In the past two years or so I’ve started following more natural living based influencers on Instagram and Pinterest. I’m thankful to have found these content creators, since they’ve educated me on the dangers of chemicals used in artificially scented products we use in our homes and on our bodies.

Over the last 18 months, I’ve switched from using regular shampoo and conditioner to natural shampoo and conditioner bars, natural bath soap, natural deodorant, bath bombs and bath salts, and scented oils in place of perfume. I also just recently made the jump to an all natural counter top cleaner made from used citrus rinds and white vinegar (it works great). Last month I made another swap, and made my own laundry detergent. It was incredibly easy and it works better than traditional liquid detergents. And since it’s combining three products into a batch of five cups, yet I only need to use three tablespoons per load, I anticipate the DIY soap going much further than traditional detergent, which will save a lot of money in the long run. 

Homemade laundry detergent

Alpaca wool dryer ball

This recipe is for a powdered detergent, but it works similar to traditional liquid detergent, and what’s even more amazing is that we don’t use fabric softener now, since this detergent isn’t loaded with synthetic fragrances and chemicals, our clothes come out soft without using any softener, (even towels)! Although a good natural alternative to fabric softener is supposed to be apple cider vinegar, I haven’t had to try that yet. I may use it in the spring and summer when I’ll dry my clothes outside, which can make towels rough when they dry.

Traditionally, another reason to use fabric softener or dryer sheets is to keep static cling from building up in the dryer, but I purchased an all natural dryer ball made from alpaca wool which helps alleviate static in the dryer. It’s been about a month since I made the switch from traditional laundry soap and fabric softener to homemade detergent and the dryer ball.

So far the biggest difference I’ve seen (besides the clothes being soft), is our clothes look brighter and even newer. I think that’s because the chemicals in the traditional laundry supplies can build up on the fabric and make colors look dull. I’ve not found a negative drawback to using the DIY laundry soap, so if you’re interested in cutting out harmful chemicals and saving money, check out the detergent recipe and give it a try!