Handmade in the laundry!

I don't know about you, but I can walk down the laundry powder aisle in my local supermarket and just get bogged down with the endless variety of products.  I mean really, how many types of washing powder do we need?  And don't get me started on the prices! Personally, I try to buy the most eco-friendly and natural product I can find, hopefully at a reasonable price.  Unfortunately, the powders that claim to be (and hopefully are) eco-friendly are generally the higher priced products.  So, what to do?  Well, I am glad you asked......

Make your own!!  Yes, you can.  Plus, it works........yippee!  OK lets go......
I have made both dry and liquid laundry detergents and I like both.  Obviously the powder form is a lot easier to store, just pop it into a nice jar or container in your laundry and that's that.  The liquid form requires storage in plastic containers, that you can shake from time to time.  Recycled 2 litre plastic bottles are ideal for this and you can store them in your laundry cupboard.

Ok, how do you do this and where do the ingredients come from?
First of all, the ingredients are available at your local supermarket.   If you want to make the mixture smell deliciously nice, add some pure essential oils from your own stash or head down to the health food store to stock up.   I love lavender and bergamot.......sounds like a weird combination but it smells divine!  I also use water soluable lavender in my rinse cycle of my front loader.......it beats using store bought softener with artificial fragrance.

Liquid Laundry Detergent recipe:
1 cup of soap (Lux flakes)
1/2 cup of washing soda (powder, not the crystal form!)  see pic below

1/2 cup of Borax (usually found in the cleaning aisle of supermarket)

Instructions:
In a large saucepan, mix all the dry ingredients into 1 1/2 litres of water.
Heat the mixture gently and stir until ingredients are completely dissolved.
Remove from heat.
In a large container (I used a 9 litre bucket), add 8 litres of cold water.
Then add the soapy liquid from the saucepan to the cold water and mix.
(I use a plastic paint stirrer from Bunnings or you can use a large spoon)
The mixture will gradually thicken when it cools and turn into a liquid gel.
Keep stirring for a while after it thickens for a better consistency.
Before you bottle it, add some essential oils for fragrance if you like.
The mixture will thicken more, so don't make the mistake I did and buy a container with a tap!
Use bottles with a good size opening and you will need to give the mixture a good shake from time to time.

Use 1/4 cup to each load of washing.

COST:  Approximately $2.00 AUD for 10 litres!  And it lasts for ages!


Laundry Powder recipe:
4 cups of grated laundry soap or flakes
2 cups of borax
2 cups of washing soda powder

Mix these all together and put into a container.
Use 2 tablespoons per wash.
Suitable for front and top loaders.

I usually sprinkle some essential oil in too and give it a good mix around in the powder.

This recipe is not as economical as the liquid form, but at least the ingredients are known, unlike commercial brands which are full of fillers and other nasties!

I hope you give one of these a try.....
My tip:  If you hate supermarket shopping, go for the liquid version.  It lasts such a long time!!