Simple Homemade Laundry Detergent
A few years ago, skin sensitivities in my household inspired me to switch away from the harsh chemicals and additives in most commercial laundry detergents in favor of natural alternatives. As I experimented with different wet and dry detergent recipes, I found that they could not only be as effective as store bought detergents, but also extremely cheap and simple to make!
Below is one of my favorite recipes for a detergent powder, which is about the easiest to make and store of any recipe on the web. This formula is low-suds, safe for high-efficiency washers, and easily customizable.
Ingredients:
1 bar of soap (Homemade or natural store bought such as Dr. Bronner’s) – Buy HERE
1 cup of washing soda – Available in the laundry aisle of most grocers, this helps remove oils and residue. – Buy HERE
1 cup of borax – Also known as sodium borate, this is a natural mineral salt of boric acid. – Buy HERE
20 drops of essential oil for scent, I prefer lime or lavender – Buy HERE
Optional: 1 cup of Oxygen Booster – Buy HERE
Directions:
Grate the soap finely using a either a hand grater or food processor.
Carefully combine the soap with the washing soda, borax, and oxy-booster (if used) – I’d highly recommend using a spoon or gloves to do this as these agents can be drying to skin.
Stir in essential oils.
Store in a glass jar with an air-tight lid
For best results, use 1-2 tablespoons of this detergent per load of laundry. For whites, you can add an additional tablespoon of oxygen booster for maximum effectiveness.
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