My Laundry Sauce Recipe

My Laundry Sauce Recipe

laundry detergent using essential oils

I am sure you are as pressed for time like I am, so I won't bore you with lots of tidbits about me. Who has time for that kind of stuff in the middle of a school year if you are a parent with school age children? And if you are not in that category, I am sure you are just as busy, so let's get on with it! You may not have ever made laundry detergent, but don't be scared. I've done it twice a year since 2006 and I'm not quite insane. Why would you want to? Because it saves you lots and lots of money compared to store brand and some of those things are made by companies I don't want to support or that I don't trust the ingredients. 

This is what you will need.

• 1 cup of Borax (I use 20 Mule Team I buy from Publix, about $3.50 a box)
• 1 cup of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (This is not the same thing as baking soda!)
• 1 bar of Fels-Naptha bar soap (Also at Publix, about $1.30. I've been told you can substitute Ivory)
• 1 bar ofOctagon bar soap * Optional ($1 at Publix and Piggly Wiggly)
• 1 cup of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda *Optional (I buy from CostCo for about $7)
• Young Living essential oil of choice *Optional but you really should! (If you don't know where to get this, contact me at thiswholeoilylife@gmail.com and I will get you hooked up! Below will be listed the combos I've used)
• a blender
• a heavy bottom pot
• clean glass jars with lids
• approximately 10 cups of water

I've made several different kinds of laundry detergent now, and this one has become my favorite, mainly because the consistency of it (think mayo, cool whip, or meringue) melts so well into the water in my washing machine. It also takes up less room and I can begin using it the same day compared to the five gallon bucket method. However, feel free to try the others and see what you think. To see the original, what began it all 5 gallon bucket method, go here. For a dry version go here. For a laundry booster recipe go here. And for homemade dryer sheets that can compliment the scent of your laundry detergent, go here

On the first step you have a couple of options. You need to grind the soap bars into a powder. To do this you can use only your trusty knife and perfect your chopping skills on a handy dandy cutting board to get the soap into fine granules, or you can save yourself a lot of hassle and put the soap in a blender. I've done the first method, but I'm all about saving time, so I use my wonderful, how did I ever live without Ninja blender. The small one works fine for this, but chop the soap up into smaller chunks first, in case your blender can't handle it.

This is what it will look like when you get done pulsing it.

You will then empty this into a heavy bottomed pot with sides at least 6 inches high, to prevent running over later. Add a cup of water put on high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. You may have to turn the heat down to medium high, but keep a watch on it, stirring until the soap granules dissolve. Sorry I don't have a picture of this step.

While the soap granules are melting, place in a bowl 1 cup of the following

 Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

20 Mule Team Borax                                                                                A & M Super Washing Soda

This is what it will look like

                                               

Now the first few times I did this all lumped together in one bowl on this step, but the last time I put the ingredients in 3 separate bowls. Do whichever you prefer.

After the soap granules have melted COMPLETELY then add the rest of the 3 powders SLOWLY. This is why you need the high sided pot, because the interaction between the ingredients can cause the mixture to foam up. You may also need to add more water at this point. I've discovered it depends on the weather as to how much water I need. In the summer I need more water, in the winter not so much.

After the mix is completely incorporated, you will continue to cook it until they is no gritty feeling left when you stir the pot with your wooden spoon. This takes approximately 30 minutes on my electric glass top stove.

I am big on repurposing things and not wasting, so I reuse my glass spaghetti jars that have been cleaned and for the smaller amounts salsa jars I've cleaned. You could use quart canning jars if you wanted or whatever clean glass jars with lids you have.

The next step is to pour the soap mixture into the jars. I use my canning funnel for this, but you can just ladle it over if you don't have one. Just be careful! This stuff is hot!

Put the lids on and turn your hot jars upside down on your counter top with a potholder. Leave the jars for four hours or overnight. You can use this time to clean up, do other chores or drink a cup of coffee and read a good book. I am partial to the last option because life is short!

After four hours, you will open your jars and pry out the mixture into a blender. I have found a butter knife works really well for this. Just stir it around, like you are churning butter if you've ever done that. After you've gotten the cooled soap into your blender, gradually add about four cups of water per 1 cup of soap mixture. This all depends on how hard your soap mix set up and once again the weather. The consistency you are looking for is that of cool whip or a light frosting.

