It's true, I climbed aboard the laundry detergent bandwagon roughly 2 years ago. What's even better is that I've never looked back! Yes, making it myself is ridiculously less expensive than buying it at the store. Yes, you get way more of it. But for me those were all actually just extras. I went into it with one purpose: to help alleviate the pain of my daughter's eczema.
My oldest has the worst eczema I've ever seen. Between the breakout and her scratching, the insides of her elbows are almost always raw, sometimes scabbed. It breaks my heart each and every time I see it. I know she can't help herself but watching her scratch just tears me apart. As an added nuance of difficulty she is also the most fair skinned creature I've ever seen. In fact, as a baby, someone asked me if she was Albino...not a particularly astute individual, but it's a good reference point nonetheless. So keeping her skin in good condition is always challenging.
So, we try everything we can to reduce some of the eczema causing culprits before they become a problem. A biggie is the type of laundry soap used. We always stayed away from some of the larger brands. Sensitive skin runs in the family and products like Tide, Mr. Bubbles, and Gain have always been no good for us. So I started buying Dreft, the exclusive "baby" detergent that is like 50% more than the already outrageously priced name brand stuff. It was better but still not ideal for her tender skin. Ok, I can handle a challenge. So I went for "organic" and "natural" detergents. Detergents that claimed to be dye free and fragrance free; free of anything that could harm you. Except of course for that totally natural chemical compound that I still can't pronounce...but it's in a cardboard container so it must be better for me! Right?
The day my friend mentioned that she was whipping up a batch of her own detergent I saw a huge ray of hope! "That's possible?", I wondered. Wow! So she kindly gave me her recipe (thanks, Jessi) and from there I ran! Over the last few years I have tweaked and reworked the recipe slightly. For instance, she added essential oils, I never do. I have also made mine more concentrated.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
You will need:
Cheese grater
Large stock pot
Funnel
5 gallon plastic bucket with a lid (these can be purchased at any hardware store, OR ask you local farmer or convenience store owner or friendly restaurateur if they've got an extra)
Ingredients: (All can be found in the detergent aisle of your grocery store or discount store.)
1 bar Fels Naptha Soap ($.99)
1 cup Borax (approx. $.44/cup)
1 cup Super Washing Soda (approx. $.51/cup)
Step 1: Grate the bar of soap using your cheese grater. If you don't have a grater you can cut it into very small pieces with your knife.
Step 4: Remove from heat. Put 8 cups hot tap water into your 5 gallon bucket. Add the soap mixture to the bucket. Stir.(If you wanted to add essential oils now would be the time.) Add 2 more gallons warm tap water to the bucket. Stir.
Ooo, Soapy water...that smells so fresh and amazing!
Step 5: Place lid firmly on the bucket and let it sit for 12 hours. By the end it will have congealed quite a bit, some water maybe separated and on top...that's fine! You'll be able to press firmly on it but still leave finger prints.
Step 6: Blend it up. If you have an immersion blender that is great. Sometimes, even those aren't long enough though. Honestly the thing that seems to work best is a potato masher and a little elbow grease. It can have some small clumps, that's ok.
Step 7: Funnel some into a smaller container. I like to use an old detergent bottle I stole from my mom. Make sure to leave room in the container so you'll be able to shake up the detergent before each use. It may settle between uses.
You only need 2 tablespoons per load because it is well concentrated. If you are using an old detergent bottle, that's usually the very bottom measure line in the cap. Because all of the ingredients are HE compatible it makes this detergent HE compatible as well- BONUS! It is also safe and effective for cloth diapers. But of course the very best part is that it leaves all of your clothes super clean, fresh smelling, and is extremely gentle on the clothes AND your skin. We noticed remarkable improvement in my daughter's skin immediately after making the switch. We couldn't be happier with the results.
This recipe costs under $2 for over 2 gallons of detergent. I make detergent usually about twice a year. I almost always make it in the afternoon or evening so it can sit over night. The "cooking" process takes roughly a half hour because you want to make sure the soap doesn't boil. I also made detergent as Christmas gift this year, with great success. In fact, keep your eyes peeled because this will be making it's way to our Etsy store soon!
To healthy cleanliness!
Simple City Sam
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