Naturally Clean: Homemade Laundry Detergent

For the longest time, I've been wanting to make a homemade laundry detergent. I did some research and found out that most are made from just 3 ingredients. While the ratios can vary, it seems that you can just use equal parts grated castile soap, washing soda, and borax. I saw some recipes included baking soda. I didn't add any to mine but I might try that later. Although I used equal parts, you could always adjust the ingredients based on your own laundry needs.

Why bother? Well, most commercial laundry detergents contain ingredients that aren't biodegradable. Every ingredient in this soap is, and it's all natural. It's so gentle it can even be used for baby clothes. My son has sensitive skin and has had no adverse reactions. The other good reason? It's extremely cheap!

I tested this detergent for a little over a week and I've been very happy with the results. It leaves my laundry soft and smelling fresh. I used it on sheets, blankets, clothes, and towels. The only thing that I did not wash was my cloth diapers. I read that the castile soap can leave a film and cause repelling so I decided to keep using my Country Save for diapers. In the future, I may try it out on just flats and prefolds.

So here's exactly what I ended up using but feel free to change it up or use different scents:

1 bar of Dr. Bronner's Hemp Tea Tree pure castile soap grated (~2 cups)
2 cups Arm and Hammer washing soda
2 cups Borax

I have an HE washer so I use one tablespoon per load. If you have a top loader, 2 tablespoons is recommended. I tested on hot, warm, and cold washes. It works well on hot and warm as is. If you are going to use it for cold washing, I recommend dissolving it in some warm water before adding it to your wash.

With this recipe you'll get about 96 HE loads or 48 conventional loads.