Oh the joys of laundry! Do you know what is in your laundry soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets, and stain removal products? Are you aware these products could be compromising your family’s health, including your pets? We should be concerned with what is used to clean our fabrics as they directly contact our skin all day. We provide our pets with comfy beds and blankets to lay on without maybe realizing that what we chose to clean them with could be harmful to them. Unfortunately, few of the chemicals used in laundry products have been thoroughly tested, particularly in combination with other chemicals, and some chemicals that have been shown to be harmful are still widely used. Health effects of ingredients in common household products include:
As we combine our laundry products with other cleaning products, air fresheners, personal care products, lawn care and so on we can start to see some of the many ways that we are exposed to chemicals in and around our home. The good news is that there are non-toxic options available to us! Today I want to share with you how you can replace the toxic laundry products that you may be using in your home with safe and effective alternatives. Oh, and you can make them yourself for pennies! Because I was curious how the costs compared to store bought products I went ahead and calculated the cost for myself per batch and discovered I was also saving a lot of money by making my own laundry products! Watch for my upcoming posts on other types of household products you can make yourself. Ok, let’s start detoxifying our house! Homemade Laundry Soap 16 cups of water 1 cup washing soda 1/3 cup of kosher salt 1 cup liquid Castile soap 20-40 drops essential oil Take 2 cups of the water and put into a pot & heat to just below boiling. Add the washing soda and kosher salt stirring until both have dissolved. Mix into the remaining cold water and add liquid Castile soap. Add whatever essential oil you prefer. I make mine using purification essential oil as it neutralizes any odors and leaves a fresh scent. Mix it all together and store in a one gallon plastic milk jug or glass container. Shake or stir before each use. If using a plastic jug for storage make sure to use a new jug for each batch as the essential oils will break down the plastic over time (glass is much preferred). Use ¼ to ½ cup per load depending on load size and soil level. Cost: $7.70 per batch (34 – 68 loads) If you are having difficulty finding washing soda I will give you a tip...baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and washing soda (sodium carbonate) are nearly identical in their chemical composition. In fact, you can turn baking soda into washing soda simply by baking it. Spread the baking soda out on a shallow pan and bake at 200°F for an hour and viola…you now have washing soda! Homemade Fabric Softener 16 cups of distilled white vinegar 20-40 drops of essential oil Mix together. Add ¼ to ½ cup to the rinse cycle to soften clothes. Cost: $5.17 per batch (32-64 loads) Homemade Bleach Alternative6 cups water ¼ cup lemon juice 1 cup (3%) hydrogen peroxide 10-12 drops of lemon or orange essential oil Mix all ingredients together. Use 1 cup per large wash load to whiten. Let solution soak with laundry for about one hour. Cost: $1.39 per batch (6 loads) Wool Dryer balls The use of wool dryer balls will soften and fluff clothes, reduce static, and reduce the drying time. For best results use 6 felted 100% wool balls. Add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil onto each dryer ball for great smelling laundry. Homemade Dryer Sheets Add 3-5 drops of essential oil onto a piece of fabric or a facecloth. Toss the cloth in dryer with clothes. Re-apply essential oils with each load. So easy! Homemade Stain Remover 3-4 Tablespoons of Homemade Bleach Alternative 1 teaspoon of baking soda ½ teaspoon of kosher salt 2-4 drops of lemon essential oil Apply mixture to stain and let soak. Scrub fabric gently. Rinse and repeat as needed. Cost: less than 40 cents per application! Static Stopper Synthetic fabrics are especially prone to static. Attaching a small safety pin on the fabric will eliminate the static on that garment. Over drying fabrics will increase static. Try setting the timer for 10 minutes less than normal. I only use and recommend Young Living Essential Oils, due to their rigorous safety testing and because of their therapeutic qualities and high concentration level. You can select the oil you use in your laundry products not only for a nice fragrance and cleaning properties, but also to benefit you and your pets physical and emotional health. Imagine that instead of using toxic products that harm your health you could be using products that offer therapeutic benefits! Because therapeutic oils are very concentrated you only need a few drops for each use so it is extremely cost effective. Here are the costs per drop of the most common essential oils I use in my laundry: Cedarwood 0.05/drop Citrus Fresh 0.07/drop Lavender 0.11/drop Lemon 0.05/drop Orange 0.05/drop Purification 0.09/drop Click here to LEARN MORE about Young Living Products If you have any questions about these products that I could answer please contact me at info@thenaturalcarnivore.com Click below to download the Homemade Laundry Products instructions in PDF for easy saving & printing! 
Happy Laundering!!!
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Author - Jennifer Lee
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