DIY Natural Liquid Laundry Detergent

In this blog, I’m sharing some of my most popular DIY recipes for the laundry room liquid laundry detergent and softener salts. You’ll want to make them both as they work together. I’ve been using them for years and know you’re gonna love them!

This is one of the beautiful ways doTERRA oils will supercharge your health + support you in living a low tox life. If you want to become a wholesale customer and focus 1st on green cleaning, I’ve created this custom starter kit for you. Comment below once you’ve tried the recipes - would love to know what you think!

laundry love
diy recipes

Sharing my fave DIYs for the laundry + linen closet …

Ok I think I know why you’re here …
You’re always on the hunt for effective + efficient ways to live an awesome + natural + vibrant life …

You spend your time + your money intentionally…
Aaand you like the odd DIY project ... aka your Pinterest board is a tad overwhelming.

We have a lot of laundry spinning in our home …
I workout every day,
My husband leaves his gym clothes + fire gear in his trunk all the time,
And with 2 young girls, I do at least 1 load of laundry every day.

Today I'm going to share with you my fave DIY laundry recipes that are game changers for living a low tax life!

Liquid Laundry Detergent: 

the back story on this recipe…

Back in 2012, I had a big problem to solve.
My 6 month old at the time, Emme, was suffering with eczema - it covered almost her whole body and I felt like I had been doing everything possible to help her heal.

I was nursing her, eliminating everything from my diet that I thought was contributing,
I never wore perfumes or applied anything to her skin without checking the ingredients.
But there was one thing I had missed through doing all of that.

I was using a 'natural' laundry detergent that wasn't as natural as the label claimed. 
It had fragrance in it. And just like sugar in our foods - fragrance is the devil that hides in so many products today.

So this is where my journey to becoming the Modern Hippie Mama that I am today, began.
I tweaked and trialed many laundry detergents and finally came up with one that worked and didn't involve shaving down bars of soap or using ingredients that the jury is still out about such as borax. 

What you likely know of me by know is that I will never share something I don't fully believe in ... and I do the work,
I research and experiment in my own body + home first.

This time in my life launched me into the world of DIY + essential oils.  
And this post became the most searched post on HOL:FIT so I know there are many mamas out there seeking just like I was.

Not sure if you knew this about me but it might not surprise you to know that I rarely buy a
skincare, beauty or cleaning product anymore.

I stick to the basics - spending my money on quality ingredients that I can use in tons of different recipes. It just never felt good buying $100 jars of LaMer skin cream or $45 jugs of Tide detergent that had so much fragrance in them my whole neighbourhood would smell like 'gentle rain'.

There are 2 x major sources of toxins we are exposed to: Household products and Personal Care Products.

When we talk about toxic load, this refers to the volume of toxic substances that have accumulated in the body at any given time and the burden that load places on the body.
Your body is always cleansing and doing it’s best to move them through and out primarily through the lungs (exhaling), digestive tract (bowel movement) and skin (sweat)

It’s estimated that the average home contains about 63 synthetic chemicals for a total of about 10 gallons of hazardous material inside of just one home.
Cleaning products can bring toxic chemicals into your home, which tend to build up in indoor air. 

In fact, EWG tested 21 commonly used cleaning products—like air fresheners and multipurpose cleaning sprays—and found that they emitted more than 450 chemicals into the air, including a number of compounds linked to asthma, developmental and reproductive harm, or cancer. Children are more vulnerable to the effects of these chemicals than adults: Studies have shown that infants exposed in the womb to cleaning products used by their mothers may suffer lower birth weight, lower IQ, and wheezing and respiratory symptoms that may persist throughout childhood.

(You can visit the EWG to learn more about this)

THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR TOXIC LOAD RIGHT NOW:

#1: DIFFUSING OILS: instead of using synthetic fragrances (such as room sprays + air fresheners)
Synthetic fragrances can trigger allergies and often contain suspected endocrine disruptors, such as phthalatesFill your home with all natural aromas that protect against seasonal and environmental threats, support respiration, and boost your mood. I have a printable diffuser blend guide for you here

#2: DIY CLEANER: Make a simple DIY cleaner (see image below for recipe) and laundry recipes as I’m sharing further down.

#3: DIY HAND SOAP: Triclosan which is found in most hand soaps … has been linked to increased allergen sensitivity and disruption of thyroid function even at low levels.

Ok so onto the laundry recipes...

the cost breakdown:

1 cup unscented Castile Soap = $3.75 (based on Dr. Bronners $15/32oz)
1 cup Baking Soda = $0.31
1/3 cup Sea Salt = $0.50
20 drops of doTERRA essential oil = approx $1.60
TOTAL = $6.16 for about 60 loads ($0.16 per load)

Use between 1/4c - 1/2c per load (as you would normally use liquid detergent)

I switch up which oils I use every time I make a batch but my fave combination is 10 drops OnGuard + 10 drops Peppermint

Other oils/combinations that work really well in this recipe are:

Peppermint  + Wild Orange
Lavender + Wild Orange
Lavender + Rosemary
Purify Blend
Lemongrass

This recipe is safe for HE washers.
TIP: Keep your HE washer door slightly open when not using so air can circulate.

Don’t want to make your own?

doTERRA makes a highly concentrated liquid OnGuard laundry detergent that costs about $0.70 for 64 loads that it will do, which I always have on hand too - it’s awesome.

And their OnGuard Cleaning Concentrate for stains and tons of other uses too.
TIP: I like to fill a 10ml rollerbottle with the cleaning concentrate for easy rolling onto stains and always have one in my purse.

Softener Salts Recipe:

You will love this one too!

This recipe works really well along side the DIY liquid recipe or the OnGuard Concentrate.
Add 1/2 cup of the Laundry Softener salts recipe below right into the tub of your washer with your clothes to keep clothes staying extra fresh.

Here is the epsom salt brand I buy and the pretty glass jar I store the softener in along with this wooden scoop.

Dryer Tip: When your clothes are in the last 20 min of dryer cycle, toss in a few wool dryer balls that have a few drops of lavender on them.

Here is a roundup of recipes out of my Supernatural Recipe Guide for using in the Laundry room + Bedroom

Taking care of my home in this way is one of my fave elements of living a low tox doTERRA lifestyle.
Want to see 2 more recipes that are super simple to make?

I also have a few ebooks that may interest you if you want to work on cleaning up your exposure to harmful toxins and setup systems for health to flow in your home:

If you’d like to purchase doTERRA at 25% off, click here
I’ve created this custom green cleaning kit that will give you all the doTERRA products you’ll want for giving your home the healthy green upgrade:

ps - the green cleaning eBook is my treat to you when you open up your doTERRA account with me.

If you want to see some of the other tools I love using to create a healthy green home - you can see them in my green cleaning shop: