Mrs. E's DIY Laundry Stuff for Your Various Laundering Needs

I use different types of homemade laundry detergent for different things.  I started making my own detergents while I was pregnant with my son.  I first tried the soapy powder formulation.  I like it OK, but I seem to go through it much faster than I thought I would.  I still use a powdered version for cloth diapers and towels because I like the fact that there are no suds, those items come out smelling like nothing (which is wonderful if your child has skin or scent sensitivities), and there is no soap residue build up on these items that can cause them to perform there jobs ineffectively.  I also use a liquid detergent because it seems to last us much longer as I make 5 gallons at a time, and it seems to save a little bit more money than the powdered versions.  Our family has had great success with these detergent recipes and I hope they are helpful to you, too.

My Go-To Laundry Powder  (It's cloth diaper safe)

2 cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 cups Borax
1 cup OxyClean
10 drops essential oil, optional (I stick with lavender with the baby as I know it very rarely causes skin irritation in children. It adds a VERY light scent to the laundry for more of a scent see the Dryer Ball section below.)

1/2 vinegar added to soak cycle for diaper laundry

I know a lot of people are freaked out that there is no soap in this one, but I swear to you that it works like a charm.  If it works on cloth diapers, it will work on anything.  This is also my go to detergent for towels because it lacks the soap which can make your towels water-resistant, making wet cleanups with them a exercise in utter futility.

I have been using this for 17 months now on our cloth diapers and they always smell clean right out of the wash; I have never had to strip them from detergent build up; we don't have a single stained diaper; and the materials have held up even after a year and a half of every other day washings.

Cloth Diaper Care Directions:
Pee diapers go straight into the pail (lined with a water-proof cloth liner), soiled diapers must be rinsed off in the toilet before going into the pail.  Every other day, I pull out the liner (just like a bag of trash) and through the whole thing into the washing machine.  I add 1/2 cup of vinegar and run through a COLD soak cycle.  When that completes, I turn the water to HOT and add 1/3 cup of laundry powder and wash.  You can dry them in the dryer or on a dry line in the sun.  If you dry them in the sun routinely (when possible), the diapers will have fewer stains, hold up longer, and smell even fresher; but you will need to through them in the dryer afterwards for 3-5 minutes on high heat to soften them.

Laundry Powder for People Who Feel Like Soap Makes it Cleaner

2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
2 cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 bars of soap, finely grated (Ivory, Fels Naptha, or Zote)

1/2 cup OxyClean (optional, be careful as this can bleach certain items)
10-15 drops essential oil, optional (You can use any that you like.  I prefer a simple lavender.)

This should only take about 10 minutes to make.  You can buzz the grated soap in the coffee grinder for a finer texture, if you want.  Stir thoroughly.  It should roughly be the consistency of cornmeal.  This does NOT suds up much but do not worry, it will clean just the same.  The soap will melt into the water shortly and will not stain clothes so don't fret over putting in before or after laundry is in the wash or the temperature of the water, it doesn't matter.

Use 1 tbsp - 1/2 cup per load of laundry depending on size and filth of laundry.

I used this detergent regularly for a couple of years and my laundry was just as clean as it was when I used store bought detergent.  When I did my stain testing, it did no better, no worse than store bought laundry detergent.  In other words, you still need to pretreat stains.  The laundry smells nice, subtle but clean.  It ends up costing around 4 cents per load.  I do NOT recommend using this on towels or cloth diapers as the soap can make them water-resistant so they will not work as intended after some time.

The Utilitarian Laundry Liquid

This is a bit more time consuming to make than the powders, as in it takes 30 minutes or so.  At first, I wasn't sold on the liquid due to the fact that it took more time to whip up, but I generally prefer to use the liquid for washing so it's a trade-off.  It saves more money than the previous option as it averages around 2 cents per load.

1 bar of soap, shredded (Ivory, Fels Naptha, or Zote)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax

5-gallon bucket
Water

Heat shredded soap and 4 cups of water in pot over med-low heat, stirring routinely until soap is melted (about 10 minutes).  Fill a 5-gallon bucket 1/2 way with hot water.  Pour in melted soap mixture.  Add Super Washing Soda and Borax.  Stir very well (I use a yardstick so that I can stir the bottom).  Fill the bucket the rest of the way with hot water.  Stir well again.  Cover and let it sit over night.  It should gel over night, but depending on the weather/house temperature, it can up to 36 hours to cool enough to gel completely.  Stir again. Use 1/4 to a 1/2 cup per load depending on the amount of laundry and the grossness of it.

I switched to using this recipe about 6 months ago and it works the same as all the name brand liquid detergents out there. You will still have to pre-treat stains as always.  It saves a bit a money and in my opinion smells far better than the cheap store brand or discount brand laundry detergents.

Non-Chemical Fabric Softener

2 to 5 wool dryer balls
a few drops of whatever essential oil you like (optional)

Add 1-4 drops of oil to each dryer ball (start small, each oil has a different strength so you can adjust the amount based on the specific scent you want).  Or you can skip the oil and just use them plain for no scent.  Throw them in the dryer with the laundry and dry as usual.  These have worked just as well as any chemical fabric softener I've ever purchased and I no longer have to buy or whip up anything.