Did you know that you don't actually have to BUY laundry detergent? Yes, you can make it yourself. It is cheaper, it is more environmentally friendly, and you may find it empowering to reconnect with the generations that came before you that didn't mindlessly pick up that jug of Tide. Sometimes the "Loads of Hope" don't come from the dubious charity of a corporation; instead they come from one woman, who decides that she is quite capable (thank you very much) of making the cleanser she needs to keep her family sanitary and presentable, for a fraction of the cost.
Here are some recipes from one of our most creative and hard working contributors.......
There are quite a few ways to prepare homemade laundry detergent. Some like it wet, some like it dry, and front loaders work better with the wet. You can make it with ingredients geared toward sensitive skin, or you can use ingredients that are stronger for not so sensitive skin.
My favorite recipe is dry. I melt the detergent with hot water at the beginning of every load. All ingredients can be bought locally:
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1 cup washing soda
1 cup oxygen cleaner*
1 cup water softener or salt
1 cup grated soap-Kiss My Face makes a saponified olive oil soap that is great for sensitive skins, or the old stand-by Fels- Naphtha are my favorites. Lacking those 2, plain old Ivory would probably work just fine.
I use a very fine grater to grate the bar soap. Also, by making several batches at a time I save myself some time, I only have to make it every 2 or 3 months. The detergent is stored in an old coffee canister; and I use the scoop from the oxygen cleaner-1 scoop for regular laundry 2 scoops for very dirty laundry.
*Omit the oxygen cleaner if you are going to convert the dry soap into a wet soap, it can cause a chemical reaction and the result will be ruined. I purchase my oxygen cleaner at the dollar store. It works as well as the expensive stuff, but is several dollars cheaper.
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