Homemade Laundry Detergent

Whether you are looking to get rid of the chemicals in your home, have children or members of your family who are sensitive to chemical laundry detergents, or just want to save ridiculous amounts of money; this laundry detergent will be a blessing for you.

Let me also say that there are other chemical free laundry detergents available at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Central Market, or other health food stores. If I buy those kinds, I try and support the companies that have been in the natural product business for a long time, not the HUGE name companies that are jumping on the bandwagon only to make money. That bugs me. The store bought natural detergents can run anywhere from $4-$10, so this recipe will still save you money…but it’s all a personal choice.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

(perfect for High Efficiency washers!)

Ingredients:
1 bar all natural vegetable glycerin soap (I use Clearly Natural -Unscented)
1 cup Borax
½ cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
Water


Tools:
5 Gallon bucket
Grater
Pot large enough to hold 5 cups of water
Long stirring stick/spoon (for 5 gallon container)


Instructions:
Grate the soap into a pot on the stove with 5 cups of water. Heat the water and stir to melt the soap. When the soap is just about melted, pour 3 gallons of hot water into the 5-gallon container and let it sit until the soap in the pot is totally melted. Once all of the soap shavings are melted, pour the mixture into the 5-gallon container and stir.

Once the soap and water are thoroughly stirred, add the ½ cup of washing soda and stir until dissolved. Once the washing soda is dissolved, pour in the cup of borax and stir again until dissolved. (Make sure the mixture is mixed well so that you don’t have a bunch of crusty clumps)

Optional: Essential Oils for fragrance. I add 20-30 drops of Lavender Oil for its disinfecting capabilities.
Now you've got a huge container of hot soapy looking water. Cover the container, place it somewhere out of the way and let it sit overnight. Once it's cooled it will gel. 


Usage: ½-1 cup per laundry load is adequate to clean your clothes. This homemade laundry detergent works well in high efficiency washing machines since it is low sudsing.
This bucket should last you for quite a while! One side note: For those of you who have high efficiency washers, make sure to break up any lumps in the cup of detergent before you put it in the front loader tray to ensure that it will all be dissolved. I of course pair it with vinegar for my fabric softener.

Happy soap making!