So… I spend WAY too much money on Tide- and I was chatting with a friend at work and she told me she makes her own laundry detergent. It peaked my interests… I hit the YouTube first- and learned all the “recipes” are very similar, so off to ChatGTP I went.
It was very easy- and it WORKS!! Now all that being said… Do any of you have any experience with Essential Oils- and if so, what are your thoughts? Thanks Everyone!
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Ingredients:
1 bar Castile soap (or Fels-Naptha, Zote, or any mild soap)
1 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate)
½ cup borax (optional but boosts cleaning power)
4 cups hot water (to dissolve ingredients)
10-12 cups cool water
10-15 drops essential oil (optional for fragrance – lavender, lemon, or tea tree work well)
Instructions:
Grate the soap using a cheese grater or food processor.
In a large pot, heat 4 cups of water over medium heat and add the grated soap. Stir until fully dissolved.
Add washing soda and borax, stirring until completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a large bucket (at least 2-gallon capacity).
Add 10-12 cups of cool water, stirring well.
If using essential oils, add them now and mix again.
Let the detergent sit for 24 hours. It will thicken into a gel-like consistency. Stir well before using.
Transfer to bottles or a container with a lid for easy use.
How to Use:
Use ½ cup per regular load (adjust as needed for larger or heavily soiled loads).
Shake or stir before each use, as natural detergents can separate over time.
This detergent is safe for HE washers, but use less (about ¼ cup per load).
Wow. Okay. I have quite a few essential oils, I use them as perfume. I’ve always gotten them from here for as long as I can remember. Huge selection. I use patchouli more than anything. I might have to try making some of this. Some of these oils are going to be very expensive, others are much cheaper.
I don’t like how they changed the website, It used to be so much easier to use. You can still filter by fragrance type and all that though.
I’m like $10 in tops for 5 gallons. Washing soda, Borax, baking soda, Fels naptha- and a bar of Zote. Stupid cheap.
“FORO”Fear Of Running Out
Is a term coined by my buddy… Just like my Vape Lab… I don’t buy for today, but for the whole next year. I have more “Washing Soda- and other supplies than a man should have” It’s just how I do things. I only have 1 pair of underwear tho… LOL
I just want to let you know, the smallest ones, 1ml ones are like tiny little glass tubes. And some of them are ultra concentrated, hence the price. They make some of those in 10% dilutions that are more affordable… I forgot how expensive some of these can be. Stuff like lemon and orange isnt bad at all, dark patchouli is my favorite. I got a pretty big bottle of it for around $26. The coffee oil is nice too. Smells just like black coffee grounds. Cannabis has a strong citrus sort of fresh weed smell. I’ll just post some of the pictures of bottles to give you the idea of the sizes. Ylang Ylang is an extremely potent floral smell.
This has been my go-to type wash powder recipe for the last 10yrs or so; at 1/4 cup per load. Cheap, cheap, cheap! I create a dry/powdered version of this recipe.
Folks just don’t realize that, with a little bit of research, you can give yourself a very nice monthly $raise$ going DIY on many things in life.
Save that extra cash from going DIY for a vacation at your favorite vacation spot or just a nice meal out somewhere!
Yay, I found my coffee oil. It smells very nice. I’ve yet to get a diffuser but this would be awesome… And I don’t even drink coffee I like the smell of it though.
Hell, I’d wear a kilt if I could get away with it at work! But, I climb chutes and ladders quite a bit… so, folks would definitely need to avert their eyes or risk the sighting of a snake, having swallowed 2 eggs, in the jungle!
I order my oils from here. I add them to a jar of vinegar for a cheap fabric softener. If you have a downy ball fill about half full for a full load. 2-3 ml oil per quart of vinegar.
Stuff like lemon and orange isnt bad at all, dark patchouli is my favorite. I got a pretty big bottle of it for around $26. The coffee oil is nice too. Smells just like black coffee grounds. Cannabis has a strong citrus sort of fresh weed smell. I’ll just post some of the pictures of bottles to give you the idea of the sizes. Ylang Ylang is an extremely potent floral smell.
