Homemade cleaners are definitely the way to go these days. Not only are they cheaper, they’re also generally more environmentally-friendly. Since you know all of the ingredients that go into your creations, you also shouldn’t have any worries about possible allergic reactions.

You have the added benefit of choosing only materials that are safe on both your body as well as the earth, as well avoiding the purchase of additional packaging materials.

Assemble the following ingredients:

1 cup of pure soap, finely chopped or grated

Half a cup of salt

Half a cup of baking soda

Half a cup of washing soda

Half a cup of borax

In a clean plastic bag, pour in the washing soda granules and crush them to a very fine consistency with a rolling pin. Mix in the soap, salt, baking soda and borax and pour the mixture into an airtight containers, such as a laundry soap box or jar. And that’s it!

To use your new laundry detergent, just scoop out a tablespoon of the mixture for your smaller loads and two tablespoons for larger ones. Dissolve it into a jug of hot water, and then add to your machine.

It’s important to remember that if you are hand-washing your clothes, you must wear rubber gloves to protect your skin.

If this recipe doesn’t work for you, there are many others to try. See if any of these work for you.