Are you one of the people who have invested in a Thermomix? This multifunction kitchen robot is popular and allows you to make many recipes very easily. However, you would be wrong to confine your appliance to preparing delicious meals! Indeed, if you are looking to adopt a zero waste lifestyle and use more environmentally friendly household products, nothing is stopping you from concocting them in your robot! Economical, ecological and quick, the preparation of household products in this appliance is all good, especially for making laundry which can sometimes be more tedious. Above all, this allows you to make the most of this very expensive device when you already have one at home. Here’s how to make your own ultra-easy homemade laundry detergent with the Thermomix.
Both very effective on colored laundry, but also white, this recipe offers a cost price of less than one euro for three liters. Let yourself be tempted quickly! (And if you don’t have this robot, use another food processor or blender arm. It’s obviously not worth buying one just to make laundry detergent!)
The ingredients:
-60 g of real Marseille soap (without glycerin so as not to clog your washing machine)
-3 liters of water
-6 level tablespoons of baking soda (also called sodium bicarbonate, in the salt section)
-2 to 3 tablespoons of soda crystals depending on the hardness of the water
-A few drops of natural fragrance (in organic stores or on the internet, more ecological and effective than essential oils)
Also remember to bring a glass bottle or old laundry detergent container for storage.
How to prepare your homemade laundry detergent with the Thermomix
1) First of all, pour your Marseille soap into the Thermomix bowl and mix it for 10 seconds at speed 8. The objective here is toobtain a fine powder.
2) Then add water up to the bowl marker (II). This is equivalent to two liters which you will heat to 90°C for 10 minutes in mixer mode. Do not give in to the temptation to push harder to go faster: this could cause foaming.
3) Then let your soap cool once it is well melted.
4) It’s time to add the bicarbonate, then the soda crystals one after the other. Add them slowly, spoon by spoonto limit the chemical reaction. Indeed, there may be foam and adding them little by little helps avoid overflows. Mix for 10 seconds at speed 3 or with a spoon between each addition.
5) Once the powders are well incorporated, mix for 10 minutes on speed 4 without heating. Above all, watch carefully.
6) Add the remaining liter of water and the natural fragrance. Mix the preparation again for 10 minutes on speed 4.
7) Finally, let the preparation rest until the next day. It’s ready!
How to use it?
This detergent keeps quite well (around two months). However, before each use, shake the bottle a little. It may indeed tend to harden a little, especially if it is kept in a cool place such as the garage or cellar. In the detergent compartment of the washing machine, pour environ 100 ml of liquid detergent and add 1/3 mustard glass of white vinegar as softener.
Some tips for successful laundry with the Thermomix
If the detergent hardens too much, you can remix it in the Thermomix with a little boiling water. A quick pass will restore all its smoothness and remove small lumps. Normally, if your soap is good without glycerin, this should not happen! Please note that you can find Marseille soap flakes for your laundry recipes, which is very practical. However, this makes laundry detergent more expensive. It’s up to you…
Furthermore, remember to always clean the tub thoroughly after using it to do laundry. To do this, heat 1 and a half liters of water in the bowl for 5 minutes at 100°C at speed 3. Then, throw away the water and clean the bowl with a sponge. After rinsing, repeat until the water remains clear and no longer shows any foam.