DIY Natural Laundry Powder Recipe

Today we were treated to our sweetest smelling mindfulness session yet 🍋
The brilliant and innovative Caitlin from Wild Search Australia shared some of her household and planet transforming tips and recipes,
and we created our very own own DIY homemade laundry powder 🧺

 

Caitlin started Wild Earth about a year ago.
As an ecologist, Caitlin forged a strong connection to and desire to protect nature and wildlife.
Her understanding of the importance of protecting precious ecosystems lead her to consider how she could, in her own words:
‘be an effective human and empower people to care about the planet’.
Having already been creating beautiful, DIY household products since her 20s, she decided to begin sharing and educating
others on how these products are not only simple to make, but much kinder on our bodies, the planet and wallets!

 

Before diving into the workshop, Caitlin asked the team what household products they use that they’d like to find a natural alternative for.

 

🚽 Toilet Cleaner 
Caitlin recommends keeping bicarb powder, an essential oil and vinegar beside the toilet.
Sprinkle some bicarb over the bowl with a few drops of essential oil and give it a little scrub with the toilet brush.
Pour some vinegar over it, and the alkaline and acid combination will create a foaming reaction.
Give it another scrub and flush and wala! Chemical free cleanliness.

 

🧼 Shampoo.
Shampoo bars are a great natural and plastic free option, however some of our team struggle with the greasy residue they sometimes leave in the hair.
Caitlin to the rescue! Place a spoon of bicarb in one jar and a spoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in another and fill both with water (she suggests brewing a sprig of rosemary in hot water).
Wash your hair with the shampoo bar, then rinse with bicarb solution.This removes any residue.
To compensate for the drying effects of the bicarb, pour the ACV solution over hair as a silky smooth conditioner.
Caitlin noted that there is usually an adjustment period of about a month for your hair to adjust to natural shampoo.

 

🦠 Drains.
Our old pals ACV and Bicarb to the rescue.
Just sprinkle some bicarb down the drain, followed by ACV then pour an entire jug of boiling water for a cleansing effect no drain blockage could withstand.
Add a few drops of essential oil adds for sweet-smelling additional antibacterial, grease cutting effect.
Bounty of practical and achievable tips shared, Caitlin had our team get down to the detergent-creating business.

 

🧺 DIY Natural Laundry Detergent Recipe
500g Bicarb Soda
300g Washing soda
200g Borax
1 bar natural soap grated
10 drops of essential oil of your choosing

 

Method: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until there are no more lumps. Funnel into jars.

 

Directions: Use 1 Tbsp per laundry load.

 

We got all our ingredients from the packaging-free geniuses at The Source.

 

Arnhem Byron Bay creating environmentally friendly eco laundry powder - get the recipe online here

 

Caitlin demonstrated that natural and effective household products are relatively easy and economical to create.
The benefits of making the switch are many:
🌱 they’re better for our health, considering that anything that comes into contact with the skin is absorbed into the bloodstream.
🌱 they’re light on the pocket, mostly consisting of cheap ingredients such as vinegar and bicarb.
🌱 finally, they’re kinder to our planet, considering many cleaning products on the market are filled with carcinogenic and toxic chemicals,
contain unethical ingredients such as palm oil and are packaged in virgin plastics.

 

A heart felt thank you to Caitlin from Wild Search Australia, who’s nature-inspired know-how has inspired us to de-chemical our households!

 

🌱💚🌏