Are you tired in "swimming" in the sea of chemicals that surrounds us these days? Chemicals are in everything----the food we eat, the lotions and makeup we put on our bodies, in our cleaning and laundry products, to name a few.
Several years ago, I found myself with terribly itchy legs. After much investigation, it turned out to the the laundry detergent and fabric softener I was using. I stopped using fabric softener all together and have since turned to making my own detergent.
Here's a new recipe I made this week which I found much easier to make than the dry laundry detergent I had been making.
Ingredients
1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda (like Arm & Hammer Washing Soda)
1 cup castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner's citrus scent)
10-15 drops essential oil of your choice
17 cups water
UPDATE ON THIS RECIPE 11/29/17:
I've been using this detergent for over a week now and I believe it needs to be stronger and would cut the amount of water down to maybe 10 cups the next time I make it.
Instructions
In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a slight boil. Once the water begins to boil, turn off the heat and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir to dissolve.
In a large, clean bucket, combine the remaining 11 cups of room-temp water and 1 cup liquid soap.
Pour the hot Borax/washing soda mixture from the saucepan into the bucket and stir to combine.
Add your essential oil and stir.
Pour the mixture into storage container(s). This makes 1.25 gallons so I used 2 half-gallon mason jars and a pickle jar. Be sure to label your jars.
As the soap sits, the mixture may form into a gel. There may also be normal liquid and gel separation; simply stir or shake.
For soft water, use 1/4 a cup of detergent per load of laundry. You may need to use more for super-dirty or huge loads. This can also be rubbed directly onto stains prior to washing.
Safe for HE machines.