Cutting Costs and Detoxifying Your Laundry Room

EnJOYing the satisfaction of preparing your own laundry soap will not only save you LOADS of money but also help you gain control of what comes in contact with your family’s skin and clothing. When you involve the kids, you are teaching them the importance of creating a greener, healthier home in a cost-effective way.

Ridding the Home of Harmful Toxins

Since I had my first child, I have been doing my best to eliminate as many toxins from our home, food, and body care products as possible. Actually, the phrase, “You are what you eat,” is kind of a guideline for my choices. I have used that phrase when questioning whether or not to apply a product on my skin or hair, brush with it, clean, or eat it. We are an accumulation of all that we come in contact with. The fewer toxins we ingest or have in our environment, the better our bodies can function how they were designed to. I know I can’t control everything, but eliminating the apparent intruders is an excellent place to start. Laundry detergent is a HUGE offender because whatever we wash our clothes and sheets with is in contact with our bodies 24/7. Avoid these offenders on the labels of your products and find a better solution for your family:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Phosphates
• Formaldehyde
• Chlorine Bleach
• Ammonium Sulfate
• Dioxane
• Optical Brighteners/ UV Brighteners
• Synthetic Fragrances
• Harmful Dyes

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list, but these are a few of the most common ingredients in most cleaning products. They have been known to cause skin rashes, eye irritation, and respiratory failure, be known carcinogens (which cause cancer), are endocrine disruptors, and in most cases, are so toxic it is recommended that eye gear and complete protection be worn when handling. Not to mention what it does to the environment. Why would I want something so toxic and harmful to be on my body, let alone in my home? Many of these harmful chemicals remain in the body for generations, stored in the body’s fat cells. Our bodies can become overloaded with toxins, which is why I believe there are so many food allergies, disorders, and even diseases in our children that we didn’t see in previous generations. Our bodies are just overwhelmed and crying out for relief. I am doing my part to provide a healthier environment for my children and teach them the importance of stewarding their bodies and our world… one product and one decision at a time.

Detoxifying One Step at a Time

Detoxifying and becoming more “green” can get expensive. I recommend starting with one product at a time to avoid becoming overwhelmed. The product I chose to start with was my laundry detergent. Like everyone else, I want my laundry clean and smelling good without hurting my family or the environment. Many “green” products don’t work well, or maybe they ARE doing their job. Did you know products containing brighteners only give the illusion of clean by coating fabrics and “hiding” stains rather than lifting them away? Maybe what we thought was clean all along was just a cover-up. I want a detergent to remove odors and bacteria and fight a stain with all its might. There are better solutions out there.

Now that we have lived without toxins for so long, I can smell them a mile away and am saddened by the fact that so many people are deceived into believing that these products are safe for them and are doing what they promised. Have you ever washed something from a second-hand store that smells like cheap detergent? It takes several washings and soaks in vinegar to get the smell out. Why? Because these chemicals latch onto the fabrics and don’t let go. They do the same to our bodies. I have come up with a recipe for laundry detergent that not only smells amazing and is nontoxic but also works great without the lingering chemicals. You want your clothes to smell clean, not smothered in synthetic fragrance. I hope you will give these nontoxic recipes a try. Involve the kids and pass on a healthier legacy.

My DIY Laundry Detergent: More is Not Necessarily Better

When boxed cake mixes first came out, the original recipe required only one additional ingredient to add to the mix—water.  Well, no one would buy it because it was too simple.  People couldn’t believe that a cake could be made with only the addition of water.  So, the company added oil and an egg to the additions, and the rest is history.  I bring this up because, like it or not, I am a more is better person.  I have to go against my very nature to make this recipe because my brainwashed mind still believes that if there are more ingredients in a cleaner, it has to clean better. Each addition must add something to the mix, right? Or is it just filler? Well, not in the case of my DIY Laundry Soap.  Why add eggs and oil if it is not needed? 

To Use or Not to Use…That is the Question

Ok, we are not adding eggs and oil to this recipe. I was making a point.  My point is this: many DIY laundry recipes add anything from washing soda, borax, salt, citric acid, baking soda, and soap, but are they all really necessary? The main ingredient in my recipe is washing soda. Most commercial detergents consist of 50% washing soda.  It is twice as strong as Borax, baking soda, or salt. Borax is a controversial ingredient in the “greener” and more “crunchy” circles.  I will not go into detail about Borax and its safety because I don’t use it in my recipe. It is a naturally occurring substance, although toxic if eaten (not that I was planning on doing that). 

