Essential Oils

After making my own dishwasher detergent, why not make my own laundry detergent? However, I was going to be a bit pickier when it came to making laundry detergent. I love my Gain pods. I love the convenience of just tossing that pod into my washing machine without measuring a thing. I don’t want to go back to regular pod or liquid detergents. Is it possible to make laundry detergent tabs, similar to the dishwasher tabs?

As it turns out, the answer is yes. Like the dishwasher detergent, the ingredients are not expensive. In fact, I have to say that they’re less expensive, because I always keep salt and baking soda on hand in my kitchen. Plus, I already have the Super Washing Soda from the dishwasher detergent, not to mention the Young Living Essential Oils. Let’s do this.

I have to drop a special caveat here before I go any further. It takes quite a bit longer to prep than the dishwasher detergent. I hope you like grating soap, because that’s what takes up the largest chunk of your time. If you have a food processor with a grating option, by all means, use that. I may have to buy one for myself before too long, because hand-grating the soap takes more time than I care to admit.

This is where I got my recipe, but I’ve added a few more oil drops to include three different essential oils, including Thieves Essential Oil blend. I use Thieves because it’s antiviral, antibacterial, and antiseptic. It’s going to kill anything growing on our clothes, especially the kids’ clothes. I also use the Purification Essential Oil blend, which takes care of any lingering odors. Then of course, there’s lavender, because lavender smells just amazing.

Here is my recipe along with links where to buy the ingredients. Note that this recipe does NOT call for Borax. I’m not a fan of using Borax in general, especially if you read what is in it. That’s the biggest reason why it was this recipe that got me to attempt to make my own tabs—recipe had to be Borax-free.

This will make approximately 28-30 laundry tabs. Just toss one in with your laundry like you would laundry pods.

Purifying Thieves DIY Laundry Detergent Tabs

• 4 ounce bar castile soap
• 1/2 cup Super Washing Soda
• 1/4 cup salt (plain ol’ salt)
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
• 6 drops lavender essential oil
• 4 Purification
• 2 drops Thieves

Grate the castile soap bar into a large bowl. Add in the Super Washing Soda, salt, and baking soda. Mix together. Add in your essential oils.

As you mix the ingredients together with a wooden spoon, slowly add in the vinegar a little bit at a time. You’ll notice it will create a chemical reaction, which is why you don’t want to dump it all in at once. Keep adding and mixing. The mixture will start to clump together.

Spoon the concoction into the ice cube trays and press firmly with your thumb or a spoon. Really press it in, or else they will fall apart when you remove them from the trays. Leave the trays in a sunny spot for at least 24 hours. Pop them out and store them in an airtight container. I used to store them in mason jars with the hinged lids, but my husband has rather large hands and he was destroying the tabs trying to get them out. I now use large food storage containers.

And that’s it! It’s a little time consuming, but it’s still incredibly easy.

 

I’ve constantly had battles with our various dishwashers. Sometimes I needed a rinse aid, and sometimes I would not. Some detergents worsen rinse aid, and some detergents require it. Sometimes it doesn’t matter at all and I have to hand dry my dishes or wash them again. When I discovered that yes, you can make your own dishwasher detergent—and rather easily, I must add—I had to give it a try. The ingredients aren’t that expensive, I already own the Young Living Essential Oils, so why not give it a try?

It took me maybe 20 minutes tops to mix together the ingredients and pack the powder into ice cube trays, and that’s overestimating. Best part? It works.

My dishes come out clean, and I don’t need a rinse aid at all! It makes me wonder about conspiracy theories between dishwasher manufacturers, detergent companies, and makers of rinse aid. I’m not one for conspiracy theories, but I am convinced there is one between hot dog and hot dog bun companies.

This is where I got my recipe, but I’ve changed up the essential oils to include Thieves Essential Oil blend. I use Thieves because it’s antiviral, antibacterial, and antiseptic. I know my dishes are clean from the Thieves alone. The Thieves also gives the dishwasher a good antiseptic scrubbing as well. When combined with tangerine essential oil, your dishes and dishwasher both smell amazing.

Here is my recipe along with links where to buy the ingredients. (I actually have Super Washing Soda and citric acid in my Amazon dash buttons now.) Note that this recipe does NOT call for Borax. I’m not a fan of using Borax in general, especially if you read what is in it. That’s the biggest reason why it was this recipe that got me to attempt to make my own tabs—recipe had to be Borax-free.

This will make approximately 32 dishwasher tabs. The ice cube trays produce perfect-sized tabs to easily fit in your dishwasher detergent slot.

Thieves DIY Dishwasher Detergent Tabs

Combine the following in a large mixing bowl.

• 1 cup Super Washing Soda
• 1/4 cup salt (plain ol’ salt)
• 1/2 cup citric acid
• 20 drops Thieves
• 20 drops citrus oil (tangerine, orange, lemon, or Citrus Fresh essential oil blend)

Mix together with a wooden spoon.

Spray 2-3 tablespoons of water from a small spray bottle while stirring. If you dump in the water, you’ll create a chemical reaction too quickly and the mixture won’t clump together. Slow is best. Stir and spray until the mixture feels a bit like wet sand. You should be able to clump it together, but if you drop it, it will disperse.

Press firmly with your hand or the spoon into ice cube trays. Really pack it in. Leave the trays out overnight to harden, then pop them out and store them in an airtight container. I store mine in mason jars with the hinged lids.

And that’s it! It’s so easy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this before.