At the very end, add whatever essential oils you like the smell of. Since you will have more than one batch you have to put through the blender to turn into the sauce, you can experiment with what smells you like by doing more than one batch. Keep in mind the laundry soap itself has a smell so you want something that will go with it. What I generally do is open the bottles and hold them over the soap and sniff. That way I get an overall sense of the smell.

Here are the combinations I have used, only using Young Living essential oils:

This is combo is my favorite right now. I used 20 drops of Jade Lemon and 15 of Stress Away

This is the combination to have for stinky gross dirty clothes! I used 20 drops of Lavender and 15 drops of Purification. It is what I use on soured clothes or our work clothes.

This is a good one to have on hand for when someone in the family has been sick, yourself included, and you need to get rid of the germies and cooties. It also great for those things like rugs, dog bedding and such.

This laundry sauce only requires 1 Tablespoon per largest load. I use it on everything: whites, darks, lights, towels, bedding etc. except my delicate wools, which I still use Woolite for. I usually end up with 6 large jars and 3 small jars when I make this and it lasts me about 6 months for a family of 3 adults and two children. And let me tell you, this family has far too many clothes, especially the children and sometimes my 7 yr old son changes 3 times a day and his laundry hamper fills to overflowing fast! We wash approximately 7-10 loads a week depending on if we're washing bedding, etc. So about just say you will get about 200-240 loads out of this. I buy my supplies in bulk, so I can really give you a cost breakdown.

What your "sauce" will look like

A few of my jars. I used to put fancy labels on them, but I have to wash them when they are empty to reuse them, so now I just write what is in them and the date with a sharpie. This way I can make sure it is lasting long enough and gauge when I will need to make the next batch.

How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

Okay, so I am trying to save money however I can, you know: pinch the penny till it screams. I came across making laundry detergent and in our family that washes a load of clothes a day (especially hubby's work clothes) this sounded like a good idea. I also found other cleaning tips that I will share at the end after explaining how I made the laundry detergent.

Recipe:
1/2 bar of Colgate's Octagon All Purpose Soap ($1.30ish per bar)
1 cup of Borax ($4.00ish per box)
1/2 cup of Baking Soda (5o cents per box)
5 gallon bucket with lid (free from husband's work)
Water

~The Borax took me a while to find and I finally found it at Western Supermarket on Rocky Ridge Road in Birmingham, Al. It was about four dollars, I forget the exact amount, though.
~The Octagon soap was also at Western Supermarket and about a $1.30 a bar. The original recipe I came across called for Fels Naptha soap but I could not find that anywhere. Any all purpose soap or even Ivory will work for this, if you can't find anything else.
~The Baking Soda I already had on hand for cleaning my glass top stove. Cost at Walmart is about $0.50. Side note or rabbit trail: Use the recipe for an all purpose cleaner at the bottom and sprinkle baking soda on top of it, it will clean your smooth glass top stoves better than the expensive stuff that smells bad


#1 First step: cut up or grate soap into pieces and place in a pot with approx. 4 cups of water. Heat until pieces dissolve.
The Octagon soap is like a glycerin or cake soap and come to find out is what my great-grandmother and great grandparent-in-laws used to wash their clothes.

*Now I must caution you on the next steps! Take it as user experience or me just being ditsy.
I didn't look back at the directions as I was making this, so I goofed.*
After you cut up half the bar and place it in 4 cups of water to melt,
#2 Second Step: Place the mix in the 5 gallon bucket.
#3 Third Step: Add more water and the cup of Borax, stir.
#4 Fourth Step: Add more water, and the half cup of Baking Soda, stir and more water.
DO NOT add the baking soda to the mix still in the pot or you will have a science experiment on your hands! Can you tell that is what I did?!
It started growing and growing and growing. I had to grab another pot and separate the mix but it kept on growing and bubbling so I ran for the 5 gallon bucket in the laundry area and dumped the whole mix in that. I added water, and after it stopped growing I added the Borax. It caused the mix to gel some and stop the bubbling foam trying to take over. So sorry I didn't get pictures of that, they would have been Internet worthy for sure, but I had other things on my mind at the time. I am sure you understand.