Truthfully, washing soda performs head and shoulders above it anyway, so there is no need to make it an argument. Baking soda is only half as strong as washing soda for softening water and doesn’t allow the cleaning pH to go as high. Why dilute a recipe with an inferior product when you have a stronger one?  Citric acid is excellent if you are making laundry tabs and need things to stick together, but other than that, it is a waste of money. Salt is not in commercial detergents, so why put it in yours? And soap… well, I do use that.  I like to use Dr. Bronner’s lavender castile soap bars because they are a natural product, smell great, and get my laundry clean in conjunction with the washing soda. So, there you have the breakdown and the scoop on DIY laundry powder.

Ingredients for My Favorite DIY Laundry Soap

Because I have a rather large family, I like to make this in bulk. I involve the kids in this process. I mix it in a kitchen garbage bag, double it, and tie it together so nothing leaks. They enjoy pushing it around, and I find it easier to include them this way than having them stir over a large pot.  This is a fun project to get them involved and make meaningful contributions to the family. 

If I did this by myself, I would stick to the bowl and spoon. It is a little more sophisticated. You must mix the ingredients well because you only use 1-2T per load, and you want to ensure the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Laundry Soap Recipe

• 2- 55oz boxes of washing soda
• 3 bars of Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Bar Castile Soap
• 15 drops of lemon essential oil
• 15 drops of tea tree essential oil

For the recipe, I add 2- 55oz boxes of washing soda to the bag.  I cut up 3 bars of Dr. Bronner’s lavender castile soap (you can use whatever scent you like, but I like the lavender).  I add these to my food processor, a little chunk at a time, with the cheese grater attachment until I have all the soap shredded.  This is the only part that is a hassle, and maybe a better, more efficient way can be thought up, but this is what I do. I dump all the shreds out into a bowl and then fit the processing blade back onto the processor.  I add 1 cup of the washing soda to the processor along with 15 drops each of lemon essential oil (for whitening and brightening) and tea tree essential oil (for its amazing disinfectant and antimicrobial/antibacterial properties). Then I add back in all the soap shreds.  This allows the soap to be incorporated into the soda and prevents gumming up. In the end, you won’t even see the shreds.

Essential oils are optional, but I love the smell of all three scents in the laundry room.  No worries if you are concerned that I can’t count or forgot to mention a third essential oil. I included the lavender scent from the soap in my three scents. You won’t smell them in the end as they disperse in the wash, but my laundry does end up smelling fresh and clean. This recipe yields 125 oz. with 250 loads if you only use 1T per load. For hard water, use 2 T per load.

Just so you know, when life becomes overwhelming, and I don’t have the time to make my own laundry soap, I use Molly’s Suds Peppermint Laundry Detergent. It is an excellent, non-toxic detergent that performs well and smells great.

Oxygen Bleach

I considered adding this to my homemade laundry detergent because who doesn’t want that extra cleaning punch in every load, right?  Upon researching, I discovered that it would be a waste of money, considering oxygen bleach is only truly active in hot water.  Not many of us wash everything in hot water.  I mostly wash my clothes in cold water, except my whites, sheets, and towels; I wash them in hot water. That means that the majority of the time, the oxygen bleach is just washed down the drain.  So, I prefer to add a scoop to my hot water loads. I also use it to soak any garments that are stained or look dull due to hard water or just plain use. 

My mom taught me this cool trick with a tiny cooler. I add a few scoops of oxygen bleach to the cooler, fill it with the hottest water possible, add my stained garment, and shut the lid. Steep overnight. In the morning, voila—no stain. This stuff is great. My favorites are Molly’s Suds Oxygen Whitener or Earth Friendly OXO Bright Color Safe Whitener and Brightener for Laundry and Stain Remover -Fragrance-Free. Wow, that is a mouthful. 

