Home made dish-washing & laundry powder

Turn Bicarb Soda into Washing Soda (Right in Your Kitchen!)

Did you know you can transform ordinary bicarb soda into washing soda at home? ✨
This simple switch gives you a powerhouse ingredient that can be used as dishwashing powder or laundry powder. How cool is that?!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C.

2. Spread about 1kg of bicarb soda onto an oven tray in a layer about 1cm thick.

3. Bake for 1–2 hours, stirring gently every 20 minutes or so.

   • Don’t stress — you can’t “overcook” it. The change is easy to spot.

4. Once the transformation is done, remove from the oven and let it cool.

How do you know it’s ready?

• Bicarb soda has a silky, smooth feel.

• Washing soda looks and feels more grainy.

• The key is that the bicarb needs to reach the full 200°C for the reaction to take place, so be patient.

That’s it — you’ve made your own washing soda! ✌️

Once the change has happened, remove from the oven and leave it to cool. Transfer carefully into your jar of choice 😍.

Use it just like you would any regular dishwashing or laundry powder:

• For the dishwasher → I use about 1 dessert spoon in the detergent compartment.

• For the laundry → I add 1 normal scoop per load (you can experiment depending on the size of your loads).

• Bonus tip → I also pop ½ cup of vinegar into the fabric softener compartment when washing clothes. Vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener — bliss! 💛

Hints & Info 🌿

• What it is: Washing soda is a natural cleaner and a powerful water softener. It’s very basic (pH of 11). The Environmental Working Group even gives it an “A” rating, so it’s considered safe and non-toxic.

• How it works: When you heat bicarb (a.k.a. baking soda) to 200°C, water and carbon dioxide are driven off, leaving you with washing soda — YAY!

• Important to note:

  • Bicarb soda ≠ washing soda. 🤗

  • Wear gloves if you’re handling washing soda directly. It can be a mild skin or respiratory irritant, so avoid inhaling the particles while transferring or stirring.

  • Washing soda is not edible.

Extra Cleaning Powers 🧽

Washing soda isn’t just for laundry and dishes! You can also use it as:

• A pot & pan scourer

• A tile & grout cleaner

• A drain freshener

• An oven cleaner

No more single-use plastic containers from the supermarket! Even better → buy your bicarb in bulk and it’s a zillion times cheaper (and way less plastic). Saving the earth and your pocket in one swoop. Honestly, I think that’s pretty sexy. ✌️💚

✨ Fun fact: Bicarb soda and baking soda are the exact same thing.
✨ Washing soda can sometimes be found in supermarkets, but not always — which is why I love sharing this DIY recipe. Plus… making potions just makes me feel good.

xx Anna