Aug 10, 2010

The verdict on the DIY laundry detergent


It's a big YES! This mixture (baking soda, white vinegar, washing soda, liquid Castile soap & a bit of a favorite essential oil) does a really nice job of cleaning clothes. With only 5 ingredients and a bit of elbow grease, I've got excellent laundry detergent for about the next month.See previous post for how to make it.

As you may know from reading my Bloody April series, I have switched to re-usable menstrual pads. This laundry detergent fully cleaned them & even removed some stains! So that is just how well it worked for me.

Now, if you associate clean clothes with a strong smell of Tide, or any other perfumed detergent, you will have to adjust to a neutral smell if you wish to use DIY detergent. I tried to scent the stuff with essential oils, and the scent just doesn't survive the washing & drying process. So in future, I will add an oil (oh, tangerine is so yummy) when I am air drying the clothing in question. All the wash, while unquestionably clean, lacked a smell after coming out of the dryer.

4 comments:

  1. I love the scent of "clean" and find most commercial detergents detestable. I scurry down the shop isle when picking up my washing soda or borax so that my eyes don't run too much and so my throat doesn't close up!

    This coming year I plan to make my own utility soap to grate into a power mixture for laundry. I make my own "bleach" with lemon juice, water and hydrogen peroxide - though I often use lemon juice on its own with very nice results.

    Merry laundry doing and earth loving to you!

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  2. Oh - and BTW - I've been meaning to drop by to say how much I love the Crone Stones that won here during a giveaway! I've recently started reading for others with them with wonderful results. Thanks again for a wonderful blog and for opportunities to learn and grow and share.

    Peace.

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  3. I hung some dresses on the shower curtain rod to dry, and they have given the bathroom a fresh clean smell! Definitely not overpowering, like Tide, but a lovely scent.

    I will give your bleach recipe a shot when I need some. I try to soak stains in cold water asap, and this really helps.

    I'm glad the Crone Stones are working well for you! I enjoyed handling them the little while I had them.

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  4. Thank you for sharing your results! This has given me great ideas for magickal cleaning - and future gifts for the hedgewitches I know :)

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