Commercial laundry detergents are laden with questionable chemicals. Carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and ecosystem destroyers can all lurk in your laundry cupboard. For instance, most conventional brands release 1,4-dioxane, a liver toxin, and a probable human carcinogen. Yet, you won’t see it on the label since it’s a byproduct of other ingredients.
Making your detergent seems like an easy way to avoid these harmful chemicals, right? After all, most recipes call for simple, inexpensive ingredients. And that is what your grandma used anyway.
Well, I have some bad news for you:
You can DIY your all-purpose or glass cleaner and get a cheaper, eco friendly alternative. But, laundry detergent is best left to the pros.
This article will explain why homemade laundry soap is bad for ycour clothes and your washing machine. We’ll also talk about what to look for when buying a natural laundry detergent. And if you want more details about ingredients to avoid, or need a quick list of our top choices, head over to our 5 Eco Friendly Laundry Detergents Worth Your Money post.
What is the Difference Between Laundry Soap and Detergent?
Let’s get this clear first:
Homemade laundry detergent does not exist. What you’ll be making is laundry soap.
Both of these preparations clean your clothes by way of surfactants, but how they do it is very different.
Soap has two essential ingredients: an oil or fat containing fatty acids and an alkalizing agent or lye. The alkalizing agent is usually sodium or potassium hydroxide. When you combine the oil and the lye, a chemical reaction called saponification happens.
The main difference between laundry soap and detergent is that detergents don’t use fats. Instead, they have multiple types of surfactants that are more water-soluble.
They dissolve better in water and hence, are more effective. Plus, there is no fat or oil residue in the final product.
Why Is Your Homemade Laundry Soap Bad?
Any laundry soap recipe you find online will ask for soap (either liquid or grated bar soap) and a water softener. Whether you’re making the soap yourself or adding it, you get the same problem, greasy, grimy clothes.
Does Homemade Laundry Soap Work?
Homemade soap does clean your clothes, but there is a catch.
The actual detergent or soap you use for laundry is only one part of the equation. To clean a load of clothes, you also need some form of agitation to help the soap reach every part of the garment. You also need water to dissolve the cleaning solution and the dirt.
Since laundry soap contains fats, it needs hot water and more agitation to dissolve. In the past, it was common to wash clothes using hot water and longer washing cycles. This is why homemade soap worked for your grandmother.
However, modern washing machines are designed to conserve energy. If you use your laundry soap with cold water and a regular cycle, there will be leftover soap on the fabric. The soap builds up over time, creating a film on your clothes.
Laundry buildup gets even worse in hard water. Hard water means it is rich in naturally occurring minerals. The minerals “stick” to the soap buildup, making your clothes look dingy or gray. The water softeners in most recipes aren’t strong enough to prevent this. The mineral buildup is why homemade laundry soap is a terrible idea in areas with hard water.
Homemade Laundry Soap Can Ruin Your Washer
Laundry buildup doesn’t affect just your clothes. Soap and oil residue also accumulates in your washing machine, clogs up its parts, and creates the perfect environment for mold and mildew.
If you have skin conditions, mold allergies, or young children, this can be dangerous to your family’s health. Mold can also trigger asthma attacks.
The soap buildup will also void your washer’s warranty. Companies know that soap and oil are a terrible mix for your washer. If you ruin your machine, you’ll have to pay for repairs or a replacement out of your pocket.
Homemade Laundry Soap is Bad for the Environment
Alright, so DIY laundry soap might not be perfect, but at least it’s clean and biodegradable, right?
While the ingredients you use might be inoffensive, homemade laundry detergent is far from eco friendly.
The soap buildup can ruin your fabrics forever, thus reducing the lifespan of your garments and towels. To prevent it from happening, you’ll have to do laundry with hot water and use extra rinse cycles to wash off the residue.
The extra water and energy consumption have a negative impact on the environment. And, it voids any positive environmental impact of not using a conventional detergent.
Finally, laundry buildup means your washer can’t work well and is more likely to break down. Replacing appliances and parts more frequently is not eco friendly. Not to mention, it isn’t good for your budget.
Ultimately, although DIY detergent contains clean ingredients, it is not as eco friendly as you may have thought.
Using Homemade Laundry Soap the Right Way
So what if you read this far but still want to give homemade laundry soap a try?
Here’s how to make sure it doesn’t cause damage to your clothes or washing machine.
- Add about 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of your wash to remove any hard water and soap deposits. Don’t worry; your clothes will not smell like a jar of pickles once they are clean and dry.
- Use hot water to ensure the laundry soap dissolves fully in your washing machine. Hot water will work perfectly well for items like sheets and towels.
- Soft water is best. Soft water has fewer naturally occurring minerals that would prevent the soap from working well to clean your clothes. You can also try to boost the soap with more water softening ingredients like Borax or washing soda.
If you have hard water or don’t want to worry about potential soap residue, try a store-bought bio-based laundry detergent. With increased consumer demand, more than a few eco friendly and gentle products are on the market.
Switching to a Natural Laundry Detergent
There are three main things you want to look for in an eco friendly detergent. It should:
- Only contain safe ingredients – no SLS/SLES, phthalates, formaldehyde, dyes, or fragrance. We wrote a complete guide on what ingredients you should avoid in your laundry detergent.
- Clean your clothes without leaving a residue, even if the water is hard. Unwanted buildup on clothing is also why you should avoid most store-bought fabric softeners.
- Work with cold water and gentle cycles to protect fibers from breaking down. It will also save energy. You want to protect your investment in natural fiber clothing so it will last for a long time.
Be mindful of greenwashing, though. As more people look for planet-friendly alternatives, some companies are heavier on the promise than the delivery.
Take the new “natural” Tide detergent, for example. At first glance, it looks clean enough. They even have the USDA Certified Biobased label.
Unfortunately, the USDA certification only proves that the contents match the label. In this case, the product has been certified by USDA to contain 65% natural ingredients. It still has some less-than-trustworthy chemicals.
They are taking steps in the right direction with this product, but there are far safer options.
Conclusion
Homemade laundry detergent seems like an easy solution to the toxin-laden conventional options. But, DIY recipes call for soap, which builds upon your fabrics and in your washing machine.
Not only will your clothes end up looking dingy, but the buildup can ruin your washer and void its warranty.
Eco friendly detergents are a much better option. You can trust them to clean your clothes without needing hot water or long washing cycles. And, they are just as clean as the homemade options.