DIY Wednesday ~ The Natural Laundry Room

The Natural Laundry Room

Growing up, one of our daughters was known as the allergy queen. Everything irritated her skin. Clothing itched, soaps and detergent caused rashes and bed sheets were scratchy. The skin irritations led to her being irritated and cranky. This could also lead to me being irritated and cranky…

I quickly found ways to limit our daughters contact with known irritants. Our laundry room was one of the first rooms that became as natural and organic as possible. We begin making our own laundry soap and found a couple of secrets for laundry softeners. Soon our allergy queen was finding some relief and so were we.

 SENSITIVE SKIN LAUNDRY SOAP

16 cups baking soda

12 cups washing soda

8 cups of grated castile soap

Optional ~ 10-12 drops lavender essential oil

Grate the castile soap or blend in food processor and mix it with the baking soda and washing soda. If you want add essential oil.  Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated. Use 1/8 cup for a large load.

 

Natural Non-Toxic Bleach Alternative

3 quarts water ( I like to use spring water)

 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is best but you can use bottled)

1 cup hydrogen peroxide.

Mix together and store in glass jar. Add 1.5 to 2 cups per load of laundry. You can also use this to clean bathrooms and kitchens!

 

Homemade Oxyclean Stain Remover

2 cups water

1 cup hydrogen peroxide

1 cup baking soda

Combine all ingredients and put in an opaque dark bottle. You can put a sprayer from another bottle top of the hydrogen peroxide bottle.

Use as a pre-treat spray on stains or add 1/4 of the mixture above (about 1 cup total) to a load of laundry, add water and let soak for 30 minutes before washing.  Usually safe on all fabrics put please test prior to use!

 

Fabric Softener

And finally for a fabric softener consider white vinegar. Add one-half to 1 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of your machine. This is especially valuable when laundering cloth diapers as it will remove the problems usually causing diaper rash. It effectively rids the laundry of soap residue and allows the fabric to be naturally soft as well as balancing the pH which wi...ll extend the life of the fabrics. The smell of vinegar dissipates upon drying and leaves the laundry smelling fresh. If you wish to add fragrance to the laundry apply 2 or 3 drops of essential oil to a damp washcloth and place in the clothes dryer along with the wet laundry. I prefer lavender for its nice clean smell and disinfecting properties. to your washes rinse cycle. If you want scent simply add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar.