A lot of factors to take into consideration when doing zero waste laundry detergent recipe. Should you be using a DIY zero waste laundry soap or commercially made laundry detergent? Which recipe to follow? Is a simple 3 ingredient laundry detergent really the best?
This post was written with the cooperation of my partner who has a Masters in Chemistry and a PhD in Physics. This post is a result of all the conversations we had over the years of looking for natural and eco-friendly laundry detergents. Without his input and explanations, my attempts would probably stop at my highschool understanding of chemistry. All the info was run by him before I hit publish.
Note: I have a front loader, most of our clothes are 100% cotton, cotton -elastane or linen. We also have some sport clothing that requires different care. Heavy stains are rare, except on my kitchen towels.
I love DIY. I love knowing what goes into the products I put on my skin and around my home. There is a big lack of regulation in the detergent making and transparency issues, often greenwashing and soap companies making some quick and fast money for selling us more and more products (that we do not need). But with all of that said, I ditched my DIY zero waste homemade laundry soap.
I do think it should be possible to make a great DIY zero waste laundry soap at home. But the zero waste laundry detergent recipe will not have 3-5 ingredients only and you will not find them in your kitchen.
Source: The Spruce and their 10 recipes for DIY laundry (link below)
Why did our grandmas use bar soap for doing laundry and “it worked ok”
Way back when, before the widespread use of mechanical laundry machines, people used bar laundry soap and rub boards or washing boards. The washing action was done via agitation, beating, twisting and rubbing, and the soap helped a bit. They then ironed clothes at high temperatures for disinfection and appearance.
Several things changed. We use mechanical washing machines, that do not agitate or rub clothing. Fabrics we wear today are a lot more sensitive, thin, and fragile. Viscose fabrics of today wouldn’t stand a chance with a rubbing board. To accommodate these changes, different laundry detergents were created. We do our laundry differently than we did back then. Our water is treated. Our laundry detergents are more effective in smaller quantities.
Detergents + washing machines wash by agitating slightly, dissolving dirt on our clothes, suspending dirt in water, and then rinsing it down the drain, leaving clean clothes.
Our grandmas used soap, mainly because that is all they had. Most zero waste laundry detergent recipes use soap. Soap is made from what is typically referred to as natural ingredients: animal or vegetable fats/ oils and neutralizing alkali ingredients (like sodium hydroxide (NaOH)). Soap creates scum and build-up, especially in hard water. It also tends to dull the colors when used on its own. Soap also takes longer to dissolve in water. Creating of detergents addressed all the downsides of soap.
Is using detergents good for the environment?
But here is the environmental dilemma. Detergents dissolve dirt much better, allowing for less effort and more frequent washes, but they are also made from crude oil, mixed with other ingredients. Soap is biodegradable, whereas detergents, in general, need much longer, causing damage to our waterways and animals. That is the white-ish foaming stuff sometimes visible in our rivers. That is why it’s so important to use organic (based on enzymes) and less harsh detergents.
Tips for zero wasting your laundry from start to finish.
The problem with washing soda in your laundry detergent recipe
Washing soda, commonly used in zero waste laundry detergent recipes can be very harmful to the environment in bigger quantities. In India, washing soda is a common household cleaning agent (most people use it).
Washing soda is chemically known as sodium carbonate and is reported to be toxic to aquatic organisms. Domestic effluent, drain water and various human activities in ponds and lakes have been identified as the major routes of washing soda contamination of water.
Mukherjee, Ray, Ray, 2015
Another related problem of DIY laundry recipes is that they are too alkali-heavy (washing soda (pH 11) or borax (pH 9.3)), which can degrade clothes prematurely if used too often and too high a concentration. Commercial detergents will often use sodium silicate to avoid this problem. Sodium silicate is also alkaline (pH from 10-13), however, we need to use a much smaller amount to be equally efficient. DIY zero waste recipes normally call for a vinegar rinse to “neutralize” after the fact. Does it work after the fact though? It might neutralize waste water to an extent, but it’s hard to measure the efficacy of that. Plus, how much vinegar to use? What concentration? And where does out waste water go? How does it get processed? Detergents already take this into account and take the guessing work out of the equation.
To give a complete image: there is also research finding surfactant-rich (soap, detergent, cleaning agents) greywater to be harming the environment. This is kind of common sense, and one could argue washing soda is less harmful, especially to humans, so we choose the lesser evil. It is not only soap but also other harmful ingredients (fragrances, preservatives, enzymes…). I’m not convinced we should be satisfied so easily and keep on polluting away. All of these are chemicals, systematic, or natural and impact our environment. Better regulations and solutions are needed. There are already less toxic and efficient detergents on the market.
