I used to think making
household products would be a ridiculous waste of time. Seriously.
I watched the 17/18/19 Kids and Counting episode where they made their
own detergent, and I thought, that would be great--if I had four teenage girls
to help me! When I started my quest for toxin-free
(ahem…reduced) living, I knew laundry detergent would be high on my list even
if it took all afternoon to make. I am
already committed to cloth diapering, which requires a little extra detergent
knowledge, so I was aware of the benefits of making my own.
I was prepared
for a significant time commitment yesterday when I discovered I couldn’t find the cheese
grater. That’s right. The cheese grater. I was going to grate a bar of castile soap by
hand. I don’t even grate
cheese. (Perhaps that’s why it was
missing?) I called my husband who
sometimes reorganizes the kitchen when I’m not looking. He didn’t know where it went either, and he
wasn’t about to come home from work just to help me find it. (I know, right?)
The missing grater turned out to be a huge blessing as it took my prep time down to 5 MINUTES. I dropped the brick of soap into my cheap ninja blender ($30ish
normally, paid $7 on Black Friday two years ago) and hoped for the best. After the ninja took half a second to ponder
its task, it whipped that soap into flakes in a few seconds. I LOVE MY NINJA! I can’t believe I almost put it back that day
at the store. From there, it was so simple
to mix in the borax, washing soda, and a few drops of tea tree oil for
scent. I was so excited that I ran right
upstairs to grab a load of laundry!
Now, for as much time and
money as I saved, any diligent powder detergent user can tell you that it works
best if you dissolve your detergent in warm water before pouring it in. This does add time to your life. But really.
In the grand scheme of things, this is not a big deal. I’ve been a liquid user from birth, so it is
an extra step for me.
Results: I was highly
impressed with my clean, lightly scented laundry. I can’t wait to run out of my last bottle of
liquid detergent so I can use my own full time!
I’m not going to calculate the cost on this one, but one of my sources
said that it costs about $.07 a load, which is about a third of typical
costs. Also, I used Dr. Bonner’s baby
mild soap, but they have a tea tree scent, which would save even adding the
essential oil.
Note: I’ve heard that
borax and washing soda are not great for cloth diapers, so I’ll be working on a
recipe sometime after #2 makes his/her appearance. But probably not soon since newborns are
exhausting, and I have lots of CD-friendly detergent left over from #1.
Detergent Recipe
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 bar Dr. Bonner’s Castile
soap (a few other brands of soap work, but if you are going for non-toxic, this
is one of the most trusted)
A few drops of essential
oil if desired (I used tea tree because it is naturally anti-bacterial)
NINJA Method: If you have a good blender (or food
processer) blend up the soap bar. Add
the borax and washing soda to the blender to mix. Add essential oil last and blend again. Transfer to a container. Remember to dissolve in warm water before
adding to your washing machine.
Grating method: Put the
soap in the freezer for an hour, then grate with a cheese grater as finely as
possible. Mix with dry ingredients. Add essential oil last.
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