Ages ago when i went down the vinegar rabbit hole it expanded into what else can we do to remove chemicals from the house. I found a laundry detergent and tried it. Just a couple ingredients and all stuff that doesn’t have a bunch of extra stuff in it.
The one possibly controversial ingredient is borax. At the time i did a ton of research and found basically it can help with odor and water softening. You can also skip it. I re-did a search today and basically – if you eat it, put it in your eye or leave it on your skin, it may irritate you. I suggest using gloves to make this and eye protectant if that is a concern.
I usually make a large batch and fill a small container to have in my laundry room.
I use an adorable little metal 1 tbl scoop to dole it out for laundry time.
I have used this for years and the biggest problem is the front loader washing machine will make the clothes stinky if they sit for too long.
The noisiest, most labor intensive and i think the funnest part is getting the fels naptha prepped. This basically bar soap and we need to get it into powder. I usually got a big batch so i break it all up in 1 go and blend 1-3 bars at a time. As ingredients go, generally i am not at an even amount, this time i only have 3 cups of washing soda and yet i had 10 bars of fels naptha. I blended the rest of the bars and simply store them in containers until i have all the right stuff in the house!
Laundry Detergent
3 ingredient laundry detergent that makes laundry pennies a load
- Blender
- 1 bar Fels Naptha
- 1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
- 1 cup Borax
Break the fels naptha with a knife into chunks. Place chunks into a blender and blend until tiny moduls or dust like particles occur. (depending on the age/how dried out your fels naptha is will determine what happens)
Combine in a container with the other 2 ingredients and shake to combine
Use a tablespoon or 2 per load of laundry.
Verdict:
I feel good about how I was the clothes in my house.
I need to be on top of the end of the wash cycle!
Options: you can add essential oils to the batch, i find it fine. I add essential oils to my wool dryer balls instead.
If you try this let me know what you think, if you have a more favorite version let me know how you make it!
