Laundry Detergent (powdered)
Four ingredients, no fragrance, no dye, and a little goes a long way. This is straightforward laundry detergent that cleans clothes without the extras.
What It Is
Powdered laundry detergent has been a household staple for good reason: it stores well, lasts a long time, and tends to be more concentrated than its liquid counterpart. This one keeps the formula simple. Sodium carbonate (washing soda) does the heavy lifting on grease and grime. Laureth-7 is a surfactant that lifts dirt from fabric. Sodium metasilicate helps protect machine parts and keeps soil from resettling on clothes. Sodium chloride ties it together.
No added fragrance means no masking smells, just clean. It is a good fit for sensitive skin and for anyone who would rather not wonder what is in their detergent.
What To Do
Start with one to two tablespoons per regular load. Hard water or heavily soiled laundry may need a bit more. Add the powder directly to the drum before the clothes, or use the detergent drawer. It dissolves well in warm water; if you wash mostly in cold, toss it in the drum rather than the drawer so it has time to dissolve fully.
Store it somewhere dry. Powder detergent clumps if it gets damp, so a sealed container in a low-humidity spot keeps it flowing freely load after load.
