Right now I have this giant container of laundry detergent that I bought because it is supposed to be eco-friendly and non-toxic. While I believe it's better than most of what you can buy, it was relatively expensive and as I started doing a lot more DIY body care, I figured there had to be a way to do this right.
First off, if you don't feel like homemaking every little thing like I am attempting to do, I'm going to start suggesting awesome products that you can buy and still go zero waste or low impact!
Retail alternative: The Simply co.
If you don't want to homemake your laundry detergent but still want a better option I'd recommend The Simply Co. This company was started by Lauren Singer who runs the zero waste blog Trash is for Tossers. Her laundry detergent has 3 (or 4 if you want scented) ingredients and is awesome!
Ok, so if you are still looking to homemake your laundry detergent here's what you'll need:
Ingredients
- 1 box Baking soda (about 14 oz)
- 1 box Washing soda (about 14 oz)
- 1 bar castile soap (about 5 oz)
- I use Lavender Dr. Bronner's but any type will do!
To Make
- Mix baking soda and washing soda together
- Shave the whole bar of soap and mix it into your sodas
- You can put these in a blender/food processor for it to be extra powdery, this is particularly useful if you're like me and wash your laundry in cold water since it's easier for the detergent to dissolve.
To Use
- Add 1 Tbsp. for a small load (2-3 for large)
- I also use vinegar as a fabric softener, about 1/4 cup for a small load, 1/3-1/2 cup for large
- Make sure the vinegar is put into a fabric softener section of the wash, or put it in for the rinse cycle.
- Sometimes I throw some essential oils in the vinegar: I recommend 1-5 drops of lemon, lavender, and/or rosemary essential oils for washing (amount added will depend on brand of essential oils)
This recipe makes about 33 oz of detergent, which would give you approximately 65 small loads of laundry. You could double or triple the recipe if you wanted to.
Cost
2 boxes of baking soda: $2.00
1 bar castille soap: $4.50
Total: $7.50
Special Note: Washing soda
So washing soda can be found at big stores like Walmart and Target, but not always. I ran into this, no stores near me carry it. However, washing soda is incredibly easy to make from baking soda: all you need is heat! So if it's not readily available to you, and you're already savvy enough to make your own laundry detergent, just make the washing soda for it too. Follow this super easy DIY from mommypotamus to make your own!
Acknowledgements:
While my recipe is not a replication of any of these bloggers, I did use their posts for guidance and feel they should be acknowledged:
Katie of wellnessmama.com, Find her laundry detergent recipe here!
Matt and Betsy Jabs of diynatural.com, find their laundry detergent recipe here!