Thread: make your own Heavy Starch

Thanks!!

I have seen blueing in the laundry aisle of grocery stores. It's in such a small bottle, it's easy to overlook. Inexpensive too.

Originally Posted by jaciqltznok

Did you know that you can make your own heavy duty spray starch for under .20 cents ?! Here's a simple, do it yourself recipe.

1/4 c. Corn Starch
1/2 c. Cold water
1 qt Boiling Water

Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water, stirring well. Pour dissolved starch mix into boiling water, bring to boil, cook 2 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat, cool. This makes a Heavy Starch, great for laundry or crafts.

****If you plan on storing this for any length of time, add 1 Tbs. of Lemon Juice as a preservative. It will prevent spoilage/mold.***

That's what I use too but I've never boiled it. Does boiling keeps it from separating? Instead of lemon juice, vinegar would probably work too.

Originally Posted by sewmary

I made my own starch this weekend, thanks to all the ladies here. I wanted to starch some yardage and decided I didn't want to spray it. So got a container. mixed up cornstarch and water (cold from the hose!) and dipped my fabrics in, making sure they were well coated. Squeezed them out gently and put on clothes line to drip dry - smoothing them out. I now have starched fabric which needs very little ironing because it dried flat on the line. (Oh - I had previously washed and dried the fabric in the dryer for shrinkage and to get rid of the sizing.)

Dumped the excess starch on the grass, sprayed out the container, and
done!

The only thing I think I would do different next time is make the starch heavier.

Am using the fabric very soon, if I can ever stop goofing up on my current project!

If you don't have time to iron all your fabric you can put it in a ziploc bag
and put it in the fridge for a day or two or in the freezer for long period.
I've never used the freezer myself but that's what Anita Grossman said in
her article about starch. I like to put my starched fabric overnight in the
fridge regardless of time. It helps distribute the starch more evenly.

Boiling cooks the starch so that it swells - like making gravy. It may still separate a little bit, but usually not much. This actually works better than just using cold starch - usually gives a smoother, stiffer finish and doesn't flake as much. Letting the fabric set for a while will allow the starch to penetrate better. Just remember, bugs like starch so you really shouldn't store fabrics pre-starched unless you know you are going to use them fairly soon.

Originally Posted by e4

Boiling cooks the starch so that it swells - like making gravy. It may still separate a little bit, but usually not much. This actually works better than just using cold starch - usually gives a smoother, stiffer finish and doesn't flake as much. Letting the fabric set for a while will allow the starch to penetrate better. Just remember, bugs like starch so you really shouldn't store fabrics pre-starched unless you know you are going to use them fairly soon.

I use boiling water but I just don't cook it for 2 mins. I suppose cooking it for 2 mins would make it thicker too. No?
Flaking doesn't bother me. It all gets washed afterwards. However, I remove any big lump of cornstarch if I see any.

Thank you so much! I use a lot of starch and what a savings this will be :thumbup:

Originally Posted by jaciqltznok

Originally Posted by clem55

My mom always made laundry starch that way, and while I am not positive, I think she used to add a small piece of something called bluing. It made the whites and colors brighter. She made her own lye soap for laundry too!!

yes...bluing...I am not sure if we can find that any more..but it sure worked great for the whites...

Blueing is readily available. People who show dogs use it to brighten white markings (as do horse people from what I understand). I don't know anyone who uses it in laundry but I know literally hundreds who use it on their show dogs. LOL!

Originally Posted by MsEithne

Originally Posted by jaciqltznok

Originally Posted by clem55

My mom always made laundry starch that way, and while I am not positive, I think she used to add a small piece of something called bluing. It made the whites and colors brighter. She made her own lye soap for laundry too!!

yes...bluing...I am not sure if we can find that any more..but it sure worked great for the whites...

Blueing is readily available. People who show dogs use it to brighten white markings (as do horse people from what I understand). I don't know anyone who uses it in laundry but I know literally hundreds who use it on their show dogs. LOL!

never used laundry bluing for my dog, but used that Silver shampoo from the beauty supply!

Originally Posted by EasyPeezy

That's what I use too but I've never boiled it. Does boiling keeps it from separating? Instead of lemon juice, vinegar would probably work too.

Yes, cooking the starch helps the starch granules absorb the liquid and stabilises the solution.