Jennifer Blacklock Blog

First of all, please believe me that making your own laundry detergent is very effective and very easy. When it comes up in conversation that I make our own, people usually react with either awed amazement like I’m some sort of super-mom, or with dull skepticism like I just don’t care if our clothes are actually clean. But I promise it is neither difficult nor lacking in any way. By making our own detergent, I save money, have super clean and fresh laundry, and only spend about five minutes once a month or so to make it!

Laundry detergent is one of the most frequently used cleaning products in most households, so it’s especially important to make sure the detergent we use isn’t polluting the air of our homes with toxins that affect our health and wellbeing.

People love their “clean laundry smell”- it’s often the one that gives a house its signature smell- but the fragrances that give that “clean” smell are horribly dirty! They’re endocrine disrupters, messing with our hormones- a root of all sorts of physical, emotional, developmental and mental health problems in children, teens, and adults, both male and female. They can also cause headaches and skin irritation and trigger or aggravate asthma and eczema.

That’s reason enough for me to not use fragrance-filled commercial detergent. But I found that many “green” or “natural” brands are still filled with terribly dangerous ingredients, even if lacking perfume. Plus laundry detergent is just so expensive. With our family size and lifestyle- we work outside and get dirty and sweaty, and are everyday in contact with animals, craft supplies or baking projects- we wash a LOT of clothes. For us it’s more feasible to make our own detergent because its budget-friendly. (If DIY isn’t your thing, I’m also including a list of commercial detergents that actually do have clean ingredients.)

Baking soda, washing soda, and epsom salt are the key ingredients here and all are rated “A” by EWG (you can use their app to search products’ “cleanness”). Oxyclean is optional- it is a clean ingredient (just make sure you get the “free” version with no perfumes or dyes!), but only rated a “B”. I do think it helps to get towels extra fresh, which is important to me.

Here’s the recipe:

2 parts washing soda

2 parts baking soda

1 part epsom salt

1 part Oxyclean Free (optional)

Instructions:

In a well ventilated area (I always mix mine outside- we never want to mess around with inhaling powder of any sort, no matter how clean) stir together all the ingredients until well mixed.

That’s it!

Tips:

Store in a large container that seals well (glass jar with lid, empty yogurt container, etc. My favorites are empty collagen containers because the labels come off easily, and I have lots of them! Also the scoops that come with them are the perfect size.)

Use 1-2 tablespoons of your powder detergent per regular load. Safe for HE washing machines.

I find that pouring a splash of white vinegar into the washer (or into the fabric softener or bleach compartment in a newer machine) helps eliminate any hard water/mineral build-up from the salts and keeps fabrics softer, along with additional aid in removing tough smells.

Enjoy your fresh, actually CLEAN laundry!

Best non-toxic store-bought detergents:

Aspen clean unscented pods

$19.99/36 loads

Attitude unscented liquid laundry detergent

$17.49/80 loads

Defunkify liquid laundry detergent

$47.98/62 loads

Earthley unscented laundry powder

$21.99/60 loads