Homemade Laundry Detergent

Over the past couple years, my husband and I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the way we live, and the products we use on a daily basis. Through this exploration, we've discovered a lot of nasty truths about the chemicals we use on a daily basis that exist in everything from our food to our shampoo.

In our pursuit of what we call a cleaner, chemical free lifestyle, we've experimented with different ways of making our own laundry detergent. In addition to being very expensive, laundry detergent is full of all kinds of nasty chemicals that don't just wreak havoc on a water supply, but on many people's allergies and skin. The harsh chemical detergents and artificial fragrances are the root of many skin problems.

So, in light of saving any money we can, and avoiding these disgusting chemicals that do far more harm than good, we found this wonderful recipe for a highly effective homemade laundry detergent! The recipe is not your typical detergent, not quite as gooey and gelly as you might be used to, and it bubbles very little. However, rest assured, it gets your clothes clean, and doesn't leave any spots or bleach stains on delicates.

Let's get started.

1.  First, get you either a bar of Fels Naptha or Castile Soap. Fels Naptha can usually be found in the cleaning aisle, and castile soap in bar form is usually with the body bar soaps. Castile may be more difficult to find, but it bubbles a bit more than Fels Naptha, so check your health food stores if you like the bubbles!

Now grate a bar of the soap up. You only need a 1/2 cup for this recipe, but I like to just grate the whole thing up at once so I can save the rest for the next time I need to make detergent. One bar probably makes like 1 1/2 cups grated.

I use a cheese grater, and it only takes 5 or 10 minutes. Oh, and see that fancy empty yogurt container back there? I use that to keep my extra grated soap. I know, I'm spoiled.

2. So now that you've grated away, give your hand a break, and grab a big stock pot and put about 3 quarts of water in it (that's 6 cups), and put it over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of your grated soap, and stir it occasionally. You'll want to let it "cook" til the soap is melted.

3. While your soap is melting, grab a clean 5 gallon bucket, and put 1 cup of borax and 1/2 cup of washing soda in it. Again, these are just some old fashioned cleaners that can be found in the cleaning aisle. they're very eco friendly, and gentle on people's skin.

Put the borax and washing soda in your bucket, and add 2 gallons of hot water (less than half a bucket full). Grab a spoon and stir it well. 

Now check on your grated soap mixture, it should be about melted.

4. Once all of those white chunks have dissolved, go ahead and pour the contents of your stockpot into the bucket and stir it really well. 

5. Now cover it, and let it set up overnight.

6. The next day, your mixture should have a nice gel like consistency, but don't panic if it's not like the commercial stuff, because it probably won't be. This mixture is pretty concentrated, so add enough warm water to come within 6 inches of filling the bucket, and give it a good stir.

7. Now just grab a funnel and some clean containers, and disperse! This recipe makes around 5 gallons, and you'll want to use about 1/4 cup per load, but I never measure. 

You can use essential oil to add some fragrance if you like, I prefer lavender oil myself. Just remember a little goes a long way, only a few drops per gallon should do it! It's not like commercial detergents, you won't get crazy amount of bubbles and it's not lime green, but this is a simple way to get just get your clothes plain old clean. I use it on all of my clothes, whether they're chiffon, silk, cotton, poly-crap-blends, whatever, and it's never too abrasive. And if you ever do need something a little tougher on the stains, just add a tablespoon of baking soda to your load! Sometimes the old way of doing things are the best way!

Here's the shortened version of the recipe:

1c borax

1/2 c washing soda

1/2 cup grated Fels Naptha or castile soap bar

1. Melt soap on medium heat with 3 quarts of water (or 6 cups) in large stock pot, stirring occasionally.

2. Add washing soda and borax to bucket with about 2 gallons of hot water, stir.

3. Stir melted soap mixture into bucket mixture.

4. Cover bucket and let set up over night.

5. Add an additional 2 gallons of water and stir.

6. Using a funnel, dispense into containers, add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance if desired.