DIY Natural Laundry Soap

By Karyn Siegel-Maier
Published on August 19, 2013
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Pixabay/Monfocus

Try these DIY natural laundry soap recipes and learn how to use essential oils to scent laundry. Use common, nontoxic ingredients to clean clothes naturally. With more than 150 recipes for all-natural, easy-to-prepare solutions in The Naturally Clean Home (Storey Publishing, 2008), you can clean wood, glass, tile, porcelain, fabric, carpets and much more — naturally and safely — including laundry. In this excerpt taken from chapter 4, “The Laundry,” learn how to craft your own natural laundry soap.

You can purchase this book from our MOTHER EARTH NEWS store: The Naturally Clean Home.

The Herbal Touch

Herbal essential oils can be blended into laundry formulas (liquid or powder) or added to the softener dispenser of your machine. Essential oils not only boost cleaning power, they also provide a fresh, clean scent.

Essential oils can also lend therapeutic qualities. For instance, add tea tree essential oil to your laundry if you suffer from frequent yeast infections. Eucalyptus essential oil can be used when someone in the household is fighting a cold. Jasmine, rose, or ylang-ylang essential oil will impart a romantic scent to fine washables. You are encouraged to experiment! You can even create your own unique blend from the essential oil chart below.

Herbal-scented baking soda is another way to use essential oils in the laundry. Baking soda adds whitening power and is a natural water softener. For a 16-ounce box, use 15 to 20 drops of essential oil. You can mix it right in the box! Simply add the oils to the box and shake well. Or add 3 to 5 drops of essential oil to 1 cup of white vinegar; the oil lends additional cleaning power and helps to remove odors.

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