Homemade: Laundry Detergent

I've been running an experiment lately.  And three people have asked for this recently so I thought I'd better get around to 'writing up my results'.

I've had to hunt hard for detergent that is kind to cloth nappies/diapers (i.e. doesn't have visual brighteners and surfactants, etc. which build up on the cloth and render it less absorbent).  When I do find it, it is often more expensive than the regular detergent, which is expensive enough already, even though it has less stuff in it.  (As an aside, this article went viral recently, exposing a spate of thefts in the US of one particular brand as currency in the illegal drug market!)  So I started hunting for homemade recipes.

The recommendations for our washing machine are for liquid detergent rather than powder so while I found lots of recipes online, the least complicated (once you get past the commentary) was this recipe with pictures based on this one from a reality TV programme here.  When I went shopping I discovered that Fels-Naptha soap actually has some of those surfactants in the list of ingredients so I opted for the purest soap I could find, which turned out to be Ivory.  The ingredient that seems to make it only "99.44% pure" is the mild fragrance - which to my nose is lemongrass.  I guess castile soap (vegetable oil-based) or Sunlight would be the NZ equivalent, though now the closest Sunlight retailers may be in Australia.

I made up my batch in mid-February and I am just getting to the end of it this week (mid-July).  I average at least 1 load of washing per day (often 2 because of nappies and potty training at present), and it has lasted me 5 months!  It took me about 30 minutes work and cost me about $8 in ingredients (for enough to make at least 30 gallons without having to get more supplies) and the 5-gallon bucket with lid for about $6.  The best thing is that it works.  I've been using it for everything I wash, and I just use an ordinary pre-wash stain spray on spills when I see them.  Everything gets clean, smells fresh (rather than scented) and feels good.  I haven't needed fabric softener either.  In fact, I don't think I'll ever go back.  I used a detergent sample the other day on some really grubby toddler clothes and gagged as I pulled them out of the machine because of the overpowering perfume.

So here's my recipe:

Homemade Laundry Detergent (yields 10 gallons when diluted)

4 c hot tap water (plus more)
1 bar Ivory soap, grated
1 c washing soda (make sure it is sodium carbonate)
1/2 c Borax

Stir grated soap and measured water over a medium low heat until soap is dissolved.
Half fill a 5-gallon bucket with hot tap water.  Add liquefied soap, washing soda and Borax.  Stir until all the powder is dissolved.  Fill the bucket to top with more hot water.  Stir, cover, and leave overnight to thicken.  (The consistency is similar to wallpaper paste or school glue!)
Stir, then half fill a clean container with soap mixture.  (I used an old detergent bottle.)  Fill the rest of the container with water.  Shake before each use as it tends to gel again.

The website recommended using 5/8 c per load for top-loading washing machines (approx. 180 loads) or 1/4 c for front-loading machines (approx. 640 loads).  I worked out it was 1.5 caps of my bottle so I usually guesstimated from this based on my load size.  Another variation which I haven't needed yet is to add essential oil drops to the cooled soap (10-15 per 2 gallons).

Addendum: My friend also recommended soap nuts.  We like using soap nuts (we have before), they're environmentally friendly (a berry, after all), but I haven't found a local supplier yet and this recipe is a little cheaper at the moment (8c/load versus 13c/load).