Thursday, May 30, 2013

DIY Powdered Laundry Detergent a Penny Per Load



Over the years I have used many different recipes to make my own laundry soap.  I converted from regular liquid soap you buy in a store to liquid soap I made on my own.  Most call for a good bar of soap, borax (toxic yuck) and washing soda.  I have been on the look out for a good simple recipe for a few years now.  It wasn't until I started cleaning homes for people the all natural non toxic way that I had a epiphany.  Baking soda and vinegar is all you need to clean a home. Bingo! 

Ingredients you will need: 

Baking soda 3lbs
I gathered free samples of soaps from Whole Foods and used them in my soap. Free!

Bar of soap your choice 1/3 the bar per 3 lbs of baking soda 
I recommend using a non oily soap. Moisturizing soaps can leave oil on your clothes. The point of this soap is to clean and deodorize.

Tools: Small grater, container to put your powder soap in and a fork to stir with.

Step one-grate the whole bar of soap or as much scent as you can handle. I use an all natural soap because we have many skin allergies but you can use anything you want.  

Step two-Mix in baking soda

How to use: 1 tablespoon per load for any washer. 

Thats it. Your done. I'm not kidding. It's that simple. 

My cost
I bought a 5 pound bag of baking soda for $3.85 and the soap were free samples. There is about 72 tablespoons in one pound, making there 360 tablespoons in 5 pounds of baking soda and that equals out to a little over a penny per load of laundry.  Possibly more if you use less than one tablespoon.  Cheap huh? My thoughts exactly.

I have a HE washer and have been using this for a year now. I don't have any powder build up but if you find you are having any just use less powder per load of laundry. 

Questions

What if our clothes are stinky stink bombs?
I have 2 kids in sports and trust me when I say I know how your feeling. Simply soak the clothes in a bucket of water with 1 tablespoon of this soap. Soak for 30 minutes then toss in your washer and wash as usual. Baking soda is great for getting smells out of clothes.

What do you use for bleach?
I don't use bleach because its toxic. Instead I use hydrogen peroxide in its place.  I have a HE washer with a preset amount I can pour in. If you don't have a preset amount just put 1/2 cup in your wash of whites. Soak if needed.

Can I use this powder mixture to clean anything else?
You bet you can! For hard to clean ring around your tub get a small bowl and add in a 1/2 cup of this powder mixture and add just enough hydrogen peroxide into it to make a paste.  Scrub your bath tub with this and it will get any stain and oil off your tub.  Works wonders! You can also sprinkle it into toilets and scrub with a toilet brush to clean your toilets. This can be used to even clean your kitchen sink!

Can I use this on dark clothes and whites?
Yes you can use it on both. I have never had any clothes discolor or get ruined. 

So as you can see this really is a simple, easy and frugal way to wash your clothes or home. My favorite part is that you can make it smell like any scent you want or just use baking soda alone. Totally catered to your specific needs. That my friend is awesome!

Cloth Diapers?

Looking for a recipe to use with cloth diapers? The Eco-Friendly Family has a great recipe here to try.

Want to use soap nuts but like powdered soaps? The Eco-Friendly Family has that as well! Check the recipe out here

Borax Free Recipe?

Ecokaren has a great borax free recipe here

She also has a great recipe for Non Toxic and Cheap Homemade Laundry Detergent.

If you have a front loader (like me) she also wrote a great post on Front Loading Washer Maintenance. 














Disclaimer-Use at your own will.  This has worked for me but test it out before you use it on all your clothes. I'm not responsible for anything that might happen to your clothes. This is just helpful tips and idea's that hopefully will work for you.






6 comments:

deniseathome said...

Dies the hydrogen peroxide work as well as bleach? This gets out food stains. I already use vinegar as a fabric and water softener, our water here is very hard. Will the vinegar fight with the baking soda. Sorry for all the questions. Thanks

Anonymous said...

HEllo. I've been using the recipe you mention with washing soda and Borax. I have one question: I don't see where you mention how much baking soda to add per bar of soap. Thanks!

Surviving and thriving on pennies said...

Deniseathome-Hydrogen Peroxide works just as well as bleach. For newer washers you should be okay using both. Old ones probably not because there are no compartments that take soap/vinegar at certain times.

Lilacsandsnowflakes-You use baking soda alone and just add enough grated soap to your liking. The soap helps but is pretty much just for scent. I used about 1/2 a bar of soap per 4lbs of baking soda. If you don't want any scent just leave the bar of soap out

Stephanie said...

I seen a housewarming gift photo you had on Facebook where you were giving this to your friend. I had to check you blog to see if the recipe was here. Found it! I was using the recipe with washing soda and borax but heard borax was really harsh. I want to know how this works on stains? My girls play hard... dirt and grass stains... and sometimes chocolate milk. Does this work on stains? Need a good stain remover soap with a baby on the way.

Surviving and thriving on pennies said...

Stephanie-Yeah I stopped using borax as well because of reports of how toxic it is. I keep the liquid soap recipe up for those not worried about the borax.

For now I use just baking soda and grated soap. Its the easiest recipe and I make it up myself. I like to keep things simple lol. As for stains well like any stain I need to soak it and try to scrub it out. I have yet to use a laundry soap that gets all stains out. If it did I would be worried about what toxic ingredients are in it lol. For colored clothes I get the garment wet on the stain area and then take a bar of soap and rub the crud out of it. 99% of the time it gets the stain out. For whites I use a new product called Pure Oxygen Whitener. I soak it for a while and that usually works. Here is the link. You can find some amazing products there for rock bottom prices too.
http://www.ecostoreusa.com/pure-oxygen-whitener/

Sheri Sunshine's Blog said...

Those tips really work for me! Useful post! Thanks

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