Homemade Laundry Detergent & Fabric Softener

As I had said in one of my first blogs, I’m going green!  As I am trying the new fangled ideas, I thought I would pass my personal successes on to you all.  So the very first homemade recipe I am passing on is for Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener.

I have used All Free and Clear and many other scent-free, dye-free liquid detergents for a very long time.  My skin was irritated by regular detergents.  But the main reason I started using these scent-free, dye-free detergents about ten years ago was for my son.  He was irritated… not only his skin, but his mannerisms.  Most people won’t believe this, but I stand by it!  Scents rule your mood. 

He was having a lot of trouble in school during his kindergarten through second grades.  I don’t mean he wasn’t keeping up, I mean his behavior was HORRIBLE!  We are talking TSS’s (wrap-arounds) in school, behavioral specialists, mobile therapists, psychologists.  Letters of all sorts were thrown around – ADD, ADHD, ODD, and a ton others.  I fought tooth and nail to prove to the school that my child did not need medicated.  There was nothing wrong with him!  No one believed me. 

Then, a family member mentioned to me that her son had the same problems.  Her solution was changing to scent-free, dye-free detergent and trial an error with fabric softeners.  She said that smells would cause him to have attention problems.  So I listened and through trial and error, as suggested, I found my way to All Free and Clear and Snuggle Fabric Softener.  (By the way, my son has never needed to be medicated and is an A-B student!  He is still the class clown, but that what makes him my son!)

When I decided to go green, laundry detergent and fabric softener recipes were the first thing that popped up, and I had heard of people having success.  But I was VERY leery about how my son would respond to this.  And I cannot express how WONDERFULLY this worked!!!!  If anything, my son was even better for the change.

As far as the Laundry Detergent, I chose powdered, honestly ,because I’m lazy and didn’t feel like melting and stirring and buying a 5 gallon bucket.  Powdered detergent was the most convenient to test run on.  And it’s safe for HE washers.  It was amazing!  No, there are not a lot of suds.  But suds don’t mean clean.  I’m serious.  They don’t! 

And the Fabric Softener… wow!  I was amazed!  Vinegar – that’s it!  No, you do not walk around smelling like Summer’s Eve.  But your clothes are SOFT!!! I’ve never had my clothes, especially towels and jeans, feel as soft as vinegar makes them feel.  I do add essential oil in it (5 drops of lavender and 4 drops of tea tree) because they make me feel better.  My clothes don’t even smell like the essential oils.  Really.  But lavender and tea tree have antibacterial properties.  And it makes me feel better that it isn’t just vinegar.

I made the detergent recipe mainly from DIY Natural , who I give credit to for all the awesome pictures.  But honestly, I researched forever and mixed and matched a bunch of ideas to make sure it was the way I really wanted it.  I used a bar of Fels-Naptha in my recipe and really liked it.  But my tip to everyone is to make sure your soap is cold!  It grates better that way.

Here are my recipes below.  Try them and let me know how much YOU love them!

Powder Laundry Detergent

Ingredients:

·         1 bar of shaved bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha)

·         1 cup of borax

·         1 cup of washing soda

 

 

1.  Shave 1 bar of soap.

 

2.  My shaved bar looked like this:

 

3.  Add 1 cup of borax:

 

4.  Add 1 cup of washing soda:

 

5.  Stir thoroughly:

 

6.  Continue stirring thoroughly (totaling 5 minutes):

 

7.  Stirring is complete when you have a powder like this:

 

8.  2 batches of this recipe fit perfectly into a 32 ounce yogurt container:

**Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads). 1 tablespoon of detergent per load (you can also use 1 – 2 scoops for heavily soiled loads)

**Pre-treat with ½ cup of baking soda and 5 drops of preferred essential oils.

 

Fabric Softener

·         1 gallon white vinegar

·         20-30 drops of essential oil

Just shake well before each use and it’s ready for the rinse cycle. For small or average loads add 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle, for larger loads add about 1 cup to the rinse cycle.

 

Essential Oils Ideas:  Sweet orange and lemon brightens and fights stains, lavender offers a calming effect, and peppermint can help fight tough odors on clothing.