Welcome back to A Bowl Full of Lemons week of “Daily Cleaning 101”. Today I am sharing my 5th step to “keeping a clean home”, the laundry. In the blink of an eye, the laundry can turn into a mountain of chaos. You don’t have to let this happen. If you give your laundry care and attention once every day, what used to be a hot mess can become a quite manageable and simple daily task.
Step 5 – “Daily Laundry Care”
- Complete one full load of laundry each day (Wash, dry, fold, put away).
- Start the washer as soon as you are up and dressed.
- Place a laundry hamper/basket in each bedroom.
My Cleaning Supplies
Fresh Laundry Concentrate I love and use Fresh Laundry Concentrate detergent because it works great in my HE washer. It’s super concentrated and includes a pre-spotter and laundry cleaner all in one.
Soft Fabric Concentrate All natural plant based softener.
All Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent
If you are looking to save some money (or if you’re on the Dave Ramsey plan), you can try this all natural homemade laundry detergent. I researched many recipes online and most homemade detergents included these common ingredients.
Detergent
1 (4 lb) box of Borax
1 (4 lb) box of Super Washing Soda
1 (4 lb) box of Baking Soda
3 bars of Dr. Bronner, Kirk’s Castile, Fels Naptha, Zote, OR Ivory soap (Shredded)
Mix well in a large container. Cover with a airtight lid.
Directions for use: Add two heaping tablespoons to each load of laundry. You will need less with an HE washer. *When using powder in your HE washer, make sure to remove the detergent selection tray. (Read your manual to be sure you are using powder detergent correctly). Makes about 150 loads.
Fabric Softener
1/4 cup Vinegar (Place in fabric softener compartment)
Fabric Dryer Sheets
Place 10 drops of pure essential oil on a cotton cloth and place in the dryer with your clothes. (You can use clove, lime, spearmint, geranium, peppermint, spruce, or lavender).
Free Printable
Click on the picture below to print the Daily Cleaning 101 checklist out. It will remind you of what needs done and how little time it takes. Please do not redistribute. Personal use only.
My favorite cleaning products
- Cleaning Plain & Simple by Donna Smallin (My “go to” book for cleaning tips, how to’s & recipes)
- Get Clean Starter Kit (Contains everything in my cleaning kit minus Scour Off)
- Scour Off (To clean my sink weekly)
- Real Simple microfiber cloths
- Oreck Magnesium Vacuum (Giveaway at the end of the Series)
- Fresh Laundry Concentrate
- Basic H (Multi purpose cleaner)
- Nature Bright (Stain remover/brightener)
- Soft Fabric Concentrate
Conclusion
If you take 15 minutes out of your day to complete 1 full load of laundry, you will feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your home. Trust me, it works! Try it for one week and see how you feel.
This is the one thing that I know can I could get behind on. I usually have 5 to 7 loads a day having 7 kids but even then if I make it a priority to get them going it isn’t so bad. I teach my little ones to help. Thank you for the detergent recipe. I have loved this series!!!
Oh my goodness, Faith! And I complain about one or two loads a day! (We have three kids) You are a laundry superwoman!!! I bet you have some great tips for staying on top of it all.
I have been using the above detergent tat I made and works great except my towels are feeling real rough and a few black things are getting spotty. Do you have any advice on hw to wash towels??? I bought expensive hotel towels at Macy’s and they are so rough now:(any help would be great !!
Cassie, Sounds like you need a good fabric softener. Have you tried that?
I was told fabric softener would destroy the fibers , I have tried vinegar . I am afraid I may have ruined my towels:(
Some store-bought fabric softeners (the most familiar one that starts with a D, for sure) will coat your towels, and they will be soft but not absorbent; not great if you are trying to dry yourself off after a shower. Vinegar is supposed to be a good natural fabric softener, and I think I’ve heard that baking soda is good too, but that might be for getting out odors instead.
