I have looked and looked for liquid starch and can't find any. When I ask people at the stores about it they look at me blank! The younger clerks will tell me "Starch comes in a spray can." The spray has it's place, but sometimes I want to stabilize a large piece and want to use a liquid. Can someone(s) out there give me a recipe for starch? Or tell me where they get theirs? Thanx.

I've found it at Walmart and Fred Meyers, on the bottom shelf with the laundry detergents. Usually it comes in a plastic gallon jug.

Maybe look for an older female clerk to ask, also? :)

I found several recipes on the internet for "homemade starch" - try Google. Corn starch, borax, and water....

Go to top of page & put in liquid starch recipe. There's several that come up & some opinions on which one works best.

The only store that sellls it around me is Walmart. It is in the laundry section, in about a 1/2 gal blue plastic jug. Its called Stay Flo starch concentrate. My Walmart "hides" it down on the bottom shelf.

yep... most stores hid it on the bottom shelf... I get mine at walmart, grocery store or dollar store

I've found it at Walmart too, right by the spray starch.

I've found Sta-Flo in most of the grocery stores around here, in with the other laundry supplies. Check the bottom shelf for a blue plastic jug.

Me too!

you can get liquid starch in a bottle at most WM or you can get the powder and make it up your self. If you do a search on here there are recipes for starch on here.

Try a local hardware store, not a big box store.

I tried our local Joann's and our box store pharmacy, no luck. Do the homemade recipes with Corn Starch mold after awhile?

Since I'm slow about getting my projects done to be washed, I'd hate to use a biodegradable product if it's going to degrade before I get the project done! Some of the recipes caution to dispose of the unused starch after a couple of days.

Have you checked grocery stores? I wouldn't expect to find it at JoAnn's or in pharmacies.

The homemade stuff is fine, but only lasts about a week in the frig before it starts getting moldy. Even Sta-Flo, once it is mixed with water, gets moldy eventually. It's really inexpensive, so you just mix up a fresh batch as needed.

"I found several recipes on the internet for "homemade starch" - try Google. Corn starch, borax, and water...."

I seem to remember it also had Vodka with the recipe ... or was that to drink, like making margueritas?

ali

I found at local grocery store on bottom shelf.

My Walmart doesn't carry it, but my Albertsons does.

Walmart, not the neighborhood walmart but the Large stores still carry the liguid starch.

I do understand this.. I love that starch. Used it for all my white white blouses when working.

I see it in the special treatment isle.. static free shelf
Good luck.

Ell

* I haven't made homemade. But, I think the borax keeps the container contents from molding. However, I have waterdampened clothes that I left in the fridge too long & it molded. Back when I was a single sick working mom... I think there's enough bacteria on clean clothes to mold if they are damp.

Plus, if you starch fabric, you can't just store it starched, insects will eat the starch, and damage the fabric. (even if you dont "have" insects, you have insects)...EVERYone has dust mites & the bitty ones... we just cant see them.

i got mine at walmart. it's probably on a lower shelf

From everything I have read, I live in a climate with such low humidity that we do not have the insects that damage fabric.

I found mine at good old Target,next to spray starch.

I'm confused... you keep damp clothes in the fridge?

I was curious so I googled. The only thing I found was to keep the clothes moist until you have the time to iron, place them in the refrigerator. It said only up to 24 hours. I even found some people that will put them in the freezer if they can't iron them right away.

I get mine at Kroger's or Target. It comes in a two quart blue jug with a brand name of Sta-Flo.

Is there a great advantage to using the liquid over the spray, or is it just the size of the piece to be starched?

I hade a terrible time finding starch when I started looking. And yep there it was in the laundry aisle on the very bottom shelf.. hidden with only one brand. The first clerk I ask looked at me like I was crazy .. she had never heard of it.
My bottle is almost empty so I am going to make my own from one of the receipes on the board to see if I like it.

I like it because you can custom mix , and vary the strenght. And its alot cheaper than spray starch in the can.

Sorry, I did not make that clear. Yes, it was clothing to be ironed.

I don't care for the spray can because there is no way to adjust between a coarse or fine spray.

Walmart, bottom shelf. Most grocery stores too, but again, bottom shelf.

Wow, I know what you are talking about. I used to use it to starch my doilies when I used to crochet alot. I haven't noticed it in the grocery stores for quite a while although, I haven't really looked either. Good luck in your search.

Yep, I know about putting clothing in the fridge after starching. My sister is 10 years older than I am and I used to do her ironing for her when I was a young teenager. She liked me to very slightly dampen her blouses with water, then starch with the liquid starch/water mixed in an old soda bottle with one of those sprinkle stoppers, put them in the fridge for a while, then Iron. They used to turn out really nice and crisp looking.....An old old old fashinged thing, I guess.

I had to laugh when reading all of these post as you all have to be really tall. Because around here since I am short ( just under 5 feet tall) the starch is always on the top shelf. And yes it helps to ask an older woman in the store as they usually know what you are talking about. Yes if you are keeping the fabric for more than a day before ironing you must keep in the fridge to keep it from mildewing or molding and becoming very nasty smelling. If you are going to make up your own starch just remember that you do not have to make up a big batch. Just make up what you think that you will need and if you don't use it all just toss the rest away. I do use the Stay-Flo brand all of the time as I use it to prepare my fabric to cut it with my Cri-Cut machine for applique and for GFG quilt that I am working on right now. Of course everyone is correct in that you do not want to leave it in the fabric for very long as it will attract bugs some that you can see and others that you can't but if you put the fabric in an air tight container this is less likely to happen.

You can make your own -- go online for the recipe.

Make your own by using 1 Tablespoon of corn startch to 1 pint of cool DISTLLED water. if you use tap water you WILL get mold. I have had a problem since I started using this recipe; I starch my fabric ALOT.

I got a great hand spray bottle of starch at Wal Mart. It is a 16 oz spray bottle, not aersol. I think it is Niagara, this is a new product.

I buy Sta-Flo in Walmart. I haven't even looked in other stores because I always find it in Walmart ... so far. And I buy Niagara liquid with the sprayer.

Please clarify something for me, please.

I recently washed, starched (with Sta-Flo), & ironed a LOT of fabric, only to discover that I did not like the combination of colors together, so I put most of it back in my stash. I thought the bugs eating starched fabric was a problem only if the starch was home-made. If you know whether the bug problem applies to ALL starched fabric, please tell me and I will re-wash all those again. I'm reluctant to do that because there is a lot of fabric there, but I am even more reluctant to have bugs eat it.

I found a recipe for Spray Starch Alternative....no starch in it....is 2 cups distilled water, 2 Tbsp vodka, 8-10 drops Lavender Essential Oil. Put in spray bottle and shake before using. Vodka helps get the wrinkles out of the fabric and gives them a slight crisp feel. I think it also helps mix the oil with the water.

I found some at Wal Mart. Stay Flo. I usually mix it 1/2 with water in a spray bottle. that works great and it doe not make the fabric too stiff.

Lucky you! I have to be careful of my temps/humidy in my home. in the South, mold/mildew/insects are a big problem. So these homemade 'organic' starch recipes are not good for us as they attract bugs, both big and small!
Blessings,
MaryAnna