Laundry Powder
4 cups grated pure soap (e.g. Sunlight soap) or Lux Flakes
2 cups Borax*
2 cups washing soda**
Mix all ingredients together well, and store in a plastic container with a lid. Use 2 tablespoons per wash.
It won't lather, but you don't need it to (commercial detergents have additives to make it lather, as we all think we need bubbles to get things clean!), and it is therefore suitable for front loaders.
* Borax is a naturally occurring mineral (sodium borate) but too much on your garden is toxic to plants and worms, so if you are going to use your grey water on your garden, leave out the Borax.
** Washing soda is the mineral sodium carbonate and in Australia is commonly known by the brand name "Lectric". Lectric soda comes in crystal or powdered form - the powder is much easier to use as it dissolves in the wash water more quickly.
My kids are filthy little critters, so I like to use the heavy duty powder for extra stain removal:
Heavy Duty Laundry Powder
2 cups grated stain remover soap (e.g. Napisan or Sards Soap; Sards has a nice eucalyptus scent)
2 cups grated pure soap or Lux flakes
2 cups Borax
2 cups washing soda
Mix all ingredients together well and store in an airtight container. As above, use two tablespoons per wash, and it is suitable for front loaders.
I also occasionally use white vinegar in the "fabric softener" compartment of my machine; it helps prevent a build up of pure soap in your machine (which can happen if you have hard water and/or use cold water washing only) as well as softening your clothes much more cheaply than commercial petro-chemical filled softeners. Some people like to also add a few drops of essential oil to the vinegar to scent their washing.
Happy washing!
54 comments:
Hi Julie, just wondering if you've ever tried it without the borax? What does it actually do for the cleaning process? I've done a bit of research and I just don't like the idea of it esp for my young ones who have sensitive skin, think its a bit harsh?
I recently started making a similar mix but in 'gloopy' (!) form- just lux and lectric in equal parts set in water (the original recipe was from ALS) Seems to work fine but your powder version would definitely be less messy!
Hi Mountainwildlife,
Borax is a stain remover, which is why it's included in the powder mixture. I haven't tried the powder without it, but I have friends who use it without so that they can pump their grey water on the garden and they say it works just fine! It's the same as the 'gloop' you are making now so I see no reason why it wouldn't work in powdered form? Very easy to make!
Cheers, Julie
Hi,
This is awesome… i had been searching for a way to create my own laundry detergent… Thanks a lot for the info…
Just made my first batch of heavy duty washing powder. Will be using it especially on my dirt magnet son's clothes. Only added a quarter of the borax, it was all I had, have to get more tomorrow.
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Just found your blog--can't wait to try the homemade detergent! I use borax quite a bit throughout the house and white vinegar is a favorite cleaning product of mine too!
Hi Julie,
I've just made up a batch of your heavy duty laundry powder (minus the borax) and, wow, it cleans better than our regular earth-destructing powder! It even gets the BO smell out of Mr Zie's sports clothes! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I read on the washing soda packet that they recommend it for "softening" water. This made me wonder if it's really necessary in places like Australia where the water is pretty soft already. Has anyone tried it without the washing soda? It would be great if we could remove it because I worry a bit about left over sodium in our rinse water going onto the garden
Hi Zie,
Glad you like it! As far as the washing soda goes, you could certainly try it without it. I often leave the borax out of mine when I want to use the greywater, but I've not tried it without the washing soda. I suspect it would be the same as washing in Lux Flakes, which is effective but not as great as the mix in my opinion - it would depend on your local water supply to some extent. See how you go!
Cheers, Julie
HI Julie, This is almost the same as what I make but I used 4 cups of grated soap, 6 cups borax, 8 cups of baking soda and 2 tsp of essential oil. My clothes are super soft, and the darks don't fade. My recipe calls for Castille soap but I use another type.
Thanks Zie
Woops, should have said thanks Julie! Not arrogant, just momentary insanity because of the heat!
Hi Julie
I found your fantastic website a few days ago and I have made your extra duty laundry powder. I found it fantastic on my outdoor work clothes which get a hiding each day working in horticulture. I will use it mainly on my linens and school uniform shirts to see if they stay nice and white. The cost for me turned out to be 16cents a load for 44 washes in total. I'm rapt and no itching!
Hi anon,
Thanks for coming back and leaving a comment :-) Glad to hear that you have had success with the powder, it certainly gets a work out here between gardening clothes and my three kids!
Cheers, Julie
Just wondering if this recipe would work well on cloth diapers?
Hi Julie,
Love your site. I use something similar with the addition of bicarbonate of soda which acts as a deodoriser. When I'm washing hand knitted socks, I use only bicarb.
Hi Anonymous,
Yes, I have several friends who reckon this recipe works better than commercial powders on their cloth nappies!
Hi Kerry,
Thank you for your kind words and the bicarb tip - I was using wool wash for the hand knit socks but I'd much rather use bicarb!
