Creating your own organic, do-it-yourself (DIY) laundry detergent is one of the simplest and eco-friendly ways to reduce your carbon footprint. These natural washing soap recipes are the best way to save cash on laundry detergent and it is very simple to make. This amazing homemade laundry detergent has ingredients that you can pronounce, and safe for your plumbing as well as your overall septic systems. Commercially made detergents are often unfriendly to your septic system, so when you change over to homemade, you know EXACTLY what plumbing system-friendly ingredients go into your detergent.
Why change to natural laundry soap, you might ask?
Standard laundry detergent is filled with chemical substances like sulfates, aromas, phenols, and more. Many brand names contain things such as petroleum distillates, which are connected to cancer and lung disease. Fragrances that are used with these detergents are made of a mixture of dangerous chemical compounds that can cause serious health issues. Fortunately, making your laundry soap product is an easy, safe quick process! You simply need three common ingredients to produce either a powdered or liquid washing soap product:
Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer Brand which you can purchase at many stores, depending on your location)
Borax (sold in most groceries and retail stores)
Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Bar Soap (unscented or scented)
Essential oils (optional but recommended)
Washing Soda and Borax are sold at your neighborhood supermarkets or local department stores in the cleaning products or detergents aisle. Organic bar soaps are also found in the health, beauty, or natural/organic sections of the store, or on online at retailers such as Amazon and Target. You can add a few tablespoons of baking soda that will help freshen clothing. Wonder what’s found in these ingredients? Borax is a naturally-occurring mineral that is composed of sodium, boron, oxygen, and water. Washing Soda, also known as sodium carbonate or soda ash, is produced with regular salts and limestone or found as organic deposits. Here’s how you can easily make your own natural laundry detergent:
Grate 1 bar of soap with a cheese grater until finely grated or mix in the food processor until finely mixed. I use Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Bar Soap because of its decades-long track record of high quality, and because it is sold in many different pure fragrances like lavender, tea tree, peppermint, almond, and many others. If you choose, you can add several drops of essential oil to unscented Castile soap if you prefer to use soaps without additional ingredients.
In a large container (such as a large mixing bowl), mix two parts washing soda with two parts Borax and 1 part grated soap. (Put in a few teaspoons of baking soda if you prefer).
Store in a sealed container. I put mine in quart or a half a gallon-sized mason jars. If you’re using a large container such as a jug, 1-gallon mason jar, or pitcher you can skip step 2 and just put all ingredients in said storage container(s) or jar and shake.
Use 1/8 cup to ¼ cup per load of laundry. For large or heavily soiled loads, use ½ cup to 1 cup.
A quick and easy way to make liquid Laundry Soap:
Grate bar of soap with a cheese grater or food processor.
Add grated soap to a pan with 2 quarts distilled water and gradually heat, constantly stirring until soap is completely dissolved.
Add 4 ½ gallons of very hot purified tap water or distilled water in a 5-gallon bucket and stir in 1 cup of borax plus 1 cup of Washing Soda until fully dissolved.
Pour soap mixture from pan into a 5-gallon bucket. Stir well. Cover and leave overnight.
Shake or stir until it is smooth and pour it into gallon jugs or other containers.
Use ½ cup to 1 cup per load.
According to Lisa Bronner of lisabronner.com:
“Doing the math the other way, 1 cup of liquid soap equals approximately 2/3 of a bar (or 3.64 oz.) of Dr. B’s bar soap.” I highly prefer Castile soap because it’s easier for me to work with. Fels Naptha and Hispano made me sneeze a lot, which is why I ceased using it.
With the above recipes, you’ll definitely save money on your laundering expenses. A five-gallon batch costs $4.30 and is good for at least 80 loads, which will cost you about $0.05 per wash! Even if you use a bit more, you’re still saving money and the environment as well. When I didn’t have a lot of money, I used the off-brand soaps: Zote, Fels Naptha, Hispano, Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Oil Soap, Dr. Nature Pure Castille Soap, Dr. Woods Pure Castile Soap (and either apple cider vinegar or white vinegar for my fabric softening needs). I found that the off-brands produced much more soap sud (in smaller quantities) than the brand name laundry detergents. Since I have sensitive skin, I’m going 100% natural when it comes to my laundry needs because I found out many years ago that scented fabric softener is scented only to mask the chemical odor, plus the chemicals found in fabric softeners can destroy the drying component of your dryer (Thank you Norwex for this very important fact!)
A lot of people truly do not grasp what goes into what they consume and use on a daily basis. The Google search results speak for themselves: http://bit.ly/1SirQ7a When I had enough money to wash and dry my clothes, but none left over for laundry detergent, I used shampoo or dishwashing liquid (and sometimes grated bars of soap). I prefer using organic, but when you’re low-income, sometimes you have to use whatever is available until you can afford to buy what you need.
References & Citations
Liquid vs. Bar in Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap
https://www.lisabronner.com/liquid-vs-bar-in-dr-bronners-pure-castile-soap/