I have been exploring the world of various natural laundry detergents in my home after choosing to avoid borax in my cleaning, which is a common ingredient in homemade varieties. Most commercial detergents are filled with harsh chemicals and the natural alternatives often contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and other ingredients that are now being debated over their safety. Most commerical detergents leave perfumes (cover scents), brighteners, and/or fabric softeners on your clothes to cover up the fact that the detergent really didn’t clean anything. These additives can easily cause skin irritations. I have found some frugal natural alternatives!
Homemade Laundry Detergent
Recipe adapted from Green Clean by Linda Hunter
1 cup castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs are good choices as they are organic and main ingredients are coconut oil & olive oil) OR Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds
2 cups water
1/3 cup salt
1 cup baking soda or washing soda
vinegar
Warm the salt and baking soda in water until mostly dissolved. Transfer to a one gallon container. Add your soap fill the rest of the jar with water, this giving you 1 gallon of detergent. Use 1/4 -1/2 cup per load, depending upon how dirty the load is. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar to your wash during the rinse cycle. This works as an effective fabric softener and disinfectant. Depending upon the hardness of your water, you may want to decrease the water quantity or increase the soap quantity.
Please note: do not add essential oils to your detergent. These oils will break down the fiber in your clothing. If you want a particular fragrance, try putting a few drops of essential oils on a rag and throwing it in the dryer. This will add fragrance but not transfer to your clothing.
Review: This recipe does clean very well, although I was not impressed by the cleaning job it did on my cloth diapers. Hard to give an exact price calculation on this one, but I figured this recipe makes enough detergent for 64 loads (at 1/4 cup per load) and with the ingredients costing no more than $4.00 (on the generous side), your total cost is most likely less than $0.06 per load.
Charlies Soap
Charlies Soap is an non-toxic, biodegradable soap that works effectively on tough cleaning jobs. It is highly concentrated so you only have to use 1 Tbsp per load. It is made with a unique blend of biodegradable coconut-based detergents and high-grade, completely soluble, Green River washing soda. Made in the USA.
Review: I love how Charlies Soap dissolves so well in all water temperatures and you only have to use 1 Tbsp per load. It is non-suding, but cleans remarkably well. We have found this detergent helps us avoid diaper rashes, although other reviews say some have experienced reactions to it. This costs about $0.11 per load if you purchase the 5 gallon bucket, which is a large up front purchase of $144. Otherwise, it costs approximately $0.17 per load. If you go in with friends on a bucket purchase, it is definitely a reasonable price.
Soap Nuts
Soap Nuts are the only laundry soap that grows on trees, thus giving us the most sustainable and natural option out there. It is 100% safe and natural for the most sensitive skin. Soap nuts are the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree. They contain saponin, a natural cleaner. They are simply harvested, de-seeded, and then dried in the sun. Great for hard water and high efficiency machines. It is biodegradable, hypo-allergenic, brightens colors, low sudsing, and contains a natural fabric softener. You can reuse a handful of nuts for 5 or more loads (depending upon water temperature, etc), and then they can be added to your compost! Most soap nut orders come with a reusable cotton bag which you use to place the nuts in and then throw in the washer, keeping them contained. The best price I have found is the NaturOli Soap Nuts. If you buy it in larger quantities ($50 for 800 loads), you are looking at around $0.07 per load! You can also purchase them in smaller quantities, which will be no more than $0.12 per load. Plus you will save additional money as there is no need for dryer sheets or fabric softeners.
By simply boiling soap nuts in water you can use it for: all household cleaning, liquid hand soap, plant cleaner, jewelry cleaner, produce wash, toothpaste, and even shampoo! It has also been found to be effective for skin allergies. For all the how-to’s, try the Soapnut Soak. You can even use some of this liquid in your dishwasher! I am in the process of experimenting further with soap nuts for these uses. I will let you know how it goes!
