Eco-Safe and Budget Friendly

If you are looking for a way to help reduce the cost of household expense, or are concerned about the ecological impact that store bought cleaners may be having, why not trying using a homemade laundry detergent.

You can make either liquid or powder detergents at home and all you will need is bar soap, borax, and washing soda (similar to baking soda). Both borax and washing soda can be found in the laundry section of most grocery stores.

To get powdered detergent you will need 2 cups of grated bar soap, 1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of borax. Thoroughly mix these ingredients together and then store this powder in an airtight plastic container. Use about 2 tablespoons of this detergent per load of laundry.

Liquid detergent requires a little more effort to make, however you can give it a nice scent because you can add essential oils to it. You will need 1 quart (4 cups) of boiling water, 2 cups of grated bar soap, 2 cups of borax and 2 cups of washing soda. Begin by mixing the bar soap to boiling water, stir together until all the soap is melted (here it may be helpful if you keep the water on low heat until the soap melts). 

Next pour the soap water in a large bucket and stir in the borax and washing soda. Continue until they are both dissolved. Finally mix in 2 gallons of water. After it has cooled down you can add about 10-15 drops essential oil if you wish, if not cover the bucket for storing. When you are ready to do laundry, stir the detergent and use ¼ cup per load.

Image from MorgueFile

Vanessa Matyas
		About the author:
		After finishing her Masters in Communications and New Media from McMaster University this August, Vanessa Matyas jumped on a plane to California in search of some adventure.  The self proclaimed pop culture junkie was in heaven, enjoying all the sights, sounds and weather of Los Angeles. After returning to Toronto she decided to put her passion for all things entertainment to good use, which led her here to WOMAN.CA.
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