How To Make Your Own Homemade Laundry Detergent
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Since becoming a mom, I’ve been a little more cautious about the products we use- laundry detergent included. It’s no secret that if given the choice, I’d almost always rather make something instead of purchase it from a big box store. Maybe it’s because I love to learn new things or maybe it’s just out of sheer creative stubbornness- I’ll never be sure. Whatever the reason for my persistent desire to DIY, I decided to try my hand at making my own laundry detergent.
I’ve made homemade cold process bar soaps before which you can read about HERE. I really enjoyed that soap making process, so I thought laundry soup would be just as fun! It was exciting to know that I created soap for my little family that didn’t contain any harsh chemicals or unwanted additives. If you’d like to follow along and make your own natural laundry detergent, just follow my diy laundry detergent recipe below.
Why should you make your own homemade laundry detergent?
Aside from the aspect that making your own anything can be a ton of fun, there are two main reasons to consider making your own laundry soap: homemade detergent is nontoxic and doesn’t cost as much money as commercial detergents! Those two factors alone are enough for any homemaker to give making their own laundry powder a shot.
Why Are Most Commercial Laundry Detergents Considered Toxic?
Did you know that the most commonly used laundry soaps are actually not good for us? I definitely wasn’t aware until I started looking into using only clean products. Have I used Gain in the past like everyone else? Absolutely! It smells amazing, after all. Once my little one was born, however, I started really paying attention to what I use in my home environment.
Many commercial detergents have added fragrances that are actually harmful to our health. Synthetic fragrances can have negative or disruptive effects on the reproductive and endocrine systems alone. Good smelling t shirts are not worth out-of-whack hormones or exposure to carcinogens. These fancy detergents may clean the clothes well, but the negative ramifications are not worth using them, in my humble opinion.
Essential oils or toxin free fragrance oils are always a good idea to gravitate towards when choosing detergents and soaps. Essential oils are derived from natural ingredients and are free of parabens or carcinogens. These oils are also better in sensitive skin. They are almost always the best option for scenting your personal care products or natural cleaning products. If you want to know more about choosing safe fragrance oils for your soap or candle making projects, you can read all about that HERE. Be sure to choose a safe option when scenting your homemade detergents. I have some recommendations listed in the recipe that you can check out as well.
Does Homemade Detergent Really Cost Less?!
You bet your bottom dollar it does! Homemade laundry powder is made up of only a few simple ingredients. This recipe will make a couple months worth of detergent for only $20 and a little bit goes a long way! It will only cost a few cents in detergent every time you do a load of laundry. Just store it in an airtight container and your laundry room will be stocked for a good while! Bonus points if you use a pretty container that makes doing this chore a little more enjoyable!
How to make your own:
There are several recipes for making homemade laundry powder- both liquid laundry detergent and powder. For this tutorial, we will be making a simple powdered detergent. Powder is my preferred detergent and it’s honestly the easiest and quickest to make!
What’s in homemade laundry soap?
Most laundry powder recipes contain only a few basic ingredients: borax, washing soda, laundry soap, and fragrance. While this seems pretty straightforward, homemade detergent is not always nontoxic. Many recipes contain a few ingredients that need to be swapped out for healthier options. I have made those changes in my recipe below, so no worries there!
While some recipes call for a cup of Borax, this is not a toxin free ingredient. It is a naturally occurring ingredient, but can actually cause skin irritation. I prefer not to use it in my household with small children as it is slightly hazardous. It does help to freshen clothes, and there are other household uses for Borax. I just felt that it wasn’t best to use in my home at this time due to the risks. If you want that extra freshness, you can always add some borax into your laundry detergent recipe periodically. Be sure to look up measurement specifications before adding it to your load of clothes.
Choosing laundry soaps:
A major component of every laundry detergent is laundry soap. You can get laundry soap in liquid or bar form. For this recipe we will be using bar soap to grate into our laundry powder. While laundry soap seems pretty straight forward, not all laundry soap is created equal.The two main laundry soaps used in homemade laundry detergent are Fels Naptha bar soap and pure castille soap.
Fels naptha is a bar soap commonly used in detergent. It is excellent for removing grease, oil, grass, and dirt stains. That is probably why so many people choose this soap for their detergent recipe. However, fels naptha can cause skin or eye irritation if not used properly. Since I have a little one, I decided to look for alternatives that don’t cause irritation but have equal cleaning power. If you are interested in using fels naptha in your recipe, sub it with an equal measurement in the recipe below.
Pure castille soap is the other most popular laundry soap used to make laundry detergents. Castille is a nontoxic, vegetable-based soap that is made primarily of coconut or olive oil. Since it is free of synthetic ingredients, I thought this natural option would be best to create a gentle detergent for my family. You can also purchase liquid castile soap if you would like to make your own liquid laundry soap. Another perk of castille soap is that it is slightly less expensive than fels naptha. So it’s a win-win! Now that we’ve talked a little but about what makes up a safe, nontoxic laundry detergent, let’s get started making our own!
How To Make Your Own Homemade Nontoxic Laundry Detergent
Materials:
-Castille Laundry Soap Bar (1 bar)
–Washing Soda (2 cups washing soda)
–Essential Oil or Nontoxic Fragrance Oil
-1 tbsp sea salt
-Plastic Container for Storage
-Cheese Grater OR Food Processor
-Wooden Spoon for Mixing
The first thing we are going to do is grate our bar of castille soap. Using the finest side of your cheese grater, grate the entire bar of castille soap and set aside. If you have a food processor that you are okay with using, you can also grate it down with that. Set laundry soap aside. Scoop 2 cups of washing soda into the grated soap. Add in the sea salt. This will help soften the water and fight stains.
Add in your essential oil or fragrance oils directly into the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. I like to use lavender essential oil or orange to really get that clean clothes smell. How much fragrance oil you add is a matter of personal preference. If you’d prefer to mix in the food processor, you can pulse it a few times in there. Pour your finished laundry powder into your plastic container or glass jar and you are ready to wash! I recommend using 1/4 cup per load and be sure to dump directly into the drum of your washing machine! It should be safe for all washers including an he machine but be sure to check the specs on your washing machine before use.
I hope you enjoy the simple process of making your homemade laundry soap! It takes just a little effort to have a safer, wonderful smelling detergent. It may not seem like a big deal, but these little homemaking steps really help to make your house a home and your family feel well-loved. For more handmade home tutorials, click HERE. Blessings to you and yours!
-Samm