Review: When I first used soap nuts, I was a little turned off by the fact that they are rather sticky to touch, they reminded me of dried prunes. Otherwise getting over the sticky feeling, they cleaned our clothes perfectly fine. No strong smell of detergent, just nice and clean! Again, perfectly safe for all cloth diapers and cleaned them well. By the way, if you are washing in cold water, it is best to place your bag of nuts in a bowl of hot water to soak for 5-10 minutes. This makes them more effective in their cleaning power.
UPDATE: The first brand I tried was Maggie’s Soap Nuts (as described above). NaturOli’s were quite the opposite – no stickiness whatsoever and carefully inspected for quality nuts. No chipped nuts and not packaged in plastic wrap as Maggie’s came to me.
All these recipes or products above are non-sudsing, But don’t be afraid or think that your clothes will not be clean because of this. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is the additive that brings the suds. Suds are not necessary for clean clothes – trust me! All recipes work equally well work in hard and soft water and high efficiency compatible.
UPDATE: Please note that after extended use of soap nuts with my cloth diapers (Bum Genius pocket diapers), they started to repel and leak profusely. Once I switched back to Charlies Soap for my dipes, they began working properly. So I can unfortunately no longer recommend their use for cloth diapers. But I continue to still highly recommend their use for all your clothing, towels, sheets, and other household needs.
Price Comparison
Let’s conclude with a little price comparison to some standard brands on the market (as originally published here):
The following are various commercial detergents in typical sizes and pricing. The numbers of loads are as per the manufacturers’ instructions.
- Seventh Generation’s Free and Clear Natural Laundry Detergent 2x Ultra: $11.99 for 50 loads. ($0.239 per load)
-BioKleen Liquid Laundry Detergent: $14.39 for 64 loads. ($0.224 per load)
- All’s Small and Mighty 3x Concentrate for HE washers: $8.49 for 32 loads. ($0.265 per load)
- ECOS Laundry Detergent, Ultra Concentrated with Soy Fabric Softener: $9.49 for 26 loads ($0.367 per load)
- Tide’s 2x Concentrated Laundry Detergent: $14.99 for 32 loads ($0.468 per load!)
- Dreft’s 2x Concentrated Baby Laundry Detergent: $31.99 for 110 loads ($0.290 per load)
As soap nuts are very frugal, can accomplish so many different purposes in one product, and is completely sustainable…that seems to be the way to go!
Stay tuned for a Soap Nut giveaway and further details on how to use it for multi-purposing around your home!
How fun to find your blog! I’m having fun poking around. The salt ingredient in your laundry soap surprised me. It is a great degreaser, but it also sets stains. I use it in my dishwasher, but would be scared to use it on my clothes.
Lindsay, do you use a vinegar rinse with the Charlie’s soap? Thank you!
No, I very rarely add vinegar to any of my washing. I find that Charlies works perfectly fine on its own. I would only add vinegar on occasion while using the homemade version.
Did you purchase your soap nuts at a store or did you order yours online? I live in the general area of you and if I can pick them up in store I’d love to do that vs. ordering them online. Thanks!
I have yet to really look for them locally, and have only purchased them online. They are pretty new in the green circle, so thus I would imagine in the next while we will see them in local natural stores.
I’m so happy for this information. I couldn’t find washing soda and wasn’t sure I wanted to mess with making my own, your information gives me some choices. Thankyou for all your research.
I just tried making the Homemade Laundry Detergent. I warmed the soda, salt and 2 cups water for about 10 min. and they never “mostly dissolved”. There is a layer of soda on the bottom of the container after adding the rest of the water. Does that mean it’s best to stir each time before using or should I have taken longer to dissolve it? Also, congratulations on your new adorable son. You have a beautiful family.
Yes, when using baking soda it will not dissolve completely. I simply shake the gallon jar up before using.
question about the vinegar: I have often heard vinegar recommended as a natural fabric softener. On the contrary I have heard that it can dammage the rubber seals/belts on washing machines. Also one seller of cloth diapers said it would destroy the velcros on cloth diapers if used regularly. Does anyone know if there is legitimacy in these concerns??
