how to: natural laundry detergent…

thanks to this book we’ve been going all kinds of natural around chateau de gatch the past few months! {don’t mind my constant pretending we live in the french countryside} if you’ve read any of the skinny bitch books about kim’s vegan lifestyle you’ll love this one… it’s packed full of no-nonsense, tough-love information about cutting wordly un-natural crap out of your life. you’ve got to do your research people! i can guarantee the media, the places you shop & heck even your friends aren’t telling you the truth about what you’re putting on & most definitely in your bodies. {think past food to your kitchen surfaces, candles, water bottles, tampons, make-up, & even your clothes.} you’ll freak out once you open your eyes to the facts but doesn’t it feel good to know you can make a change?! i feel a huge responsibility to protect & take care of the house, family & body the Lord gave me.

gil & i changed some things immediately… plastics, toothpaste, hair products & we decided we’d start to switch out other things as we ran out of them. got to keep a watch on the monies right? i was most excited about making some of our own natural household products! first up laundry detergent & dishwasher detergent! the ones you buy at the store are full of NASTY toxic chemicals like chlorine bleach, phosphates & fragrances! little do we know about the allergic reactions, changes to your central nervous system & the damage to wildlife that they’re causing. well, not anymore! there are lots of recipes online for home-made detergents… this is just the one i liked best! so, here’s your how to…

{you should be able to find all of this at your local super store, grocery market, trader joes or natural health store!}

you’ll need:

• an airtight container & a scoop
• white vinegar {this natural acid will dissolve dirt!}
• baking soda {a great deodorizer, will keep colors bright & whites white!}
• washing soda {cuts oil, fights grease & stains!}
• borax {a natural stain remover & disinfectant!}
• liquid castile soap {a gentle cleanser. use any scent you’d like… i’m obsessed with lavendar. if you choose to use unscented you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil}

i spent some time searching online for recipes until i found one i really liked…

• 1 1/4 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup washing soda
• 1 cup borax
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap

at first i wasn’t sure what i wanted to use to mix, but a wooden spoon worked best… in a large non-metal bowl start with the vinegar & add ingredients one by one in order of the recipe. STIR CONTINUOUSLY! {especially between the washing soda & borax} this was really important. my first batch became a little too solid to continue. oops! finish with the castile soap… it will seem like a thick semi-wet paste but as you continue stirring it will begin to look more like the early stages of bread dough or feta cheese. you’ll want to mash out as many large clumps as you can & keep stirring until it’s evenly cakey & crumbly.

i made a double batch {but mixed them separately} & dumped it into my container. use 1/4 cup each load. we’re going with 2 heaping tablespoons…

i used it for the first time yesterday! it smells great, our whites came out clean & bright & i’m excited to see how much money we’ll save because this stuff is SO inexpensive! not to mention you’ll have plenty of supplies left over for other home-made cleaners! i can’t believe i ever paid $12+ for a bucket of poison. let me know if you love it… be curious!