Substitutes for High Energy Detergent

Homemade Liquid Detergent

• Grate one bar of soap and allow it to dissolve in 4 cups of boiling water. Combine it with 1 cup of sodium carbonate, 1/2 cup of borax and 3 gallons of warm water. Stir well until the mixture is fully dissolved. Let it sit covered by a lid for a day before you use it. As it has already been dissolved in water, this liquid detergent should dissolve into your laundry more easily than powdered detergent. Use 1 cup of detergent per laundry load.

Homemade Powder Detergent

• Simply add equal parts sodium carbonate and soap flakes into your washing machine as it fills up with hot water. A substitute for soap flakes is a grated bar of soap. Anywhere around 1/2 cup of soap flakes and sodium carbonate is sufficient for one load, depending on the size. For dirtier clothes or stains, add 1/2 cup of borax along with the other two ingredients. You could make large batches of this mixture and store it for quick, frequent use.

Homemade Pre-Soak

• To make a presoak for stained clothing, mix warm water with 1/2 cup of sodium carbonate and let it soak for 30 minutes. Then rub any stains using liquid soap.

Fabric Softener

• Place 1 cup of vinegar or 1/4 cup of baking soda into your washing machine during the final rinse.

Natural Stain Removers

• For fruit and wine stains, soak the clothing in milk before washing. Remove ink and blood stains using hydrogen peroxide. For coffee stains, mix an egg yolk with room-temperature warm water and rub the mixture on the stain. Rub lipstick stains with shortening and wash with sodium carbonate. Remove rust stains by soaking in sour milk or lemon juice, rubbing with salt and letting it dry in the sun.