Have you ever tried homemade laundry soap?
I have tried several different formulas for making my own laundry soap. When I got pregnant with my son, I started doing a lot of research on different chemicals and found that conventional laundry detergents that you can purchase at most major retailers are actually TERRIBLE for your body - and hard on our environment.
So I sought out to find a more natural, cost-effective, and chemically safe option for my family. After lots of trial-and-error, I finally switched to a liquid version of laundry soap that I've come to L-O-V-E. If you've never used a homemade, natural laundry soap before, after several uses you'll start to notice how strong other people's clothing smells. It may even burn your nose! There are so many strong, harsh, artificial fragrances in big name, box store brand laundry detergents. This homemade laundry soap simply cleans clothes, leaving a fresh, light scent depending on what essential oils you choose to use and how much.
Tips for Making Natural Laundry Soap Work for You:
Use hot water and don't use your eco setting. There's a bit of a tradeoff with homemade laundry soaps. The oils and castile soaps that you put in your homemade laundry soap require a good amount of water to really wash out of clothing. Hot water dissolves solutions better than cold water, so that's why warm or hot water is best to use with homemade laundry soaps. A good amount of baking soda and washing soda not only deodorizes and cleans clothing, but softens the water you use. So while you're not necessarily helping energy efficiency in your home, you still have a great tradeoff: you're no longer putting harsh, unsafe, ailment-causing chemicals on your body through your clothing!
Think about this: you are in clothing ALL. THE. TIME. You're going to want to make sure that what you wash that clothing in is actually safe for your skin - because your skin is your largest (and most absorbent) organ. It takes in and filters most of what you put on your body. Don't you want to be sure that what you are putting on (and ultimately in) your body is safe - and not known for toxicity? Did I also mention cost? This laundry soap recipe will (overtime, not in one mixing session) make AT LEAST 6 two-gallon jars of laundry soap before you run out of supplies if you buy a bulk bag of baking soda. If you total up the cost of all ingredients, combined with the amount of laundry soap it makes, it is way cheaper than anything you'll buy in a store - and it lasts so much longer.
No Grating Soap, No Borax!
This liquid homemade soap is made with natural castile soap, baking soda, super washing soda, and essential oils. I opted not to use borax - an ingredient common in homemade laundry soaps and a well-known cleaner due to its controversy in the natural world. Borax is actually a known toxin - and especially dangerous for littles. It has known health effects: irritation to skin and potential hormone disruption, according to the EWG (more info on them below).
Every ingredient in this homemade natural laundry soap receives an A rating with the Environmental Working Group. EWG.com is an amazing website to help you dive deep into the toxic chemical offenders in products you use daily. You know, those crazy long unpronounceable names on ingredient labels? Not all "chemicals" are bad. H2O is the *chemical* compound for water. CO2 is the chemical compound carbon dioxide - also known as the air that we breathe. So like I said, the term "chemical" is not automatically a dirty word!
So whether this is your first time making a homemade laundry soap, or your 100th time and you're simply looking for an easy, effective solution, this DIY homemade laundry soap will fit your needs!
Homemade Laundry Soap
1 5 gallon bucket
1 large wooden spoon (to stir)
Measuring Cup
Funnel
Glass Jar for storage
2 Gallons HOT water
2/3 cup Super Washing Soda (or 1 cup if you have crazy hard water, like me!)
2/3 cup Baking Soda (or 1 cup if you have crazy hard water, like me!)
2/3 cup of liquid Castile Soap
15-25 drops of Essential Oils (I use Tumble and Tidy from Revive Oils!)
How to make it:
There are TWO ways to make this recipe. If you prefer a thicker consistency similar to that of store-bought laundry detergent, boil your water first then add dry ingredients to 1 1/2 of the gallons of water one at a time, stirring before adding the next ingredient. Add the castile soap and essential oils next. Finish off with the last half gallon of boiled water. Wait until cooled to place into storage jar. If you prefer the thicker formula, make sure to put it directly into the drum and not into the tray of your washing machine.
The other way, the simple way, to make this recipe is to add all of your dry ingredients to the bucket first. Then, add the castile soap. Add your 2 gallons of water next and finish off with your essential oils. Stir all together well.
With either of these methods, your laundry soap will settle over time. Just give the jar a good shake before using and you're good to go!
Let me know if you enjoy this laundry soap as much as I do. The simple knowledge that I'm not putting toxic chemicals on my family's skin is reason enough for me to continue in this natural journey. Even if it means more work!
Happy Natural DIY-ing!
XO, Megan
