Clean clothes, no chemicals, for pennies a load

I have a confession. It’s a secret I’ve been keeping most of my life. When I tell you, some will be shocked, others will be horrified. I only ask that you don’t judge me. Should you see me in the supermarket, don’t whisper as I pass by. I’m only human and I have feelings. So here goes…

I like doing laundry. Since I was a child, I’ve appreciated the task of taking something dirty and making it clean, of taking a messy basket of unfolded whites and ending up with a crisp and neat stack of clothes. Then there’s the smell of sheets dried on the clothesline, it’s like sleeping on fresh air and sunshine. OK, so maybe it’s a sickness, but I’m not ashamed. I mean it could be worse, I could like cleaning the bathroom.

The first electric washing machine was introduced to the public in 1908 by the Hurley Machine Company of Chicago, Illinois. Prior to that, we relied on gas or hand operated machines, whose advent dated back to the 17th century. Though this sounds archaic and even tortuous, it was a vast improvement over the previous option of rocks and sand that were used to clean and scrub dirty laundry. If you came from seafaring folk, you may have loaded your clothes into a net and hung it over the side of your boat for several hours while the vessel skimmed through the water. Really? This passed for cleaning your clothes? I suppose desperate times called for desperate measures.

While this addresses the process of laundering, what about the cleaning agents? Let’s talk about laundry soap. Evidence of ancient washing soap was found in Rome and Egypt where ashes containing animal fat were used as a soap. The fat penetrated the garment and the ash broke up the dirt (a form of lye). Eventually, soap flakes became the cleaning agent of choice for laundry needs. These fell out of favor during WWII when laundry detergents became common place. Detergents are not actually soap but a chemical compound that helps keep dirt suspended in the washing water, making it more likely to exit when the washer drains. Now I don’t know about you, but generally the term “chemical compound” does not sit well with me. Most detergents contain phosphates, chemical surfactants, dyes, and perfumes. Phosphates rinse out into our waterways and are known to kill fish and plant life. Chemical surfactants can be toxic and along with dyes and perfumes, can cause skin allergies. Add to that the sometimes staggering cost of many commercial detergents and you have my reasons for seeking out an alternative.

These days, it’s easy to find natural and/or organic laundry cleaning products. Often these are excellent choices for getting your clothes clean while avoiding chemical cocktails. Many are phosphate and dye free and use coconut based surfactants. Essential oils are usually employed for scent. And the cost may have you choking on its lovely lavender fragrance.

After years of choosing between poisoning the earth for clean laundry or mortgaging the house a second time to pay for the organic option, I decided there had to be a better way. With the help of a like-minded friend, we searched out alternatives until we found an easy, safe and low-cost laundry powder that I make in my kitchen in under 10 minutes. It costs pennies (or less) per load and gets my clothes clean with three safe and easily accessible ingredients: Soap (I use Ivory or castile), Borax, and washing soda (sodium carbonate). That’s all.

Here’s the official recipe:
2 parts soap
1 part Borax
1 part washing soda (NOT baking soda — You can find washing soda in the laundry aisle of most supermarkets.)

Grate the soap (I use my cheese grater). Combine with Borax and washing soda. Mix well. Use 1 tbsp. per load, 2 if your clothes are extra dirty.

I’ve been using this for years with great success. I will be honest though, it’s not going to give your clothes a scent. Mostly, I’m all right with that.

Occasionally, like after a morning run in this past weeks sauna like weather, I want a little assurance that my clothes will come out fresh. For these times, I use an added tsp. of scented liquid castile soap (available at Target, Wild by Nature and Trader Joe’s, to name a few) or a capful of Citra-Solv with my laundry powder.

And of course, whenever possible, I hang my family’s laundry to dry. Not only will our clothes last longer, we save a bunch of electricity and also save some fossil fuel. If you decide to try the recipe, let me know what you think at laurie@riverheadlocal.com.

Laurie Nigro, a mother of two young children, is passionate about natural living. Laurie is co-founder of the River and Roots Community Garden on West Main Street and resides in downtown Riverhead with her husband Brian and their family. Contact her by email to laurie@riverheadlocal.com.