Black and White Laundry by Honey Tree on Etsy
So you’re a mom, and that means you have kids, and kids lead to messes, and messes make for loads of laundry…no pun intended! Who likes to do laundry? I know I don’t, but that’s beside the point. The point is, how can you clean all those dirty clothes cheaper and more naturally? As many of you have probably noticed, it’s not always cheap to be more eco-friendly and healthy. So when I come across something that doesn’t cost much money, is healthy for my family, and better for the environment, I’m ALL about it!
Well today is your lucky day because I have the solution to your laundry woes, and yes it’s cheaper {much}, healthier, and not harmful to the environment. It’s a recipe for homemade liquid laundry detergent that’s quick and simple to make, it costs about .03 cents per load, and has no harmful chemicals to absorb into your skin or your soil. Plus on top of that, it lasts FOREVER! Well not actually forever, but I think you get my point.
Baby Blocks Flannel Baby Wipes by Baby Swank on Etsy
So before I get to the recipe, I’ll start off by telling you how I came across this. When my first son was born I knew I wanted to try cloth diapering because of its benefits, and as many of you may already know you have to be careful about what you wash your cloth diapers and wipes in because of absorbency issues. I had looked at a few “natural” detergents in health food stores where I live, but everything was so stinking expensive. I was gonna have a new baby and I wasn’t going back to work when my maternity leave was up! There was no way I was going to be able to do expensive. I had to come up with something else because babies poop and pee A LOT, and that means lots more laundry…especially with cloth diapers and wipes. So I came across this recipe, made it, used it, loved it, and now here I am sharing it with you!
So here we go! You’ll need:
- 1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap
- 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not baking soda}
- ½ cup of Borax
- Essential oils {whatever scent you like}
- 5-gallon bucket
First you’ll need to grate the bar of soap and add it to a saucepan with 4 cups of water. Stir continually over medium-high heat until all the soap is melted. Second fill one 5-gallon bucket up half way with hot water then add your melted soap, washing soda, and borax to it. Stir well! Finally fill that bucket the rest of the way up with water. Stir, cover, and let it sit overnight to thicken.
The next morning you’ll need to take a used, clean laundry detergent dispenser and fill it half full of your soap and then fill it the rest of the way with water. Now if you want it scented, you’ll want to put 10-15 drops of an essential oil in for every 2 gallons.
Viola! There you have it. Homemade, all-natural laundry detergent. Remember to shake it before each use because it will gel. This recipe yields approximately 10-gallons of detergent. For a top-load machine use 5/8 cup per load {approx. 180 loads}, and for a front-load machine use ¼ cup per load {approx. 640 loads}. So, you get all of this detergent and it only costs about $2.00 to make it! I don’t know of anything cheaper than that!
Do you have a recipe for an eco-friendly cleaner you’d like to share? Here’s your chance! Leave a comment and let us know what it is so we can try it out too!
Meagan Visser is the owner of Baby Swank, an online shop for trendy and eco-friendly items for babies and toddlers. She is a SAHM to two perfect little boys, and a wife to the love of her life. She lives in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee, and is working toward growing her business and helping other moms pursue their dreams of running a business while having a family. Connect with her at her shop, her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
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