Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Ok, I know, I know another blog about homemade laundry detergent.  It seems everywhere I turn someone is talking about it, writing about it, vlogging about it....so what's all the hype?

Well let's start with some of the reasons that I personally started looking into alternatives to conventional detergents....

1. PRICE:  It is INSANELY expensive to purchase conventional laundry detergent these days.  I cannot even believe the racket that these manufacturers are creating.  It's just plain nuts.  Why should someone spend on average $16 per bottle of laundry detergent that does anywhere from 36-48 loads of laundry? I can't even remember a bottle of detergent lasting that long, so I don't know what the count is based on.  I probably had to buy a new 100oz bottle every month to month and a half.

Photo Source

2. CHEMICALS:  This is the real monster in the closet and is the reason I want to spend the most time on.  Have you ever considered what exactly is in your conventional laundry detergent?  Did you know that laundry detergent manufacturers are not required to list out the ingredients used to make the detergent on the label?  Many of the chemicals used in your brand of choice are cancer-causing toxins.....and the people responsible for this do not even have to WARN you about it.  How ridiculous is that?  That we are not even allowed to be told what it is we are using on our family's laundry.
     In 2008, the University of Washington did a study on detergents and found that 99% of laundry detergents tested contained cancer-causing toxins, many of which were not on the label in the list of ingredients.  The most dangerous being nonylphenol ethoxylate. Nonylphenol Ethoxylates (NPE) are bad for the environment, bad for wildlife and bad for YOU.  Some of the problems that NPEs are noted for causing are: Endocrine (growth and development of tissues and organs) disruption, reproductive disorders such as decreased sperm counts in men, learning disabilities, birth defects, is known to mimic the hormone estrogen and is suspected in causing cancer as well. There have also been studies done that show this chemical to cause damage to heart and muscle function.  NPEs are a major chemical used in PESTICIDES!  It is so toxic that its use has been banned in Canada and all of Europe, but the United States continues to use it.  How nice of them.  
  Using conventional laundry detergent causes a layer of detergent to remain on your clothing once it has been washed.  This causes you to inhale the detergent as well as get the chemicals absorbed into your skin.  The chemical will not instantly kill you.  It causes damage over time and even just from small amounts of it. 
    The next toxin that can be found in all laundry detergents (that I am sure you will NOT find on the label) is formaldehyde.  This is used as a preservative in many things (such as some of the vaccines we give our children! Another discussion for another time)...things you may never have even considered it to be in.  I myself did not realize how many things it was in until I began doing research on vaccines for my daughter and on laundry detergent. The first thing I think of when I hear the word 'Formaldehyde' is the dead, horribly smelly frog that we had to dissect freshman year of high school.  12 years later, I can STILL remember the awful aroma it emitted.  Why in God's name would I want something like that going into MY body---which, by the way, just happens to still be alive!  Or worse--why would I want to knowingly use anything containing it on my daughter!?  The short answer is- I don't.  Formaldehyde has been known to have side effects such as skin, eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches and nausea and has even been linked as a possible contributor to some cancers, including leukemia.  Once of the main reasons that the detergent you purchase smells so strongly of 'fragrance' is because of more chemicals that are being used to cover up that hideous formaldehyde smell.  So when you inhale that pleasant smelling detergent, you may actually be inhaling trace amounts of formaldehyde or other dangerous toxins as well.
    Being a new mother as well as newly diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I really wanted to inspect the products that my family was using on their bodies or ingesting in one form or another.  I strongly believe that my disease is environment caused.  I'm not saying by any means that "I have MS because I used to use Tide to wash my clothes". Absolutely not. But using Tide (or any other conventional detergent) may very well be a factor in the long list of crap we pollute our bodies with that has since attributed to my development of Multiple Sclerosis.  I decided that I wanted to avoid as many toxins as I possibly could help. I know it's not easy, and I know it is damn near impossible to avoid them completely. I focus mainly on my daughter. I do not use soaps or washes or shampoos on her. Babies just do not need it. I mainly use all natural or homemade lotions and treatments for her eczema or diaper rashes, or whatever else she may need. 

