Making Your Own Laundry Soap

I have always used All Free and Clear because I have very sensitive skin. Dryer sheets and detergents irritated my skin. So I decided to make my own powder detergent. My mother in law told me with her dishwasher that the repair man suggests using powder and only a teaspoon of whatever you choose because the liquid gunks up the machine and yes gunk is a very technical term. So a friend gave me the following recipe. Equal Parts: washing soda, baking soda, and L.A.’s Total Oxygen. I will break down some of the ingredients below and where to find them.

Homemade Laundry Soap

1. Washing Soda– I usually buy mine at Walmart and find it in the laundry department. My Target does not carry it. My local small grocery store does. Here is some on Amazon but they don’t always have the best prices. Really Walmart or one of those would.
2. Baking Soda– We all use it to bake but washing…. yes washing! The hardest part here is finding a large box. Although I hate Walmart they usually have a large box. Amazon also carries it.
3. LA’s Total Oxygen– This I buy at the dollar tree and usually purchase 4 at a time. They are only $1. It gets an A rating at the ewg website.

You can see how I store mine in a picture above. I use a snap ware container. I’ve searched high and low and it doesn’t look like you can buy the exact one I have anymore. I use 1-2 tablespoons in my HE washer. The LA Total Oxygen comes with a scoop and it’s not quite one scoop that I put in.

I use this in my dishwasher too. I have a kitchen aid dishwasher and I only use about a teaspoon. I also use stopped using Finish as my rinse agent and now use Shaklee Basic H diluted to the all-purpose strength. The bottle of Basic H lasts forever and you can clean anything with it.

I think my dishes and clothes come out great. Know that you won’t have a smell to your laundry unless you add essential oils or use dryer sheets or something. I use dryer balls from Norwex. You can also add a drop or two of essential oils to your dryer balls if you want a smell. BUT remember that smell is not natural. It is chemicals and we have been trained to like that scent by the laundry companies 🙂