Soapwort Laundry Detergent Recipe for Delicates & Regular Wash

Are you afraid to wash your hand washables?  Not feeling the Woolite these days?  I don’t blame you.  This product received a D rating on Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning.  What if I told you there is an herb that is a natural soap and gentle on your clothing?  Yep, we talked about it previously in this article.  Just in case you missed it, welcome to soapwort–nature’s gentle cleaner!  And I have you covered with a a soapwort laundry detergent  recipe for both delicate and regular clothing.

 

Just to make sure the recipes I saw online worked, I tried washing one of my delicate shirts in soapwort.

The results?

The colors didn’t run.

I didn’t detect any odor under the underarms.

I didn’t have any stains so I can’t vouch for its stain removal ability.

There isn’t any detectable smell or fragrance with the soapwort so it is great for people sensitive to smells.

So, want the recipe?

I knew you would.

The Soapwort Laundry Detergent Recipes:

If you can find it fresh, use the leaves,  flowers, and roots to make soap.  The roots are the most powerful.   However, if you can’t find it, you can buy it HERE.

I used both dried and fresh to see if there was a difference in the lather.  There wasn’t.

For Hand Washables:

1/2 cup dried or 1 cup of fresh soapwort

1 quart of distilled water.

1.   Add the soapwort to a pot with the distilled water.

2.  Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

3.  Strain the soapwort. (Squeeze out all the water so you remove all the saponins .)   The  flowers will turn a washed out color.  The liquid will be brown.  I didn’t have any soap suds until I stirred the mixture.  (When you wash your pot, there will be soap suds residue. See below.)

4.  Here is the tricky part.  I just added about a quarter cup to the water, then inserted my shirt to soak.  The suds dissipate immediately so don’t worry.  Soapwort will still do its cleaning magic.

Store the rest in the refrigerator and use within the week.  Alternatively, you can add vinegar to the mixture to prolong its shelf life.  This recipe added 2/3rd cup to an ordinary laundry detergent bottle.

As I mentioned above, my shirt didn’t have any odor.  Liquid soapwort doesn’t really have a smell.

For Regular Wash

1 cup dried to 2 cups fresh

1 Quart of Distilled Water.

Follow the same instructions.

Join the Conversation.

Have you ever use soapwort laundry detergent?

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