I have been converting the cleaning products I use to all natural and home made for quite some time. I either made or purchased awhile, a "natural" version as one of the regular bands I had already had ran out -- I didn't want to just throw out good money which is what I would be doing if I tossed a 1/2 empty bottle of 409 or something.
Why would I go to the trouble? I want to get away from the harsh cleaning agents and limit the chemicals my family is exposed to. It will be better for our septic system in the long run as well. After all, my grandma was able to clean just fine with vinegar, borax, baking soda, and some muscle.
The recipes are out there, and they are plentiful. One weekend I tried a recipe for laundry soap that someone had Pinned. I thought, why not. I tried a liquid soap recipe but something wasn't quite right about it (whether it was cook error or recipe, I'm not sure). So, it was back to the drawing board - or supermarket for me. . .
One if the switches I made was to Mrs. Meyers. It does a good job, I love that I can tailor the fragrance I use, it's OK with my septic system, and the best part - I can just pick it up of the shelf. The down side? It's as expensive as the other stuff - definitely not a way to save money. Still, it was a good transition given the convenience.
Now that it's summer, and I have more time (and I'm almost out of soap) I thought I'd give it another try. In my test kitchen today - laundry soap for HE machines. Most recipes were variations of the one I eventually used - can't wait to try it on towels.
Ingredients & supplies:
An airtight container (gallon size at least)
cheese grater
food processor
4 cups Borax
4 cups Washing Soda
2 bars grated bar soap
I used Ivory, cause it's what I had on hand - other recommendations are Castille or Fell's Naptha
2 cups Oxiclean (dye and fragrance free)
There seems to be great debate as to the "naturalness of this product" but I leave it to you to decide - it has Sodium Carbonate (washing soda) and Sodium Percarbonate (basically hydrogen peroxide in solid form which probably explains why it works so darn well.
10-15 drops Lavender essential oil
You could also use TeaTree, Camomile, or whatever you prefer - just remember a little goes a long way.
Steps:
1. I ran the powder 2 cups at a time through my Vitamix (except for the Oxi - it was already very fine).
2. I added each portion to my airtight storage container
3. Mixed it it all together once I was done (next time I'll add the soap last - I discovered it stuck to the container a bit when I mixed it)
4. Added the essential oil, put the lid on and gave it a shake.
2 tablespoon for regular loads and 3 tablespoons for heavily soiled loads should be plenty, I'll let you know.
I didn't think to stop and take pictures along the way. I have to remember that for next time.
Also, I did some extra research and feel safe using this recipe with our septic system because there are ZERO phosphates and ZERO fillers. That means there's nothing to harm necessary septic bacteria. Yea!
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