It Won't Be as Effective
While many people think their homemade detergents are the best option for their clothes, they likely won't have the cleaning power you expect them to. A simple mixture of two ingredients, likely in an imperfect ratio, might clean up messes.
Kirk's castile soap is a popular choice for homemade detergents. To start, grate the castile soap bars into fine particles using a hand grater or food processor. Next, add 6 cups of washing soda to the grated soap and mix well. Store the mixture in an airtight container until you're ready to use it.
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.
This could cause a soapy film or a stiff feeling to be left on clothes. Also, the mixture of hard water and homemade detergents can cause a build-up of film inside your washing machine, per Dropps. This could lead to mold and mildew. Homemade detergents are also not as effective when used in cold water, per 21 Oak.
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).
Epsom salt is another name for magnesium sulphate. When added to your laundry load, the magnesium will increase the hardness of the water and therefore, your clothes. Hard water not only makes your clothes stiff and scratchy, it also stops soap being as effective.
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.
Use Vinegar and Baking Soda as a Laundry Detergent Alternative. When you wonder what you can substitute for laundry detergent for your heavily stained or soiled clothing, reach for the vinegar and baking soda. Baking soda is also great for smelly clothes like your kids' sportswear.
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.
Detergents trap soil and suspend it in the water and are easily rinsed away. Soap, however, can react with hard water and cause insoluble residue that clogs drains and sticks to clothes.
For an HE washing machine, halve these amounts. Both the Sal Suds and Castile soap biodegrade readily and are safe for septic and greywater systems. For the inevitable ketchup/grass/last night's dinner on clothing, I pre-treat the stain by dabbing a small amount of Sal Suds directly on to it before washing.
DIY laundry 'detergent' can RUIN your washing machine:
This can cause in mold or mildew to grow inside your machine. And, this is the real problem I have with homemade laundry 'detergents' – they will void your machines warranty.
Quality all-natural laundry detergents do not ruin HE washers. However, you need to be well aware of the ingredients in your detergent. The primary issue with HE washers is that detergent does not wash away thoroughly and leaves a residue that can harm the machine and make it more difficult to get the clothes clean.
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.
Due to the high pH in baking soda, it can make certain dyes fade, particularly with natural fibers like wool, cashmere, and silk. For these fabrics, vinegar is a better option for a natural detergent booster.
All you'll need is one cup of white vinegar and one cup of baking soda. You'll be using these two ingredients separately, as using them together will only cancel out the effectiveness of each one, during two washes on the same load of towels.