Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent
Making your own laundry detergent will help the environment, your health, and it will save you loads of money (pun intended). Anything you put on your skin absorbs directly into your bloodstream. Think of all the chemical-based laundry detergent on your clothing, blankets, pillows, towels, and more. We use harmful chemicals in just about everything, including the food we eat, which is pretty scary to think about. And if you’ve got children and furry (or scaly) friends, I can only imagine how much worse these chemicals are to them!
Choosing to make your detergent can also prevent hundreds of plastic containers from ending up in landfills, being recycled, or being made in the first place. And it only takes about 10 minutes to make enough to last up to 8 months.
Natural Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 1 bar of fragrance-free Castile soap (get a scented bar if you don’t want to add essential oils later or want a familiar scent)
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup citric acid
- 1 cup washing soda
- 1/4 cup of sea salt
- Essential oils of your choosing – optional
Take a cheese grater and grate the entire bar of Castile soap into a bowl. Once fully grated, add the baking soda, citric acid, washing soda, and sea salt into the same bowl. Combine ingredients well. I know the baking soda in my pantry tends to clump up, so if you have any large clumps in your mixture, be sure to use the back of a spoon to help break those pieces up.
One of the best parts of this recipe is that it’s completely fragrance-free! So for those who have sensitive skin or small kids at home this detergent is pretty diverse. If you’re wanting a fragrance-free laundry detergent then you’re finished. Make sure your ingredients are thoroughly combined and store them in a dry place.
If you’re like me and want your laundry smelling floral and sweet- choose your favorite essential oils to add to the mix! The amount of essential oil you use is something you’ll have to play with! If this is your first time and you want to try different essential oils, oil combinations, or amounts of oil – split the batch into four so you can test what you like without wasting time or ingredients. I like to use a lot of essential oils because I like a more noticeable smell. I split my batch into two so I could have different scent combinations. The first combination I used is lavender oil, peppermint oil, and lemongrass oil. I added about 10 drops of each essential oil into the half batch. In the second half, I added 30 drops of an aromatherapy sleep blend, which is a combination of orange, lavender, frankincense, holy basil, cedarwood, and hinoki essential oils.
I store mine in glass containers with bamboo lids that I bought in a set offline. It has a seal so it keeps it safe from any lint that collects in my laundry closet and looks aesthetically pleasing. These containers are also great because they have a wide enough opening that you can get to the bottom with a spoon to scoop out your detergent.
Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load depending on the size of the load and how dirty everything is. Throw the tablespoon directly into the washing machine with your clothing! You can double or even triple this recipe to save yourself time in the future because none of the ingredients will go bad. In total, the recipe makes about 70 tablespoons or 70 washes.
Pro-Environmental Tip: Use cold water when washing your clothes! The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that 90% of the energy your washer uses is from heating the water! Only 10% is the actual energy needed to run the washing machine motor.