There are many reasons to make washing powder yourself. Washing powder made from your own recipe is not only more sustainable, the absence of chemical fragrances is also an important criterion. On top of that, it is much cheaper.
Recipes for homemade laundry detergent are easy to find online. Most of them contain a high-quality natural soap and washing soda. Add to this a variety of ingredients. The result is usually a liquid detergent that you can make in advance and fill into bottles. The best recipes are presented below. If you have your own recipes, please share them with the community and us in the comments!
High-quality: Make your own detergent from olive soap
A pleasantly scented and effective liquid detergent that you can make yourself - and it doesn't cost much either - from fine olive oil soap.
Ingredients
- 6 litres hot water
- 75 g olive oil soap
- 12 tbsp washing soda
- Grater, heatproof container, stirring spoon
- Container for filling a total of 6 litres of detergent
Preparation: Grate the soap and place in the heatproof container. Pour hot water over it and dissolve. Add washing soda and stir next until everything is dissolved. Fill into old containers for liquid detergent.
Fragrant: Make your own detergent from curd soap
Another recipe allows the addition of fragrance according to your own liking. However, we do not recommend wild mixing, because it can also quickly become too much.
Ingredients
- 20g curd soap
- 20g bile soap
- 3 litres of water
- 4 tablespoons washing soda
- 4 tbsp. citric acid
- 5 drops of pure essential oil
- Grater, heatproof container, stirring spoon
- Container for filling
Preparation: Grate the soaps and mix with the washing soda. Add 1 litre of boiling water, stir well until dissolved. Leave to cool for one hour, then add a second litre of boiling water, stir vigorously. Let cool again, then add the third litre of water and finally gradually stir in the citric acid. Add the desired fragrance with a few drops of essential oil. Leave to cool and decant.
Do-it-yourself detergent for whites and coloureds
Some instructions allow you to make detergent for coloured and white laundry, with super simple preparation!
Ingredients for white laundry
- 150g washing soda
- 150g baking soda
- 100g curd soap
- 120g citric acid
- 100 g dishwasher salt as water softener as desired
- Grater
- Container for filling
Ingredients for dark and coloured laundry
- 150g washing soda
- 150g baking soda
- 100g curd soap
- 50g citric acid - possibly omit completely, as the citric acid has a bleaching effect
- 100 g dishwasher salt as water softener as desired
- Grater
- Container for filling
Preparation: Grate the curd soap and mix the ingredients. Pour into a tightly closing container. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of detergent per wash cycle, depending on the degree of soiling.
Make your own detergent from just three ingredients
Making your own detergent is particularly quick when only a few ingredients are needed, as in this recipe. It makes three litres of inexpensive liquid detergent.
Ingredients
- 150 g curd soap
- 2 tablespoons bicarbonate of soda
- 3 litres of water
Preparation: Grate the curd soap. Bring 2 litres of water to the boil, add the curd soap and stir over a low heat until dissolved. Leave to cool, then add the last litre of water and the baking soda. Add a few drops of essential oil, such as lavender. Pour into suitable containers.
All the recipes presented here can be implemented with little time and result in a nice supply that in some cases lasts for several months. This is good for your wallet, but also for the environment.
By the way, you can find more tips & tricks for sustainable washing in this blog!