Cheers, Julie
there, just found you online via something else I was reading. Can your laundry detergent safely be used in a frontloader washing machine?
Kind thanks for all your great recipes.
Hi Sandra,
Yes, this recipe is low suds and I use it in my front loader with no problems.
Cheers,
Julie
can anyone tell me where to get borax these days, as i can no longer find it anywhere.
Hi anon,
I'm also having trouble, I used to get it at the supermarket in the washing aisle, but some are no longer stocking it. I can get larger containers however at the local hardware store, have you tried there?
Cheers,
Julie
Hi,
No i had not thought of that though i did try Bunnings but no luck, will try the smaller local hardware store though. I always got it from the supermarket until my mother, who wanted some to help with a flea problem in her house and yard, told me she could not find it. Will get her to check her local too.
woohoo i found a supermarket that stocks borax. Foodworks, Maitland,
Jenifa,
Thank you! That's awesome :-)
Cheers, Julie
thanks for this...definitely gonna try this but with our the borax, mainly because we don't get borax where I live. You mentioned that it's used as a stain remover so I'm wondering whether I could use something like oxiclean or vanish as a substitute?
Hi meibao,
Yes you can - I grate a block of Sards Wonder Soap into mine (as well as the Borax).
Cheers, Julie
I just discovered your site and its fantastic. I thought you would like to know I have been using the homemade washing powder for about 7 years now. Our Recipe is
1 cake laundry soap, grated and powdered in my food processor
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup bi-carb soda
I have a 9kg top loader and 5 extremely messy little kids, the bi-carb is great for stain remover and he whites, and nappies. (used to have to clean the grease my my delli coles uniform with it) If here is a really bad mark I just make up a paste with a bit and put it on the stain for about 5 mins and then in the wash - I only need about 1 tablesspoon for he whole wash.
Thank you for this lovely blog I look forward to keeping up reading it.
Hi there! Just wanted to add that I too love this washing powder recipe! Thanks so much Julie for putting it out there for people like me!
On a side note, I was having trouble finding Borax originally too but have discovered that at Woolworths (Safeway), They stock it in a brand called "Bare Essentials" in the cleaning aisle with things like shoe/wood/bench polish.
They also sell it at our local IGA although, Im in SA so, not sure about the other states.
Hope that helps.
Yes "Bare Essentials" is in other states. In Woolworths in Qld too.
I love this recipe! Been using it for almost a year. Commercial brands always made me itchy and not good for my eczema. After using this for two weeks I have not had an outbreak since. LOVE IT!!
Hi Natural Mumma,
By coincidence, someone else put me onto 'Bare Essentials' at Woolies too recently and I stocked up big time there a couple of weeks ago! Thanks for mentioning it here though as I hadn't remembered to update :-)
Hi anon,
Glad you like it! Good to hear the Borax is available in other states too, thank you :-)
Cheers,
Julie
Hi Julie,
I was wondering if you get any residue on your clothes after a normal wash?
Thanks
Felicity
Hi Felicity,
No. I wouldn't use any powder that left a residue, I wear a lot of dark-coloured clothing and it would drive me mad!
Cheers,
Julie
Hi julie - cant wait to try your washing powder recipe. I found soda crystals, not washing soda, at the shop. Ingredients are sodium carbonate and water. Is this going to be suitable? My thoughts are that because they look kind of damp that it will make the washing powder go soggy or slimey. What do you think?
Thanks Mel
Julie
I want to make your laundry powder but I have a septic tank and wondering if the borax and washing soda would be safe to use.
Thanks Sheila
My boarder only uses lux flakes to wash his clothes because he has sensitive skin. He has been using it for a couple of years, and I find that his clothes all smell like fat, and is really strong. His clothes are all in his room, and his room now smells the same. Do you think adding the borax and washing soda would eliminate this smell? I am assuming there is a build up of the lux in his clothes.
Hello Mel,
I'm so sorry that I have missed your comment before now :-( Anyway, for what it's worth, I use crystals occasionally when I can't find the powder, but I blitz them in the blender to break them up first and then they seem to work fine.
Hi Sheila,
Again, I'm so sorry that I have missed your comment before now... The borax and washing soda should be fine in your septic tank, as long as you aren't pumping your grey water into your garden - the borax is toxic to worms. Leave it out if in doubt - the borax is a water softener and stain remover, but the mix works almost as well without it..
Hi Mel,
Yes, it sounds like your boarder has a soap build up. The way to get rid of it is to get him to strip wash his clothes - this means taking the clean clothes (washed normally first if he has worn them) and rinsing them in as hot water as the fabric can take (ideally as hot as possible) - either by hand or in the machine - as many times as it takes for the water to run clear.
