Homemade Laundry Detergent.... WIN! And Other Laundry Secrets

This was my very first attempt at going natural. I knew I wanted to cut down the amount of chemicals in our house and laundry was something I was worried about the most. Our clothes touch us ALL DAY... Unless you are my children, then they touch you until about 5 pm. I, apparently, am raising strippers. We'll get to that later.

With the help of my lovely Lishy, I set out to make my own laundry detergent. I thought it was going to be INCREDIBLY difficult. Until I found Wellnessmama.com. She is my hippie mom guru. Here is the pin to her homemade laundry detergent. It is seriously so easy to make I wondered why I spent all that time and money on Tide. And this stuff takes the stains out of most everything.. I wish I had a before picture of Connor's high chair cover. Let me paint you a picture, 18 month old with a serious love of blueberries and a serious ability to squish and mash all of the ones he didn't consume. Yuck. I really thought the high chair cover was a lost cause, until I threw it in with my new laundry detergent. It came out as clean as the day I bought the chair. This detergent gets out spaghetti sauce too!

Thanks clker!

You'll need:
Borax
Washing Soda (bought or made yourself... post to come)
Bar Soap, Dr. Bronners, Fels Naptha, or any other castille soap
Baking Soda (optional)

This step is my least favorite... Grate your bar soap. You can use a hand grater or a food processor. Either way, it needs to be pretty fine so that it will mix well with your other ingredients and dissolve completely in the washer.
Next, mix 2 parts Borax, 2 parts Washing Soda, 1 part Bar Soap and your Baking Soda, I use about 4-5 tablespoons. I do mine in a big plastic container, think cereal container, so that I can just shake it up. You can also mix it in a bowl and transfer to a container. Whatever works best for you!

courtesy of heinzvinegar.com

I use about 1/4 cup for each load of laundry.

This idea isn't really big enough for it's own post so I'll share it here.. White vinegar works just as well as Downy to soften clothes. I put it in the fabric softener cup in my washer and let it go! Your clothes come out soft and DON'T smell anything like vinegar!

Courtesy of buddhabunz.com

Want to get rid of your Bounce dryer sheets? I have an incredible idea for that too! Buddha Bunz has the most amazing dryer balls! They are 100% wool, natural and safe. They shorten drying time, soften clothes, and cut down on static. I have had my set for over 4 years and they still work like new! You can order them scented, colored, custom designed... Also, they don't release any kind of chemical or waxes like dryer sheets do, thereby cutting down the risk of your dryer catching fire. A must have in any natural home!