Most people who make their own laundry soap use fels naptha bar soap. However, it does contain talc so I prefer not to use it. Zote is a popular non-toxic option. I use Castile soap and it works really well plus grates very easily.
Making your own laundry detergent with liquid castile soap and a few simple ingredients is a much cheaper non-toxic alternative to the commercial stuff – it works great and is a good option for those with sensitive skin.
Start with 8 cups of hot water mix in 1/2 cup arm and hammer washing soda, 1/2 cup borax, and 1/2 cup Castile soap. I also add essential oils. Mix it and shake it when needed. There are no phosphates and this is all natural. Good for you and the environment.
While DIY laundry soaps seem like a good idea, they pose various risks and likely won't be as effective as commercially made detergents. However, HeySunday's non-toxic laundry detergent sheets are an ideal option if you want a convenient, effective, and gentle alternative.
There is, however, a risk in making your own soap. That risk is the use of lye, or sodium hydroxide. Lye is a caustic material and must be handled with respect. Lye can cause serious damage to your skin and eyes if it splashes during the soapmaking process.
It's not worth it to make homemade laundry detergent when you compare the price per load of Arm & Hammer right now. However, if you need to make something at home that has less chemicals and additives, it's still a solid contender.
Borax is often confused with other cleaning agents, but it stands out due to its ability to soften water, neutralize odors, and enhance the cleaning power of regular laundry detergents. The combination of these properties makes borax a go-to solution for many households looking to elevate their laundry game.
Baking Soda + Lemon Juice
Many people know that baking soda and lemon juice are the go-to combinations for many cookies, cocktails, and cakes. However, these two powerful ingredients are also the greenest replacement for laundry detergents.
Adding salt to your wash cycle helps remove stains and armpit discoloration, and keeps colors bright.
You can totally do this too, it's super easy. Grate the bar soap, I have read that you can use Dove or some other soap if you can't find this particular one.
Baking soda can be a beneficial laundry aid as it offers stain removal, odor elimination, fabric softening and detergent boosting potential. It's versatile and eco-friendly, and using a small amount in your wash load may leave your clothing cleaner, fresher and softer.
This resulting magnesium soap is called lime soap, more commonly "soap scum." So in summary, combining Epsom salt with Castile Soap is a recipe for soap scum. You don't want this on your bathroom fixtures and you don't want this coating your pipes. Use these two separately, not together.
The ingredients of the pink Zote bar are sodium tallowate (animal fat), sodium cocoate, Citronella oil (fragrance), glycerin and optical brightener. Other laundry products include specialized bars of soap, indicated by the color, laundry flakes, and liquid detergent.
When stored properly, homemade laundry detergent will last for about six months at maximum efficacy, says Cohoon. "DIY laundry detergent contains powders like borax and baking soda which have a longer shelf life," says Balanzat.
While mainstream society quickly embraced toilet paper's convenience and hygiene benefits, many Amish communities continued using traditional materials like leaves, rags, or corn cobs for personal sanitation.
The soap was handmade using tallow, lye, and water. Lye is made from wood ashes usually gathered from the fireplace and put in a wooden hopper. They typically needed about one wooden barrel of ashes to make the lye. The pioneers poured about 4 liters of water over the ashes to soak them.
What did people on frontier homesteads do for soap? They made it from animal fat, wood ashes, and water. The fat had to be boiled (refined) and the hardwood ashes leached for a weak lye solution. Sounds like a whole lot of messy, smelly, hot work.