Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

The specially formulated laundry detergent removes stains, dirt and sometimes discolorations from your clothes. Some products even soften fabrics, making them more comfortable to wear. Necessary as the detergent is, many of the products sold commercially are quite expensive.

Creating your own laundry detergent is very simple. All you need to do is mix the right ingredients and you’ll eventually end up with a great cleaning agent. If you get the right quantity per component, you’ll get an item that can rival any of the market leaders, for less than half of the price.

It takes about 15 minutes to make your own homemade liquid laundry detergent and about 10 minutes to make powdered laundry detergent using all natural ingredients that you can purchase from your grocery store.

Little introduction

Soap bars are known moisturizers which clean and soften skin. Some of them also work well with fabrics. Mixing soap with sodium carbonate and borax boosts their effectivness. Be careful the only ones qualified are Ivory, Fels-Naptha, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, and Zote.

Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found in the laundry and cleaning aisles.

Some people with really hard water may have to adjust the recipe and add water softener, which is a heavy pollutant, but found in every detergent.

Soap Bar Based Laundry Detergent (Powder)

* 1 soap bar (3.1 oz)
* 1 cup of Borax
* 1 cup of washing Soda

Grate the soap into small strips and place in the pot with borax and washing soda. Mix together and use one to two tablespoons per load. Add essential oils if you like. Store covered and stir before using.

Soap Bar Based Laundry Detergent (Liquid)

* 1 soap bar (3.1 oz)
* 1 cup of Borax
* 1 cup of washing Soda
* 1 quart boiling water

Add the grated soap to the boiling water and stir over low heat until the soap pieces are all melted. Put this water into a large container and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until it is completely dissolved. Add two gallons of water. Stirring well. Add essential oil for scent if you wish. Cover and allow to stand over the night. In the morning it will be a thin gel.

Use one-fourth cup of the mixture for each load of laundry. Be sure to stir it before use. This is low sudsing so don’t expect billows of suds when you do your clothes.

Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent

* 1 natural soap bar (3.1 oz)
* 1 cup of Borax
* 1 cup of washing Soda

The only difference is the soap, which we’ll be making. On how to make natural soap read next week.

Homemade Fabric Softener

* ¼ cup of vinegar
* few drops of your favorite essential oil

Just add a cup of white vinegar to your washer’s rinse cycle and your laundry will come out soft and cling-free.

Homemade Fabric Softener

* 1 cup baking soda
* 6 cups distilled white vinegar
* 8 cups water
* 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil

First add the baking soda and 1 cup of water. Slowly add the vinegar to the bottle as the vinegar and baking soda will start to fizz. Then add the rest of the water swirling around & cover venting the top a few times. Add the oil.

Add 1 cup in your final rinse cycle for each load but give the bottle a good shake to stir up the essential oil if using.

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