Make your own laundry tablets: single doses with all-natural ingredients to save money
Eco-friendly and/or homemade alternatives to commercial laundry detergents and softeners are now an increasingly found in homes: DIY detergents - especially for doing the laundry - are very popular these days. And trending on social media recently, another "inventive, DIY remedy" has emerged: laundry tablets (colloquially called "laundry bombs"). Keep reading to find out more:
What you need to make laundry bombs
Social media bloggers have shared the process of how to make these laundry bombs, and we summarize this process below:
The main ingredients needed are:
- Hydrogen peroxide
- White vinegar (alcohol vinegar is best)
- Laundry soda
- Solid laundry soap (such as Marseille soap)
- Essential oils
Most of the above ingredients are known for their ability to remove stains without damaging fabrics (even colored fabrics). And these ingredients also help to whiten or brighten colors, as well as to remove any mold on clothes (which is the forte of hydrogen peroxide).
In addition, or sometimes as an alternative to using laundry soda, some use borax instead. Furthermore, some recipes add baking soda or Epsom salts. In terms of the essential oils recommended, the favorites are tea tree and lavender (which have antibacterial and antifungal properties) - but nothing prevents you from mixing and matching as you see fit.
In all cases, make sure you choose ingredients that do not cause allergic reactions: with DIY products you have to be careful of this risk.
As for the utensils you will need, here is the list:
- A grater for grating the laundry soap
- Parchment paper, or
- Silicone molds to shape the "bombs" (cupcake molds will suffice)
- A bowl to mix everything in
- An airtight container to store your bombs
Quantities of ingredients to use depends on how many bombs you want to make, of course. To get started, try this formula (which will give you 6-8 bombs):
- Half a bar of Marseille soap
- 130 grams of washing soda
- 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide
- 30 ml of vinegar
- 20 drops of essential oil
How to make laundry bombs
The procedure is generally the same for all recipe varients:
- Grate the laundry soap into the bowl;
- Add the other solid ingredients (laundry soda, or baking soda, or Epsom salts, or borax);
- Add the hydrogen peroxide and mix well;
- Add the vinegar and essential oils and mix again;
- Use the mixture to fill up your silicone molds. If you don't molds, roll out the mixture on a sheet of baking paper and, using a spoon, scoop up spoonfuls, roll into balls and place on the paper;
- Leave to dry for 8 - 10 hours.
- At this point, your bombs should be compact, dry and ready to transfer to the airtight container
Usage and some clarifications
Typically, each bomb is considered to be equivalent to a full spoonful of laundry detergent, and one bomb is usually sufficient for a single, regular wash. Place the bomb directly into the washing machine's drum. If you need a strong wash for very dirty clothes, you can use two bombs.
Alternatively, there are those who prefer to dissolve the laundry bombs in water first, in order to ensure better distribution in the laundry. Once dissolved, the mixture can be poured into the detergent dispenser tray.
A tutorial by Linsdey Johnson (linked to at the bottom of the first photo of this article), recommends blending the ingredients used in a blender (and uses a combination of slightly different ingredients). A second tutorial (linked to at the bottom of the second photo), is the one that uses Epsom salts, and explains a little about how to go about doing this properly.
Ready to check online for a recipe for your DIY laundry bombs?
