Saturday, August 25, 2012

Making your own laundry soap

Many of us these days are conscious of the environment and of the choices we make when purchase various products.  Laundry detergent may not seem like a big deal, but it is.  Considering the toxicities of their chemical ingredients and the carbon foot print caused in production and delivery, I have opted to do some research and find a cheaper, more eco-friendly option. 

In this post I am going to tell you about how to make your own laundry soap!  It is so easy and only requires a few natural ingredients! If you have allergies at all in your family, this is definitely a recipe to try.

My version is made for hard water as we have very hard water where I live, but if you have soft water, we can easily make one for you too!  The ingredients:  Borax, Soap Flakes and Washing Soda!  That is all.

Soap recipe

Each batch yields approximately 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load).  I like to only use 1 Tbsp per load on my HE washer.
  • 1 cup of soap flakes or grate a bar of soap such as ivory.
  • 1 cup of borax
  • 1 cup of washing soda
If you have soft water, decrease the washing soda to half. Thoroughly stir together and enjoy the results!  This laundry soap works so well and is so cost effective ($0.08 per load).  For anyone that wonders if Borax safe, well it is!  Borax is about as dangerous as baking soda.  Do not however confuse it with Boric Acid.  The two are NOT the same.  Stay away from Boric Acid.For those of you who want more info, read this excellent Crunchy Betty article where she expounds the toxicity levels of borax.
High Efficiency (HE) Washers - HE front-load washers require “special soap” for one reason alone – low suds. Because they use less water, they require soap that is less sudsy. The good news is,this homemade detergent is VERY low suds. 
Where to buy:  I purchased the soap flakes through well.ca, a great place to shop online for groceries and shipping is free!  They carry many natural and eco-friendly products.  Washing soda and Borax are both available at your local grocer.