Laundry detergent can be made out of some very basic cleaning products. It’s easy, inexpense, eco-friendly and toxin-free.

This very basic DIY recipe for Laundry Detergent is:
1/3 cup Soap Flakes or shave a pure soap such as Castile Bar Soap
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax

Mix ingredients together and keep it in container.
Use 1-2 Tablespoons for a normal wash depending on your type of washer (for example – 1 Tbs. for front load with less water or a small top load, 2 Tbs. for a regular top load). You may want to double amount for a heavy or soiled load.

Note, any bar soap that is rather pure soap, can be shaven and used in place of Soap Flakes. Both drugstore.com and Amazon offer Kirk’s Castile Bar Soap as well as all the other ingredients listed above… a couple of my one of my one-stop shopping sites.

This is a basic recipe, but you can add to it if you’d like. For example, if your water is very hard, you may want to add a bit more baking soda.

It’s that simple!

Common laundry cleaning ingredients and their uses are:

Soap Flakes: cleans out dirt and grease and is water soluble.
Baking Soda: Deodorizes and softens water, good for spot cleaning as a paste.
Washing Soda: similar to baking soda, but more powerful by pulling out grease and oil and also softens water.
Borax: natural compound that dissolves easily in water. Used for disinfecting, cleaning, deodorizing, and whitening. (Do not use Boric acid. Boric Acid is not the same as Borax. I use the 20 Mule Team for my projects around the house)
Hydrogen peroxide: an alternative for bleach that is safer and eco-friendly.
Vinegar: helps to remove stains & odors, brighten colors, helps colors to not run and softens fabric. (note: never mix vinegar with bleach – it can cause toxic fumes)

Add any of these ingredients additionally to your loads to fight off stains or static as needed. For more information look at my post about Laundry Products by clicking here.  Adding a couple of drops of essential oils (such as lavendar) in your rinse cycle offer a pleasant scent.

I’ve been getting my (non-toxic) detergent by purchasing it (at Norwex*), but as I compiled this information when checking out different soap flakes and soaps, I’m going to give this a try myself. I’ve just ordered my products. It’ll be a a fun, quick project for my daughter and I.  ….*and, disclosure here, as I mentioned in the post about Toxic Laundry Products – I am an independant consultant at Norwex and the link will take you to my site.  I joined their team about 2 years ago because I love their products, especially the enviro cleaning cloths – I was hooked!

Have you made your own laundry detergent?  Feel free to leave a comment below.

Wishing you all Health and Happiness.

sources:
wikipedia.org,
ehow.com- use vinegar,
ehow.com- use baking soda,
photo credit: judy#LHNH

Disclaimer: Information on this web site was obtained from a variety of resources, including medical and nutritional publications and is provided for educational purposes only. The information on this site is not medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals. Consult your practitioner before beginning or making changes to your diet, supplements, exercise program, diagnosis or treatment of illness or injuries and for advice regarding medications. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

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