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Homemade staples- Laundry Powder (without Borax)

When I had my son I was desperate to find as many greener and less chemical ways to run our home as possible. Washing Powder was on top on my list to make at home for a few reasons. Firstly we use cloth nappies and I wanted to reduce the cost per wash, secondly because I'm trying to save the equivalent of a salary by being a stay at home mum, and finally I don't drive and prefer to wear little frog rather than take the pushchair when we do the shopping so wanted reduce the volume of stuff I was having to heave home.
I found some great ideas online, but found that the washing liquid recipes required more space than my bedsit sized kitchen could offer and that most of the powder contained borax which is a dangerous chemical not readily available in the UK.
Through trial and error I have found a simple method of making my own Laundry Powder:


Ingredients
Bicarb of Soda (1/2 Cup) £0.13
Soda Crystals (1/2 Cup) £0.13
*Note you could use just a whole cup of either choice of soda I find that soda crystals keep the washes very clean but the bicarb is a little gentler
Automatic Laundry Powder for Sensitive Skin (1 Cup) - This is the borax substitute I got mine from boots for £1.75 for 800g box £0.50p
Baby Soap (1 Bar) £0.33
Rosemary or Teatree essential oil (10 drops) £0.15
Lemongrass or other preferred nice smelling essential oil (10 drops) £0.15
BioTex (or any other brand) Stain remover (1 Table spoon) £0.05

Total Cost £1.43- Makes Approx 50 washes - Cost per wash - less than 3p! Or 10% of the cost of Ariel.

Recipe
1. Start by grating your baby soap into your choice of laundry container- I use a 3kg ice cream tub
2. Add the other dry ingredients and stir thoroughly
3.Add the drops of essential oil whilst stirring.

And you are done! I use two milk bottle caps full per load (6kg machine) and have had no problems at all with my nappies or clothes. I wash on 40 degrees and get around 50 washes per batch.

Please share this post so other uk mummies can save on Washing and check out my other Crafty Mama Posts for money saving ideas

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