Dr. Bronners homemade laundry detergent

[Katt]

Hey foodies-what's up?  My sister gave me the inspiration to make my own homemade laundry detergent recently.  It is so easy and cheap to make, i had to post!  After reading some great revues on the net, I couldn't resist giving it a try.  And for all you new mamas out there, it is supposed to be great for diapers.

 

There are recipes for liquid and dry detergent.  I made the dry version and my sister made the liquid version, which she really likes alot.  She said her whites have never been so bright.  

 

Dry detergent-

 

1 bar of Dr. Bronners Soap.  You can use other bar soap if you want to make it cheaper- but you know you have been dieing to find a way to wash your clothes in Bronners for years. Many of thr recipes on te net use Fels Naptha which is $1 but I didn't like the smell. 

2 cups Arm and Hammer super washing soda (sodium carbonate)- $3 for 3 1/2 lbs

2 cups Borax- (sodium tetraborate) $4.00 a box probably even cheaper at walmart- but don't get it at whole foods its like $6 there. 

 

Grate your bar of soap and mix it in a container with the other ingredients.  If you want a little extra scent add some essential oil.  I used a lavender Dr. Bronners Bar and added extra lavender essential oil.  It smelled much better than anything I have ever purchased.   Use 1 TBSP for regular soil and 2 TBSP for heavy soiled clothes. 

 

This recipe yields 48 tablespoons of detergent which is enough for 24-48 loads of laundry depending on how dirty your clothes are.   And there is plenty of washing soda and borax let over for many more batches. 

 

Here is the recipe my sister used to make her liquid detergent.  I guess the liquid is also a great for pre- treating stains.

 

http://www.duggarfamily.com/content/duggar_recipes/30455/homemade_liquid_laundry_soap_front_or_top_load_machine_best_value

 

 

Laundry isn't complete without fabric softner.  Did you know that commercial liquid fabric softners increase fabric flammability and is not recommended for childrens sleepwear.  Would have never guessed that from all the snuggle and downey commercials.  

 

Here is a cheap natural alternative.  1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar.  It's like $2 a gallon.  Add a half of cup to your rinse cycle or if you don't want to wait for the rinse cycle, put it in a fabric softner ball and throw it in the wash.   

[Angela Libretto]

That is awesome!  Thank you for the  recipe- can’t wait to try it out.

Angela Libretto

[Torrie Trautman]

good ol distilled vinegar. good for so many things.

[Katt]

What else can you use white vinegar for?

[Kendra Jones]

I put about a half of cup in the dishwasher and/or sink water when doing dishes :-)

makes your glass crystal clear :-)

 

 

~Kendra~

[Torrie Trautman]

the dishwasher. we used it to get rid of ants. .........its  a GREAT cleaner basically...