And yes, using the mix with the washing soda and borax will prevent the soap from building up as quickly, as will using white vinegar in the final rinse (the clothes will smell a little vinegary when first out of the machine but the smell quickly fades), though some of my clothes do need strip washing occasionally.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Julie
Hello just to put in an opinion, I use the soap and washing soda.mixed with bicarb soda in the same amount of washing soda, I also use white vinegar with lavender as the fabric softened. We are on a biocycle (modern equivalent of septic) and it all pumps out onto our non edible gardwn. I use the voracious only as a laundry boost like napisan for the really dirty stuff and this also causes no problems with the garden.
War have 5 grotty kids that also have very sensitive ecsma and this wash is the only thing that doesn't upset theory delicate skin (even better than straight soap) hope this helps.
I have used variations of your recipe and have lately taken to putting a few drops of lavender oil in the finished powder. Magic. Thanks for the tip about using vinegar, it works really well. Love the clean smell without the chemicals and I find the normal mix gets my son's greasy mechanic's clothes clean. Washing soda and Borax can be hard to get but I find Woolworths and IGA stores can be gold mines. When we find either we stock up. I find I can smell the commercial brands on other people's clothes now. Ugh.
Suze, Canberra.
Boric acid can be used instead of Borax. If you're using greywater systems it won't cause a sodium build up in the soil. (Boron is actualy an essential trace element for plants, so occasionally I throw some directly on the garden. Deficiency symptoms are new leaf curl and tip burn of new growth).
It has many other uses so its pure coincedence that I happen to have some. I picked up a 25kg bag for under $40 a while back. Saw them recently for $50 (2kg bags for $8). Much cheaper than buying Borax retail and more friendly to the environment.
Dan
Quick follow up:
I've been using the simple combination of a tablespoon of soap flakes and a teaspoon of boric acid. Getting excellent results particularly noticable on white t-shirts. Seems to be working fine without the Sodium carbonate.
For the soap flakes just grate up a bar of whatever soap you normally use in the bathroom. It is suprisingly quick and leaves it nicely scented.
Dan
Hi Julie!
I've been meaning to make this for a while - I've been buying handmade soap from a lovely lady on Etsy, but Customs and Quarantine keep stopping it (I'm also in Australia, and I was buying it from the US).
Just wanted to know, is there a way to add a scent to it? I have some essential oils and food essences I would love to scent it with.
I was wondering whether you just put the mixture in the soap drawer? On the soap flakes box it says to mix well with water until fully dissolved and pour through the drawer when the washing machine is running? I dont want to damage my expensive machine!
Hi Dan,
Awesome! Thank you so much for your comments :-)
Hi Tanya,
Yes definitely, scenting with essential oils (I sometimes use tea tree oil or eucalyptus) is wonderful.
Hi Anon,
It's best to follow the directions for your machine, so it certainly won't hurt to dissolve the powder first. If you find that step time consuming, you might like to look at using a homemade liquid detergent. There are several terrific - and cheap - recipes on the net and I can recommend Rhonda's recipe at Down To Earth.
Cheers, Julie
Hi,Laundry powder sounds good,going to try it soon,could you put all the ingredients into a food processor to mix up,and still use 2 tablespoon fulls to washing machine,thanks Dianne
Hi, I was wondering if the vinegar might damage the door seal of my machine after a while? anyone have and info about that happening??
Hi,
I read on the Lux flakes box that it shouldn't be used in front loaders. I just use the bars of soap grated anyway, but if anyone else tries it with the Lux flakes in their front loader it might wreck it in some way.
Thanks for your great blog.
where can i find the sards soap??
i checked on amazon and they don't have it...so i'm not sure which store to look for it in...
(i'm in arizona)
after using your formula for some time i now have a build up all around the bowl of the washer. what is this and how to remove it?. Also my whites have a greyness about them now. where have i gone wrong.
Yours
soaptears
Hi Anon,
Sards Soap is an Australian brand. Sorry, I'm not familiar with a US equivalent.
Hi Soaptears,
The build up is pure soap - it can happen if you have hard water or if you are using too much powder. You can clean the machine by running a hot wash with baking SODA instead of laudry powder and vinegar in the softener compartment. The greyness in your whites is also soap build up - try strip washing them, which is essentially rinsing them in the hottest water they will stand until the rinse water is soap-free.
Hope this helps.
Oopps! I bought Caustic Soda instead of Borax. It says it can be used to make soap. Does anyone know if I can use it instead of Borax?? I can easily return it to Woolies, if not.
Hi Anon,
No, you definitely DON'T want to be using caustic soda instead of Borax. Caustic Soda is used for soap making and clearing drains (the active ingredient in Drain-O), and would not be kind on your clothes. Please don't use it.
thanks Julie
I returned the caustic soda and found borax.
Hi Julie, think you were on Choice re laundry powders. So glad to have found your blog. I will be into your recipe too.
Incidentally Bicarb in warm water is a wonderful foot bath for boys with stinky feet... then iron their socks.
Thanks a lot for this helpful concoction. I've been struggling to find organic detergents that are strong enough to remove stains but safe for the skin and the environment, as well.
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