Anyway- those are the two main reasons that I have chosen to steer my family away from the habitual use of conventional laundry detergents such as the infamous Tide. Let's move onto what is actually in the detergent that I use and how I go about making it. :)

The recipe that I use contains 4 basic ingredients:
     -Water
     -Borax
     -Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
     -Bar of Soap (Preferably homemade or all natural, but something like Fels Naptha, Dr.       Bonners or Ivory would work as well.)

     I also use essential oils, typically Lavender and Orange, though you could use any scent that you would like.


     Let's look at Borax...  20 Mule Team Borax was established in 1891.  Borax or Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate is a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water.  It consists of 99.5 percent pure naturally occurring borax. There are no synthetic, man-made chemicals in it at all.  No fragrance, dyes, bleach or other additives.  Even though it is all natural and has a low toxicity--do not think that it is nontoxic so be sure to still keep it out of reach of your children, pets and even your crazy mother in law who might think it's a box of bath salts. :)
     Borax helps to soften hard water and cleans and deodorizes many different surfaces.  In doing my research I found a poorly written article that claimed that borax was dangerous and not to use it.  The problem with the article is that they were labeling Borax as "sodium borate and boric acid"  Borax is sodium tetraborate--a completely different compound.  It is NOT the same as boric acid or sodium borate.  Boron is a mineral and salt that is mined straight from the ground.  Boric Acid--the compound that can actually be harmful--is created by mixing borax with another acid such as sulfuric or hydrochloric.  Borax is completely natural and does not cause cancer or build up in your body.

     Next up, Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda... Washing soda is NOT the same as baking soda.   Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, while washing soda is sodium carbonate.  You do not want to use baking soda in your laundry detergent.  Washing soda has a higher pH level than baking soda and therefore is a stronger compound to use for cleaning.   Washing soda is also great at softening water, it works as a bleach substitute by fighting stains, and also neutralizes odors.  It can also be used to treat stains such as oil, grease, wine or juice, lipstick and wax.

 Now onto the fun stuff!  The actual making of the laundry soap.  

First, I gathered up all of my materials & ingredients:

20 Mule Team Borax

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

Bar of Soap (Fels Naptha)

Empty Laundry Detergent Bottle or Suitable Container

Essential Oils

5 Gallon Bucket---with lid

The next step is to grate the bar of soap.  I just use the largest side of a cheese grater.                                                                                        You could use a food processor if you wanted.  You want to grate the whole bar (or as much as you can without grating your fingers into the mix as well!)   

Once the soap is completely grated you will add it to a pot that contains 4 cups of water.  I usually set it over medium heat.  You just want to get it hot enough to melt the soap down.  Continually stir so it does not burn or clump together.                                                      

After melting the soap down, you will want to fill your 5 gallon bucket half full with hot water.  Measure out your Borax & Washing soda.  Pour the soap into the bucket of water & then add the Borax & Washing Soda.  Mix thoroughly.

My Little Mixing Helper

Once everything is mixed well, fill the bucket the rest of the way with water.  Put the cover on tightly.  Let the mix sit overnight to harden/gelatinise.  

The next day when you open the container, it will look like a heaping bucket of jello or cellulite (like you see on tv!) Generally I give it a good mix again (or let my little helper do it).  Then I will fill an emptied out conventional laundry detergent container halfway with the soap mixture.  Then fill it the rest of the way with water.  Add your essential oils (if you choose), Shake, and you are good to go!  The soap WILL be clumpier than you are used to.  This is normal and perfectly ok. You will probably want to shake the container each time you use it just to give it a good mix.  

Below is the complete recipe, Enjoy!!

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap 

-Add soap to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium heat until soap is melted and dissolved.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until everything is dissolved and mixed together.  Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover tightly and let sit overnight to gelatinise.

-Mix again and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap mixture and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. I use Lavender and Orange

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- Approximately 1/2 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)