Cassie, I use a vinegar mix and it works really well for me. I use a mix of 1 cup baking soda, to which I SLOWLY add 6 cups vinegar. I then add essential oils to my preference for scent, but you could leave that out. I keep it on top of the dryer in an old orange juice container. Just give it a good shake before adding it to the fab. softner spot in your washer. Also, for inside the dryer I have 6 or 7 felted dryer balls. Makes a huge difference with towels! Good luck!
Add oxy clean to detergent recipe to prevent fading and always add soap to running washer before clothes
How much oxyclean do you add to the mixture?
I dont use oxyclean.
I use this recipe (or a version of but the same base) and these DYI Dryer balls. You can learn how to make them here. http://www.ehow.com/how_6515028_diy-dryer-balls.html.
They are amazing at keeping your towels nice and fluffy. The balls force the clothes apart and make drying time faster also.
Thanks for the homemade powder detergent recipe. I made liquid but its messy to keep stored so I’ve been wanting to find a powder recipe for next time. I HEART your blog
Just wondering, how to you shred the soap bars? I wouldn’t want to use the same shredder that I use for food…
Why wouldn’t you use the same shredder? It’s just soap. You wash the shredder with soap, right? I just consider a freebie – I use the shredder and it’s halfway clean
Just rinse the soap off.
I use a food processor, cut the bars of soap into chunks, add into the processor with some oxy clean and it will do the work.
I can see putting clothes in the washer and getting it ready to start it first thing in the morning, however we have to be at work pretty early in the mornings. We get up at 6 and are out the door about 10 til 7 to drop the litte one off at daycare/school. My concern is leaving wet clothes to sit in the washing machine for 8 hours during the day. Won’t that cause the clothes to mildew?
Jessica, my routine with my non-delicate items when I worked was simple. I loaded my washer the night before (towels, socks, pjs, etc). When I got up, normally I was up first, I started the load, added soap under the water then let it run. My washer could go through the entire cycle in about 35 to 40 mins. I would throw it in the dryer on my way out the door. I know a lot of people don’t like to run their dryer when they aren’t home but, since I regularly clean my dryer venting, I have never worried about it. If I needed to get a load of delicates done in the morning, I followed the same routine, just woke up a little earlier so that I would have time to hang my laundry to air dry, which obviously took longer than tossing in the dryer. I hope this helps.
I’ve used both liquid and powder homemade but I wonder how well the soap shreds dissolve in cold water. I have an HE so there really isn’t an agitator. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether or not the bar soap shreds actually dissolve in cold water?
It dissolves very well. I have been making my own detergent for a year, and I love it.
How do you shred soap?
I put my soap through my salad shooter with the grater attachment. It works great. Then rin it through the dishwasher to clean it.
I wish there was a “pin it” button on these links. I would love to be ale to save them that way!
Wow, your list has motivated to stay on top of my daily chores. This has helped me so much. What a great feeling to come home after a long day to a clean house.
Where can I purchase essential oils?
I have been using this recipe to make my own detergent for a couple of years and it works great and lasts forever! The only thing I do differently is add Scentsy’s French Lavender Washer Whiffs to it. For this much I would use two bottles. It really makes your clothes smell fantastic!
When my kids turn 12 they learn to do their own laundry. They each have an assigned day snooze you lose. I am looking forward to trying this. I have switched over all my household cleaners but had yet to change my laundry products. Thanks!
I don’t have a fabric softener drawer so I fill a Downy Ball 3/4 fill of vinegar. Fyi, don’t put vinegar directly in with the homemade detergent; the borax turns to salt and is rendered worthless. I speak from experience and research. Vinegar is a good softener and removes all kinds of smells so it’s a must in my laundry room.
Where do you get super washing suds?
Most grocery stores carry the super washing suds. I live in a small and my little hole in the wall market has them or you can order them on soap.com
I am having a hard time finding an airtight container for my detergent. Where did you get your containers, please?
Thanks for the detergent recipe! I LOVE your green scoop, where did you find it?
