Cost Effective laundry powder

Homemade Laundry Liquid

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As a family, we are always looking for more sustainable ways of doing things and often when we make changes, we find they are in fact simpler and more cost effective.

That’s certainly the case with laundry liquid! It’s a space I have struggled with since having kids, and not just because of the amount of washing! Often, we have found our kids sensitive skin has reacted to the chemicals and fragrances in popular brands.

This recipe is amazing. I know exactly what’s in it, which I love, and it’s really easy to make.

We originally tried this recipe after it was recommended by one of our lovely customers Jane, who has an amazing passion for being waste free and loves to share her tips. As Jane wrote, the sustainable changes she has made ‘become a routine and … it makes life simpler, certainly less wasteful and healthier for our lives and the planet.”

With Jane’s encouragement, we have shared her recipe below and would encourage you to give it a go as well. The ingredients can be easily purchased at your local supermarket. In Jane’s experience, this amount will last a year. We are still working through our first batch a few months later, although we are almost ready for a second batch, as I can’t help giving it away as samples!

Homemade Laundry Liquid

  • 1 bar of a soap of your choice (Check the ingredients and try to choose one with minimal additives and fragrances. Jane recommended Dr Bronner’s for anyone wanting a vegan recipe)
  • 1 cup of Lectric Washing Soda
  • 30ml of an Essential Oil of your choice (Whilst Lavender is a popular option, Jane recommended eucalyptus, which I love. Our clothes smell really fresh and amazing!)
  • Hot water

Method

  1. Grate your bar of soap into a large cooking pot.
  2. Cover with water and allow this to simmer over medium heat, stirring continuously, until all the soap has melted.
  3. Pour this into a large bucket, at least 20-25L in size.
  4. Then add in your Lectric Washing soda to the mix and top it off with hot water filling it to the top (an inch or two from the top). I find it easiest to do this one hot water jug at a time, stirring after each addition.
  5. Stir this mixture often as it starts cooling down with a long spoon or stick.
  6. Allow this to gel overnight, and still give it an occasional stir as it starts to thicken. You can adjust the consistency by adding more hot water if required.
  7. Once it has cooled and gelled, pour into a container for use. A previously used laundry liquid container works perfectly. I then use large glass jars to store the extra.

For top loader washing machines use one cup per load, and for front loading machines use half a cup per load. It doesn’t get as bubbly as usual without the detergent, however the results will speak for themselves!

Let us know what you think if you do make this!

Please also continue to touch base and share with us any other sustainability tips that our family and the wider community need to embrace!