Home Made Laundry Detergent

Red's Rustic Rehab
by Red's Rustic Rehab
5 Materials
$5
20 Minutes
Easy

Hey there! I’m not sure if any of you also suffer with terribly sensitive skin, but this is one of the cleaning product hacks I have found that tremendously help my sensitive skin! Home made laundry detergent, and a fairly natural one at that! I love this detergent! I’ve been using it for almost a year! I work out daily, my husband works on Diesel engines, and we have a six year old, and dogs... stains, smells, and grime run deep in our laundry, and this detergent tackles it all! 3 simple, easy to find ingredients and some optional essential oils, and you have a powerful, natural, cleaner that can tackle the biggest messes and smells! I’ll also throw in a few other natural cleaning extras along the way!

Gather your supplies:



  1. baking soda
  2. washing soda
  3. epsom salt
  4. essential oil
  5. measuring cup
  6. container for storing- I got this one at Walmart! It was in the isle with the ironing boards!
  7. 1 or 2 tbsp scoop

Add to your container:

3 cups baking soda.

3 cups washing soda.

1 cup epsom salt.

15-20 drops (or more depending on how strong you want your fragrance) of essential oil, or combination of oils you like! I tend to gravitate toward lavender, I’ve used orange and lemongrass, but lavender is alway my default...

Still well, or if you container allows, shake until blended! If you feel you need a little extra stain lifting power, you can add a cup of baby oxyclean, it’s ingredients are pretty clean, I’ve done this as needed to individual loads of sheets or towels, but I just add it directly to the wash load in addition to the detergent.

You don’t need much of this detergent! 1-2 tbsp for a large load does the trick! I use the scoop from some old oxy clean! It will be lightly fragranced with whichever oil you decide to use. Add directly to the ash basin with your clothes, works with HE machines and cold cycles as well!

Enjoy your home made detergent! The ingredients are cost effective, easily acquired, natural and powerful!! I use this detergent for almost every load! We do keep gain on hand for the dogs towels and bedding, and I will sometimes use it for hubby’s work clothes because he likes the “clean” smell... I also use home made cleaners for my kitchen and bathrooms, basically just mix a 1/2 cup of normal white vinegar to water with essential oils, lemongrass for the kitchen and eucalyptus or tea tree for the bathrooms. I buy the amber colored plastic pray bottles on amazon! Be careful with essential oils with pets though! I know tea tree can be toxic! Just do your research if you have pets to make sure they are safe! Also. In higher concentration they can deteriorate plastics! Just something to keep in mind! Let me know if you try these detergents and what you think!

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  • Gina Schuran-castillo Gina Schuran-castillo on Jun 06, 2021

    I am wondering about the washing soda. I live in Mexico and I am not sure if I can get it here and if, it will be imported and extremely expensive Can I substitute it? I would start with your recommendation and never use anything different again. Excellent advice, thank you for your kindness of sharing. Gina

  • Amy Lanier Amy Lanier on Jun 11, 2021

    Can you use scented Epsom salt?

  • Karen Beam Karen Beam on Jul 02, 2021

    Could epsom salt cause corrosion in pipes?

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