Recently I began to see people talking about making their own laundry detergent. When my cousin and a friend both started making their own and talking about how much they liked it I decided to give it a try! I found a recipe similar to what they are using only in a powder form ( I like dry detergent). I was very skeptical about the amount of detergent it calls for using in each load... I do have poopy diapers and dirty little boy clothes that I'm washing you know! I went ahead and use the recommended amount and didn't see any bubbles (I know.. bubbles do not equal clean clothes) and when they were done washing there was no scent. At. All. For my own peace of mind I upped the amount and got the same result... clean, unscented clothes. The soap I use does have a scent but I chose a soap that claimed to rinse clean leaving no residue and that's apparently what is happening.
Every recipe I have found online has the same 3 ingredients with only the brand of soap changed. and occasionally a different amount of borax.
What I am using is:
1 c. Borax*
1 c. Super Washing Soda
1 bar of Kirk's Coco Castille Soap, grated.**
Every recipe I have found online has the same 3 ingredients with only the brand of soap changed. and occasionally a different amount of borax.
What I am using is:
1 c. Borax*
1 c. Super Washing Soda
1 bar of Kirk's Coco Castille Soap, grated.**
Stir together and use 1 T for regular loads and 2 T for heavily soiled.***
The benefits? It is CHEAP. I didn't keep my reciepts but a big box of Borax and Super Washing Soda are around $5 each and a 3 pack of Kirk's is $0.99. So with that I have made 3 batches and have tons of borax and soda left... I just need to get more soap. I don't know the exact numbers per load or how many loads... but I do know it is much cheaper than the Tide I was using.
The downside? I do not like grating soap. But that's what I have kids for. :)
If you prefer liquid detergent it has the same ingredients plus lots of water and some cooking. Here's a link to the recipe for liquid detergent that my friend uses.
*One recipe I found called for 1/2 c of borax.
** There are other brands of Castille but I chose this one because it is made with coconut oil (another love of mine) and is clean rinsing... can't have residue on our cloth diapers. My friend and cousin use Fels-Naptha or Zote soap and loves them. The store I was at did not have either of those but I would like to eventually try them for comparison. I think if you like your clothes more scented, you would want to add a cloth with essential oils on it in your dryer.
***I use 3T for heavily soiled loads and 2T for regular. I don't know if it is necessary or not but it makes me feel better.
I plan to try a home made dish washing detergent next. Do you have any home made cleaner recipes you'd like to share?
The benefits? It is CHEAP. I didn't keep my reciepts but a big box of Borax and Super Washing Soda are around $5 each and a 3 pack of Kirk's is $0.99. So with that I have made 3 batches and have tons of borax and soda left... I just need to get more soap. I don't know the exact numbers per load or how many loads... but I do know it is much cheaper than the Tide I was using.
The downside? I do not like grating soap. But that's what I have kids for. :)
If you prefer liquid detergent it has the same ingredients plus lots of water and some cooking. Here's a link to the recipe for liquid detergent that my friend uses.
*One recipe I found called for 1/2 c of borax.
** There are other brands of Castille but I chose this one because it is made with coconut oil (another love of mine) and is clean rinsing... can't have residue on our cloth diapers. My friend and cousin use Fels-Naptha or Zote soap and loves them. The store I was at did not have either of those but I would like to eventually try them for comparison. I think if you like your clothes more scented, you would want to add a cloth with essential oils on it in your dryer.
***I use 3T for heavily soiled loads and 2T for regular. I don't know if it is necessary or not but it makes me feel better.
I plan to try a home made dish washing detergent next. Do you have any home made cleaner recipes you'd like to share?
My cousin has been doing the liquid soap for close to a year now and LOVES it. If I didn't have to use a laundromat, I would probably try it.
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