Wednesday, September 16, 2009

All-Natural, Homemade Laundry Detergent

Okay folks! It cleans dirt just as well as any other laundry detergent I've used, and it's dirt cheap (ranging from approx. 8-25 cents a load, depending on what you use).

So here's what you do. Get a container (tupperware, milk jug, whatever). Gather your supplies...

Supplies =

  • Borax (in the laundry aisle, some people use 20 Mule. I used the stuff I ordered from Mountain Rose Herbs for my birthday)
  • Washing Soda or Oxygen Bleach (Also, in the laundry aisle, you can find Arm & Hammer brand - like the baking soda. I am finding that oxygen bleach is a really great natural cleanser and it won't mess up your colors or make you dizzy like chlorine bleach does. The oxygen bleach is more expensive than the washing soda, but I had some for other household cleaning so I used it.)
  • Grated bar soap (like Ivory, this is obviously not the all natural option) or Ground Soap Nuts (you can find these here and here and here)
  • Favorite Essential Oils (I used grapefruit, sweet orange, and lavender)
Once you've got your supplies, you decide how much you want to make (I made about 2 cups). Then you measure out your supplies. 1 part borax, 1 part washing soda or oxygen bleach, 2 parts soap or ground soap nuts. Mix the dry ingredients until it's nice and powdery. Then add up to 10 drops of essential oils for scent.
(There are lots of recipes out there, but this one is pretty low-sudsing so it's good for both top and front load dryers.)
DONE! Now go do some laundry. It takes 2 Tablespoons to 1/4 of a cup per load depending on which ingredients you use. I have a fun little wooden scoop,

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