There are countless brands in the market which claim that they are natural laundry detergent and do not harm clothes .There are some of the best things you can use to make your own detergent.
Fels Naptha
You can typically find this in the laundry aisle by natural laundry detergent and fabric softener. It will be near the bottom shelf and shouldn’t cost more than $1.50 or so for a whole bar. This bar will last you forever, and pretty much only needs to be replaced if it gets too small to hold.
Other benefits:
Fels Naptha, like castile soap, has lots of uses beyond laundry. You can use it to get rid of your stretch marks (or other scars), make a paste and apply to bug bites or poison ivy/oak rashes, clean the tub & tile in your bathroom with it (it will not scratch anything I promise), etc. This probably goes without saying, but I soap everything that needs cleaning in my house from this bar! bundlenews
Sodium Borate
This is more common by the scouring agents like Comet, but it’s frequently next to the dishwasher detergent (if your store even still carries it). It will be around $2-3 for a box, and should last you 3-6 months. This ingredient works as a booster because it is an enzymatic cleaner, meaning it has enzymes in it to break down organic dirt & staining (grass stains for example).
Some may say that Borax (the laundry version of Sodium Borate) is bad to use in your laundry because it has trace amounts of Arsenic in it. This is false. The FDA says that the amount of arsenic in Borax or Sodium Borate is too low to be harmful, and there are trace amounts of it in most soils, so technically you’re exposed to more arsenic by eating conventionally farmed produce than you would be by using Borax in your natural laundry detergent. It is also less dangerous to use on your clothes than the carcinogenic ingredient that it is replacing (perchloroethylene).
Peroxide
Yes, you can make your own oxygen bleach! The two ingredients are 3% food grade hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. To use this mix together 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide. Use this mix in place of your natural laundry detergent when washing whites. This is basically the same thing as oxygen bleach you’d buy if you don’t want to make your own, just cheaper!
Borax
This is another great booster, but it’s not as strong as Sodium Borate, so I don’t use this often. It’s also pretty common to find, but not nearly as common as baking soda or Fels Naptha/Castille soap. This is typically found by the scouring agents like Comet or Ajax, or even with your natural laundry detergent & fabric softener. You’ll pay about $5ish for a box. It works as a booster because it is an enzymatic cleaner, meaning it has enzymes in it to break down organic dirt & staining (grass stains for example).
This ingredient is really only needed if you have tried the Oxygen Bleach and Borax and found they weren’t strong enough. The Borax or Oxygen Bleach alone should definitely get your whites fairly white, so you probably won’t need this.
Dawn Dish Soap as Natural Laundry detergent agent
I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but this too is another enzymatic cleaner. You can use it in place of natural laundry detergent on dark clothes that bleed (i.e. black yoga pants), and it will keep them from bleeding on other clothes as well. tunai4d
This is great for removing grease stains and oil-based stains, especially those that you can’t remove with just soap & water alone (i.e. car grease). This will be $2-$3 for a large bottle (usually 12-16 ounces).
Salt along with Natural laundry detergent
I don’t use this often, but sometimes adding salt with natural laundry detergent to the wash will help set in stains (especially grease spots) so they’re easier to get out. Just start with 1/4 cup and work your way up if you have a larger load of laundry.
You can also make your own natural laundry detergent at your home :
I have made the best natural laundry detergent for all purpose cleaning. Why? Well, because it’s really cheap and easy to make, it will last you a long time before you need to replace it, and it makes your clothes clean without leaving any residue behind. If you are sensitive to fragrances or chemicals then this is perfect for you. It is also hypoallergenic, so if you have skin sensitivities to perfumes or dyes then this is a great product for you. It is gentle on your skin and won’t cause any redness or irritation.
– All natural Laundry detergent –
What You Will Need:
1 bar of Fels Naptha (found in the laundry aisle of your local grocery store)
1 cup borax
About 1/2 box of baking soda
4 cups hot water
5 gallon bucket with lid, found at your local hardware store. Try to get one without a hole or spout near the bottom for easy pouring. You could also use a big mixing bowl with a lid if that is all you have.
1/4 cup of this natural laundry soap per load. That might seem like a tiny bit but it will be enough to get your clothes clean and fresh smelling. If it doesn’t get them clean add more the next time, 1/4 cup is really just meant as a starting point.
This will be enough for 64 loads of laundry, so it is cheap and lasts a long time!
To Make Natural Laundry detergent:
- Grate the Fels Naptha using your cheese grater. I just keep grating until it’s pretty small but not completely powdered. Don’t throw away the leftover bar yet, we’ll use it in a minute.
- Pour the borax, baking soda and hot water into your bucket or bowl (if you are using a bowl make sure its heatproof) Whisk everything together until it’s well combined to avoid any clumps. This took me about 2 minutes with my whisk. The mixture starts to get pretty bubbly.
- Add the Fels Naptha and stir well. Put the lid on your bucket or bowl and let it sit overnight, this will dissolve much easier than trying to do it in one sitting.
- Pull the soap out of the mixture and put it in a container for later use (it will last a long time until you need it again). To use, pour about 1/4 cup of your new laundry soap into the soap dispenser. Add clothes and run through the wash cycle as usual (don’t forget to add fabric softener if you need it!)
- When it’s all done with your Natural Laundry detergent recipe, pull out your clothes and enjoy a job well done in minimal effort! 🙂
The best laundry detergent you can buy from any local shop is Lumehra’s natural laundry detergent which is free of harmful chemicals and is kind to your skin. It never ruins the quality of your cloth and releases a soothing scent from your washed laundry. This detergent never harms the environment or causes damage to your skin. Your clothes would be cleaned effectively without using a chemical-detergent. Even though you can make your own detergent, Lumehra’s natural laundry detergent is available instantly and saves a lot of time when you start making it on your own.