diy laundry soap

five reasons why

There are some things I've been making forever (like lip balms), but then there are others that I procrastinated on for years (like soap, haha). I tend to think that maybe after revamping my whole life, I just kinda lost steam for a bit. I knew there was still more I wanted to learn and tackle, but I slid those projects to the back burner for some day in the future. When I had more time (as if).

I finally started making my own diy laundry soap a year or two ago and turns out, it was kind of stupid to wait on it. I can't tell you how many times I pushed it aside, when in the long run, it may even save me time. Here are my five very good reasons why I advocate that you don't procrastinate on it like I did:

1. It's incredibly easy and fast to make

2. I whip up an enormous batch that lasts me for many, many months

3. It works better than the detergents I'd been using

4. I save money

5. Since I started making it, that occasional—yet persistent—nasty wet-dog smell (that I can only assume is some kind of washing machine mold) has completely disappeared from our clothing. Really, that unpleasant odor used to cause me intense mental duress and made me feel totally unclean, even when dressed in freshly washed clothes. And since I can smell that others also struggle with this, I thought I'd share my secret to eliminating it (hint: it involves an essential oil, of course!).

   
   

diy laundry soap recipe

Ingredients

• 1 bar of Dr. Bronners soap

• 1½ cups borax (sodium borate)

• 1½ cups natural washing soda (sodium carbonate)

• 5 gallons spring water

• organic spearmint essential oil

Directions

1. Using a cheese grater, grate the bar of soap; add it to a large soup pot along with a gallon (or two, if your pot is big enough) of the spring water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the soap has thoroughly dissolved.

2. Add in both the washing soda and the borax; continue to heat and stir until both are thoroughly dissolved.

3. Carefully transfer the mixture to a large 6 gallon dispenser and add the remaining 3 or 4 gallons of of spring water. Stir well.

4. Transfer small amounts of the detergent to convenient-sized glass bottles and add 10 drops of spearmint essential oil per 24 ounces.

   
   

soap notes

Most loads only need ¼ cup of the detergent, but I'll add a bit more for the really large or dirty loads.

Make sure to stir the bulk detergent thoroughly (in the 5-gallon dispenser) before filling the smaller bottles as you need them. The soap shreds won't stay completely clear and dissolved after cooling and so will need a good mixing each time. I usually fill two smaller bottles at a time and store them by the washing machine.

If some piece of clothing is stained or otherwise crying for a little TLC, I'll place it in a large bowl, add ¼ cup of the detergent, and then fill the rest of the bowl with water and let it soak overnight. I've been able to remove some stains this way that I thought weren't going anywhere. Ever. (Like oil saturation.)

Essential oils and most plastics don't mix well, so I don't add the essential oils to my large 6 gallon dispenser. If you have a glass dispenser (like I intend to eventually upgrade to), then feel free to add spearmint oil to the whole batch.

Why don't I use our soap for this recipe? Because we superfat our soaps, and so I don't want that extra oil in our laundry (you can read a little bit about superfatting on our FAQ page). Dr. Bronners soap has a clean ingredient list and so works great for this recipe.

I tried other essential oils to eliminate that laundry stink, but spearmint was the one that consistently came through for me. I imagine it's all those stellar antimicrobial properties hard at work. No matter the reason, though, I'm just really relieved spearmint is consistently the victor in the battle of the stench.

supplies

I thought I'd share links to the products I use just in case I can save you some precious time :)

• Dr. Bronners bar soap

• borax (sodium borate)

• washing soda (sodium carbonate)

• 6 gallon dispenser

• long stirring spoon

• organic spearmint essential oil

• These are the 24 oz glass bottles I use to hold the detergent in my laundry room (these guys are super handy, and I reuse them for so many things once we've enjoyed the tomatoes!)

And that'll do it for today, unless you're interested in more of my all-natural recipes for the home! If that's the case, you might want to take a peek at my all-natural wood finish or all-natural wood stain. As for me, I'm off to take a little hike now and enjoy the warm springtime weather. Hope your day is equally lovely :)

Much love and many thanks for reading,

Melinda