Contents
Good reasons to do your own laundry
According to Stéphanie Faustin, author of the book My Daily Zero Waste, (Ed. Rue de l’Echiquier): ” Make your laundry is child’s play that costs three francs six sous! “. Obvious when you know that you only need three ingredients: Marseille’s soap (or liquid black soap), baking soda and water, to make your laundry and improve your daily life. As we already know, industrial detergents are expensive, and contain multiple surfactants, synthetic fragrances, products that irritate the skin and are toxic to the planet. The only downside to homemade laundry? “It is not as powerful as industrial washing powder, and the laundry will therefore not come out whiter than white (…). At worst, you can alternate by using from time to time a commercial organic detergent (or by mixing a little with your homemade detergent) which will restore shine to your laundry. », Explains Stéphanie Faustin in her chapter (p.54) on how to make detergent and fabric softener.
The recipe (taken from the book) to do your laundry yourself
() 20 g of real Marseille soap or 20 g of liquid black soap (or half and half), 20 g of baking soda, 1 L of water. Preparation: grate your Marseille soap or reduce it to shavings. In a saucepan, heat your water over low heat with the soap, stirring with a whisk until completely dissolved. Off the heat, add the baking soda and let cool. Transfer this preparation to a bottle and shake it before each use.
Here is the recipe in video:
In video: How to do your laundry yourself?
Choosing the right Marseille soap
Bactericidal and hypoallergenic, Marseille soap is effective with hot or cold water. If you buy Marseille soap shavings, be careful because they usually contain l‘Palm oil, unlike Marseille soap cubes. “Make sure (also) to use a soap without added glycerin, the latter being likely to clog the machine, grease the laundry, or even solidify the laundry. Genuine Marseille soap will never contain added glycerin, ”explains Stéphanie Faustin.
Making your fabric softener: instructions for use
For industrial softeners, the consequences on the planet and on health are as harmful as for detergents. The solution to soften your laundry? Mix water and white vinegar, a natural product capable of “softening the laundry, but also of descaling the machine, preventing lime deposits and reviving colors”, explains Stéphanie Faustin. Recipe : mix 30 cl of white vinegar and 60 cl of water, transfer to a bottle and pour this preparation into the compartment of your machine dedicated to softeners. The specialist’s advice : avoid with delicate laundry such as underwear.
According to the book My zero waste daily by Stéphanie Faustin, Ed. Rue de l’hiquier