Homemade Citrus Laundry Soap

Wash your clothes in handmade laundry soap scented with citrus. It takes only a few minutes to mix up a batch of liquid laundry detergent, either from bar laundry soap or natural liquid soap. Save commercial laundry detergent bottles for convenient storage of your homemade laundry soap.

Things You'll Need

• Bar laundry soap
• Cheese grater or food processor
• Washing soda
• Borax
• Lemon essential oil
• Orange essential oil
• Grapefruit essential oil
• Citrus castile liquid soap
• Bucket
• Funnel
• Empty laundry detergent bottles

Instructions

Grated Soap Recipe

1. Use a cheese grater or food processor to grate a bar of laundry soap. Add it to 4 cups of water in a saucepan, and heat it on low until the soap is dissolved into the water.

2. Add 3 gallons of very hot water to a five-gallon bucket. Mix in 1 cup washing soda and 1/4 cup borax. Stir well until the powders have completely dissolved.

3. Stir the soap mixture into the bucket with the water, washing soda and borax. Mix well and let it sit overnight. The next day, stir 30 drops each of lemon, orange, and grapefruit essential oils, or any combination of these, into the bucket.

4. Use a funnel to transfer the laundry soap into clean, used liquid laundry detergent containers. Use 1 cup of detergent to a load of laundry. Shake the container prior to use.

Liquid Soap Recipe

1. Combine 1/2 cup of liquid citrus-scented castile soap, 1/2 cup washing soda, and 1/2 cup borax in a two-gallon bucket.

2. Fill the bucket nearly full with very hot water. Stir until the soap and powders are fully dissolved.

3. Use a funnel to pour the soap into clean, used liquid laundry detergent containers. Add 1/3 cup per laundry load. Shake the container prior to use.

References

• Easy Aromatherapy Recipes: Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe