Before the triplets were born, I decided to find a way to save some money on what I knew would be a mountain of laundry every week (no understatement there!). After combing Pintrest, I realized there were some very complicated recipes out there and some seemingly simple recipes out there. Being a simple minded person, I went for the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) approach. If it ain't easy, I ain't doing it!! I found some common ingredients and set out to figure out my own recipe. It worked! I found a very simple, easy to make powered laundry detergent that gets our clothes clean. My kids are dirty, so that says a lot!
About 6 months ago, I decided to venture into making my own dryer sheets. Two reasons for this: 1. I like the idea of no waste from my laundry (my sheets are reusable) and 2. When I read about all the chemicals in dryer sheets, I was pretty turned off. Don't get me wrong, I'm not as "crunchy" as you might think. Mostly, it's about saving time, money and keeping my family as toxin free as I can.
The dryer sheet recipe was much easier to figure out and you won't believe the simplicity!
Nancy's Powdered Laundry Detergent
1 bar Ivory soap (grated or powered - see below about how to powder your Ivory)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1-2 drops of Young Living's Purification blend per load, as desired
I usually make a triple or quadruple batch of this stuff.
In a large container, mix the soap, Borax, and washing soda. It only takes 2-4 Tablespoons per load depending on the size of the load. It is best to add the detergent, start the water, then add the clothes. I have found that putting the powder on top of clothes that are getting wet leads to white marks. If you are adding the Purification oil (totally optional), put that in with the detergent.
SCIENCE LESSON: If you want to make your Ivory soap into a powder, take your kids, line them up in front of the microwave and teach them a science lesson! Take half a bar of soap and microwave it 2-5 mins (you can't overheat it). Watch it turn info foam! The cool thing about this is that no chemical reaction takes place, the soap is the same as it was before. You have only created a physical reaction by heating up the air already in the bar. Thus, the foam. Once cooled, you can rub it between your hands and it turns into a fine powder (I recommend doing this part outside unless you like cleaning soap powder off of everything in the room). Super fun and gets the kids involved!
Nancy's Reusable Dryer Sheets
1/2 package of reusable cleaning cloths (buy the cheap ones)
1/2 - 1 cup white vinegar
10 (or so) drops of Young Living's Lavender Essential Oil (optional)
Cut the reusable clothes into quarters. This should make it about the size of a regular dryer sheet. Add vinegar to a glass container with a sealable lid. Mix in the essential oil if using. Add the cleaning cloths and get everything saturated. That's it! When you are ready to dry a load of laundry, pull one out, give it a little squeeze to keep it from dripping, and throw it in the dryer. Your clothes will not smell like vinegar or anything. They will just be clean, soft, and static free :)
NOTE: the first time I made this, I thought it would be a good idea to use tee tree oil. Save your nose and use something else. Seriously, it smelled like some kind of industrial waste. Thank God the clothes did not retain the smell!
Hope you enjoyed my escapades in laundry! If you are ever in the neighborhood and just really feel the need to do some washing, my laundry is always available :))
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