Get Your Hands Dirty – DIY Green Detergent Recipe

Yesterday Olivia Lane of Olivia Cleans Green, gave us her professional know-how on paring down the clutter in our lives. Leading by example, she even entered our “Sell Everything” contest to get rid of a few items. (It’s not too late for you to do the same!) She’s back again with a DIY for environmentally friendly laundry detergent that is also friendly on the wallet.

Using green cleaning products to get your spring cleaning done has multiple benefits. Not only are you supporting environmentally conscious practices, you’ll personally feel healthier after cleaning your home without harsh chemicals. For example, common household cleaners that contain bleach with chlorine can irritate the lungs and residue from abrasive powders can cause skin rashes. To avoid using cleaning agents that can potentially cause health problems, get a better sense of where products come from and what is in them. It can be difficult and expensive to find sprays, powders and other concoctions that contain green ingredients but lucky for us, it’s not difficult to make our own supplies.

Here’s How

It is important to read the label when shopping for cleaning agents. Keep an eye open for hidden fragrances and dyes in products. If you want scent, add a few drops of essential oil to your cleanser. Unfortunately the only soap we could find at the time had added dye and perfume so it was not completely green. Even if you’re not particularly sensitive to chemical fragrances, they do enter the bloodstream and are linked to sinus issues, asthma, and hyperactivity in children.

DIY Detergent Recipe

Each batch makes approximately 32 ounces which will wash between 32-64 loads.

1 bar of bar soap (Ivory, ZOTE, Fels-Naptha)

1 cup of borax

1 cup of washing soda

Grate bar soap into a bowl. Add borax and washing soda. Mix all three ingredients well for five minutes. Store in a non-reactive container.