Standard laundry detergents are basically a chemical bath for your clothes.  Considering you spend most of your waking (and sleeping, depending) hours covered in some type of clothing, this means that chemicals are being absorbed through your very porous skin almost around the clock.  Our bodies are already way overtaxed fighting off all go the unnatural substances in the air, our food, what we sit on, ride in, and touch.  Making natural laundry detergent is an easy way to start eliminating toxins from your home.  It's super cost effective and requires minimal effort.  

This recipe does not contain borax, and you can easily change the scent by changing the type of castile soap you use.  Easy peasy, non toxic, better for you and your family and far less expensive than commercial brands composed wholly of chemicals.  You can easily get all of these ingredients at your local health food store, or online.  Give this a try and know you are doing something healthy for your family!

Ingredients

2 cups washing soda
1 cup baking soda
1 cup citric acid
2 - 5 oz. bars castile soap made with essential oils, grated fine
1/2 cup coarse sea salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.  For regular loads use 1 TB, heavily soiled loads, use 2 TB

Ingredients:

• 28 oz of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 64 oz (1/2 gallon) hot water
• Essential oil (optional) approx 20 drops

Preparation:

In a one gallon BPA free jug, combine the vinegar, baking soda and water.   Please be  careful with the chemical reaction of these ingredients, as it will create lots of bubbles.  When the bubbles calm down and the liquid decreases, pour it into one or multiple glass storage jars and add any essential oil that you like (I love lavender for laundry.)  Always shake before each use. Use 4 tablespoons of this mixture per load.