How to Make Laundry Soap
Making
your own natural, homemade laundry detergent is one of the easiest parts of a transition to natural living. This natural laundry
soap recipe a great way to save money on laundry detergent and is
incredibly easy to make. This homemade laundry detergent post is an updated
version of this recipe that addresses high efficiency washers and borax safety.
Why Switch to Natural Laundry Soap?
Conventional
laundry detergent is loaded with chemicals like sulfates, fragrances, phenols
and more. Many brands contain things like petroleum distillates, which are
linked to cancer and lung disease. Fragrances in these detergents are made of a
mix of harmful chemicals.
Luckily,
making your own laundry soap is an easy and fast process! You only need three
basic ingredients to make either a powdered or liquid laundry soap:
DIY Laundry Soap Ingredients
·
Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer Brand
available at most stores)
- Borax (20
Mule Team Borax available at most grocery stores)
- Bar Soap (Dr. Bronner’s, Ivory,
or other natural, unscented bar soap) – If you have ever made your own
soap, the laundry version of this coconut oil soap recipe
is hands-down the best bar soap I’ve ever found for making laundry soap.
·
Washing Soda and Borax should be available at your local grocery
store on the laundry aisle. Natural bar soaps are in the health, beauty, or
organic sections of the store, or online. You can also add a couple tablespoons
of baking soda to help freshen clothes.
·
·
Wonder What’s in These Ingredients?
·
Borax is a naturally occurring mineral made up of sodium, boron,
oxygen, and water. It is an ingredient in most of the natural soaps available
now (Seventh Generation, etc.) but it is much more inexpensive to make
yourself. There are some concerns about the safety of Borax, but here’s why I
feel comfortable using it, especially for laundry.
Washing Soda, sometimes called sodium carbonate
or soda ash, is made from common salt and limestone or found as natural
deposits. If you can’t find this locally, you can make your own
from plain baking soda with this tutorial. Here are some other great
household uses for washing soda.
Dr.
Bronner’s soaps are fair trade and made with vegetable castile soap and pure
organic oils.
Natural Laundry Soap Recipe
1. Grate
the bar soap or mix in food processor until finely ground. Use the soap of your
choice. I personally use homemade coconut oil soap if I have it or Dr. Bronner’s
Pure castile Bar Soap because of its exceptional quality, and
because it is available in several different natural scents like lavender, tea
tree, peppermint, almond and others.
2. In a
large bowl, mix 2 parts washing soda, 2 parts Borax and 1 part grated soap. I
use 1 bar of grated soap and 1 cup each of washing soda and borax.
3. Store
in closed container. I keep mine in quart or half gallon mason jars.
If you are using a big enough container, you can skip step 2 and just put all
ingredients in storage container or jar and shake.
4. Use 2
Tablespoons to 1/4 cup per load of laundry.
How to Make Liquid Laundry Soap
1. Grate
one bar of soap with cheese grater or food processor.
2. Put
grated soap in pan with 2 quarts water and gradually heat, stirring constantly
until soap is completely dissolved.
3. Put 4.5
gallons of really hot tap water in a 5-gallon bucket (available for free in
bakeries at grocery stores, just ask them) and stir in 2 cups of borax and
2 cups of Washing Soda until completely dissolved.
4. Pour
soap mixture from pan into 5-gallon bucket. Stir well.
5. Cover
and leave overnight.
6. Shake
or stir until smooth and pour into gallon jugs or other containers.
7. Use 1/2
to 1 cup per load.
These
recipes are also a great way to save money on laundry. By my calculations, I am
saving over half on my laundry bill by switching
A Note About Soap vs. Detergent
As
mentioned above, there is chemically a difference between soap and
detergent. The advantage of conventional laundry detergents is that they
are formulated to work specifically in washing machine environments. Many soaps
are designed for skin and are not as strong. Some sources suggest that over
time, natural soaps can leave buildup in washers.
I’ve
found that while this recipe works well for me, it isn’t suitable for all water
types and washer types. If you’ve used natural laundry soap and experienced
clothes getting dingy, this may be the reason.
I’ve
found one natural detergent that works brilliantly and can be used alone or in
combination with homemade laundry soaps like this one. I often add 2-3 Tablespoons of Dr.
Bronners Sal Suds per load as a natural detergent. Sal Suds
gets out tough stains and odors and is still a natural product (though
technically a detergent/surfactant and not a soap).
Don’t
Want to Make it?
We
usually make our own detergent, but for times when we are traveling or I
haven’t had time to make it, I’ve found a few good brands of eco friendly
laundry detergent that actually work (all received an “A” by the Environmental
Working Group):
·
2 Tablespoon Sal Suds +
1/4 cup Baking Soda or Washing Soda (highly
effective and super simple!)
·
Ecover Zero
Laundry Detergent– Works well, relatively cost effective and low/no
risk of developmental or reproductive toxicity and cancer according to the EWG.
·
Emma Eco Me Detergent – Also rated well
by the EWG and cleans up to 64 loads for $12. Good scents.
·
Planet Natural
Detergent – Relatively eco-friendly and cost effective at
$9 for 32 loads.
·
Obviously, the most frugal option is to make your own, but
these natural alternatives are a good choice if you aren’t able to make
your own or don’t want to.
·
Have you
tried making your own laundry detergent? What ingredients did you use?
..
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