Monday, October 7, 2013

Vegan Cruelty Free Laundry Detergent

I certainly apologize for my lack of posting. It's been a bit crazy around the house lately. This week I am preparing for my in laws first visit to our home. I keep a pretty clean house anyway, but this week the house will be cleaner than normal. Anyway, my last post stated I would be posting my washing detergent. I had to do a lot of research on this topic before I actually made my own. As a vegan, I was a little wary of some of the ingredients my washing detergent contained. Many recipes contained non animal friendly products so, I had to find a way to make my own version of these products. I have figured it out and it takes a few extra steps and longer, but it is animal friendly and less expensive.  You will need a few ingredients for this: Cruelty free baking soda, borax, kosher salt,  VEGAN Bar Soap.
I love this detergent. It's great for spot cleaning my Husband's filthy uniforms. It's great for spot treating. I've seen it get out motor oil, ink, mud and dog vomit (Ew, Lola ate her weight in flour and potatoes one day!) . It just took a little bit of ore treatment by scrubbing with a tooth bush!





My version requires more work and time, but my version is cheaper and you get more. The borax can get a little pricey, but it's something I only purchase once or twice a year.  I don't have any sponsors (yet) so I won't be hyping up anyone's products.


You will needed:
Large Air Tight container
micro grater (a regular grater works just fine, however the smaller you can get your soap the better)
spoon
2 bars of  soap
2.5 cups of borax (search for cruelty brands, many of them offer coupons)
2.5 cups of cruelty free baking soda (most store brands don't test on animals)
1 cup of kosher salt (optional)

8 cups total: 112 Large Loads

After doing the math, my detergent comes to about 5.20 for 112 loads. or .05 cents a load .
If you have a particularly dirty family member, add the salt for scrubbing purposes when or if you spot treat stains.

1. Preheat oven 400 degrees  Fahrenheit. Spread cruelty free baking soda on baking sheet. Set timer for  ten mins, every ten minutes "rake" your baking soda around so that it heats evenly. Repeat this process six times.  This process turns your baking soda into washing soda for about half the price. It might get in your nose a little bit so prepare to sneeze. After this process, wait for your washing soda to cool.



2. While your baking soda is heating, grate your soap, the smaller you can get it, the better. Watch TV or listen to a podcast during this time. It takes me about 10 mins.

3. Mix in borax and salt with soap. Stir very evenly.  Mix in COOLED washing soda. Cover in air tight container.




1 tablespoon for Regular load
2 tablespoons for Extra Dirty Loads

Add 1/2-1 Cup of White Vinegar as a gentle fabric softener.


Alas, Readers I need a camera and a husband with out a million xbox controllers, please forgive my pictures. Make sure you label your air tight container and put instructions for washing clothes on the front. The last thing you want to do is come home to someone dumping 2 cups vs 2 tablespoons of laundry detergent in the washing machine.  I'll be posting again in a few days. Anything you would like to see? Thank you for reading.