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A simple laundry powder you can mix at home in about ten minutes, using three basic ingredients. It is cheaper by the wash than anything off the shelf and you control exactly what goes in it. An easy recipe from The Soap Barn using raw materials from our ingredients range.
What you will need
- 2 cups washing soda (soda ash)
- 1 cup borax powder
- 1 cup finely grated unfragranced farmhouse soap
- Optional: 20ml fragrance oil
- A grater, a large mixing bowl and an airtight tub
Method
- Grate the bar of soap on the finest side of your grater. The finer the shreds, the better they dissolve in the wash.
- Tip the grated soap into a large bowl with the washing soda and the borax.
- Mix thoroughly with a spoon or gloved hands until the colour is even throughout and you cannot see separate layers.
- If you are scenting it, add the fragrance oil a few drops at a time and keep mixing so it does not clump in one spot.
- Store in an airtight tub with a scoop. Use two tablespoons for a normal load, three for a heavily soiled one.
Tips & variations
- Washing soda softens hard water, which is what lets the soap do its job properly. Do not leave it out.
- Wear gloves while mixing and keep the tub out of reach of children and pets.
- For a finer powder that dissolves faster in cold washes, pulse the whole mix briefly in an old food processor.
- Short on time, our laundry detergent craft pack has the ingredients measured out for you.
