Homemade Natural Laundry Detergent | What I Use & Why

You've probably seen many different recipes for homemade laundry detergent, both dry and liquid. I have never used dry detergent myself, so I chose the liquid.

The most common recipe for the liquid world is a mixture of Fels Naptha, Borax and Super Washing Soda. I  used this my very first time making the detergent and made the whopping 5 gallons. After about 2 weeks, my  stored gallons became gloppy and disgusting. I didn't even end up using it all.

The next time I went to make the detergent, I had the Fels Naptha bar in my hand. A friend of mine interested in keeping things natural, said to me, "What's in that little bar you have there." I looked.

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A little vague and mysterious if you ask me- nothing I wanted on mine, or my son's skin. So I kicked the little 99 cent bar of soap to the curb and did some research. I wanted something that was safe for Hudson's clothes, yet strong enough to clean our clothes.

I came across the Dr. Bronner's bar soap recipe, the same, just with a natural bar of soap. I wasn't a fan of this- The soap was REALLY white and left big white marks on all of our clothes. I also didn't feel like our clothes were very clean. I did, however, make this in a one gallon batch and really liked that.

I have always wanted to try the Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castille Soap, but the price always deterred me. I saw it at Trader Joe's for  9.99 (Target 18.99- amazon was more expensive than Trader Joe's as well). I decided to give it a try.

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The recipe for this type was more simple and less time consuming. Win. It didn't leave white spots on my clothes. Win again. I used peppermint, and my clothes didn't smell like peppermint when they were done washing. Another win. Just fresh and clean!

**A tip I highly recommend- First turn the water on HOT in the washer and let it run into your measuring cup, then turn the temperature to what is recommended. The Borax and Super Washing Soda haven't stayed dissolved for me. They dissolve instantly in hot water.

Ingredients:
1/2 c Borax
1/2 c Super Washing Soda (Different from Baking Soda)
1/2 c Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (Your favorite scent)
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If you like Essential Oils, Young Living's Purification is a great oil to add when it has cooled. 5 Drops should be sufficient for a gallon batch.
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In your desired container, pour in the Borax and Super Washing Soda. Mix the dry powders well. Add HOT tap water and stir vigorously until completely dissolved. Then add the Castile Soap. Stir. Makes about a gallon. ( I use an old laundry detergent container) Let it sit overnight.

Use 1/3 c of detergent per load.