I think I would nhandle the soap nuts with some tweezers or tongs…hahhaa…I’ve never heard of soap nuts…these are so neat! The Good Lord thinks of everything doesn’t He?!
Normally for my cloth diapers, I wash once in cold water, once in hot, then add a final rinse. Is this the same when using soap nuts? I read on the website they won’t last as long in hot water. I’m just curious if this is still how I would wash.
Thanks!
I have found that those washing instructions are for the purpose of really rinsing out the detergent so as to make sure no detergent remains on the diapers, causing issues. When using soap nuts, you are not dealing with a normal detergent. You can get away very well with a cold wash and then a hot wash. No need for the extra rinse. This method is working well for me.
Thank you!
Lindsay- may I just say- thank you for your website! You are such a blessing to so many! Thank you for all of the research you do and for sharing your findings with us. May the Lord bless your efforts abundantly.
Hello,
Do you know what soap nuts are botanically related to? My son is severely allergic to all tree nuts and as well as juniper, maple, and birch pollen so far (and many other foods). We had to avoid local honey and maple syrup for a few years even though he shouldn’t have reacted to them. I have safely switched to Charlie’s for baby, diaper, and other parts of our laundry at this point watching for reaction to coconut. I love how little space it takes. Thanks.
Cindy
p.s. Do you boost with oxy-clean type stuff and if so how often?
No, I do not know what soap nuts are botanically related to. I would check out the links above and inquire there. I rarely use oxy clean in my laundry, only for pre-treating stains. I have not found it necessary.
I finally found it on Wikipedia–they are a member of the maple family. It also says they are NOT related to any edible (allergy-causing)nuts. We may just avoid them for now and try down the road. I don’t want to try too much too fast. Thanks.
I know you have a lot of posts to respond to, but I wanted to know your thoughts about Dr. Bronners philosophy. After having Dr. Bronners in my home and liking it, one day we got to reading all that’s on the labels. We have Christ at the center of our hearts and home as it sounds like you do too, and we had a hard time thinking of buying their products again because of the whole “one god” concept (where we know there is only One living God) and other strange ideas on their bottles. If you’re comfortable sharing your thoughts, please do, I wish I didn’t have to feel like I was supporting their philosophy when I buy their good soaps.
Funny that you should ask. I just had another reader ask that very same question earlier this week. Here was my reply:
I have read some of the comments on the Dr. Bronners containers. I have found that the majority of natural/green items available on the market are made by companies that are more New Agey (worshiping the earth and the like) in their belief system. It is unfortunate and I look forward to the day when more Christians will step forward and start companies that would seek to provide more natural solutions. Until then, I feel the most important thing for us as believers is to take the lead in being good stewards. I think it is a matter of conscience and a liberty issue. If your conscience leads you not to support this company, by all means, follow what the Lord is convicting you to do. You can always use another variety of castile liquid soap. I know Mountain Rose Herbs sells an excellent quality edition as well (as linked to above). I myself will be trying this brand in the near future, but then again, I do not know the philosophy of this company.
I always think an important question to ask (to put things in perspective) is what are the other/ competitive companies supporting/promoting/funding??? It may not be a much better alternative. It’s not because they aren’t preaching a new age philosophy on their labels that they actually are “neutral” spiritually. There are concerns like human rights, advertising, investing, exploiting etc. And God never commands us to only buy from Christian merchants. (though if given a direct choice I would choose to support a brother/sister in business)
Hello!
I am a Charlie’s fan. I love it. But we do have the dreaded ammonia diaper. Do you get that? How have you stripped your diapers? Has changing laundry soaps often caused any issues for you?
When I first starting using Charlies, I found it took a few washes to really clean off all the detergent remains from my previous homemade recipe. I had some serious rash issues during this transition, but now we are using Charlies for diapers without any issues. I think this was somewhat of a stripping process. I have stripped them before with a tsp of dawn’s liquid soap (as recommended by Cotton Babies) and several hot washes if I was having persistent diaper issues, but now they are working fine. I don’t have any issues with ammonia smells.
Hi! I stumbled on your blog looking up other homemaking-focused blogs. I’m very intrigued by these soap options and will try a couple myself. Thanks for reviewing them!
Thank you for researching and writing about this. I just switched from a Trader Joe’s detergent to a Biokleen 3x concentrate. The price was more favorable and the scent preferred. I still seem to be in a loosing battle our whites – can’t seem to keep the family from stomping through the mud in white socks! I probably can’t blame the cleansers on that issue though. I’m not convinced that we should be overly concerned about the borax. Most chemicals (naturally occuring or man-made) will be toxic at the right concentration. I wouldn’t advise letting the kids drink castile soap from the bottle or consume a cup of baking soda! To put things in perspective we should also ask about the extraction and production process for all of these green products. Where are the soap nuts grown? Who harvests them? Are they paid a fair wage? Are pesticides and fertilizers used? Is the process sustainable if all of us used them? Regarding castile soaps the same questions apply with a few more. What has to happen to coconut to get it to the liquid soap form. Is this energy intensive? Does it require unsustainable amounts of water? Are other chemicals needed to extract the desired components of the coconut? The list can go on. Nevertheless, the more we can divorce ourselves from petroleum based products, the better for our health and that of the planet. Again, thank you for doing so much of the footwork and research! I’m so glad that we have options!
Thank you for your thought provoking questions. In trying to be responsible there are a lot of things to consider.
Thanks for the post Lindsay.
I was wondering what you do for cake frosting for Birthdays and so on.
I thoght maybe you had a more naturel recipe then using all that whites suger!
Thank-you and God Bless
I just purchased a trial order of soap nuts and I am so excited to try them!! Thanks Lindsay for all of this research…so helpful!
We’ve also been through the laundry soap merry-go-round. I’ve heard, although I can’t quote the source (maybe diaperswappers?) that Dr. Bronner’s shouldn’t be used on diapers because it will cause them to repel. I’ve never used Charlie’s soap, but have a sample to try. I have a huge bag of soap nuts I got through a co-op for something like $14.00- I use these on all regular clothes, but we developed stink issues with the diapers (we use bumgenius, fuzzibunz and prefolds). Every time I try to go back to the soap nuts with the CDs, the stink returns after about 3 weeks and I have to go through the entire boil water, soak over night, soak in vinegar, etc… So I’ve reverted to liquid tide for the CDs, which is the only thing I’ve found that keeps the stinkies away. I’ve also heard soap nuts can work in the dishwasher, but I haven’t tried it yet…
I too, have a cloth diapering guide that explains the necessity of cleaning cloth diapers in a vinegar solution every so often to get rid of build-up from castille soap (either used for stain removing or as detergent). I live in france where castille soap is a lot more popular and apparently it is an issue, I personally didn’t notice it on my own diapers wich are just simple pre-folds.
I find that for any natural detergent if there are “stink issues” it becomes necessary to wash on a hot cycle and I always use a natural whitener (sodium percarbonate,…not sure what it’s commonly called in english)
I have used the soap nuts, and never heard that they could be reused…I like my clothes to smell nice though , so I do choose natural detergents with essential oils (don’t know if they damage fabiric, but i don’t use a dryer either)
This is slightly off topic but: I recently moved to France (I’m American) and am having a hard time finding things like borax and washing soda (sodium carbonate…not sure what the difference is between that and sodium percarbonate, but I wouldn’t mind having that either). I made my laundry detergent in the states and was hoping to continue that here, or switch to soap nuts. Can you tell me where you find your natural cleaning stuff in France? Or could I perhaps email you about it?
Thank you so much for this post!! Can you find soap nuts at the grocery stores or dept. stores?
I do not believe so, although I have not done extensive searching. The online prices as linked to above are very reasonable even with the cost of shipping, I calculated that in when sharing about soap nuts.
