Being self-reliant, doing it yourself, is at the heart of the homesteading movement so yes; I have for years made DIY laundry detergent. In part I rely on my own products since I had a front loading washer and a septic tank. I gave in for a season when I was really busy and purchased name brand liquid detergents as a time saver which was great until my front loader started leaking. I went to a local repairman and he suggested I first clean out the machine’s trap. It was full of goo and unused detergents. He stated that most manufacturers of laundry products recommend the use of totally too much of their detergents and whiteners and bleaches. The friction of the machine does most of the cleaning and the detergent is mainly to add surfactants. Since that time I only use 1 to 2 tablespoons of DIY laundry detergent in my front loader with great results!
Most store-bought laundry detergents contain nonlphenol ethoxylate surfactants that are the ingredients that make detergents effective in lifting soil particles off the surface of clothes. Many detergents can plug up a septic system drain fields as some of them contain clays. I choose to help my septic work effectively by only using small amounts of all natural detergents with safe components. I also limit the number of loads I do daily to two which allows time for the septic system to process the gray water.
Here is my favorite recipe for powered laundry detergent:
Ingredients and tools:
Bar of laundry soap: Ivory, Fels Naptha, or Zote
Washing Soda— Read about how to make it in the Chemistry Experiment blog post!
Borax—20 Mule Team Borax
Baking Soda
Oxygen Cleaner (Some recipes add baking soda or an oxygen cleaner but that is optional in my opinion, if I can find an oxygen cleaner on sale I might add it but the basic big three work great for my laundry needs)
20 drops of lemon or lime essential oils (optional)
Measuring cup
Cheese grater or small electric grater or food processor
Large Mixing bowl
Container that you can seal
Take the cheese grater and grate a 5.5 ounce bar of soap to make about a cup of flakes. I used a small grater here but when using an electric grater I cut the bar into pieces to prevent the unit from overheating.
The ratio is 1:1:1:½ – 1 cup soap flakes to 1 cup baking soda or oxygen cleaner (if you choose to add one of them) to 1 cup washing soda to ½ cup borax.
Washing soda can be hard on your skin so you might want to wear gloves. I use a metal spoon to stir the powders around and avoid touching the product.
Mix all the ingredients well. You can now add an essential oil and stir it in.
Store finished product in an air-tight container that is easy to open. I am using my go-to storage container, a gallon Ball jar that are available at Buchheit’s. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. Batch can be doubled or tripled. When I make this product I make enough to fill my container but I make multiple batches rather than one huge batch as it is easier to thoroughly mix.
This is just one of the DIY Cleaning solutions demonstrated at the recent free seminar hosted by Buchheit. Plan to attend the next free seminar tonight, November 15 at 6pm. The topic will be Holiday Jars with a Twist.
Take a deep breath and relax. Life is good! Anne May
