DIY *Hard water friendly* liquid laundry detergent (also borax free!)

Hey all!

So a few weeks ago I posted our laundry detergent recipe. It is a fantastic recipe and it really gets our clothes clean.... but... I have come to encounter our mean, gross, and frankly just RUDE friend hard water.

Ugh.

I really don't like hard water. But it is everywhere... so I guess I will just learn to work with it.

So after making the last batch of the laundry detergent, I noticed that we were starting to get some white hard water deposits (I call them calcium stains) on our cloth diapers. I also noticed our towels were getting a little grainy feeling. These are two large issues in our house. Calcium stains on cloth diapers= pee and poop everywhere. The deposits prevent the absorbent inserts for absorbing as much as they usually do... and need to. As a family of heavy wetters (yay......) we are kind of used to having to change diapers often and are used to keeping an extra outfit handy, but it was starting to get out of control. Also, the towels are a HUGE issue. We have our 4 year old who is ridiculously picky about textures... He was NOT a fan of the towels getting even a little stiff. The 2 month old wasn't a fan either. I don't buy "baby towels" I think its pointless because they grow out of them so fast and then you just have an over sized rag. So, it is SO important we DON'T have scratchy towels. Luckily, she isn't THAT picky about it... but I'd rather her not be uncomfortable.

Anyways, my point it that it was exceedingly important to fix this issue.

Since I had just made a new batch of laundry detergent, I had to use it before I made a new and improved formula. While I was doing this, I combated the calcium stains by adding about a half of a tablespoon of citric acid to every load. I should note, we use hot then cold water for our laundry since we are washing diapers. This COMPLETELY removed the issue after one wash. No more deposits... diapers working again, soft towels. Jackpot.

Now my next step was to make my life easier. I am not a fan of having to do an extra thing with one hand (and a crying baby in my ear... she hates laundry time for some reason).

This is my solution:

I used the same formula from my other post (which is below) but added 5 tbsp of citric acid. 

Since I was doing this with the famous one hand parent dance (I hadn't finished my baby carrier yet)... I didn't take new pictures. Maybe next time I will, but for now, I will use the old ones and add explanation for the addition. 

Ingredients:

Super washing soda

Liquid Castile soap ( I usually use Dr. Bonners baby mild, but any will work)

Water

the option of essential oil (I use lavender)
Citric acid (I buy mine in bulk on amazon)

And, of course, something to put it in (1 gallon size)-- I used an old laundry detergent jug.

What to do:

Put 3/4 cup of super washing soda into 1 cup of VERY  hot water. 

Stir water and washing soda until it dissolves... this is kind of a pain since it likes to sit at the bottom when it gets hot. Pour it into the container. (careful not to burn yourself! use a funnel if it helps!)

**** THEN*** (this is the new part!) 

Dissolve 5 Tbsp of citric acid in 1 cup of hot water... stir it until it is COMPLETELY dissolved. 

Pour this into your container SLOWLY!! It is going to fix and if you do it too fast, it will make a huge mess! 

I don't suggest adding more citric acid. You want to keep it at about a 1:4 ratio (citric acid:cleaning agent) to make sure your clothing is still getting cleaned!

Add 6 tablespoons of Castile soap, mix well.

Slowly fill up the remainder if the space in your container with cool water. The key is to do it slowly so you don't make a ton of suds. 

This is where you would add your essential oil. I usually add about 20 drops or so. Just until I like the smell. :)

Now, mix it with a long spoon handle or something like it. Don't shake it, you want to avoid making suds! 

Voila, just like that, you have some liquid laundry detergent.

use 1-3 tbsp per load

Also, If you are still having problems with hard water after this (which I HIGHLY doubt since we have some of the hardest water in the US, and we don't have any issues wit this formula) you can add a citric acid to your rinse cycle... Maybe a 1/2 tablespoon. Use your best judgment!

Also, see the original post for more information!