Easy DIY Laundry Detergent

This diy laundry detergent is made with only four ingredients, it's baby safe and far more cost-effective than traditional detergents. During my journey to health one of the areas I strived to swap was our laundry system. It's been a lot of trial and error but I finally have a solution- and now you do too!

The Benefits Of Homemade Laundry Detergent

• Easy to whip together
• Cost-effective
• Safe for kids

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor a chemist! These laundry trials were ingredients that I felt comfortable using and I have found work very well. However, it's just that- a trial. I cannot give you breakdowns of the actual ingredients and how they react together. Only what I've noticed 😉

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DIY Laundry Detergent

A four-ingredient recipe for clean clothes! Simple to make and cost effective.

Prep Time 0 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Shelby Stover

Equipment

• Large Glass Jar

Ingredients

• 1 cup washing soda
• 1 cup Baby oxyclean
• 1 cup Baking Soda
• Essential Oils

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together
• Place in Jar for storage (Ingredients can all be mixed in jar if preferred)

Notes

Essential Ois: these are optional but I recommend them. I use Purify from DopTerra and it helps takes the "ick" out of workout clothes. I then add whichever scent I have at the time (lime, lemon, geranium)

Epsom Salt: If you have "hard" water, use ¼cup of epsom salt to help soften it. If not, omit as I find it wears through clothes faster.

I started making my own diy laundry detergent long before Baby bear came along and while I assumed it was working, once I tried it on baby clothes it was clearly not.

DIY laundry detergent is actually one of the simplest things to make. It requires little ingredients and it's mostly quick to throw together. But like anything else homemade, there's a bit of trial and error as to what works for your specific needs.

Below are a few other recipes I tried but didn't enjoy.

Trial #1: Liquid Laundry Soap

The original recipe (below) I was using was by far the cheapest. It made roughly 5g of laundry soap so I only had to make it about three times per year.

You grated and melted the bar soap though and it was a tedious process.

• Washing soda
• Borax
• Dr. Bronners bar soap
• Water

And while I thought this soap was working just fine, once I had Baby Bear I noticed her clothes coming out much less than clean.

In fact, they looked a bit grungy. Now given, at this point she was dragging her belly along our wood desk, so it was definitely expected. But I was still less than impressed. 

Trial #2: Liquid Laundry Soap

The next recipe I tried seemed promising - though I think I just hyped it up in my head! I was starting to become leery of Borax so I was interested to give this one a try. 

• Castille soap
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Water

Again, on most of our clothes, this recipe seemed fine. Not great, but fine. But Baby Bears clothes still seemed not up to par, so my trials continued. 

Trial #3: Laundry Detergent Powder

I was very excited for this trial! As it is a powder, I assumed it would be more "potent" than it's soapy diluted versions. 

• Bar soap
• Washing soda
• Borax

But again, I was disappointed. None of Baby Bear's stains were coming out. Despite me trying everything I had read (vinegar, lemon, hydrogen peroxide etc).

And to top it off, her safety blanket (which is white of course) looked so dingy it was slightly embarrassing.

Note: I eventually did read up on Borax and while I was originally a bit hesitant in the end I feel okay using it.

I was leery at first. I really didn't want to use Oxy clean... until I looked up the ingredients and learned it was just hydrogen peroxide and baking soda!

And so my nerves were calmed.

Not only do our clothes just look better but soaking whites in the Oxyclean before washing has turned Baby Bears blanket much more white!

I also soak our diaper covers (because we're cloth diaper fanatics!) once per week before washing and it was worked wonders on stains.

Why I Find It Works

Baking soda helps remove odors from clothes. If you have something particularly smelly, soak it in baking soda before washing

Washing soda ia an alkalaine substance that helps remove grease and stains along with many other uses. It also helps soften the water. 

Since it's part baking soda, you can actually make your own washing soda.

Oxyclean helps with stains and brightness. It's a by-product of hydrogen peroxide and combined with washing soda.

I was originally adding epsom salts to the recipe but found it wore down our clothes too quickly. Also, since washing soda is a water softener it's really not needed!