I saw you used these for your cloth diapers, so I assume your new laundry soap recipes are safe for washing all of baby’s things as well? Or do you modify anything?
Yes, it is perfectly safe for cloth diapers and all baby items. Can’t get more natural than practically all edible ingredients!
Thanks so much for these recipes. Funny enough my MNL just left today b4 I read this and we bought her two boxes of washing soda b/c she couldn’t find any in TN! I’m going to mail her a copy of these recipes to try. She’s not into natural, sometimes almost even against it lol, but she is sold on the $ saved!
My husband is a mechanic and has lots of oils & grease on his clothes. I have to wash his clothes separately w/the borax laundry recipe or it’ll run onto my clothes (somehow not his though). I’m looking forward to trying some of these alternatives to wash our clothes together again.
Love your blog! This post was very helpful. I recently switched my families laundry detergent to Charlie’s Soap, and I love it!!
Blessings!
I will definately have to try soap nuts! Another thing on Charlie’s (yup, I love it) is that we don’t ever ever ever have to use fabric softener. Of course we didn’t use it on our diapers…but it works great for nice towels and everything too…another money saver not to buy softner or dryer sheets.
Thanks for posting this! I’m going to look into the various options. I’ll be interested to know what your new dishwasher detergent will be!
I’ve used Twave capsules for a couple of years now and they’ve worked great. I got them for $60, including shipping, and are supposed to last for 500-700 loads. Check them out here: http://twavetrio.com/
Hi,
I had heard of soap nuts, but had forgotten about them until now! Thanks for sharing all the information.
Do you know if it is better to buy organic soap nuts? I have no idea if there is a lot of pesticide/herbicide/chemical use in growing soap nuts…
There is this great site, Bubble & Bee Organics (www.bubbleandbee.com) that sells organic soap nuts, among other products, (http://www.bubbleandbee.com/servlet/the-104/Organic-Soap-Nuts/Detail). There is great customer service with her products!
Jill
Dear Jill, I submitted your question to Chris @ NaturOli (the soap nut company) and here was his response:
Virtually all soap nuts (particularly of the higher quality mukorossi variety are wild-crafted. They grow throughout the Himalayan foothills at relatively high elevations. The range is primarily from Southern China through Nepal and Northern India. Hence, the VAST majority are growing in lands virtually untouched by humans hands. Most of the land is not even private land.
That said, being wild-crafted mukorossi trees don’t even have much of an opportunity to be treated even if one wanted to. Now the VERY interesting part: Insects don’t like saponin. It is actually used as a natural insecticide by many people. It repels insects as most common soaps do. Also interesting: Saponin is naturally anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. It reminds me a lot of the olive tree. They are extremely hardy and rarely get sick or even develop pest problems. The life span of a mukorossi tree is around 90 years! Again, very similar to olive trees. They are very prolific fruit producers for 80 out of those 90 years.
So you see, not only do they grow in the wild, and thus not subject to various sprays and chemicals, but they also are not even needed as insects don’t like them!
I recently started buying Ecos Free and Clear detergent for HE washers, at $10.09 for 100 loads. That’s $0.10 a load.
Just curious where you are getting your prices?
I love the detergent. It works VERY well and is completely natural.
I received that price here. It is hard to get an exact price for any of these detergents because it depends upon your source, but I was trying to go with the average cost. I use to use Ecos myself as they sell it cheaply at costco, but then we had major rash issues on our cloth diapers as a result. I think it must be the built in soy fabric softener.
I use ECOS free & clear and it’s $10ish for 100 loads where I get it.
The secret to cleaning is pH. So, whether you use straight vinegar or a baking/washing soda solution for washing clothes, if you swing the pH of the water far enough away from the pH of the dirt/stains on your clothes, they come clean. I’ve washed cloth diapers with only vinegar in the wash, and they’ve come beautifully clean.
