I have on and off spent the last couple of years trying to perfect our laundry detergent. I was always an avid Tide person because it actually removed all of our stubborn stains and didn’t fade our clothes. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am super particular about my laundry. However, Tide is one of the worst as far as carcinogens go and they don’t rinse out in water so doing that extra rinse doesn’t do anything except to waste more water. In fact, they just contaminate the water. Bummer!
If you hunt around, you’ll also find loads and loads of powdered detergent recipes that use Borax. There are mixed reviews on how hazardous Borax actually is… EWG gives it an “F” rating so I decided that it was not something I wanted my clothes and sheets washed in. The final straw was that every time I opened my nifty, little detergent jar, I would constantly cough from the dusty fumes of the Borax. My lungs didn’t like it. Enough said.
So I finally stumbled across a Borax Free recipe that I have been using for a bit now with good results (shout out to My Healthy Green Family). Now keep in mind that I am a mom of 4 small children 8 and under so we know dirt quite well. This detergent is also much less expensive than Tide or other conventional detergents so that is a major perky perk too. I also just want to quickly touch on the fact that even some natural detergents contain 1,4-dioxane so I prefer making my own and knowing exactly what is in my detergent. I’ve also tried most of the “natural” brands and didn’t necessarily love them. (Feel free to ask me if you have a question on a particular detergent.)
So here ya go!
Ingredients and Purpose:
1 bar of glycerin or castile soap (cleanser)
1 cup washing soda (cleanser and water softener)
1/2 cup baking soda (stain and odor remover)
1/2 cup citric acid (water softener and color brightener)
1/4 cup kosher salt (prevents colors from fading and fabric softener)
Optional: 1 cup Oxo Brite (more on this below)
If you are using this recipe for cloth diapers, just leave out the soap.
Directions:
1. Finely grate the soap
2. Add the remaining 4 ingredients (or 5 if you add the Oxo Brite).
3. Mix together in a bowl or ideally, mix in a food processor/blender to make into a fine powder.
4. Place a desiccant in the jar to prevent clumping. (Meaning add 2 T of white clay or rice in a cheese cloth, thin baby sock, or nylon stocking… You can also use the little silicone baggies often found in vitamin bottles.) Honestly, my detergent still clumps but it’s not that big of a deal to break it up.
5. Store in an airtight (preferably glass) container.
6. Use 2T per full load–obviously less if not a full load.
*On our next batch, we plan to leave it out for a day or two and mix it up frequently to let it dry out more. Some of the ingredients hold moisture, so it can cause the powder to harden up. If you make a batch, leave a comment for everyone to let us know if this works for you.
I also like to add vinegar to my rinse cycle but it’s not necessary. It just rinses out any left over residue and is a fantastic fabric softener. Wowsers! If you want to get rid of the mild vinegar smell, then add a few drops of essential oil to an old washcloth and toss in the dryer with your clothes. Voila! Yummy smelling laundry!
In regards to the Oxo Brite… It ranks an “A” with the EWG Guide whereas OxiClean received an “F” rating. The only ingredients in the Oxo Brite are sodium carbonate peroxide (mineral stain remover), sodium carbonate (mineral water-softener), and sodium Metasilicate (mineral pH adjuster). I actually don’t include the Oxo Brite in my detergent mixture but just add a scoop separately when needed.
So there you have it! Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Blissfully Yours,
Heather*
No Muck Motto:
I will take a close look at heart today and work on keeping it clean.
