Much to my three teenagers dismay, my husband and I (who are busy educators in Southeast Texas) decided to start living a healthier, greener, and simpler life style. We planted our first organic garden, started eliminating chemicals and processed foods from our home, and began reading more about health & fitness.My first experiment in making homemade cleaning products was this laundry detergent. Not only did I find it much more cost effective, but I like the idea of controlling ingredients in the products we use on our bodies. One of my friends, who works at a day spa, told me about the different recipes for homemade cleaners at Tipnut. After playing around with several of their recipes and watching this how to video on You Tube, I tweaked one that actually works well for our family.....even on my son's stinkiest gym clothes.
RECIPE
enough hot water to fill 1/4 of a large stock pot
1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda...you should be able to find it in the laundry detergent section)
1/2 cup Borax (you'll find this in the laundry detergent section too)
1 bar ivory soap
Optional: 5 drops of an essential oil such as lavender or tea tree oil
- Grate the Ivory Soap with a cheese grater (very quick and easy to do)
- Add to stock pot that's 1/4 full of water
- Stir over medium heat until soap dissolves and is completely melted
- Add the Borax and Washing Soda and stir until it doesn't feel grainy on bottom of the pan
- Remove from heat and top the stock pot full of water.
- Add 10 drops of essential oil if desired (I usually leave the oil out.)
- This mixture will gel once it cools.
- Use 1 cup per load. (We use a large soup ladle and use one scoop per load) stirring soap before each use.
Who knows....we may even start hanging our clothes out to dry on a clothes line this year! Won't my kids just love that?
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