He is LIGHT and LIFE and TRUTH! Look to Him for the ALL the answers. He will guide us, if we'll let Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Monday, May 20, 2013

Easy DIY Laundry Detergent and Bleach!


There are so many ways to make your own laundry detergent!  Wow!  Finding the one that works best for your family might just be a challenge for you--like it was for me.  

We have LOTS of laundry and I don't just mean a LOT--I mean really more like TONS!  Well, maybe I exaggerate, but between my husband's construction job (wintertime is the worst because he layers and layers), our Christmas tree farm, my 2 yr. old and 5 yr. old boys and our inside puppy and a new sandbox on the front porch...I am constantly doing  one.  more.  load.  

Well, ok...my daughter and I make messes and have lots of clothes, too.  Can't blame it all on the guys!

My kids love baths and that means lots of towels (because I clean the floor with them afterward, hehehe!). Between those towels and the kitchen dish cloth and towel that are constantly being used to clean the floor--oops! Yes, I caught that--into the hamper now...phew the laundry seems endless!  

We are looking into more ways to be chemical-free in this house.  Therefore, we are trying all kinds of DIY, make-your-own products.  It's been fun and time-consuming...but, we love it when we find something that works!   

After looking at so many recipes and wanting a liquid recipe that did not involve grating soap (lazy, I know....sigh) and that did not clump up horribly and make it impossible to use the container I have, finally, I came up with a recipe of my own.  

Here it is:
1 Gallon hot water
1/3 c. salt
1/4 c. washing soda
2/3 c. Liquid Castile Soap
1/3 c. Borax
20 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil

I heated the water on the stove, until just getting hot.  You'll need to figure out how hot you want it to be. :0)  I didn't want it to be boiling, but just hot enough to dissolve all the powders and keep anything from clumping.  

I added the salt, stirred.  

Added the rest of the ingredients one at a time and stirred.  

Then, let it cool.  

Once not too hot to the touch, I added the essential oil and poured into my container.  

I like my laundry detergent to have a healthy, hearty citrus smell....so, you might want to start with 10 drops of any EO you like to see if that's enough for you.

Use 1/4 - 1/2 cup for each load

I just print my label in a Microsoft Word Document and then tape it to the container with clear packing tape--to make it waterproof.  I try to keep the recipe of everything I make on the container that holds it.  Otherwise, when it's time to make more, I either can't find the recipe or it takes too long to find it and I get sidetracked doing 3 or 4 other things before I remember that I was going to make it. :0) (Anyone relate to that??)

Homemade Bleach
I found this recipe for Homemade Bleach and was so excited to give it a try.  Who knew you could also make homemade bleach?  I'd never read the ingredients on my bleach bottle.  Have you?
My bottle says (what I can read of it, anyway....the print is tinier than tiny, we're talking microscopic here!) sodium hydrochloride 6%, other ingredients 94%.  So, ummm...what are the other ingredients?  Why don't they have to put that on there?  ugh!  I only know that it's some powerful stuff!  Which probably means it is not good for us.  

I mixed up this recipe for one gallon.

2 cups hydrogen peroxide (3% solution)
2 tsp. citric acid
13 cups water
20 drops lemon essential oil

Use 1/2 - 1 cup per load of laundry.

In the original recipe she offers lemon juice as a substitute for citric acid.  I have the lemon juice, but decided I would rather this last longer and felt like the lemon juice might go bad. (?)  That's why I used citric acid.

I love this!  It's working wonders on our clothes and they smell so much better than when I used regular bleach!

Here is the shelf just over my washing machine.
I use plain vinegar in the rinse cycle (sometimes I add a few drops of EO).  I use dryer balls and aluminum foil in my dryer, too.  No more toxin-filled dryer sheets--yay! 


I love knowing my laundry is no longer full of TOXINS and is fresh smelling and CLEAN!

Have you gone toxin-free with your laundry, yet?  If so, comment and tell me what you do.  If not, what's keeping you from it?  Please share some of your recipes here, too.  

Thanks for stopping by!
Dawn
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12 comments:

  1. I love the sound of your recipe, it's a bit different from the others. I've never thought of using salt. Is the consistency good? My problem with the liquid I made was it wouldn't come out the spout and it was icky. Also, where did you get those dispensers? I love the looks of them. Are they glass or plastic? This sounds like twenty questions, doesn't it?

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  2. I am noticing that the consistency is starting to change. It is thickening up, now. It's been 3 weeks since I made it. I got the jars (glass) at WalMart. $9.97. I actually added a 3rd one and put the vinegar in it. Love them!! It makes it so easy with the spouts. We'll see if the detergent continues to come out of the spout. If not, I may go back to a powder and relinquish the beautiful jar to our refrigerator for summertime homemade healthy lemonade! I love 20 questions :0) Ask away!!! Thanks, Patti!
    Dawn

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  3. Is the bleach for whites only or is it color safe???

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  4. Patti, the salt in the recipe helps to keep your colors vibrant. With all of the toxins in reg. detergent clothes become dingy over time. This helps to really clean clothes that have been washed in toxins previously.

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  6. The one thing that I've not been happy with concerning the homemade detergent is the fact that my whites are dingy. I'm going to add some salt to my dry that I have left and see if that helps. I haven't seen those dispensers at our WalMart, but likely I wasn't looking in the right place. I'll look next trip. I love them and the fact that they're glass. Thanks. I like the new width of your page too! Looks great!

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  7. Dawn, I've been meaning to tell you what I did when I made this liquid soap. I decided I'd give it a little boost so I just dumped a few scoops of oxy clean in the mix and set it aside to cool. I left the room for a few minutes and when I walked back into the kitchen, I had a volcano on the cabinet. I just wish I had taken a picture but I was too busy screaming. I grabbed the pot and set it in the sink. It settled down after a bit and I used it but it solidified and was pretty nasty. So....if anyone is thinking of adding oxy clean...not really a good idea. I was determined not to waste it, but it's gone now and I'm about to make another batch, sticking to your recipe exactly!

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  8. Hey Patti,
    I will be exploring some other liquid detergent options. That soap after about 5 weeks was too thick to come out of the dispenser. I don't know enough about the ingredients to know why it thickens like that. ugh! I went back to a powder recipe, for now. Still love my jars with spouts for bleach and vinegar.
    I will keep looking for a better liquid recipe! There's got to be one that stays a liquid!

    I laughed at your "volcano", however funny it seemed to me, know it wasn't so funny during clean up. Sorry that happened. Sounds like something I would do! :0)

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  9. Dawn, it does tend to thicken up and I wondered if you were able to use your dispensers. I like it though and I just made another batch of it because I didn't have time to do the powder today. I just put mine in an old one gallon jar, then fill up a quart jar to use first. I just give it a good shake before I use it. One thing I have had to watch for with using the dispenser on the washer is that the detergent can solidify underneath somehow and cause the liquid to run down the front over time. I just remove the dispenser and clean in there often which needs to be done anyway.

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  10. Patti, I was not able to use the dispenser with this liquid. However, I've been using a powder batch that I made up and I'm so glad it's gone. Didn't like it at all. Going back to this semi-liquid one because it works so much better and get our clothes much cleaner. I will figure out a way to dispense it!

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  11. Just an interesting post! These recipes really need a try! Thanks

    Laundry products

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Thanks for sharing and for stopping by The GRAY Area!
Dawn