If I had to point to the one thing that kicked all of this off, it wouldn’t be chickens or a garden or anything out back.
It was laundry detergent.
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I’ve always had persnickety skin. Not dramatic, just enough to be annoying. Some detergents would be fine, some wouldn’t. Sometimes I’d get a little itchy, sometimes a few hives, nothing major, just enough to make you wonder what exactly you’re washing your clothes in. It felt like luck of the draw.
Then a few years ago, my mom made me a batch of homemade laundry detergent.
And that was it.
No irritation. Clothes came out clean. And I remember thinking… well, that was a little too easy.
That was probably the first time it really clicked for me that maybe what’s on the store shelf isn’t the only option... or the best.
What’s Actually In It
The recipe couldn’t be simpler.
For a small batch:
That’s it.
Four ingredients. You can say all of them out loud without needing a chemistry degree.
Now compare that to most store-bought detergents. Flip one of those bottles around sometime and try to count the ingredients. You’ll either lose count or lose interest.
(and half of them sound like they belong in a lab, not your laundry)
How I Actually Make It
I usually make a large batch so I only have to deal with it a few times a year.
That looks like:
- 2 bars of soap
- 4 cups each of the other ingredients
For the soap, you’ve got options. Sometimes you can buy it pre-flaked, which is great if you’re short on time.
If not, I cut the bars into chunks, throw them in the freezer, and then run them through my Vitamix. It breaks them down fast and clean without turning it into a whole production.
Soap goes in first, gets pulverized, then everything else gets added and blended together.
Done.
I store it in a container that sits right on top of the washing machine with a little scoop hooked to the side.
Two tablespoons per load - That’s it.
Even my teenagers manage to use the right amount, which honestly might be the most impressive part of this whole setup.
Why I’ve Stuck With It
It works.
That’s first.
Second, it’s simple. I know exactly what’s in it, and even if it’s not perfect, it’s a whole lot simpler than what I was using before.
And then there’s the cost.
You can make this dirt cheap if you go with the most basic ingredients.
But even when I buy cleaner, higher-quality versions, the kind you usually have to order instead of grabbing off a grocery shelf (which I still sometimes do), it still comes out to less than the cost of most store-bought detergents.
And that’s the part that surprised me.
Usually, when you try to buy cleaner or more natural products, you’re paying double or more for it. This is one of the few places where you can choose better ingredients and still come out ahead.
So even when I don’t cut corners on what goes into it, I still end up spending less.
(Hooray for small miracles!)
The Bigger Shift
Looking back, this was the first time I realized I could make something myself that worked just as well, if not better, than what I was buying.
No land required. No big setup. No special skills.
Just paying attention and trying something different.
That’s what makes this one stick.
Because it’s something anyone can do, anywhere, without changing their whole life overnight.
And sometimes, that’s exactly where it starts.
From The Field: Start with one thing. You don’t need to overhaul your life to begin.