Laundry — the never ending story…

We know what it’s like. Trust us. We know what it’s like to feel buried under laundry. And as soon as you get the last load done, we mean the very second that last sock is put away, someone pees the bed, or spills chili on their shirt, or comes in from digging in the dirt for hours covered in mud and your laundry conquest is over.

It never ends. We get it.

So while we understand that the chore of laundry is never done, you may roll your eyes at us as we encourage you with yet another thing to do. Hear us out though. For all the ways we consume and our bodies are exposed to chemicals that we can’t control, here is one simple way that we can prevent harmful chemicals from invading our bodies and lives.

I remember wanting to make my own laundry soap for about a year before I ever made it the store to buy the supplies. It felt hard and like one more thing I had to do. If that’s how you feel, just bookmark this page and come back when you feel inspired and ready. We don’t want to weigh you down with more to do. On the contrary, once you start making your own laundry soap, you have this sense of freedom, accomplishment, and satisfaction with this small way of taking extra purposeful care of you and your family.  And it takes just minutes to do once you get the hang of it.

You just need to get over the initial hump of intimidation and the annoyance of keeping up with the crunchy Jones’. Don’t do it to be a hipster. Do it because you want to. Mark this page and come back when you are ready. We will be here. We promise. We are here to be your resource for all things natural and homemade… your one-stop shop if you will.

So here is your basic laundry soap recipe (only 4 ingredients):

INGREDIENTS:

2 part (2 cups) Washing Soda (You can find this at Target or your general grocery store)
2 part (2 cups) Borax
1 part (1 cup) Soap  (We like using Zote, because it’s chemical-free, smells like my grandma, and it’s pretty.)
10-20 drops of Essential Oils (My favorite essential oils to use in homemade laundry soap are lemon (deodorizing), melaleuca (cleansing), and lavender (because it just smells pretty!). Many essential oils have antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antibiotic properties.)

TOOLS:

Cheese grater
Large bowl
Spoon
Airtight container (If possible, use glass to eliminate the toxins in plastic containers seeping into your detergent.)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Measure out appropriate amounts of Washing Soda and Borax. We like to make a lot at one time, so we don’t have to do it as often. (I often will double the recipe.) And with kids in the house, we go through laundry soap like it’s going out of style.
2. Use a cheese grater, and grate the pretty pink soap till you have the desired amount.
3. Forgo the spoon, and use your hands to mix and combine the ingredients.
4. About halfway through, sprinkle in the essential oils, and keep mixing.
5. Once all the ingredients are incorporated, scoop into an airtight container.

Gatherhaus believes in discovering ways to enrich our lives that create purpose and inspiration. We believe that this exists even in the most simple of ways. Enjoy your journey into homemade laundry detergent, and let us know how it turns out!

***NOTE*** I don’t have an HE machine, but after talking to some readers, it appears that this homemade laundry detergent is safe for both HE machines and septic systems. However, there is some question as to whether it causes build-up when used with hard water, be sure to research the type of machine and water you have before you get started.