In 2012 when I got pregnant with my first child I went on a chemical free hiatus and I’m not even mad about it and will never look back. One thing I knew right from the beginning of motherhood was that I didn’t want my children exposed to all kinds of chemicals that would be harmful to them. And well my hubby and myself too, but I never thought of it until becoming pregnant with my first. One of the very first things I did was use up the remaining laundry detergent we had and start making our own. I did some simple research and made two different types. One for our little guy and one for us.
Since having four children I’ve learned more and have done more research and well more research has becoming available since my first years of making our own. So I wanted to share with you how I currently make ours. It’s really simple and I do much smaller batches than I did before just for time sake. I mean I have 4 kids and so I don’t have all day to be mixing huge buckets of laundry soap.
Now this recipe I’m currently using only calls for 3 ingredients. Yes you heard that right 3! And they are pure (not water down or tampered with) so you don’t need a ton of it to wash your clothes. I even use it wash my cloth diapers (don’t judge) and I’m not 100% that’s good for them but then again I plan to strip my diapers on a regular basis just because they hold body fluids so I’m. Or stressing about that being an added task.
As far as any irritation goes… all four of my babies are very sensitive and have 0 problems with it. Or the one I used before. I don’t add any smells to our laundry but if you like scents then go ahead and add in some of your favorite essential oils to the mixture. Or to your dryer balls in the dryer… if you use wool balls. I actually run all of our laundry through a double rinse cycle to make sure there isn’t any random residue lingering. So adding oils to the recipe below wouldn’t do anything for myself. So tweak as you need to for your family.
I’m going to drop two * things that you definitely need to read before purchasing your ingredients to make this cruelty free. One is a popular brand that might be your go to and the other is the brand I use. I reached out the them and also link their animal policy they share on their site. They are also in the process of being leaping bunny certified. So I’m sure once they do it will be a no brainer when the bunny is displayed on their packaging.
*In order for this to be truly cruelty free you need to find a brand that doesn’t test on animals. Arm & Hammer DOES test on animals and is NOT CRUELTY FREE*
*I use the bakers corner brand by Aldi for my baking soda. (Click here to read their animal welfare policy, I also reached out to them via email and phone to double/triple check)
Now if you’ve made it this far then I’m sure your ready to start making your eco friendly, non toxic and cruelty free laundry soap… so let’s get to it!
Ingredients
- 1 bar castile soap
- 4 cups washing soda (my homemade recipe)
- 2 cups baking soda
- 20 drops essential oil (optional)
Directions
- Start by cutting your Castile bar soap into chunks.
- Place into your food processor and cut up in to small pieces. Be careful it may be dusty. (If you don’t have a food processor you can grate it up with a cheese grater).
- Pour all 3 ingredients into an air tight container and mix up well.
- Use 1 tbsp for normal loads and 2 tbsp for large or heavily soiled loads.
Tips
- Put into your washer first and run your water in hot to dissolve all the soap. Then switch to your preferred temperature.
- If you live in a humid climate then occasionally shake your jar to make sure no “sticking” of the ingredients occurs.
I hope you enjoyed and learned a great DIY laundry soap that I think will work for almost any family. I don’t plan to ever go back to store bought because well my homemade version is just healthier for us, the environment and animals. But it’s also easier on our bank account. So whatever it is that brought you to my blog today to check out this recipe I hope you found it and love this laundry soap just as much as I do!
Until next time, live a life you love!
Xo Jessica
Other Posts You Might Like:
Cleaning Recipes
How To Strip Your Laundry With A DIY Recipe
DIY Enzyme Cleaner From Kitchen Scraps
DIY Washing Soda (NON-toxic, Eco-friendly, Cruelty Free)
Cleaning Tips + Tricks
7 Ways To Cut Your Cleaning Time In Half
How To Make Cleaning A Game For Kids