When my son got a bad case of eczema as a baby I started making this washing powder thats all natural chemical-, irritant- and bad-stuff free. Not only did his eczema go away, I also saved lots of money on washing powder and dishwasher pods.
Its easy and really cost effective if you buy the ingredients in bulk.
Washing Powder
Spread 2kg bicarbonate of soda (bicarb) in a thin layer over baking trays. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 1hour. Bicarb is fluffy and shiny but when it is ready it will be dull and grainy. The chemical process actually now makes it washing soda and the weight will have reduced to about 1,5 kg.
Mix the washing soda with 2kg Bicarb and 1kg Epson Salts. You may want to divide that beforehand into two bowls to be able to mix it if you don’t have one very large bowl. You can add an additional few drops of essential oil and mix it through… I prefer lemongrass.
Store in an air tight container until needed.
For softener I use half a cup of Vinegar in a large load. Its not as soft as store bought conventional softener but it does the trick and I am willing to sacrifice as much for the environment!
Dishwasher Pods
From the Washing Powder recipe above, take 2 cups and add enough lemon juice to make it sticky and clumping. Fill ice cube trays (not so much that it won’t fit into the pod holder) and push down with gloves or cover with cling wrap because as it can very abrasive and drying on your hands. Leave in the sun for a day or two to dry out… It is ready when you can pop it out of the tray without it breaking.
You can use a tablespoon or two of the powder as it is as well or add a little citric acid to make it fizz.
Use salt as normal and Vinegar as rinsing aid.
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