Laundry is one of those household chores that needs to be done on a regular basis, and DIY recipes can make it a lot cheaper.
One woman taught her followers how to make a simple homemade detergent.
In a viral video, Caroline (@diy_day2day) reveals the budget-friendly ingredients she uses to clean her clothes.
As a first step, Caroline used Kirk's Gentle Castile Soap. A 4-pack is available from Target for $7.44.
To make the recipe even cheaper, Caroline recommended buying the products in bulk on Amazon.
She suggested using six bars of soap to make a year's worth of detergent.
According to the TikToker, this soap dissolves when washed with hot or hot water.
After grating the soap, she added two boxes each of the $5 Arm & Hammer Laundry Booster and $5 Borax All-Purpose Cleaner.
Next, Caroline mixed in 4 cups of baking soda. Baking soda retails for $1 per 1 pound box.
As a finishing touch, she added a few drops of her favorite essential oil to the unscented mixture.
She explained that while she loved the idea of smelling fresh from laundry products, her “skin couldn't stand it.”
Caroline revealed that the mixture is gentle on both skin and clothing.
The entire preparation process took just a few minutes and cost $30.
Caroline then stored her DIY detergent in a glass jar and recommended two tablespoons per load of laundry.
Her followers shared their thoughts on the homemade hack in the comments section.
“Finally, anyone who doesn't use gain powders, scented beads, etc. That's missing the whole point!!!” one viewer wrote.
How does baking soda help with laundry?
Baking soda's alkaline level makes it an ideal addition to your laundry routine, reports the experts at How Stuff Works.
It can be used for:
- Replace your detergent, fabric softener, and bleach.
- Takes care of sweat stains.
- Removes old odors from delicate clothing.
- Brightens white.
- Removes perfume stains.
- We handle dry-cleanable clothing.
- Removes oil stains without using water.
- Refresh your stinky basket.
- Removes ink stains from leather.
- Removes scuff marks from shoes.
”[I’m] You should try it,” said another impressed TikTok user.
“You can buy bags of soap flakes at some health food stores. I used this to save a little time,” another person suggested.
Another follower said: “I love making my own detergent and making sure it's fragrance free.”
“I’m not going to lie, I’m going to try this. Laundry [is] So expensive, so crazy,” one viewer wrote.
“My grandmother used to make laundry detergent for my mother, and it brought back memories of making detergent with my mother,” another person commented.