Learning how to make homemade laundry care products can be very rewarding. Once you understand which ingredients are helpful to have on hand, and how to use and store your homemade products, the process is simple! 

What you'll need

In order to make your homemade laundry care experience a success, stock up on these items. 

1. Baking soda

A gently abbrasive scouring powder and odor absorber, baking soda is an excellent base for homemade laundry care products.

2. Washing soda

A mined mineral salt, washing soda can be used to soften water and boost the cleansing power of laundry soap. 

3. Borax

Also a mined mineral salt, Borax can be slightly caustic so be sure to handle with care. Diluted in water, it becomes an effective alternative to commercial detergents. Use as a laundry soap booster. 

4. White distilled vinegar 

An inexpensive, safe, yet powerful solvent, white distilled vinegar is purifying and softening. Use it for fabric softeners. 

5. Unscented liquid soap

An effective vegetable oil based soap can be used as an alternative to commercial laundry soaps. Use with distilled water and customize the aroma with essential oils. 

6. Distilled water

Clean, distilled water acts as a better carrier and dirt solvent than hard tap water which can lead to spotting and build-up.

7. Essential oils

Essential oils bring both aroma and benefits to laundry care. Gentle oils with fresh aromas are good choices for laundry care. Aura Cacia's DIY Petal Power Essential Oil Blend is blended especially for homemade laundry care products. Other gentle, fresh essential oils like lavender, lavender tea tree, lemon and Roman chamomile are also great choices. 

How to use and store your homemade products 

Because you’re using common household ingredients to make your laundry care products, they’ll tend to be a safer, chemical-free way to clean. Still, following some common sense use and storage guidelines will make your products even safer and more convenient to use.

1. Label everything

Label all your products with their names and ingredients, how to use (directions should be included in the recipe) and the date each product was made. Also include the date or estimated time of expiration if that information is provided in the recipe. 

2. Store securely 

Store securely away from children in a cool, dark place to preserve the oils as much as possible. 

3. Follow directions 

Be sure to follow the recipe directions carefully to ensure proper dilution, use and storage. 

4. Store in your laundry space 

Store your homemade products in your laundry space to make using them as convenientt and simple as possible! 

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