I started making my own laundry detergent about 3 years ago. 3.5 years ago, had someone asked me if I would ever make my own detergent, I probably would have laughed in your face...or at least laughed about it with my husband later that night.
Everything changed when those pregnancy hormones hit hard and I wanted to make sure nothing was going to harm my baby after he was born...obviously we can't protect our children from everything, and the good Lord knows if I could go back and change SO many things about Landon's first few years, I would. But thankfully He is gracious, and I'm slowly researching ALL the things I can about what goes on and in my babies. However, laundry detergent was somehow at the top of my list of things I just NEEDED to make sure was safe back then. Don't ask me why. There's definitely WAY more important things I could have spent my time researching...but at the time, that's what I felt like I needed to focus on.
SO, what I found out was that it's not the best...dont get me wrong, there are a FEW brands out there that do a pretty decent job of having fairly "clean" laundry detergents. Most brands (especially the popular ones like Tide, Gain, All, Arm & Hammer, etc have SO many chemicals in them that contribute to so many health issues ranging from skin and throat irritation, reproductive issues, to carcinogenicity, plus having negative effects on the environment. You can definitely look up each ingredient individually on EWG's website http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners or a particular brand of detergent on the Think Dirty app to see for yourself how harmful these ingredients are.
Anyways, I did my research, and that's why I decided to make my own, because that's what I felt like was best for our family. Now, there's a bunch of diy laundry soap recipes out there that call for using Borax. I HIGHLY discourage you from using borax in any capacity. Borax has been known for having a “high concern” for developmental, endocrine, and reproductive effects. I want to have more babies one day, so that's definitely NOT something I want going on my boys, or on me.
I've tried a few different recipes, tweaked my favorite to my liking and I've used this recipe consistently for a little over 2 years now and absolutely love it. It cleans our clothes so well...like, toddler nasty dirty clothes from digging in the dirt, or his nose..., a baby who has food and spit up stains on his clothes constantly, my hubby's nasty sweaty socks and gym clothes and lets be real...stay at home mom life clothes are probably the nastiest of them all. I've never had a problem with our clothes looking dingy or not fresh.
What you'll need:
-1.5 Gallon container to store it in
-spoon/wisk to mix
-1.5 Gallons of water (1C of that needs to be HOT)
-3/4C Dr. Bronners Liquid Castile Soap
-1/2C Super Washing Soda
-1/2C Baking Soda
-10 Drops of Lavender EO
-8 Drops of Purification EO
Directions:
-Mix 1 C HOT water with 1/2C Super Washing Soda until combined
-Add 1/2 C baking soda
-Fill container ALMOST to the top with water
-Add Castile Soap and Essential Oils (Make sure to add the castile soap after the water otherwise you'll have a bubbly mess)
-Stir to combine
-Use 1/3 Cup per load of laundry
** If it starts to settle or separate, just give it a shake or swirl before adding it to your washing machine**
That's it! Super easy, cost effective, and most importantly it's SAFE for your family!
