Note: While baking soda, washing soda, and borax are all different, they are safe to combine. In fact, I use all three in the recipe for my favorite homemade laundry detergent, along with Fels-Naptha bar laundry soap.
Combine two cups of borax, two cups of washing soda, and one cup of soap flakes. Stir well with a wooden spoon to mix and promptly seal the container. Be sure to add a label and directions on how to use the detergent.
The amount of these ingredients depends on how large your tub is and how many items you will strip. The general ratio for the laundry stripping recipe is 2 parts powdered detergent, 1 part Borax and 1 part washing soda.
In the container, add 2 cups of washing soda, 2 cups baking soda, and 2 cups borax to create the laundry detergent. If using essential oils, add 2-30 drops. Place the lid on the container and shake ingredients to thoroughly mix.
If you're DIYing a laundry detergent and you want it to be really potent, then washing soda might be the way to go. If you're looking for a gentler detergent, baking soda is a great option. Oxiclean becomes just peroxide and washing soda once it hits liquid.
Use borax as a DIY laundry detergent by following Julia's method: Use a food processor to shred 1 bar of Dr. Bronner's Castile soap into a fine powder. Using a spoon, mix together 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda. Add 1 tablespoon to a load of laundry.
First, make sure to keep it away from children's reach. Second, avoid using it as a cosmetic product and handle it with care at all times. This usually means wearing a mask and gloves when using it. Finally, do NOT mix Borax with any boric acid products, such as pesticides.
While the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies borax as being noncarcinogenic, it does pose some risks, including: skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. digestive problems. infertility.
Washing soda (sodium carbonate) has a very high pH level, making it an extreme alkaline compound that is very effective as a cleaning agent. Borax (sodium tetraborate) pH levels aren't as high as washing soda, and it doesn't have the same cleaning power as washing soda.
Regular bar soap can be grated and combined with Borax to create a very effective laundry detergent alternative. Here's how to do it: Using a butter knife, a spoon or even a cheese grater, grate about a cup of bar soap. Add the grated bar soap to ½ cup of borax and ½ cup of washing soda.
OxiClean contains several ingredients, but the important one for boosting and brightening laundry is sodium percarbonate — basically, dry hydrogen peroxide plus washing soda (also called sodium carbonate, which is very similar to but not exactly baking soda).
Borax is effective at cleaning clothes and helping detergents work because it helps adjust the pH levels of the wash itself. Borax is a basic compound, so that means that when it is added to water the pH level of the water would move from a neutral 7 to a slightly more basic 8.
Both baking soda and Borax are effective because they are alkaline and abrasive. But Borax has a higher PH than baking soda, making it a slightly harsher but arguably more effective cleaning agent. It inhibits fungi, mold, and bacteria. Have a pile of clothing from your kid's sports that has taken on a stink?
In your washing machine, borax helps absorb dirt. In your kitchen and bathroom, it's great for cleaning rust, grout, and even mold and mildew. Borax helps laundry smell better and is also extremely effective at fighting pet urine odor because it combats the ammonia.
Though dish soap is great as a stain pretreatment option, it's not meant for direct use in a laundry washing machine. That's because dish soaps are uniquely formulated to break up grease and stuck-on food particles with foamy suds—something you don't want to happen in your washing machine.
Use Laundry Borax or Baking Soda
If you have no detergent at all, use one cup of borax or baking soda for a normal load. The clothing will be cleaner than you imagine thanks to the action of the cleaning agents, water, and the agitation from the washer.
Hard water makes it difficult to clean laundry completely because the minerals in the water keep the detergents from doing their best work. Washing soda "softens" the water by binding to the minerals in the water, allowing the detergents to lift dirt from fabric.