Doing laundry is a large part of life.  We all need clean clothes.  But why wash clothes with commercial laundry detergents that contain phosphates, surfactants, fragrance, and other potentially harmful chemicals?  So what can be done?  Well, I’ve opted to go natural and I now make my own homemade he laundry detergent.

The largest organ in our body is our skin.  It’s porous and absorbs everything that touches it.  So when we wear clothes or sleep on sheets that have been washed in commercial detergents, our skin comes in contact with and absorbs the chemicals from the detergent, the bleach, the fabric softener and/or the dryer sheets.  Everything you add to your laundry will be absorbed by your skin.  Also, breathing in the fragrances isn’t healthy either.  For those of you who cannot walk down the detergent aisle without getting sick from inhaling all the fragrances, this homemade natural he laundry detergent is for you.

After my bout with cancer back in 2003, I am very careful with what comes in contact with my skin.  Since I don’t want to drink laundry detergent, I certainly don’t want it entering my body through my skin.  This homemade natural he laundry detergent cleans just as well as the brand name ones only without the chemical surfactants, cleaners, and chemical fragrances.  This recipe calls for just 3 inexpensive, natural ingredients, which include Borax, Washing soda and Castile or Zote soap.  Borax is 99.9% pure and washing soda is merely baking soda modified for use as a detergent.  If you can’t find washing soda where you live, fear not because it’s easy to make your own.  Sprinkle a cup of baking soda in a shallow pan and bake it at 400 F for half an hour.  About half way through the baking process, give it a stir so that it will bake more evenly.  Baking soda is powdery, crystallized and it clumps together.  When it turns to washing soda, it becomes more grainy, dull and won’t clump together as easily.

For those of you who are on a budget.  After all, in today’s economy, who isn’t on a budget?  This homemade natural he laundry detergent is for you.  I certainly don’t want to spend much of my budget on detergents and personal hygiene items.  Usually, in many cases, that’s what happens.

A typical box of Borax powder is 65 oz. and yields 10.83 cups per box.

A typical box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda is 55 oz. and yields 5.6 cups per box

At my local Walmart, here is what each cost:

65 oz Box 20 Mule Team Borax:   $5.97

55 oz box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda:          $4.76

Ok, to simplify matters, let’s round down the Borax to an even 10 cups per box, which would cost $5.97.

Let’s also round down the washing soda to 5 cups per box.  To make it equal to the borax let’s multiply its cost by 2, which would equal $9.52

So 10 cups of Washing Soda is $9.52 + 10 cups of Borax is $5.97 = $15.49

Let’s add to that 10 bars of Zote soap at a cost of $1.62 per bar = $16.20

So $15.49 + $16.20 = $31.69

Remember that each cup of borax mixed with each cup of washing soda plus one bar of Zote soap will yield 5 gallons detergent.

So, in total, you have 10 cups of Borax, 10 cups of Washing Soda, plus 10 bars of Zote soap.

Multiply 5 gallons X 10 (cups and bars) and you’ll see that $31.69 will yield you 50 gallons of detergent.

That’s about 64 cents per gallon!!

You canNOT beat that, even buying the cheapest brand at the dollar store.

This homemade natural he laundry detergent cleans just as well, if not better than Tide or any of the other leading brand name detergents.  It also is acceptable to use with the new HE machines.  Oxyclean powder can be used with your homemade detergent to clean and brighten your whites.

What you’ll need:

1 Cup 20 Mule Team Borax

1 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1 Bar of either Zote or a bar of Castile soap

A few drops Essential Oil for fragrance, if desired.  My personal favorites are Lavender and Orange.

5-gallon bucket with tight-fitting airtight lid (Can be found at either Walmart, Home Depot or Lowes).

Stick or broom handle to mix.

What to do

Take the bar soap and grate it or slice it.  I’ve done both and I prefer slicing it.

It Takes less time and energy.

Bring a quart or more of water to a boil and add the soap shavings or slices.

Lower the heat to medium and stir for about 10 min. or until the shavings or slices melt.

Fill the 5-gallon bucket halfway with hot water and add the melted soap shavings mixture to it.

Add the cup of Borax and the cup of Washing Soda.  Also add your essential oil fragrance at this point if you’d like.  I love using this brand.

Stir thoroughly with a long stick or broom handle.  I stir mine with a regular wooden spoon or mixing spoon.  It’s long enough so you won’t touch the hot mixture.

Add more hot water to the top and stir to make sure everything is well blended.

Cover the bucket with a tight-fitting lid and let it sit undisturbed for 24 hours.

When the 24 hour period is up, you can ladle the detergent into empty old detergent bottles, or emptied cleaned out gallon sized milk or water containers.  Please note that your homemade detergent will be watery with glops of gelatin.   Don’t worry about the consistency, as it doesn’t affect the potency of the detergent.   You can smooth it out with an immersion blender to make it as smooth as commercial laundry detergents, but it’s not necessary.   I don’t and my clothes still come out clean and fresh.

Well, that’s it.  I do hope you enjoy using this homemade natural he laundry detergent as much as I do.  Just think of the money you will save!

More money saving homemade recipes for other products are forthcoming, so stay tuned.