For a while now, I’ve been itchy! Not in a bad way, but it’s been annoying and it took a while to realise that it’s probably because I’ve been using supermarket washing powders. Whilst it’s not the powder (or liquid versions) that have been causing the problem, although they all have a lot of chemicals in them, it’s the fragrances that are the thing that causes the problem.
I used to make my own washing powder but post-flood, and while I’ve been building my house, I’ve been going to the laundromat and TBH, the thought of actually making anything was a bit beyond me!! So, I’ve been using all manner of ‘pods’.
Finally though, I have been getting way more organised and have started making my own washing powder again. It’s so simple, it works, and likely will save you some $$ as well. It’s only three ingredients and it’ll only take you a few minutes to make. And, your washing will smell beautiful and fresh!
The super simple recipe
You should be able to find all of these at your favourite supermarket, or failing that, a hardware store.
- 2 cups of borax
- 2 cups of washing soda
- 2 cups of grated pure soap. I’m a bit lazy with this, and use Softly (used to be called Lux) pure soap flakes because if you’ve ever grated a couple of bars of soap, you’ll understand why!
Have a large enough airtight container ready (or at least something that seals well), put everything in and give it a good shake. If your container doesn’t seal well and your mix gets damp, you might end up with a lumpy mess and the lumps don’t always dissolve.
Given that 1 cup = 250g, I get a 1kg bag of washing soda, a 1kg container of borax, and a box of soap flakes (700g) and mix the lot together. Yes, I know it’s a bit less of the soap flakes but it works for me!!
Use 2-3 tablespoons (1 tbsp = 15g) per load which you can adjust depending on whether it’s lots or a little and whether or not it’s delicates or the kids sports gear! For a scoop, I use an old container that has no lid (not sure where that went!) which has a 50g capacity and I adjust how much I use accordingly. I generally wash in cold water, but it can be used in hot as well. If you do any hand washing, add the powder to the water to dissolve it a bit first.
Cost
- 1kg washing soda = approx $5
- 1kg borax = approx $8-$10
- 700g soap flakes = approx $8-$10
2.7 kg = approx $25
This mix will do about 65 loads of washing but likely a few more but this is based on an average of 40g powder per load. It feels like it lasts me for a very long time which for me it actually does because I probably only do 1 or two small loads of washing a week.
Optional
If you did want a fragrance, you could add 20-30 drops of something citrusy or whatever your favourite is. Make sure you use a good quality essential oil (not a fragrance oil). You can’t go wrong with lemon myrtle, and lavender+rosemary is always good.
Add a cup of baking soda (bicarb) for extra stain removal if you choose to, or you could mix up a cup of epson salts with a quarter of a cup of baking soda. Keep this in a separate jar and add 1 tablespoon to your wash, and it will act as a fabric softener add a bit of extra cleaning power to the wash.
Oh, and one last thing … this powder is definitely low-suds.