Let the mixture sit for 24 hours in the 5 gallon bucket with the lid on and stir before using. The consistency will be neither a liquid or gel, unless you adjust the amounts of soap and Borax (less making more of a liquid, more making a thicker gel). You can experiment to see what works for you, but a cup of the mixture is enough for a load in the wash for us. Disclaimer: mine turned into more of a liquid because I didn't add the ingredients in the right order, but it still works beautifully. It doesn't sud up like I expected to, but the clothes smell wonderful.
Rest assured these ingredients do really clean clothes, individually as well. These three ingredients will clean your clothes, remove stains, and keep them white.
The cost is nothing compared to what you pay for the more expensive ready made kind and this way you know you are not putting anything toxic on your clothes. I won't go into all the math except to say I was paying about $0.28 cents a load for my detergent, and now I am paying about $0.01 a load. That is a savings of $0.27 a load! If you figure a load approx. a day for us, that is a savings of $98.55 a year!!

Now for my other tips relating to laundry:
~Tip 1 Instead of using the expensive fabric softener which has strong perfume and who knows what else in it, use vinegar. Yes, vinegar! Use the recommended amount for your washing machine in the fabric softener spot. I put four drops of Bath and Body Works Fig and Brown Sugar eccentric oil in mine to give it a nice smell. Just make sure it coincides with the smell of your laundry detergent and use the fabric softener rinse cycle. The clothes do not come out smelling like vinegar but instead smell fresh and clean because vinegar, in its sour content, removes bad smells. For those of you wondering, vinegar is made from the oxidation of ethanol in an alcohol-containing liquid, such as wine, fermented fruit juice, or beer.(source: wisegeek)
The savings you ask? About $73 a year. If you add in making our own laundry detergent then we are up to $171.55 already a year savings.
~ Tip 2 Cut your fabric softener dryer sheets in half and only use half a sheet in a load. We tried only using vinegar sprayed on a washcloth, but we still had static in our clothes. So far, the half sheet has been easy and works just fine. Savings: about $8.oo a year. Maybe that doesn't seem like a lot but you are still getting twice as much for the money.
~ Tip 3 Instead of buying name brand stain removers for clothes, especially for the kids clothes, use dish washing liquid. I use whatever I have on hand, but don't use anything with bleach in it or you will bleach your clothes. Just dab on the spot and put aside until you wash the item. Don't leave for more than a week though, or the soap may stain the stain on the clothes. I consider this one free, because I already have the soap and I don't have to buy any especially for this use.

Other cleaning tips:
~ ALL PURPOSE Cleaner Take a spray bottle and pour in one ounce of vinegar. Fill the bottle with warm water and add one Tablespoon of baking soda to bottle. Do not add baking soda before adding the water to the vinegar or you will have a volcano erupt from the bottle. Add drops of essential oil, like peach or orange, to the bottle for a pleasing scent.
~ STREAK/FOG FREE MIRRORS After cleaning the mirror, rub a little vinegar over the surface with a clean rag. This will keep it streak free and prevent it from fogging during showers. If it starts to streak again, reapply.
~ SPOT CLEANER FOR CARPET This is for if you have a carpet cleaner and have the solution on hand. Take one ounce of the carpet cleaning solution and place in a spray bottle. Fill the bottle with water and spray on spots, letting sit for about five minutes. Rub gently with a clean rag to remove spots.
~ STAINLESS STEEL SINK CLEANER I know it says it is stainless, but I get brown residue on the bottom of my sink. So does everyone I know that has a stainless steel sink. Simply wet the sink and sprinkle baking soda, let it sit for about 15 minutes. Use your dish sponge or scrub pad to scrub away the stains. Then rinse with water. Baking soda will not harm you if ingested and also works as a grit in cleaning dishes.
~ BURNT RESIDUE IN PAN simply sprinkle salt over burnt places and let sit overnight. The salt makes the burnt pieces brittle and easy to break up. If the burnt residue is stubborn, try adding just a little water to it.
~ HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE Now I don't use this one often, but it does work. Take a baking soda and place a small amount in the bottom of a shallow dish. Add a tiny bit of water and some peroxide. Dip in toothbrush and clean away.