This week we are covering a topic that we haven't really covered here on The Flora Modiste yet: How to CARE for your clothes. (Rather than how to MAKE them!) Specifically, this week's post is going to show you how to make DIY laundry soap. (And why you really should take the extra time to do so!)

About a year and a half ago, one of my girlfriends (who runs her own vegan clothing line, Vesta Studio) introduced me to the concept of buying alternative laundry detergent.

Up until then I feel like I was pretty much like everyone else: I would buy whatever smell floated my current boat while walking down the laundry detergent aisle at Target. Am I right?

In my friend's post about buying a better (vegan!) environmentally & body friendly detergent, she convinced me with just a few points:

1. Washing our clothes excessively increases our environmental footprint exponentially.
2. The majority of name brand laundry detergents are filled with chemical toxins. (Like actually.)

I'm not sure why I never made the connection before my girlfriend pointed it out.. I feel like I make pretty conscious choices to take care of myself and lesson my footprint on this world.

To name a few: I'm vegetarian, and have been for over 5 1/2 years. Not only for my heath, but also because I never want to hurt an animal. And also because of the insane, horrible impact that factory farming is having on our environment.

Being vegetarian is my small, personal way to protest that industry.

I exercise 4-5 times a week, at least an hour a day.

The only drink that goes into my body (besides champagne & wine, obvi) is water. No soda, sugar filled juices, or hard alcohol. Oh, and I do like to take care of my gut with the occasional kombucha. Duh.

Also, I buy toothpaste that isn't filled with shit. And I use a natural deodorant that isn't filled with toxic aluminum.

(Before you can take care of your clothes using DIY laundry soap.. You need to learn how to make them! And the perfect place to start learning how to sew is by building up your sewing kit. So download your complete, printable guide below!)Here on The Flora Modiste, I have emphasized how important I think it is to stop buying fast fashion because of its impact on our environment.

And I have encouraged you guys to repair your own clothes, rather than just throwing them away and buying new ones.

So. Suffice to say, I feel like I take pretty good care of my body, and I'm careful with what I fuel it with. And I'm also pretty careful with what clothing I buy and wear, and which companies I support. But somehow, this awareness never really transferred to what I washed said clothes with.

Said clothes that then go on said body. Clothes that were filled with all of those awful chemicals that they were washed with. All over my body. My sheets. The sofa. EVERYWHERE.

So. I decided to change that as well! There are so many toxic products in this world that you can't avoid.. If there's an easy switch that you can make, wouldn't you want to do it too?

(Before you can take care of your clothes using DIY laundry soap.. You need to learn how to make them! And the perfect place to start learning how to sew is by building up your sewing kit. So download your complete, printable guide below!)

How to make DIY laundry soap: The inspo

Before I learned how to make DIY laundry soap, I bought some first. I was a little nervous about it, so I wanted to test it out before jumping in.

My girlfriend had mentioned the laundry soap that she started using from The Simply Co. (An incredible company, if you don't know about them!)

So I decided to try them out as well.

I specifically love the few sentences on their website that states the questions the company was built on:

• Why the fuck are there so many chemicals in everything?!
• When did this become okay?
• Are they even necessary?

Short answers:

The only ingredients in The Simply Co.'s laundry soap includes: Baking soda, washing soda, & vegan castile soap. (And/or essential oils for smell!) I bought a jar of the laundry soap, AND I LOVED IT.

Our clothes came out clean and soft, and smelled wonderful.

And not to mention.. I used about 1/4 the amount of soap using The Simply Co.'s detergent, compared to the traditional tub of detergent. COUNT ME IN.

(Before you can take care of your clothes using DIY laundry soap.. You need to learn how to make them! And the perfect place to start learning how to sew is by building up your sewing kit. So download your complete, printable guide below!)

How to make DIY laundry soap: The details

So. The Simply Co. convinced me that a limited ingredient, non traditional detergent worked just as well (even better, really) than a traditional laundry soap. Cool. I'm hooked!

Taking that a step further and jumping onto the message that I have been trying to promote here on The Flora Modiste.. Instead of going to buy more, couldn't I just make it?

That is the question I have been applying to clothing for years.

I decided to try it. So we bought a box of washing soda, borax (aka baking soda), and a bar of castile soap. Literally that's it.

I mixed them all up myself, washed some laundry, and I haven't turned back. Really. So I have been making my own laundry soap for about a year and a half now.

More specifically, the ingredients I buy when I need to make a new batch of DIY laundry soap are:

1. 20 Mule Team Borax: Borax is essentially sodium tetraborate, a natural occurring mineral. It really just assists the washing soda in helping to remove stains as well as deodorizing clothing during the washing process.
2. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda: The A&H washing soda is essentially just sodium carbonate mixed with water. It can be found naturally, or can be manufactured from salt. Either way, pretty natural. But really, washing soda helps to just get a cleaner wash.
3. Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap: Castile soap is an olive oil based hard soap, which can be extremely versatile. The soap is organic, made with fair trade ingredients, and is available in a TON of different scents. (That is, if you prefer to have some sort of scent in your DIY laundry soap!)

So. Got all of your ingredients? Let's learn how to make some DIY laundry soap!

(Before you can take care of your clothes using DIY laundry soap.. You need to learn how to make them! And the perfect place to start learning how to sew is by building up your sewing kit. So download your complete, printable guide below!)

How to make DIY laundry soap: The instructions

Making your own DIY laundry soap is INCREDIBLY easy. It's kind of ridiculous.

Just follow the steps below:

1. Grate the bar of castile soap into the thinnest strands possible. (I just use my cheese grater.. But you can use whatever!)
2. Measure out a cup of washing soda.
3. Measure out a cup of borax.
4. Mix the castile soap, washing soda, & borax together.

Because I ordered a jar of The Simply Co.'s laundry detergent beforehand, I had the PERFECT jar for my own DIY laundry soap. The jar is just thick glass with a round screw top, and it perfectly fits the above recipe. I also have a little scoop that I use for measuring out the DIY laundry soap.

I typically always do pretty large loads of laundry (like fill up my machine) so I tend to use 2 Tablespoons of laundry soap per load. But for smaller loads, you could cut that down to 1 Tablespoon per load.

But it really just depends. You do you!

(Before you can take care of your clothes using DIY laundry soap.. You need to learn how to make them! And the perfect place to start learning how to sew is by building up your sewing kit. So download your complete, printable guide below!)

How to make DIY laundry soap: Let's get started!

So. Are you ready to make your own DIY laundry soap?

Not only will you use less detergent (& waste less) by making your own, but you also won't be washing your clothing in toxic chemicals.

Which means that less toxins will be reaching your skin. Which means that you'll be living a healthier, more organic life.

And if you love love the scent of fresh, clean laundry, then learning how to make DIY laundry soap is going to be your jam. While I prefer to just use the scented castile soap (my fav scents are citrus & lavender) there are a TON of scent options to choose from. OR if you just love the small of unscented, fresh laundry.. There is a castile soap bar for that too.

Really, you can't go wrong with DIY laundry soap.

Is there anything else that you guys want to learn about when it comes to caring for your clothing? I'd love to hear!

(Before you can take care of your clothes using DIY laundry soap.. You need to learn how to make them! And the perfect place to start learning how to sew is by building up your sewing kit. So download your complete, printable guide below!)