or saving dried laundry bar soap. In making the powdered detergent, the 40% soap chips : 40% sodium sulfate : 20% STPP proportion or combination should be followed as guide in whatever volume desired. Ingredients (for 2 1/2 glasses of powdered detergent)

	Quantity	% to Total Weight
dry soap chips	1 glass	40
sodium sulfate	1 glass	40
STPP	1/2 glass	20
tergitol	1 ml	0.1
TOTAL	2 1/2 glasses	100%

Materials:

• plastic glasses (for measuring the ingredients)
• basin or mixing bowl
• hand gloves
• jar or container with lids

Procedure

1. Shave or break into pieces a laundry bar soap to make one glass of dry soap chips. Prepare one glass of sodium phosphate. This will provide the so-called abrasive strength to the powdered detergent.
2. Mix the dry soap chips and sodium phosphate in a basin. Add 1/2 glass of STPP to the mixture. The STPP will make the soap produce suds.
3. Add 1 ml of tergitol to the mixture. This serves as binder for the powdered detergent so that it does not become very loose.
4. Mix the ingredients well with your hands. Wear gloves to avoid any allergic reaction.
5. Transfer the mixture to a jar with lid. Shake the jar to mix the ingredients well. Set aside. This is now your powdered detergent.

Part 1 – Introduction, Qualities of Soap, Basic Ingredients and Steps
Part 2 – Making Natural Laundry Bar Soap and Powdered Detergent
Part 3 – Making All-Purpose Liquid Cleaner and Dishwashing Paste
Part 4 – Making Herbal Bath Soap and Aloe Vera Shampoo
Part 5 – Making Liquid Detergent and Liquid Laundry Soap
Part 6 – Making Facial Cleanser

For more info, contact:

DOST Central Office
DOST Bldg. Gen. Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig
Telephone: (632) 837-20-71 to 82
Fax: (632) 837-8937
Web: dost.gov.ph

For training and seminars:

G/F TLRC Building
103 J. Abad Santos St.
Little Baguio, San Juan, M.M.
Tel: 727-6205 loc. 202 & 203
Web: www.tlrc.gov.ph