Why not make your own detergent? With only 4 ingredients you can make your own organic liquid detergent. You save money and do something for your health and the environment.
Conventional detergents from the supermarket are expensive and often also harmful to the skin and the environment. They contain questionable additives such as bleaching agents, silicones, alcohols and heavy metals.
Some also have a pretty intense smell that I can't get much out of.
We can gladly do without that!
With the simplest means you can make your own detergent at home. And completely organic and without spending a lot of money.
I'll show you how it works!
Table of contents
Fight bacteria & viruses with the DIY disinfectant!
How to make detergent yourself
With just a few ingredients, you can easily make your own detergent and no longer have to resort to the chemical pills from the supermarket.
For the DIY detergent you only need
- Washing soda*
- Curd soap*
- Water
- essential oil
You can get the ingredients for little money at the drugstore or on Amazon.
Apart from that, these utensils belong in every household anyway :-)
The production is simple and does not take long.
DIY bathroom cleaner in just 5 minutes!
Make liquid detergent yourself
Du benötigst
- 40 g Washing soda
- 30 g finely grated curd soap
- 2 L Water
- essential oil
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- Vegetable grater
- Whisk
- Funnel for filling
- Storage bottles
Anleitung
- Grate the curd soap with a vegetable grater or chop it with a knife.
- In a pot, heat the water with the washing soda and the curd soap.
- Stir the mixture vigorously with a whisk until everything is well dissolved and mixed.
- Let the mixture cool down well. If the mixture becomes somewhat solid as it cools, simply stir it vigorously again.
- Add a few drops of essential oil if desired and stir again.
- Fill the finished detergent into bottles or jars with screw cap. Done!
The agent becomes solid when it cools down. It has about the consistency of a pudding. It is easier if you put it in a screw jar.
If you have chosen a bottle, shake it before use. Normally, this should cause the detergent to run out of the bottle.
If not: Please do not despair. Place the bottle in the sink and pour in hot water. Leave the bottle there for a few minutes and the liquid detergent will be liquid again.
Mission: Make liquid soap yourself. It's that easy!
How to use the homemade detergent
The application of DIY detergent works exactly the same as purchased products. For one wash with average washing temperature and dirt 150-200 ml is enough.
By the way, the detergent is suitable for almost any type of laundry. Only for Wool and silk you should use the homemade detergent do not use.
Shake the bottle briefly before each use.
Tip: For white laundry, you can use one to two teaspoons of Baking soda* to this. The Baking soda* has a bleaching effect and prevents the laundry from turning gray.
How to wash your clothes ecologically and environmentally friendly
There are ecological detergents that allow you to wash in a more environmentally friendly way. Make sure that the product is as free as possible from chlorine, parabens and phosphates. The shorter the list of ingredients, the better the detergent is for the environment.
You can also save on plastic waste. Many drugstores already have refill stations.
You should also avoid using fabric softener. It is a burden on your wallet, wastewater and your own health. As an alternative, you can add a little vinegar to the fabric softener compartment. But even vinegar should be used with caution, as the rubber parts in your washing machine could suffer.
Also, make sure that you choose the right washing temperature. Heating up the water causes a higher energy demand during the washing process.
If you reduce the temperature from 60°C to 40°C, you can save electricity. You produce less CO2 and save money too!
For the washing machine itself, however, it is important that you run it regularly at high temperatures. This is the best way to remove deposits and keep the machine fresh for a long time.
Why you need to watch out for DIY laundry detergent
Making detergent yourself is super easy and certainly saves the environment. But unfortunately it also brings some problems with it. The problem with homemade detergents is the soap. Why is clear from the different properties of detergent and soap.
I therefore recommend: Switch regularly between DIY detergent and a purchased variant. In addition, use a washing machine cleaner at least 1x per month. It dissolves dirt, bacteria and fluff.
That's why you always have to switch between DIY and store-bought detergent
Surfactants are contained in purchased detergents. They ensure that grease dissolves in water. In other words, they provide the washing power. They are made so that the dirt dissolves at low temperature and disappears from the clothes.
A classic soap also dissolves the dirt. But in the washing machine, the removal does not work so well. If you've ever washed your clothes with your hands and soap, you know that you often have to rinse with water until all the soap residue is rinsed out.
The same problem appears when washing in the washing machine. The thorough removal of the Curd soap* from the fibers of your clothes is almost impossible. The soap residue includes bacteria, grease and other dirt. There are also mineral deposits.
DIY Room Freshener: Smell that good!
The soap from the homemade detergent will not only stick to your clothes, but also in the washing machine.
The thin layer of soap can no longer be removed and unpleasant odors may occur.
Therefore, it is important that you regularly wash clothes at 90 degrees. The hot water removes the deposits. In addition, I regularly use a washing machine cleaner.
Why the laundry still looks freshly washed
Apparently, the laundry gets clean despite a small amount of soap. Why is that? It can be explained by the three components of cleaning. Water, soap and movement.
Even if hardly any soap is used, the water and the movement in the machine manage to achieve a good degree of cleanliness and freshness. Theoretically, you could save the detergent altogether and have the same visual effect.
However, with homemade detergent, soap residue can form in the laundry and the machine.
With these 23 hacks you can live more environmentally conscious!
Our conclusion
Making your own detergent is not witchcraft. But unfortunately it harms your clothes and washing machine. For this reason, it is better to use ecological detergents from the drugstore.
And believe me, I would much rather have described to you a simple method of making DIY laundry detergent that doesn't involve any problems.
To browse further:
* Advertising & affiliate links: Our website is financed by advertising and affiliate links. As a partner of linked stores (e.g. Amazon) we earn from qualified sales.
Read more