Zero waste laundry detergent and bleaching agents issues
Bleaching agents will help with scum but causes premature fading or colored and dark clothing. I’m really particular about my colors and do anything I can to keep them nice for longer.
Bleaching agents are designed to whiten colors and stains. As it is, most of our detergents aren’t capable enough to wash out all of our dirt and food stains. Bleaching ingredients do not wash clothes, they just make stains less visible. Kinda gross but that’s how it works.
Related: Best zero waste stain remover + some stain science
Is it OK to use vinegar in the wash?
Vinegar can damage the rubber seals and hoses in some washing machines to the point of causing leaks. Front-load washers are especially susceptible to vinegar-related damage.
Consumer Reports
The problem with borax
Borax is a naturally occuring salt of boric acid, used for treating mold and mildew, softening water, emulsifier, pesticide, fire retardant…
FDA does not allow borax in and around food.
EDG marks it level 2-5, depending on usage, an irritant, and hormone disruptor. However, most research was done on boric acid, which is not the same as borax.
Borax was banned for sale to consumers in the EU since 2015. The difference is that it was mainly used as a teeth whitening agent and in cosmetics, which interacts differently with humans than washing detergent.
Environment and Climate Change Canada warns against the use of borax in cosmetics, toys, pools, pesticide, however, it’s OK to use in cleaners, providing people use it as instructed.
On the other hand, borax is also studied as a potential medicine for certain conditions.
Like a lot of things, the key to using borax might be in the details, formulations, quantity, and form.
Most zero waste laundry detergent /soap recipes create build up
Build up and scum is a very common problem, not just with zero waste laundry detergent.
Why does built up happen?
People as a whole use too much detergent, especially when using high-efficiency laundry machines. We oversaturate our clothes with soap, which can’t get properly rinsed out of our clothes and washing machines. It then creates a build-up of scum in the machine in which we then wash our clothes. With each wash, we contribute to the build-up, trapping an ever greater amount of soap. Since clothes aren’t washed and rinsed properly, buildup starts to appear on our clothes, leaving them stinky, sticky, and musty.
I think the problem is twofold. First, we used to see big amounts of soap used in commercials (if we use more, we buy more mentality). Second, we think more is better, cleaner, fresher. We are so addicted to thinking lather and “fresh smell” means the detergent did a good job. The reality is that our detergents came a long way since their conception and we do not need to use as much as our moms/dads or grandmas/grandpas did.
Using soap will cause more scum. Soap doesn’t “dissolve” the same way leaving a thin layer (build up behind). The problem is worse in hard water, though the same happens in soft water as well.
As a rule of thumb, you need to add a bit more detergent and up the temperature for doing laundry in hard water, but then… you are adding more product.
Why do zero waste laundry detergents work for so many people?
I can’t be absolutely sure, obviously. We use different water, different washing machines, different fabrics. Our budgets are different. There are also great variables on what is locally available.
Washing soda is an effective bleaching agent. I use it on occasion for my kitchen towels.
People have greater success = report no scum when using sodium peroxide and/or Borax. Borax is also a bleaching agent that helps remove scum.
The vinegar rinse would also help with scum softness levels.
But that would mean they are bleaching clothes more than washing them. Washing means dirt gets eliminated and bleaching means we can’t see the stains anymore (but they are still there). Of course, the agitation and soap helps with washing, but the ratio between soap and soda/borax is normally in favor of soda/borax.
From my research: Zero waste laundry detergent
What I’m currently using as zero waste laundry detergent
Is these such a thing as a perfect zero waste laundry detergent recipe?
Probably. But it’s sadly not as simple as mixing a couple of commonly known ingredients together. I was really disappointed, but stopped using my DIY laundry soap pretty much immediately. I still use plain soap when I need to wash something quickly when I travel. Nothing horrible will happen short term. I’m just not using any DIY version as my main long term laundry detergent.
In the end, I just did not want to spend the time trying yet another zero waste laundry detergent recipe, adjusting quantities, and water hardness/softness and figuring out the perfect ratio between all the moving parts. The build-up sometimes shows up years in.
We more around a lot and I would have to start over every couple of years. I often can’t readily get all the ingredients. I do like trying and testing to a point, but testing additional ingredients brings me no joy. I want something that will work well, simple, natural, won’t clog my washing machine or the pipes and will not harm the environment. I’ve been using an organic low waste or zero waste laundry detergent for years, with no added harmful chemicals, microplastic or systematic fragrances.
