My Favorite Homemade Starch Recipe
Several years ago I started making my own starch from scratch. I took a class with Edyta Sitar, and she made her own and gave me her recipe. I changed it slightly to fit my uses, but this is basically the same recipe.
Homemade Starch Recipe
1 cup of Potato Vodka
4 cups of distilled water
15 drops of organic lavender oil
Why make your own starch, you ask? I have several reasons. First, it’s the absolute best at getting out wrinkles and not leaving any residue. Second, I have friends with allergies and this starch doesn’t have any harsh chemicals. And lastly, but arguably the most important reason, if I get stressed out over a project, I can always take a swig! 😉
So let’s go over why these specific ingredients.
The vodka must be potato based because potatoes are a starch (I know, they always told us they were a vegetable but they lied to us, it’s a starch).
Distilled water is water that all of the extra things, like mineral deposits, have been removed. That means distilled water won’t have anything in it that might cause staining or discoloration on your cloth. It also doesn’t have anything in it that could clog up your spray bottle so it will always spray out nice and evenly.
Organic lavender essential oil is a natural preservative, and it smells really good. I like to get the organic, even though it’s a little pricier, because I want to be sure there aren’t any weird chemicals or pesticides that could possibly bother my allergy ridden friends for my fabric.
Put the homemade starch in a spray bottle and you are ready to starch your fabrics.
Now go make some starch!
Special Note: You can also make starch with your leftover Sulky Solvy® pieces! I will give you that recipe and the uses for this kind of starch in my next post.
16 Comments
Marie Irving
Good to know. The starch I made with cornstarch “turned” on me and I had to throw it out. Glad there is an alternative. Marie
Kelly Nagel
Ever since I started using this, I haven’t any issues of it turning. Lavender is a natural preservative so I think that might help!
Luz Lebo
I like the part about if stressed out. Thank you.
Embroidery Bear
Don’t use flavored vodka tho, a member in our group did and it scorched on the iron!
Kelly Nagel
Great tip!
Trudy
Oh my goodness as I began to read this post I thought ‘who’ is getting starched. This is one recipe I will have to try though I am not sure if the lavender will go together with the orange juice I mix the ‘starch’ with when I am stressed!
Kelly Nagel
Who knows, Trudy! You may have just invented a new cocktail 🙂
Lee Fletcher
Thanks for this. I was given the recipe a few years ago and lost track of it. I need it today!
Martha Wolfersberger
Hate to tell you this but there isn’t any more starch in vodka made from potatoes than in vodka made from grains. Fact of the matter is that the starch originally present is hydrolysed to sugars that are then converted to alcohol by fermentation. After that the alcohol is distilled from the mixture leaving any nonvolatile substances (that would include any remaining starch) in the residue.
Susan Furste
Will this make crocheted snow flakes stiff? I have been using another product which I dilute a bit.
Kelly Nagel
Susan, This won’t make snowflakes stiff, but check out my post about Liquid Solvy! It will publish later today. That make be perfect for your snowflakes!
Dee
I feel I missed something with the recipe. Does it cook together?
Susan Furste
Thanks for your recipes and explanations. I just read your Liquid Dolby email and look forward to concocting both starches.
Martha
Just in case you are interested, I posted this reply to the comment by Lee Fletcher ” Hate to tell you this but there isn’t any more starch in vodka made from potatoes than in vodka made from grains. Fact of the matter is that the starch originally present is hydrolysed to sugars that are then converted to alcohol by fermentation. After that the alcohol is distilled from the mixture leaving any nonvolatile substances (that would include any remaining starch) in the residue.” Bottom line is there is no starch in vodka…………
Lin Sierra
I don’t know if that’s true, but if I make a solution with potato-based vodka, it works. Grain-based vodkas do not. I mix about 1 – 1.5 oz per 16 oz of water to make a spray that works similarly to the commercial product, Best Press. It’s SO much less expensive to make your own.
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