Southeast Texas
DIY Natural Laundry Detergent
Why We Make Your Own Natural Laundry Detergent
I started making this DIY natural laundry detergent a few years ago. I was on a mission to clean up the products in our home. There are so many chemicals in commercial laundry detergent. Both, to make them smell appealing (which now I get choked out from the smell) and to clean everything. These are all unnecessary.
Many of the chemicals put into cleaning supplies and hygiene products are endocrine disrupters. These endocrine disrupters can wreak havoc on the body.
What Are Endocrine Disrupters
Endocrine disrupters are chemicals that can interfere with the body’s hormone system, posing dangers including but definitely not limited to, disruptions to reproductive development, increased cancer risk, metabolic issues, neurological problems, and impacts on the immune system.
The most vulnerable populations are fetuses and young children due to their developmental stage.
Dangers of Endocrine Disrupters
- Reproductive issues: altered sperm quality, infertility, abnormal sex organ development, early puberty, menstrual irregularities
- Cancer risks: increased risk of hormone related cancers such as breast, prostate and testicular cancers
- Developmental effects: abnormalities in brain development, cognitive impairments and behavioral changes, particularly in children and fetuses
- Metabolic disorders: links to obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome
- Thyroid disruption: interferes with thyroid hormone function leading to thyroid issues
Now that we are all scared, let’s get onto the recipe!
What You Will Need to Make Your DIY Laundry Detergent
- 5 gallon bucket
- Hot water
- Borax
- Baking soda
- Castile soap, I use the liquid version, but you can also use bar soap
- Any herbs you have on hand
- Essential oils of your choosing
Instructions
- Put your herbs in a sauce pan with one quart of water and boil. This makes an infusion. In the original recipe this was a substitution for essential oils. I actually use both a herbal infusion and essential oils in ours. I always have an abundance of lemon balm, so that is what I typically use. While that is infusing, we will go on to the next step.
- Fill your 5-gallon bucket with HOT WATER. This will help your powders to dissolve.
- Add 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of borax to the 5-gallon bucket and hot water. Stir until dissolved
- Once baking soda and borax are dissolved, add approximately 1 cup liquid castile soap and stir
- Once everything is dissolved fill your bucket with luke warm water, leaving enough room for your infusion
- Next, you will add your essential oils. I usually choose rosemary, eucalyptus or Ylang Ylang.
- Since this is a LARGE batch of detergent you will need quite a bit of essential oils.
- By this point your infusion should be complete. Strain out your herbs and add the liquid to your 5-gallon bucket!
Tips For Using Your DIY Laundry Detergent
This laundry detergent is not filled with overpowering chemicals and fragrances so there are some things to consider. I have found if I let my wet laundry sit in the washer for an extended period of time, it tends to get a mildew smell. I am just mindful of this and make sure I am able to switch over my clothes somewhat quickly. When doing this, they smell fresh and clean.
I have tried several DIY Natural laundry detergent recipes, and I find this one is both easy on my appliance and leaves my clothes clean without residue from powders. I have loosely done the math in my head, and I believe this recipe cost about seventy-five cents a gallon. Now that is cheap!
I usually put about 1/4 a cup per load. I have not timed how long this 5-gallon bucket lasts me. As a homesteading family with three boys, we have a lot of laundry, and I feel it lasts a while.
I sure hope you try this recipe and rid one more toxic thing from your household. Good job Mama!
