Make Your Own Washing Powder & Fabric Conditioner

Making your own washing powder and fabric conditioner is preferable to using commercial products for a number of reasons. You may not realise that many of the dirt-busting washing powders that promise your whites will be whiter and brighter, are actually brimming with toxic chemicals. So you may be doing much more harm than good when you select the most powerful washing powder formulas.

These and other household cleaning products may seem too good to be true - and sometimes, they are. These so-called tough washing powders and fabric conditioners are laden with chemicals that are deemed to be irritant and hazardous. When you consider that your family will be wearing clothes washed in these industrially produced chemical substances (high production volume, or HPV chemicals), and that these chemicals are then released into the environment, you can begin to understand why they're not all they're cracked up to be.

If you're concerned about the financial and environmental cost of using commercial washing detergents and fabric conditioners, there is an alternative. A safer and cheaper option is to make your own washing powder and fabric conditioner. The more bulk ingredients you can buy, the more economical your home detergent and fabric conditioner will be.

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Fabric Conditioner Recipe

Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar) can be added to normal fabric conditioner as a deodoriser and brightener, but you can also make your own complete fabric conditioner replacement. All you need to do is substitute ½ cup of baking soda into the machine instead of your usual fabric conditioner during the rinse cycle. People with sensitive skin will benefit, as the baking soda is so much more gentle on skins that are easily irritated.

You can also make a slightly variation on this simple baking soda recipe. Just take equal quantities of bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and water and combine and store in a large bottle. As needed, you can then replace your normal fabric softener with ¼ cup of your home made fabric conditioner to your wash. However, take care as the combination of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda causes a reaction that results in a lot of fizzing and foaming!

Make Your Own Washing Powder

There are a few different recipes for making your own washing powder. Some contain borax, which when used in large volumes can be damaging for aquatic life. Therefore for the purposes of this article, an alternative washing detergent recipe has been provided. The ingredients used in homemade washing detergent include:

• Environmentally-friendly vegetable oil based unscented soap
• Washing Soda Crystals
• Essential Oil

This recipe is really best for use straight in the washing machine drum. You will need a plastic storage tub to contain the washing detergent.

Method:
Using a large pan or stock pot, empty in around 1 pint of water and bring to the boil. Whilst the water is being brought to the boil, completely grate the bar of soap. This can then be added to be dissolved once the water has boiled. You must make sure that all the soap has been completely dissolved before taking off the heat.

It is at this point that you can then add 250 mls (made up to around 1 pint with water) of the washing soda crystals and around 20 drops of your chosen essential oil. Bear in mind that lavender essential oil has been linked to hormone disruption in young boys and possibly pregnant women.

This recipe not only cuts out many of the unnecessary chemicals in commercial detergents, but when used in conjunction with an energy efficient appliance, makes for a more ecologically sound alternative.