I’ve been so busy lately, I hate that I’ve 1) neglected the blog, 2) neglected finally making my own laundry detergent. It’s funny how having just 1 toddler can drain all of your energy. (I have total respect for parents that have 2, 3, even 4 or more children! ) With a full time job; a commute that is an hour each way, fitness commitments (though I try to workout at my lunch hour), and trying to maintain a running household, it’s really hard. There is no sugar-coating “real-life” with a family. Albeit, I am very lucky that I don’t have to drive my child to-and-from day care as my sister moved in with us to be our nanny…..we run a crazy house!
My committment to changing little things in our life is still a priority. Like most of the things I plan I do around the house, the time it takes me to finally get there could be a week, a month or several months before they come to fruition. SO, this week I finally got all the ingredients for my next household project! I decided that one very important change I wanted to make around the house was my laundry detergent. Since there are a lot of added ingredients in laundry detergent (parfums, brighteners, bleaching agents), it makes you realize that all of those chemicals get onto your skin all day. Think of all of the things that come in contact with your skin that you have washed: your sheets, your towels, your clothes…..I found a great DIY recipe for a safer laundry detergent using these ingredients:
1) 1.5 cups Washing Soda
2) 1 cup Baking Soda
3) 1 Bar of non-suds soap (important for HE washers)
4) 1/2 cup Citric Acid (I got this at Whole Foods)
5) 5-10 drops Essential Oil ( not necessary, but I chose one of my favorites: Young Living Jade Lemon for a nice fresh scent)
This is very economical, and all the ingredients are natural, and the Dr. Bronner’s bar soap is even organic, so no scary chemicals on our clothes or in the water supply.
Chop or grate the bar soap and then put it into a food processor. Pulse until fine.
Then add the rest of the ingredients and pulse a few times. Transfer to a container and shake a couple times.
Use 1 Tbsp for small loads and 2 Tbsp for a large load.
* I tried my first wash load of towels and it worked!
The next project I will write about will be a great DIY way to dry your clothes and save energy on your heating/electric bill with wool dryer balls!
-Kim
2 questions: does this work in a HE washer (high efficiency) and does putting all those ingredients in a food processor affect the next food product you make in it?? That detergent sounds heavenly…I can smell the fresh scent through my laptop:)
I’ve used it now for a couple of weeks and no problems with the HE washer! Also, I thought about that with my food processor- so just made sure I cleaned it very well after I made the detergent!!
Thanks for linking this up to the Welcome Home Wednesdays link party! My mom makes her own laundry and while I never have the patience to make it myself, I love when she gives me some of hers! Thanks for sharing…we hope to see you again next week!
http://www.diyjustcuz.com
Thanks for posting this! I would love to hear long term opinions!
So far so good, Cynthia! Been using it for over a month now and the clothes have survived! Lol
This is an awesome recipe! I want to try it out… I’m always scared to do natural detergents b/c I am so addicted to my clothes smelling wonderful after it’s washed. But those perfumes are so harmful especially to my son’s damaged lungs. Essential oils is a great addition. Very simple, thanks Lavender Lady!
Michelle – http://www.heylittlefighter.com – A blog for special needs families facing the journey with a positive attitude!
I know what you mean about that “laundry smell”, Michelle! It took me a little while to get up to this point and I know I’m just doing something that’s better for me and the environment in the long run. I hope you’re able to give it a try! Best of luck to you and your son! Thanks for stopping by!
I really need to get back on the DIY train and make my own laundry detergent again. Especially with winter coming. My skin gets so sensitive with the weather and just doesn’t mix well with those chemicals in my clothes.
Yes! … Hope you are able to make it!
I so want to try this! I keep wanting to make my own laundry detergent but I never quite get around to it! Thanks for the motivation!
Hope you get around to making it! It’s been a success so far! Plus I use my wool dryer balls! ( check out my blog post on those!) We’re going toxin free now.