My twist on this Thieves Laundry soap hack!

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Kathryn Yateman

Oct. 8, 1919

Well Im not very good at following directions!  With that said, I think I like my version of the recipe posted below a little better!  I messed up and added the below ingredients to 4 different 32. oz empty thieves laundry soap containers instead of just one set of ingredients added to 1 gal. of water!   What Im ending up with is STILL super concentrated  so I will be using maybe 1/4 cup of wash soap instead of 1/2 cup, plus I still have 3/4 left of my original undiluted  Laundry Soap left

Before we jump into the original hack let me tell you why it’s So important you switch to a non toxic plant based laundry soap!

I read an article that addressed the effects of cleaning products on the lungs of women. And, you guys, it’s not good. After following 6,000 participants for 20 years, women who regularly used cleaning products were found to have the same decline in lung function as those that smoked 20 cigarettes per day. What?!  Yep!  Not to mention the fragrance, the SLS and other cleaning agents in laundry soap are endocrine disruptors, and a whole lot more health related problems!  This is why it is so important to find cleaning products that are natural and don’t contain those harsh chemicals… Some think going natural in their cleaning products means spending a ton of money, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Check out this DIY laundry detergent that costs 7x less than what you’d buy at the store. Plus, your adding your own water and not paying for theres..

After loads and loads of laundry, I can say, with confidence, I will be making this my new go-to. I love that everything in the recipe is void of harsh chemicals, and even better, it costs a fraction of what you’d pay for laundry detergent in the store. (Cost breakdown at the end of this post.) Ready for this awesome recipe?

Recipe courtesy of Erin from Lemon’s Lavender and Laundry

 Here’s What You’ll Need:

The recipe below will make one gallon, you can certainly double the recipe (like I did) if your dispenser is larger.

• 1/4 Cup Washing Soda
• 1/4 Cup Baking Soda
• 1/4 Cup Thieves® Laundry Soap– Find out how to save 24% on Thieves products here
• 1/8 Cup (or 2 Tbsp) Thieves® Household Cleaner– Find out how to save 24% on Thieves products here
• Hot Water- You may want to use distilled water to avoid impurities that naturally occur in tap water.
• 8 Drops Essential Oil of Your Choosing (Optional)- I used Thieves® and Lemon– 4 drops of each
• Drink Dispenser (at least 1 gallon)- I used this one and doubled the recipe to make 2 gallons. While my dispenser was glass, many ask about using a plastic container instead… If you want to use plastic, it needs to be the right kind of plastic for use with essential oils. “Typically, HDPE plastic as well as plastics number 1 (PETE) and 2 are safe for use with essential oils.” -Dr. Hill (Quote found here.)
•                                                                                                   Save 24% off retail here

Directions:

Ready for the easiest tutorial ever?

*** If you are using a glass dispenser, it is recommended that you perform steps 1-3 in a stock pot in order to avoid the glass cracking from the hot water.***

Step 1:

Start by pouring 1/4 cup Washing Soda into your dispenser (or stock pot).

Step 2:

Add enough hot water (not boiling) to cover by an inch or two and stir until the washing soda has dissolved.

Step 3:

Once your washing soda has dissolved, add 1/4 cup baking soda, and, once again, stir until dissolved.

At this point, I would highly recommend placing your dispenser where you plan to keep it, as it gets a bit heavy. When adding water, simply using a pitcher or jug.

Also… if you performed steps 1-3 in a stock pot, at this point, pour the mixture into your dispenser once cooled.

Step 4

Fill your dispenser with warm (room temperature) water, allowing some room at the top to add a few more ingredients.

Step 5

First add 1/4 cup Thieves® Laundry Soap. I have seen similar recipes done with Castile Soap, but I love the idea of using an actual laundry soap instead (and others have reported that the Castile Soap gets chunky and dispensing becomes difficult). Plus, the entire line of Thieves® products smell amazing!

Step 6

Next add 1/8 cup (or 2 Tablespoons) of Thieves® Household Cleaner. This plant-based cleaner is highly concentrated and requires diluting when using as a cleaner… the 14.4 oz. bottle actually makes 29 bottles of household cleaner*!

*Based on using a 16 oz glass spray bottle and following instructions for “Most Cleaning Applications”.

Step 7 (Optional)

If you want to enhance the scent of the detergent a bit, feel free to add a few drops of essential oil. I chose to add Thieves® and Lemon (2 of my favorite essential oils for cleaning 🙂 ). A couple drops of each is all you’ll need.

Step 8

All you have left to do is give it a little stir, and you’re good to go.

When doing laundry in a HE washer, use 1/4 cup per load.

UPDATE: If you notice the laundry soap separating (the laundry soap settling to the bottom), just give the mixture a little stir. I actually didn’t notice this happening until it had been sitting on my counter for about 2 weeks, but others are reporting this happening after a short period of time. I just leave a wooden spoon next to my dispenser and give it a quick stir if I notice any separation.

Cost Breakdown

• 1/4 cup Washing Soda: 17¢ (Based off Walmart’s pricing of $3.97 for a 55 oz. box, which has 6 cups)
• 1/4 cup Baking Soda: 10¢ (Based off Target’s pricing of 79¢ for a 16 oz. box, which has 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup Thieves® Laundry Soap:  $1.84 (Based off Young Living’s wholesale pricing* for a 32 oz. bottle)
• 1/8 cup Thieves® Household Cleaner: $1.56 (Based off Young Living’s wholesale pricing* for a 14.4 oz bottle)
• 4 Drops Thieves essential oil (optional): 56¢
• 4 Drops Lemon essential oil (optional): 20¢

Total Cost:

• With optional essential oils added: $4.43/gallon
• Without optional essential oils added: $3.67/gallon

When using 1/4 cup per load, this equals 6-7¢ per load.

*Wholesale pricing is available to members of Young Living, however, you also have the option to buy retail. (Get more details here.) If buying retail, the price of the Laundry Soap would increase to $2.43 and the cost of the household cleaner would increase to $2.06; increasing the price per gallon to $4.76 (without essential oils added) and the cost per load would be 7¢/load.

Dare to Compare

Leading Brand of Laundry Detergent: $16.66/gallon (Based off Target’s pricing of $17.99 for a 138 oz. bottle of Tide)

Be very careful when looking at cost per load. While the packaging states there are 89 loads, it also states this is when measured to “line 2”. If you are doing a “large load” of laundry, you are directed to use twice as much detergent and fill to line 4. If using a HE washer, you need to use even more, and fill to line 5. I have a HE washer, and would definitely need to fill to that number 5 line, so…

Cost per load (if filling to line 4 or 5) would be about 41¢ per load. That is 6-7x higher than the DIY version above! Even if filling only to “line 2”, that is still 20¢ per load (3 times more expensive!)

Okay… after all that math, I need a break 🙂

All right lets make this even easier!

I made mine in 4 empty 32 0z Thieves laundry containers that I talked about in the beginning of this article with my messed up measurements but remember I like it better!

1. Add all dry ingredients first
2.  Add your essential oils if you would like.  I only use lemon and I like the way the soda’s give my lemon EO a little bit of strength!
3. Add your Thieves Cleaner and Thieves Laundry Soap
4. Add regular hot tap water to just blend your mix
5. Shake
6. Let settle
7. Add the rest of your hot water almost full
8. Shake again
9. You can top them off with the rest of the hot water when it settles again.

Done!

I love this version because our Thieves Laundry soap is SO concentrated and I tend to be alittle heavy handed and my version is still concentrated!

Look for other hacks on my blog under Kat’s Blog at https://oily.life/katscorneressentiallysimple