DIY Laundry Detergent

I personally feel that it's important to know what you're putting on and into your body, especially with the products you use everyday. Keep in mind that not all chemicals are bad, and just because you can't pronounce something on an ingredients list doesn't mean it's harmful, not naturally occurring, or should be avoided. With that being said, I prefer to make a lot of the products I use because I don't have time to research every ingredient of every brand I use, but I do want to be in (almost) total control of what my body ends up absorbing.

I already use natural and/or homemade soaps, shampoo, lotions, lip balm, etc. But what about household products? Even though many of them aren't directly applied onto your skin, you do end up becoming exposed to them (either by inhalation or physical contact). One of those big items is laundry detergent. This is actually a big deal, because you wear clothes every day, and obviously what you wash your clothes in can affect your skin (I'm betting some of the chemicals in laundry detergent are inhaled too). 

Washers and dryers also use water, so these chemicals may or may not end up in waterways (depending on how well they're filtered out of the water). 

I'm not going to list or go into detail on all of the potentially harmful and carcinogenic chemicals used in conventional laundry detergent; those can be easily Googled and researched when given the time. Both of my kids have had bouts of eczema, which was my main motivation for making my own detergent. I used to buy the brands of detergent for "sensitive skin" - the most recent one was Arm & Hammer Liquid Laundry Detergent. A good way to quickly check on products is to go to the EWG's (Environmental Working Group) website and simply type in the name of the product you use in the search bar. Needless to say, the results I got were okay but I wasn't impressed with the lack of ingredient disclosure:

EWG results for the laundry detergent I've used

I decided to take a stab at making my own powder laundry detergent with a few simple, key ingredients that can be found in any grocery store household items aisle. I found this recipe on DIY Natural's website because there's only 3 ingredients and it's super simple to make: 1) Castile bar soap, 2) borax, 3) washing soda.

1) For the soap, I use Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Bar Soap - Baby Unscented. Castile soap is basically plant-based soap with no lard, tallow or animal fats.

2) I honestly did not know what borax was before I researched this recipe, and the name itself sort of freaked me out a little. But after doing a little research, I learned that it's naturally occurring, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic (although I would be careful when handling it while making the detergent - don't let it come into contact with you skin for too long because it can cause irritation). It's normally used in detergents as a cleaning booster. 

FYI - I use Arm & Hammer borax, which comes in recyclable, plastic-free cardboard boxes. You can find this in pretty much any grocery store.

3) I didn't really know what washing soda was either. It's apparently a chemical compound that's used to soften water and remove stains. Arm & Hammer also sells washing soda at grocery stores in cardboard boxes. FYI, this is NOT the same as baking soda, so I wouldn't try to substitute washing soda with baking soda!

The most work-intensive part of this process is grating the bar soap, but I think it's the best way to get a powder-consistency as opposed to cutting it up in chunks with a knife or other method. This is especially important for your washing machine since larger soap particles may not fully dissolve. Once the soap is grated, combine with a cup of borax and a cup of washing soda and store in an air-tight container; I prefer glass, because #plasticfree and I'm not sure what the chemicals in the ingredients will do to plastic over time. For a large load, I typically add 2-3 tablespoons since I have a high efficiency washer.

I also like to add 15-20 drops of lemon essential oil after the ingredients are combined. This isn't really a requirement and the smell doesn't transfer to clothes, but it's a nice-to-have in case you've got it laying around. Enjoy! :)