Thanks for this series, I really needed it!!
I find that empty 2 or 3 litre juice bottles are great for storing so many things, split peas, cleaning products anything xxx
Is the detergent recipe safe for cloth diapers??
Toni – I’m really enjoying your blog! Thanks for sharing all your great ideas
Two questions for everyone: First, same as Shantelle, is this recipe safe for cloth diapers? So far, I’ve heard yes but I wonder if anyone has heard that its not safe. Also, is the detergent safe for newborn babies? And with that, any suggestions on what type of bar of soap? Thanks!
This soap is not only safe for babies, it is excellent for anyone with exzema. Most of the stuff you find in laundry detergent is bad for babies, and the viengar rinse is a germ killer. Use Zote soap if you can find it — walmart sells the bars in the laundry section for about a dollar.
I love this.
Jessica does bring up a good point though — some of us simply can’t adhere to this schedule, as ideal as it is! What about working mothers? Or those of us who live in an old home, and don’t have the luxury of an in-home washer? (I refuse a daily morning trip to the laundromat! That will stay a weekly thing for me.)
what is the reason to put this mixture into an airtight container? i would like to switch from tide pods and oxyclean to this detergent mixture. currently i keep the oxyclean and pods in two glass candy jars with lids, but they aren’t airtight. i LOVE the difference oxyclean has made in removing stains without pretreating as i’ve been using it for about 4 months. i’m wondering…can i substitute it for the super washing soda? or some other element of the mixture? i also love the idea of scented essential oil on a cloth instead of dryer sheets. i can’t stand that film i feel on the clothes when i use dryer sheets. i wonder, do the cloths with the essential oil help control static?
I posted this over on your blog post on laundry room organization, but thought I would post it here as well. How do you keep the mildew/mold smell at bay on a front loading washing machine?
By the way I love your blog. Your ideas are practical and so many of them can work for my family and I. Not every one of them do, but I am ok with that!
Keep your washer door ope.
Kendra, I run my front loader on a vinegar/baking soda wash every once in a while (maybe once a month) with no clothes in it, and I also keep the door open all the time. This has helped a lot with the moldy smell, and the baking soda gets rid of any residue that might be left over in the machine, so it cleans it as well. If you do this regularly it will make a big difference.
Thankyou so much for this recipe for laundry powder. I always buy organic powders because I have very sensitive skin. I will definately give this a try. Do you have a recipe for dishwashers ? The powder that I use at the moment is expensive and also organic but I would love to make my own if possible !
Try a foil “ball” in the dryer to cut static! I think I saw this on Pinterest. It really works! I use the same one a few times (heavy duty foil, reg foil might wear out quicker), then replace when it becomes flimsy.
Love it!!! Maybe I missed seeing it somewhere but what are the little yellow things in your soap?
The yellow things is the bar soap grated up.
We have been making our laundry soap as well!! I LOVE controlling what goes into my machine as well as what goes onto my family. Thanks for posting this!! People use to think we were crazy!! But now…it’s wonderful!! Thanks for sharing the message!!
Oh….and LOVE your blog!!
I’ve been using the same laundry detergent recipe and I LOVE it! No way will I go back to store bought…this is so much better for your skin! Thank you for sharing
I wanted to ask where did you get your super cute containers?
I have been using a recipe for detergent for about a year. I add oxy clean and fabric softener to the mix. I have four kids and one of them works at a trucking company with yucky clothes, this detergent works great to get his clothes clean
I was wondering where you got the containers you keep your laundry detergent in?
I can’t wait to try the detergent! I bought tge ingredients yesterday and I think I found the same cute green lidded containers at Walmart along with some inexpensive cute rainbow color labeled measuring spoons by Mainstays. Thanks for the “recipe”!
I was also wondering where you got your containers.
I think those look like containers from the dollar store. My local dollar store has blue top containers.
oops. i saw them at walmart. mainstays makes the containers in a two pack.they hold 16 cups, i think.
This is a great blog! Good resource.