Mindful Monday ~ Homemade Laundry Detergent

mindfulness ~ the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something

For as far back as I can remember, I have always enjoyed doing laundry. In fact, when I was a teenager I would often willingly wash my entire family’s clothes. I’m not sure if it’s the smell and feel of freshly cleaned clothes or the accomplishment of a completed task that ends in beautifully folded and organized stacks. I know what you are thinking right now. “Oh really? Well then, come on over to my house!”

Unfortunately it’s not that simple these days, with a family of five and an endless supply to draw from on a daily basis. I still enjoy the process but the excitement has become a distant memory. Until recently when I had a forehead slap moment and became excited to sort and fold once again!

As with everything I want to learn about, I research until there is no more research to be done. Then I go back and look just one last time to be sure. This time was no different and after several hours spent reading chemical compound definitions and scouring the vast amount of information, I came to an obvious conclusion. I should definitely be making my own powder laundry detergent.

You would think being as eco-minded as I am this would have come to me sooner. I am betting I hadn’t due to the abundance of earth friendly products on the shelves at my local grocery store. I thought I was doing my part by using those greener brands and trusted they were my best option for the least toxic impact on my clothes and the earth. Wrong. Even the more popular brands that we all have come to trust have extra ingredients in the box that don’t need to be there. Plus, they are ridiculously expensive!

Here is the recipe I have been using over this past week that works beautifully. All the ingredients were found in my local store and the cost savings is substantial.

2 cups Borax

2 cups Washing Soda

2 bars Dr. Bronner’s Soap (I used lavender. Buy it local because it’s about half the cost of purchasing online)

Grate the two bars of soap using a regular cheese grater.

Put the grated soap into a food processor with two cups of either the washing soda OR the Borax, not both. (This adds a dry medium to the soap making the blending less messy and much faster. (This step is not necessary, but I like the soap shreds small and well incorporated into the mix.)

Mix grated soap, Borax and washing soda together and store in an a wide mouth container. (I have mine in the enamel container pictured but any type of pail, bucket or glass jar will work as long as it has a lid for safety.)

Use 2 tablespoons per full load and less for smaller loads.

Note 2: Works in all types of washers. I have an HE and it produces minimal suds.

As for the fabric softener, I am now using distilled white vinegar in the rinse cycle (fabric softener compartment) and will not be buying fabric softener again. Whoo Hoo!

Give it a try and maybe you will get excited about doing laundry like me! I will never, ever, go back to commercial detergents again!

Live Well