Laundry Liquid
Analisa Malone
This recipe is a new addition to Under Your Sink and has come in after some experimenting. In the past I did not provide a solution to Laundry Liquid and suggested diluting the Laundry Powder or using the Laundry Butter Cleaning Paste.
If you've tried making your own laundry liquid before and ended up with something that separated in the bottle... I have something that may help, but does not solve the problem entirely... you still need to shake a before use to be safe.
✔️ Front & top loaders
✔️ Septic safe
✔️ Everyday washing
❌ Not for wool or delicates
Good to know
Shelf life
There's no water-loving preservative system in this recipe, which is exactly the point. You know everything that's in it. Use it within 2 to 3 months and keep it out of direct heat or sunlight.
For stains and whites
Don't add sodium percarbonate into this liquid itself. Once percarbonate hits water it starts releasing oxygen (hydrogen peroxide) immediately, so it's not shelf-stable once dissolved. It'll lose its stain-fighting power sitting in a bottle.
Keep it separate and add a scoop directly into the machine alongside your normal dose of this liquid whenever you're tackling stains or brightening whites.
Why this works
Castile soap
Your surfactant, the ingredient that does the actual lifting. Surfactants work by dropping the surface tension of water so it can get in underneath oil and dirt instead of beading over the top of it, then hold that grime in suspension so it rinses away instead of redepositing on your clothes.
Washing soda (sodium carbonate)
Binds the calcium and magnesium ions naturally present in tap water, before those ions can react with your soap and form the sticky, insoluble scum that leaves clothes feeling stiff or greying over time. It also raises the pH of your wash water, and soap-based cleaners work significantly better in an alkaline environment.
Glycerine
A humectant. It keeps the mixture blended and stops it separating or crystallising as it sits.
Get the recipe bundle
The key ingredients for your laundry liquid, together in one bundle with a 15% bundle discount. Makes about 3L (roughly 36 loads), with Washing Soda and Glycerine left over for other jobs.
