Homemade, Organic Laundry Detergent

Homemade and organic shampoos, face masks and make-up removal methods are already familiar to many, but laundry is often still used in commercial products. However, it is surprisingly easy to make your own laundry detergent, and these tricks have once been used by older generations.

Allergy sufferers know how difficult it is to find unscented or non-irritating laundry detergents . So try for yourself how easily Laundry Detergent is produced at home – cheap and natural.

Chemical-free Laundry Detergent

In this article, we will show you the ways to make your own natural laundry detergent. If you want to continue your experiment and wash your laundry in a completely natural way, we will also show you the methods of making fabric softener and stain remover. The funniest thing about making your own detergents is that you can choose for yourself what you want them to smell like.

What are the benefits of home-made laundry detergent?

• Affordability. Laundry detergents are not the cheapest end, especially if you are looking for an organic or fragrance-free alternative. Home-made Laundry Detergent will be significantly cheaper than store-bought.
• Ease. Making your own detergent does not require much skill, nor does it require very many different ingredients. The recipe is easy and the necessary ingredients are easy to find.
• Naturalness. Toxins and chemicals released into water bodies are a danger to the environment. Only safe ingredients are used in the organic laundry detergent and there is nothing extra in them.
• Suitable for allergy sufferers. Homemade detergent does not contain aggressive chemicals that may irritate sensitive or allergic skin. Detergents can also be made odorless for fragrance-sensitive and baby clothes.

Natural ingredients

You use natural ingredients to make your own detergent, some of which you may already find in your closet. Although the recipe is simple, the effectiveness of the detergent has been proven to be as good as that of store-bought ingredients. Plain baking soda in every home removes odor and disinfects, and its pH-neutralizing effect (balances acidity and alkalinity) makes the fabric soft.

The soap used in the recipe is quite the usual hard soap that was used to wash clothes by hand in ancient times. You can make the soap yourself using natural fats or choose organic soap. For example, coconut soap, glycerin soap and traditional Marseille soap are good options.

Ingredients

• One or two hard soaps
• 4.5 deciliters of Borax powder
• 4.5 deciliters of baking soda
• Essential oil, either lemon or lavender (if you want the fragrance-free version, omit this)
• 1 liter of water

Supplies

• Saucepan
• Larger bowl or second pot
• Wooden spoon for mixing

This is how you do it

1. Grate or chop the soap into a small crumb. You need it for about 4.5 dl.
2. Boil a liter of water in a saucepan and add the chopped soap. Reduce heat and bring to a boil, be sure to mix with a wooden spoon.
3. Mix Borax and baking soda in a bowl. Add soapy water and stir until all ingredients are melted in the water and the mixture is smooth.
4. Add the desired essential oil if you want to add fragrance to the detergent. About 15 milliliters is enough. Stir.
5. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to cool for a moment.
6. Pour into a container (jar with lid, etc., preferably glass) and write on the side of the jar what it contains. Keep out of reach of children. Be sure to mix thoroughly before each use.

How do I Make a Rinse Aid?

The easiest, most natural, cheapest, and most effective way of all is to use regular vinegar as a fabric softener. Vinegar removes odors, cleans the fabric and makes it soft. Vinegar removes electricity and prevents clothing from fluffing.  In addition, vinegar softens hard, calcareous water. Vinegar also keeps the washing machine clean as it cleans the pipes and drum of the machine of dirt, lime, mold spores and soap. If you want to smell your clothes, add one of these essential oils to your vinegar:

• Citrus fruits (lemon, orange, mandarin). Citrus gives the laundry a wonderfully fresh scent, it also removes grease residues and deeply cleans the fabric.
• Lavender. The scent of lavender soothes, makes the fabric soft and disinfects it.
• Tea tree. A great fungicide killer (if you suffer from leg fungus or nail fungus, rinse your socks with a mixture of tea tree oil and vinegar).

• Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus smells fresh and effectively kills bacteria.

If you don’t own essential oils, you might as well use a fresh lemon. Squeeze half a lemon juice into the vinegar.

For frozen stains

If there are stubborn stains on your clothes, pour baking soda and vinegar directly on top of the stain, rub the stain with a brush (for example, an old toothbrush is suitable for this). Wash clothing as usual.