Vinegar

One of my very good friends, from whom I learned so much about natural living, always added vinegar to each wash load.  So, I did too.  It wasn’t until five years later, when someone asked me why I added vinegar, that I realized it was because Shirley did.  So, I called her and asked her why I added vinegar to my laundry wash.  She is worthy of imitating without question, in my estimation.  Adding ½-1 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle balances the pH of the laundry to make it more alkaline for skin contact.  It also is a fabulous rinse aid for removing any residues or salt deposits left on your clothes—no worries about lingering smell.  Everything comes out clean and fresh.  Note: do not add vinegar to the rinse cycle when adding oxygen bleach.  Oxygen bleach works well with washing soda to remove stains in a more acidic environment.  Vinegar counteracts this process by lowering the acidity.  Throw in a dryer sheet when drying the load; your laundry will balance its pH and smell fresh and clean.

Homemade Dryer Sheets

Dryer Sheet Recipe

• 16-24 6″x6″ or 8″x8″ squares of material
• 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup filtered water
• 3-5 drops essential oil of choice (I like lavender, tea tree, lemon, or peppermint)

You will need 16-24 6”x6” or 8″x8″ squares of material to start.  You can cut up an old shirt or towel, use retired cloth baby wipes, or buy or sew your own squares from pretty material.  Next, you take a quart mason jar with a lid (I prefer the plastic lids because they do not rust.)  Fill the jar with ¾ cup of vinegar and ¼ cup filtered water.  Add in 3-5 drops of your favorite therapeutic-grade essential oil.  I prefer the soft scent of lavender, but lemon, sweet orange, or even peppermint might be fun too.  When your liquids are combined, you may add your clothes and shake them well.  The clothes will eventually soak up all the liquid. Pop 1-2 in each dryer load.  Remember to retrieve it after each load and set it aside until the jar is used up, and you can start the process over again. Super easy, right?

Wool Dryer Balls Save Energy

These are great for decreasing drying time and static electricity. I always keep about six in the dryer, except when one gets lost in someone’s sleeve or pants or, worst of all, the fitted sheet. It’s kind of like a little hide-n-seek game at times. If you want to add essential oils, know that essential oils don’t hold up to the heat. When the dryer buzzes, dab a few drops of your favorite essential oil on a few of the dryer balls and let the dryer run for an extra minute or two.

A Note On Static Electricity

If you have problems with static electricity, especially in the winter months, add a few metal paper clips or an aluminum foil ball to the load.  If you still spark your neighbor or walk around like a chia pet with hair in all directions due to the charge, dampen your hands and rub them over your clothes to deactivate.  This happens because the mixture of materials is dried together.  Do you know that even the Bible talks about not mixing your materials?  Pretty impressive. Even God knew how best to do laundry.  (Deuteronomy 22:11)

Soap Nut Alternative

These funny little guys pack a powerful, clean punch.  You are in for a surprise if you can get past the unlikely packaging.  They take the place of laundry detergent. While they only work well in hot water, I like to use them for my bath towels and whites because they make things clean and fresh.  They were my go-to for cloth diapers. The downside is keeping track of how many times you have used them.  They are only suitable for about six loads before they need to be retired.  Place six soap nuts in a mesh bag and toss in the laundry with hot water.  Remove them before the clothes go in the dryer.  Use the bag up to six times. 

That’s the Scoop on a Non-Toxic Laundry Room

I hope this helps.  Enjoy the satisfaction of not only saving loads (pun intended) of money on your laundry (about 5 cents per load verses 12 cents), but also gain the control of what comes in contact with your family’s skin and your clothing.  You are contributing to a greener world as well.  If you make it a project the kids can do with you or for you, they have learned a life skill, will feel a sense of significance and belonging, and will gain a vision for their own family someday.  It is essential to pass on the truths we learn to the next generation… teaching them how to build their homes and leave a legacy of freedom.  In this case, financial and freedom from harsh toxins and chemicals.  God bless you and your family, and find JOY in building your house one step at a time.

Shop This Post

Wool Dryer Balls

Soap Nuts

Molly’s Suds Oxygen Whitener

Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Castile Soap Bar 2 pack

Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

For DIY cleaning projects, I like to use Plant Therapy Essential oils. I am comfortable using a less expensive yet still great-quality essential oil brand in my cleaning products. I stick to my favorite essential oil company, Rocky Mountain Oils (RMO), for body care and my apothecary.

Molly’s Suds Peppermint Laundry Detergent (If you get 2 of these on Amazon, Subscribe and Save it comes out to $.13 a load. Homemade is still the way to go if you are pinching pennies.

Cloth Wipes (for the dryer sheets)

In everything you do -eat, play, and, love- may it always be Seasoned with Joy!