Making natural laundry detergent is very simple. You simply combine the three main ingredients in a jar, equal parts borax, washing soda, and grated bar soap, and mix to combine. Adding essential oils will give the natural laundry detergent a wonderful scent while adding cleansing properties to the detergent.
Add 2 cups of washing soda, 2 cups baking soda, and 2 cups of borax to create the laundry detergent in the container. If using essential oils, add 2-30 drops. Place the lid on the container and shake the ingredients to mix thoroughly.
One beneficial aspect of Epsom salt is its ability to eliminate odors. Additionally, it acts as a fabric softener, making your garments feel luxurious and gentle against your skin. And if you're looking to brighten up those whites, Epsom salt can help with that, too.
DIY cleaners offer control over ingredients and cost savings, but when it comes to homemade laundry detergent, experts say to skip it.
Fill your 5 gallon bucket half full with HOT tap water, add melted soap, washing soda, and borax and stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket the rest of the way to the top with hot water, stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.
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.
When stains happen, it's So Dawn Easy to pretreat them with the power of Dawn®. *For best results, use a little less than two teaspoons (9.5 mL) of Dawn® Platinum in a top-loading washing machine—be sure not to use too much, and don't use on delicate fabrics like silk.
Baking soda makes a great laundry product because of its mild alkali qualities. Dirt and grease are easily dissolved, while clothes are softened. It is especially helpful in homes with hard water because it will clean clothes better, and prevent the stain buildup that can come with hard water.
'Washing your clothes with only water may help you get rid of some surface dirt, but it will likely not be enough to wash out bacteria, odors, and stains, so it is not a cleaning tip I would recommend,' says Frej Lewenhaupt, textile expert, co-founder and CEO of Steamery.
Baking soda can effectively replace laundry detergent to remove stains and odors. You'll need four tablespoons of baking soda per glass of water.
Steps to follow:
Fill a sink or bucket with water – check the clothing tag on the item to see what temperature you need. Use cold water if you're unsure. Add one teaspoon of mild shampoo to the water. Place the dirty item in the water.
For this reason, borax makes for a decent laundry detergent substitute. While borax is a great sidekick to detergent in small amounts, it can be used to loosen stains and brighten up clothing on its own.
By paying only 1 cent per load (not including equipment costs), homemade laundry detergent is at least 10 times cheaper than buying cheap store-bought laundry detergent (11 cents a load).