1 cup baking soda
2-4 cups borax
1 cup white vinegar
2-4 cups washing soda
1 teaspoon sweet orange essential oil
1 teaspoon grapefruit essential oil
In large bowl combine all ingredients stirring well adding more or less or borax and washing soda to get desired consistency. Be sure the wet ingredients are mixed in well and that you add enough washing soda and borax so it will not be wet or become a hard to break up mass when it dries. Don't be afraid to add more powder if you think it's too wet. I like mine to be a crumbly powder that breaks up easily. I use about 1/4 cup to each load of laundry, 1/2 cup for more soiled or larger loads. Add the detergent to the water in the washing machine before items to be washed.
Oh be sure to note that this detergent works great in HE washers because of it's low sudsing.....ness! ;)
8 comments:
I have never heard of washing soda. Where would I find it?
Washing Soda can be found in the laundry isle at most any grocery store. I have also heard you can buy it in bulk online if you search for Soda Ash (I guess it's the same thing) really cheap when you buy it that way making this recipe that much more affordable!
Thank you! I will look for it. I have been wanting to make my own for a while now.
I've had to go to multiple stores to find washing soda in the past. I think the associated food stores are more likely to carry it than others, that's where I finally tracked it down.
Anyway, thanks for the recipe, I'll try it for sure.
For an alternative to detergent, I have used soap nuts, which were nice, but I made them into a liquid first. I think the method where you just throw a few in a bag and stick that in the washer would be preferable.
I have been making my own detergent for several years now. So, here's my question, do you notice fading with your colored laundry? I've read that borax can fade colors faster, so I wondered if you noticed that if you increase the concentration of borax in your detergent (4 cups instead of 2, for instance).
Queen Mommy: I haven't noticed a lot of fading just the typical long term had them forever type fading. I do usually put more of the washing soda than the borax though. I use about 2 cups borax and almost 4 cups washing soda.
I've tried using a similar "recipe" in the past but we have extremely hard water and it just doesn't do the job. I've ended up using Seventh Generation Free & Clear and adding borax for the whites and heavily soiled. Glad it works for you!!!
Sharon: We do have soft water so I'm sure that helps. I have also used the Seventh Generation and this works the same or maybe a little better for me with the soft water.
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