Breathing in the fresh, clean scent of just-washed linens can make doing laundry feel like less of a chore. Unless you’re breathing in the petroleum-derived ingredients, phthalates, tricolsan and synthetic fragrances found in most conventional laundry detergents. Then, you’re lucky if you don’t have a coughing fit, or an asthma attack. Or worse.

The toxic chemicals in laundry detergents may make your bed sheets smell like they’ve been dried in a crisp mountain breeze, but that fragrance couldn’t be farther from anything resembling natural. From skin irritants to carcinogens to hormone disruptors, the chemicals in conventional laundry detergents are downright dangerous.

Have you ever noticed that distinct over-powering smell when you walk by the laundry detergent aisle? That’s actually a bunch of toxic chemicals off-gasing into the air. And, you can bet they’re polluting the air in your home every time you dump that conventional detergent into a load.

Why expose yourself and your family to those nasty chemicals? You can easily make your own laundry detergent at home. It’s cheaper and you’ll know exactly what goes into it. No unknown fragrances or confusing chemicals (1,4-dioxane??) to worry about. Go ahead. Give your laundry routine an eco-makeover with these do-it-yourself laundry detergent recipes.

When it comes to making your own laundry detergent, you can choose powder or liquid. Powder tends to be a bit easier to use, as homemade liquid detergents like to gel. Plus, you don’t have to use the stove to make them. But, if you like your liquid detergent then go that route!

The three simple ingredients in this recipe will make you wonder why you ever thought you needed the hundreds of ingredients in conventional laundry detergents to get your clothes clean.

4 cups baking soda 3 cups washing soda 2 cups castile soap flakes ( Dr. Bronner's bar soaps work well) 3-4 drops lavender or your favorite essential oil

1. Grate the castile soap into a bowl using a kitchen grater. This will take a little elbow grease.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir the mixture together. Place the powder in an airtight container, like a mason jar. That's it!

Scoop up about two tablespoons per load of laundry.

Even though this recipe doesn’t create all of those soapy suds like conventional laundry detergent, it does get your clothes clean. If you’re worried though, you could also add a few drops of tea tree oil for its antibacterial properties. You know, for those loads of stinky socks.

4 cups water (boiling) 2 cups castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's) 2 cups washing soda 2 cups baking soda 2 additional gallons of water

1. Yes, you have to grate the soap for this recipe too. Add your grated soap flakes to the boiling water. This will dissolve the soap.

2. Keep the mixture on low heat until the soap melts completely.

3. Let the soap cool a bit and dump the mixture in to a large bucket.

4. Add the washing soda and baking soda. Stir well. Then, add the remaining 2 gallons of water. Stir until the soap is well mixed.

5. Keep the pail covered, or store it in an airtight container.

Use ¼ cup of soap per load.

Want to completely green your laundry routine? Check out our related articles:

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