Making your own laundry powder is a quick and easy way to save money, to get rid of unwanted chemicals in the home, reduce packaging waste, and know what's in your products - and still effectively wash clothes. It literally takes minutes and costs just a few cents per wash.
Grate natural fair trade and organic soap - this one is peppermint castile soap and it smells amazing.
I am also so delighted that I don't need to walk down the smelly aisle anymore searching high and low for the eco-options. I really have to hold my breath.
This is the absolutely most simplest recipe I could find that is also suitable for greywater systems like mine. I discovered that a lot of homemade recipes contain borax - which can accumulate in the soil if, like ours, the greywater outlet is in a fixed location.
Even though I have typically used a liquid, I chose to make a laundry powder rather than the liquid for a couple of reasons - it is simpler and it does not require borax (liquids do).
After just a few moments of buzzing the ingredients together in the food processor, it is ready.
SUPER SIMPLE NATURAL LAUNDRY POWDER RECIPE
Ingredients
1 bar of castille soap or coconut soap (organic and fair trade vegetable oil-based soaps)
2 cups washing soda (Sodium carbonate - it easily removes dirt and greasy stains from clothes)
Method
Finely grate soap.
Mix together in food processor with washing soda until fine powder (cover top with tea towel if needed so that powder does not escape).
Transfer into an airtight container.
With my water, I find 3 tbspns for a full load just fine (I have a 5kg washer).
Extra tips
I like to add a capful of eucalyptus oil in with the wash - anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, kills dust mites, and makes washing smell really fresh
It is useful to add half a cup of vinegar in rinse cycle to balance pH, soften clothes and help get rid of soap residues.