DIY for Liquid Laundry Detergent

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Making your own laundry has many advantages: it’s very easy, economical, and ecological! Whether you are a beginner or a Zero Waste expert, doing your own laundry is useful and accessible to everyone! The homemade laundry can be used for hand washing as well as for machine washing.

What you need

  • Heat-resistant metal bowl or saucepan (3 litres or more)
  • Kettle, water heater
  • whisk, tablespoon
  • 1 bottle or old washing powder canister (2 litres or more)

Ingredients for 2 litres of liquid detergent

  • 2 litres of water (1 litre + 1 litre)
  • 35 g of real Marseille soap
  • 35 g of liquid castile soap
  • 2 tablespoons of soda crystals

Cautionary note

Important: Excess soap can damage your machine or clog your drain lines. It is important to dose the product correctly. If the water in your area is very calciferous (they say the water is “hard”), the PH value should be increased by adding soda powder (Sodium bicarbonate) to improve the effectiveness of the soap and reduce deposits. Please also read this information carefully !

Method

  • Boil 1 litre of water.
  • Grate the soap into a container, add the black soap and pour boiling water into the mixture.
  • Let stand for a few minutes, then stir until the soap is dissolved. Add 1 litre of tap water (cold).
  • Add the soda crystals, mix and leave to cool for a few hours.
  • Put the detergent in a canister. If desired, scent with essential oil.
  • If the detergent thickens too much, it can be diluted with a little bit of water the next day.
  • Shake the canister well before each use. Use this detergent in the same dosage as any other detergent.

Remarks

For very dirty laundry:

You can rub the Marseille soap directly on the stains by moistening it with water. It is an excellent stain remover.
You can also add 2 tablespoons of Sodium Percarbonate (solid hydrogen peroxide, made from natural raw materials) in the drum of the machine.

For the fabric softener:

Alcohol vinegar is perfect as a fabric softener, put 1 tablespoon in the softener tray. Be careful not to use too much, as it can damage the elastics of your clothes.