homemade (powdered) laundry detergent
The homemade laundry detergent was a success! It doesn't suds, so I was a little worried, but my clothes came out really clean.
2 cups finely grated soap (about 1 1/2 bars)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
You can find both borax and washing soda in the laundry isle at the grocery store - I got it at Fred Meyer.
Mix well and store in an air tight container. Use 2 tablespoons per full load. It is way cheaper than generic detergent and should last about 6 months!
The recipe I used recommended either Fels Naptha bar soap, Ivory or Kirk's Castile. It turns out that Fels Naptha has some really mysterious ingredients, including Stoddard solvent, which is used in house paint and varnish - the label says that you aren'y supposed to handle it that much, because it can cause irritation. Hello! I'm trying to make more skin and earth-friendly detergent! Not wash my clothes and skin in more nasty crap! It's also made by Dial, but cleverly disguised as some mom-and-pop brand, which I find annoying. Ivory is pretty generic, which means that one of the first ingredients is sodium tallowate, which is icky - it's made from animal fat. Another main ingredient in generic soaps (Ivory, Dial, Dove) is sodium cocoate, which is derived from coconuts (I'm allergic). Kirk's Castile was the best choice, because it was the most natural, but I couldn't find it anywhere. The other castile soap was almost $5, and I needed about 1 1/2 bars to make two cups. So what's a girl to do?
I ended up getting my old standby - Clearly Natural bar soap, which, incidently, is also really great for your skin and hair. I used it as shampoo for a long time. It didn't grate as well as the recommended soaps probably do, but a) it's totally non-toxic, so I could actually grate it without getting freaked out and b) you can break up the bigger pieces with your fingers and after a while, it gets pretty powdery. I stored it in mason jars.
I think everyone should do this - you use so little, and it works just as well as generic detergents. It doesn't make your clothes smell chemically-fresh like generic detergents, and it's kind of unnerving to only use 2 tablespoons and not see any suds, but it's worth it. It's better for the environment and your skin, and it's really, really cheap.
2 cups finely grated soap (about 1 1/2 bars)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
You can find both borax and washing soda in the laundry isle at the grocery store - I got it at Fred Meyer.
Mix well and store in an air tight container. Use 2 tablespoons per full load. It is way cheaper than generic detergent and should last about 6 months!
The recipe I used recommended either Fels Naptha bar soap, Ivory or Kirk's Castile. It turns out that Fels Naptha has some really mysterious ingredients, including Stoddard solvent, which is used in house paint and varnish - the label says that you aren'y supposed to handle it that much, because it can cause irritation. Hello! I'm trying to make more skin and earth-friendly detergent! Not wash my clothes and skin in more nasty crap! It's also made by Dial, but cleverly disguised as some mom-and-pop brand, which I find annoying. Ivory is pretty generic, which means that one of the first ingredients is sodium tallowate, which is icky - it's made from animal fat. Another main ingredient in generic soaps (Ivory, Dial, Dove) is sodium cocoate, which is derived from coconuts (I'm allergic). Kirk's Castile was the best choice, because it was the most natural, but I couldn't find it anywhere. The other castile soap was almost $5, and I needed about 1 1/2 bars to make two cups. So what's a girl to do?
I ended up getting my old standby - Clearly Natural bar soap, which, incidently, is also really great for your skin and hair. I used it as shampoo for a long time. It didn't grate as well as the recommended soaps probably do, but a) it's totally non-toxic, so I could actually grate it without getting freaked out and b) you can break up the bigger pieces with your fingers and after a while, it gets pretty powdery. I stored it in mason jars.
I think everyone should do this - you use so little, and it works just as well as generic detergents. It doesn't make your clothes smell chemically-fresh like generic detergents, and it's kind of unnerving to only use 2 tablespoons and not see any suds, but it's worth it. It's better for the environment and your skin, and it's really, really cheap.