Make your own Washing Powder

Washing powder can be very expense, and with two boys and a husband who always seems to get his work uniform dirty, I tend to do a lot of washing.

Our oldest boy, who is allergic to penicillin, seems to be having more allergic reactions as the time goes by. In the first month of this year, he had an allergic reaction to something (still don’t know what), then another one to a new soap/body wash I bought and then to a wasp sting. Due to this, I have to be careful of what type of washing powder I use.

When I ran out, I decided to make my own. Not only would it be cheaper, but hopefully it would be safe for our boy. I have used this washing powder for over for weeks now and it seems to be good. The stains come out, there is no reaction and the clothes come out smelling clean and fresh.

Here is how I made it:

• 1 cup bicarb soda
• 1 bar soap, grated (I used sunlight soap)
• 1 cup washing soda (Letric Soda)

I made this washing powder in the thermo machine, but you could always make it by hand.

Add the cake of soap to the thermo bowl and grate SP9, 20 secs.

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix SP6, 30 secs. You may need to repeat this step until the powder is like a fine dust.

Use 1 tsp for front loading washing machines and 2 TBSP for top loading washing machines.

Notes:

• This washing powder does not produce a lot of suds like other washing powders. That does not matter, it is still cleaning the clothes.
• You can use 1/2 cup of borax in place of the bicarb soda if you wish. 
• If you use the washing machine water as grey water, DO NOT replace the bicarb soda with borax.