I would personally leave the vinegar out of the detergent recipe, since it will neutralize the mixture’s alkalinity, really reducing the cleaning power. Vinegar really makes a great rinse, and it helps keep clothing clean. Shifting the pH to the acidic side helps keep stains from setting, and makes clothing easier to clean. (Try mopping your floors with vinegar and water one time, then use Murphy’s Oil Soap or soap and water the next. It’s amazing how much cleaner the floor looks a few days after mopping with vinegar.)
Thanks so much for the great info!
Thanks for sharing these recipes. I have been on the lookout for something like this for awhile, so this was perfect!
So glad you have posted about soap nuts!!!
What about the dishwasher? Any safe alternative recipes? Thanks!!
Yes! The recipe is to come soon!
I just posted my natural dishwasher detergent recipe here.
Thank-you for such a well done review of several options!!
We reviewed soap nuts sold by an Etsy shop awhile back. We’ve been using them ever since and love how well they clean our clothes. You can read our review HERE.
We can’t wait for your giveaway! Thanks for all of the work you put in to keep us informed about natural and frugal options for everyday life.
God Bless!
You’ve caused me to read up a little on soapnuts. Just wondering if it’s true that you have to use them up in all one day. Do the four loads have to be done all in the same day? It sounded like from what I’ve read that it does or they’ll begin to mold. Do you have any experience with this? Thanks so much.
I have not read that before nor have I had experience with that, but then again, I wash all my clothes in one day. Try a sample and see what happens!
I submitted this question to Chris (the Founder of NaturOli, the soap nut company I recommend) and this was his response:
No. You can use the same wash bag of soap nuts for an indefinite period of time as long as it is allowed dry between usage. If left in water (or kept wet somehow) for an extended period they most certainly would develop mold or other fungus. It’s a dried fruit and that would happen naturally. That’s all you need to remember. Once hydrated again, it will be just like any other fruit or vegetable.
Hi Everyone-
I have been following this website for just about a month now and am so excited to see all of the great tips and comments. As a new mom I’m rethinking many of my cleaning habits and one of those includes laundry detergents. I have one question that is probably silly but I haven’t been able to locate the answer yet. Do dryer sheets protect your clothes against static electricy? Anyone know what causes this and what can be done to prevent it(without the use of dryer sheets)?
I look forward to hearing more one this subject.
Vinegar! Vinegar is a natural alternative to dryer sheets. I honestly never need them with any of these laundry methods!
Lindsay-
Perfect, thank you for letting me know. I can’t wait to try these methods out.
You can buy dryer balls (I actually saw they at WalMart the other day) They look like little plastic porcupines. They bounce around in your dryer and get rid of static.
I stopped using dryer sheets when a fireman friend told me dryer fires were caused by the film they build up in the lint container. He said they would be out of a job if everyone stopped using them. You should wash your lint catcher with soap and water regularly if you use dryer sheets. I use a touch of vinegar in the rinse cycle with no problem.
I also buy my 7th generation soap at Walgreens, it is 7.99 for 32 loads (50 HE loads). I usually get a $1-$2 coupon each time I buy a jug, so it ends up 5.99 – 6.99 for 50 loads.
We use dryer balls and they are wonderful. Because of them, the only wash I add vinegar to is my diapers. Our dryer balls lasted 2 1/2 years before 1 of them fell apart. -it got a small crack in it and my 2 year old tore it open- One thing though, they don’t seem to take all the static out of synthetic materials. This has been to our advantage though, b/c it makes us pay better attention to the fibers we are wearing and has helped with exima(sp?) too. -my kiddos have my husbands sensitive skin-
Thanks for the soap recipe. I’m going to give it a try when my Bio-Kleen runs out.
This recipe sounds great!
Thanks!
Michele
Have you heard of Shaklee products? I use there cleaning products…including laundry detergent and have been very happy with the results. It lasts a long time and is a pretty good deal. I recommend it.
Thanks! I have been wanting to start making my own laundry detergent, but this makes me more excited to try the soap nuts. I love that you have the review part with each one!
