Laundry Detergent

Hey, i'm so happy to see you here!  This means you are ready to take the plunge and make your own laundry detergent, you're awesome!  Your family is going to be so much healthier and happier without all of those toxic chemicals in their clothes and in the air.  So, let's get to it...

First, gather your supplies!  You will need:
*5 gal. bucket (I like the ones with the screw on lids, like this)
*Small saucepan
*Long handle wooden spoon
*Measuring Cups

Ingredients:
*4c. HOT tap water
*1 bar grated, Dr. Bronner's pure castile soap (I love the Lavender)
*6 capfuls Thieves Household Cleaner
*1 1/2c.  Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
*1/2c.  Borax
*2c.  Baking Soda
*3T.  Mrs.  Stewarts Bluing Agent

*This post contains affiliate links.  You can read my entire affiliate policy here.

Directions:
First, grate your bar of soap into the 4c. of HOT tap water.  DO NOT BOIL and stir continuously on LOW HEAT until the soap has dissolved.

Second, fill your bucket half full of HOT tap water, now add your soap solution, washing soda, borax, baking soda, and the Thieves Household Cleaner.  Stir well until all the ingredients are well blended and powders are dissolved.

Next, fill your bucket with HOT tap water, leave around 2-3" from the top of "open space", and now let sit overnight to thicken.

If you can find a helper to stir, great!  Sometimes they are very helpful and will stir your detergent, and then apply Lavender Essential Oil to your foot after they drop the bucket lid on it! :) 

It's the next day!  Simply add the bluing agent and stir again.  Your detergent will be blue for awhile but will turn white again over the next few minutes- hours.  You can use it while it's still blue, it will not harm your clothing.  Now, go ahead and film an empty (washed) detergent bottle half full of  your detergent and the rest of the way with tap water.

*If you don't want to make your own detergent, but want to switch to a natural one, I highly recommend trying the Thieves Laundry Soap, from Young Living!  My container is empty now, so i'm refilling it with my homemade detergent!

Congratulations!  You now have your very own laundry detergent that took you less than 15 minutes to make, chemical free, and for less than $20!  This bucket is going to last awhile, so feel free to share with friends and family who could also make this amazing change!

Now, go do some laundry!  Add about 1c. for Non-HE machines and 1/4c. for HE machines!!! You are going to get around 200 loads out of your bucket if you have a Non-HE machine and a whopping 600+ loads if you have an HE machine!  You're very welcome and I cannot wait to hear about how much you love your new detergent.

*This recipe is based on the Liquid Laundry Detergent recipe, found in The Chemical Free Home book.  Check it out today, for more amazing recipes!

*Tip- You can add your favorite Young Living Essential Oils to the detergent when you add it to the machine.  Ex., I will add 5 drops of Lavender to my children's laundry to give it a fresh, calming smell.

If you would like to become a member of my Young Living Community, I would love to help you on your journey!  Simply, click HERE to get started today.

Empty Bottles? No Problem! Here Are Some Options

What to do with all of your oil bottles, once they're empty? 

Ok, so once you're really, like, really addicted to your oils- you are going to end up with a TON of empty bottles!!! Omg, what are you supposed to do with all of them? You could recycle them, or up-cycle them, which is what I prefer to do! I'm going to share with you the process that I go through to clean, and re-use my empty oil bottles or you can purchase new ones HERE. Here we go...

First Step is to group and clean your empty bottles into the different ways you prefer to use each group (topically, diffusing, internally, etc.). Then you can decide what to make with the little amounts of oils that are hiding inside of your bottles.

*If it's an oil that I use a lot topically, like Lavender, I will just top off with a carrier oil once the bottle is about 1/3 empty. Put on a roller and it's ready to go!  If i'm creating a blend, then i'll simply add other oils to it and once again, top off with a carrier, and put a roller fitment on it! Easy, Peasy...

*I LOVE citrus oils in my daily water so I make a citrus blend that I can drop into my glass water bottle.  I group all of my empty citrus oil bottles (Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, etc), remove the drop reducers, add water until they are half full, and shake them like crazy.  Then, I simply pour that water into a larger glass bottle with a dropper top. I can add 1-2 droppers full of this citrus blend to my water and it's sooo good!!

*You can easily make a spray such as a linen, room freshening, laundry etc. This example is my Dryer Ball Spray that I use to spritz on my wool dryer balls to freshen my laundry.  I will also use this spray to freshen up towels that have been stored in the cupboard for awhile to give them a nice, clean smell. Typically, I use oils like- Purification, Lemongrass, and Tea Tree. I do the same process as the Citrus water but add a pinch of sea salt to the bottle to help the oils disperse more in the blend. Simply put in a spray bottle and shake before use!

*Another idea is to, make a balm with the last couple of oil drops that are in the bottle and in this example, I'm making a Respiratory Chest Rub (RC, Raven, Wintergreen, Copaiba, etc.).  Simply place some coconut oil in a glass jar and then add your oils, stir with a spoon and now that's done! Next, if they're oils I can also use for diffusing; I will add water to them, shake and pour into a larger bottle that I can then simply add to the diffuser.  I do this several times until the oils are completely gone!

Now, i've just made a Respiratory Rub and also diffusing water!

*For oils that are calming, relaxing, etc. I disassemble the bottle and then put the cap, the plastic dropper part and the whole bottle into a glass jar and add some epsom salts!  Let them sit for a week or so and then you can use these salts for a nice, calming bath (make dad watch the kids so you can actually relax)!  You can get real crazy, and even add the random caps/drop reducers and bottles into your bath too, now they are rinsed off and cleaned out!

*Once your bottles have all of the oils out (I DO NOT like wasting ANY), and you've removed all of the labels, you can put them into a pot with a little bit of Thieves Household Cleaner and water.  Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to simply simmer them for around 5-10 minutes. If there is any gummy residue left, simply use 1 drop of Lemon EO to get the rest of the gunk off! Let them air dry and that's it.

*Now you have clean bottles and can use them to make your own blends.  Give them away to other oily users as gifts for them to create their own DIY's.  If you're looking for Roller Bottles that you can simply purchase, click HERE.  You can order the AromaGlide Roller Fitments and pop those right onto your bottle to roll directly onto your skin. You can find spray tops that also fit these 5ml & 15ml bottles to make your own perfumes and more concentrated sprays.

***FYI: The AromaGlide fitment tops can be used to secure the rollers onto the bottles, or also, to pop them off of the bottle.  Here is the link to watch the "How to" video on YouTube.