DIY Laundry Detergent

I have been making our laundry detergent for around 9 years. I started doing so just to save money, but it slowly evolved into more of a way to avoid toxic chemicals being absorbed through our skin. If you’re here reading this, I’d imagine you’ve saved or even tried a few recipes on Pinterest… and same. That’s where I started too.

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*Looks like sweet tea, but is definitely laundry detergent!*

I began with recipes that required grating bars of soap into a mixture of borax, oxi clean, and various other not so clean products to create a “DIY” detergent that was saving me money-but was heavy with toxic chemicals and irritating fragrances. I went down a rabbit hole of supposed tried and true recipes that either didn’t clean very well, left a slow build up in the washer and on our clothes, or just simply were full of chemicals! Again, 9 YEARS LATER…I pieced together all the research and found the issue with all the recipes I had tried, thus inventing the recipe I currently LOVE!

Let’s talk surfactants. Most homemade laundry detergents do not contain surfactants which are required to lift away dirt and oils from clothes and wash them down the drain. Instead, they are mere laundry soaps that are able to remove smells and some dirt, but overtime will allow body oils and other substances to build up on your clothes. This especially applies if your closet contains a lot of polyester, spandex, and other synthetic materials (hello musty gym clothes!).

Recipe 1 utilizes soap nut concentrate. Soap nuts contain natural surfactants which, again, helps to lift away dirt and oils! Recipe 2 does not contain a surfactant-but I still love and used the recipe for nearly three years. IF you choose to go with recipe 2, just be aware your synthetic materials and heavily soiled clothing will likely get a build up that feels heavy and smells musty.

Next, let’s cover FRAGRANCES. Most synthetic fragrances are endocrine disruptors. Not just what’s used in laundry detergents, most synthetic fragrances are pretty harmful. This recipe uses essential oils for scent however, the scent will not carry through to the dryer very well. Instead of using expensive EO’s in the detergent, I recommend spritzing wool dryer balls with your EO of choice (make sure the oil has totally dried before using them) and tossing them in the dryer with your laundry. Bonus perk, wool dryer balls act like dryer sheets to eliminate static! My favorite essential oils to use are Orange and Clove! Some others to consider-

Tea Tree
Rosemary
Eucalyptus
Lavender
Peppermint

Both of these recipes utilize Castile soap. Castile soap is very gentle on the skin and one of the purest soaps you can find. I purchase mine a gallon at a time as I use it for laundry, hand soap, and in my DIY dishwasher powder recipe (coming soon).

Anyway, on to the recipes!

DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT

Supplies

Order Supplies

Recipe 1

Liquid Castile Soap
Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda
Water
Soap Nuts
Salt
Baking Soda
Essential Oil of Choice
Large Stainless Steel Pot
Container for final product

Recipe 2

Same as Recipe 1, except forego the soap nuts

DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT RECIPE 1

Place 1.5 cups of soap nuts in pot with 4 cups of water. Bring to boil for 10 minutes and allow to cool overnight. Strain water into container you’ll use for the finished product.

Bring 4 cups of water to boil, remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of washing soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and stir until fully dissolved. Slowly stir in 1 cup of Castile soap and 1/4 teaspoon of essential oil of choice. Once the Castile soap and essential oil is fully incorporated, very slowly pour mixture into container with soap nut concentrate. Pouring quickly will cause foamy bubbles. Slowly add 10 cups of room temperature water while stirring.

Your DIY laundry detergent is ready to use! Use 1/2 cup in each full load of laundry.

DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT RECIPE 2

Bring 4 cups of water to boil, remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of washing soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and stir until fully dissolved. Slowly stir in 1 cup of Castile soap and 1/4 teaspoon of essential oil of choice. Once the Castile soap and essential oil is fully incorporated, very slowly pour mixture into container for final product . Pouring quickly will cause foamy bubbles. Slowly add 12 cups of room temperature water while stirring.

Your DIY laundry detergent is ready to use! Use 1/2 cup in each full load of laundry.