Are you using a top loading washer or a front loader? Would the soap nuts work for a front loader? With 11 people using our laundry facilities, we MUST have a front loader to ease the load on our septic system.
Soap nuts work effectively in both front or top loaders according to the corespondent that I talked to at NaturOli. I personally have a top loader. He recommended that you just make sure not to fill your loads to full, so that the nuts can get mixed well with the laundry.
I use Charlie’s soap and love it! Clothes and sheets smell so clean and fresh.
We haven’t had any skin reactions. I do wash my Greta’s new and new-to-us diapers and clothes a few times to get all of the chemicals out before she wears them generally.
Just to let you know, Amazon.com has the 5 gallon bucket of Charlie’s soap for $97.39 plus $4.25 for shipping. This would only cost about $.07 or $.08 per load. I love Charlie’s soap since I started using it a few months ago!
Actually, that is just the Charlies Soap all-purpose cleaner, which I understand is different from their laundry detergent as described on the Charlies Soap website. I checked myself previous to putting this post together.
This is a great post! Would you wash cloth diapers in this way, too?
Did I forget to mention that? Yes, I washed my cloth diapers in all three of these methods and they worked equally well.
Just an update about Borax…I just spoke with the Dial Corporation, makers of 20 Mules Team, and was informed that Borax contains NO Boric Acid, however, if you mix it with an acid (I do not use any acid in my house, then it becomes Boric Acid. I told her my ratios of Borax in my laundry detergent and she said that was a very safe limit and to thoroughly rinse when using it with dishes. She, of course, recommended that it be stored out of reach of pets and children, which I do prior to her request. Even though I will continue to use Borax, I think I will try the Soap Nuts also!!! Thank you for all of your knowledge.
Wow, I had never heard of soap nuts before. Thanks for letting us know about them.
Right now, our family uses Charlie’s Soap for washing our clothes. We purchase it at our local Whole Foods Market and it is somewhat cheaper there than purchasing it online. Charlie’s Soap is great! A little secret: I use Charlie’s Soap in my steam cleaner. Just dissolve one scoop in a large bowl of hot water. Put the liquid in the soap dispenser of your steam cleaner- voila- an instant and very safe steam cleaner solution! It does a great job. I’ve been using it for over a year now and it does a better job than the chemical ladden cleaners made specifically for steam cleaners.
I have been using Charlie’s Soap for a while now and love it. I know some people say that it can cause rashes, and admittedly my daughter does get some pretty bad rashes, but I am pretty sure they are more diet related than a result of the detergent, as she doesn’t always have them. I love how clean my cloth diapers come and my clothes are always clean and fresh and don’t have any perfumey smell that I sometimes find even with “free and clear” or :dye and perfume free” detergents.
Thanks for this! I’ve been wanting to make my own detergent and haven’t been able to find washing soda anywhere around here. I’m planning to try the first recipe you listed since I have all those ingredients on hand. Imagine that!
I’m also very interested in the soap nuts!
I just followed the link and saw that you can purchase a sample of soap nuts (5 loads) for $2.19. So if anyone is already making an order from Amazon, you can order these too without paying more in shipping than you’d be paying for your purchase!
Wow, I’ve never heard of soap nuts but they look like fun; I want to try them. Thanks again, Lindsay for all the research. Bless you!
Shannon in Texas
Hi!
I just wanted to leave a comment regarding those who have had issues with Charlie’s soap. The instructions for Charlie’s soap actually state that washing your clothing that was previously washed in normal or other detergents will cause those chemicals to come out on the surface of your clothing and that you may initially need to wash things two to three times to remove all of the harsh chemicals. We did this and have had no issue since and we also use it on our cloth diapers and have had great success!
Just thought that bit was worth mentioning. Have a wonderful day.
I recently switched back to powder tide, because I was using the 2x concentrate, and didn’t feel like it was cleaning our clothes. After switching back, i’ve noticed a huge difference, our clothes are clean! I have ultra-sensitive skin and have never had a problem w/Tide. Now if I’d use a cheap alternative, I have problems.