DIY Natural Laundry Stain Stick
I wrote last spring about some old-fashioned laundry tips, mostly about removing stains from clothing in more natural ways. While I hardly ever experience an ink stain on my clothing as pen and inkwell writing is no longer the fashion, we do experience plenty of rough and tumble type stains on our family’s clothing. Think, for instance, of grass and mud stains on the knees of pants and skirt hems, food on tiny t-shirt fronts, and baby spit up and leaks galore. I loved the idea of using a stain stick for our weekly stain needs, but I had not used one due to all of the environmentally harsh ingredients inside.
After looking a bit into it, I discovered that making your own laundry stain stick is rather simple. In fact, it’s most vegetable soap and a little added power of washing soda and borax, both a more natural approach to laundry care and what we have used for years to create our own detergents and softeners.
ingredients & recipe:
MAKES THREE 3 OZ TUBES
1 5 oz bar castile soap, unscented
2 tsp sunflower or coconut oil
1/4 cup washing soda
1/4 cup borax
2 tbsp liquid castile soap or dish soap, unscented
6 tbsp water, room temperature
20-30 drops essential oil (I chose sweet orange & lemongrass)
DIRECTIONS:
Grate the soap in shavings; it will not melt completely. In a double boiler, melt the soap with the oil over medium-low heat.
Remove from heat and mix in the washing soda, borax, liquid soap, water, and essential oil. Mix until well combined.
Pour the mixture into your vessel of choice. I like a cardboard tube as it is the easiest for applying the stain stick!
To use: apply directly to stains and leave on for at least 1 hour before washing and up to 7 days. Wash as normal.
I gave my sticks a refreshing citrus scent with lemongrass and sweet orange essential oil. You do not have to scent the stick at all, or if you would like to go one step further, try using Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap in Citrus!
If your stain does not fully come out after the first use of the stain stick and washing, try applying again. It may take a few washes to get it completely out! Another way to do so would be to apply the stain stick, then washing with a bit of detergent in the sink before washing the full garment in the machine.
xoxo Kayla
