Here is the recipe our family has loved for years:
4 lbs. 12 oz. Borax
3 lbs. 7 oz. Washing Soda
5 lbs. Baking Soda
3 lbs. Oxi Clean (we use oxygen bleach from Azure – you can use the OxiClean from Wal-Mart, but it’s not very natural)
4 bars Longview Farm’s Pure & Fresh Laundry Bars
2 T. Orange essential oil (this is a guestimate—this whitens the whites, so use what you’re comfortable with)
1 T. any other “fresh” essential oil or natural fragrance
Grate the bars of laundry soap. Using a blender, place small amounts of the grated soap with a little scoop of one of the powders (washing soda, borax, etc.), and pulse until all is finely blended. Add the remaining powders and mix thoroughly in a 5-gallon bucket, breaking up any “clumps” with your fingers. Now add in your essential oils on top of your powders and “top stir” with your fingers until blended; then thoroughly deep stir with your whole arm and hand. (We like to use nitrile gloves for this as you can end up smelling like laundry detergent for a long time!)
We use 2-3 T. of this detergent per load. It won’t bubble and suds but it does an amazing job and our clothes always smell fresh.
This batch of natural detergent will wash about 100+ loads of laundry.
Enjoy!
The Team at Longview Farm’s