DIY Laundry Detergent

          I have been wanting to make my own laundry detergent for quite some time. Not only to save money but also to wash my clothes without those harsh chemicals, dyes, and perfumes. Also, my young daughter has Eczema from time to time, so using detergent without harsh ingredients can help her symptoms. I started looking at other blogger's recipes before making my own. The consensus seemed to be mostly the same ingredients: Borax, Washing Soda, Baking Soda, and Bar Soap. I knew I wanted to add some essential oils to mine, lemon and orange are recommended because of their cleaning power as well as their fresh scent. Some blogs recommend adding Oxiclean, but because of the ingredients used (concerns for cancer, skin allergies, and environmental problems) I did not want to add that to mine. I recommend using the Environmental Working Group website. They rate products as well as what alternatives to use. Here are list of A-rated laundry additives. If you have young children like I do, I would recommend adding one of these to get those stains out. The Oxiclean Baby Stain Soaker is a much better alternative and from personal use it really works great.








Here are the ingredients I used (feel free to substitute a brand that you prefer):



-Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 3 cups




-Borax 3 cups (This is optional as there are mixed reviews on Borax and it's effects)




- Oxiclean Baby Stain Soaker 1 cup




- Dr. Bronner's Bar Soap 2 bars. It comes in several scents and this mild unscented baby one




- Arm & Hammer Baking Soda 3 cups




- 15-20 drops Lemon essential oil and 15-20 drops Orange essential oil (Lavender or Citrus Fresh are good oils you can use as well)






How to make your own laundry soap:

- Grate the soap with a cheese grater


- Mix the Borax, Washing Soda, and Baking Soda in a large bowl


- Put the grated soap in a food processor and add about 1 cup of the mixture into the processor so the soap won't stick to the blades.


-Turn on the processor and add your essential oils while it's working. That will mix them into the soap nice and even for you.


-Take the mixture out of the processor and add to the large bowl and mix all together.


-Save in a container of your choice, I would recommend glass with a tight lid.


-This makes about a gallon and you only need 1-2 tablespoons per load.




This equals out to only pennies per load or less than $7 for the whole container! Your average laundry soap costs .12-.15 cents per load.


Let me know what you think if you decide to make it yourself! I just started using this so I will update in a later post how I like this homemade detergent.


Happy Oiling!
Amanda

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