Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster. Ditch the Oxi-Clean and get those whites white with this homemade oxygen bleach!

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Okay, guys! It’s time for some laundry talk.

For the past four weeks I’ve talked a lot about laundry, everything from a stain remover to homemade bleach alternative. I promise, I won’t talk about laundry forever. Just one more week of laundry talk? One more?

Awesome, I knew you would say yes!

Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster. Ditch the Oxi-Clean and get those whites white with this homemade oxygen bleach!

I recently snooped around the blog pretending to be a reader. During my pretend session, I clicked on the main menu, categories, and the sidebar. My desire is for Live Simply to be a reader-friendly space– posts are easy to find, pictures are big (well, not too big) and beautiful, and the words written communicate encouragement and love. As I clicked around, one major “issue” jumped out at me: The laundry subcategory has been seriously lacking. At the time the only posts available for reading were my homemade laundry soap and Kelly’s dryer balls (a dryer sheet alternative).

I’m all about simplicity, so one laundry soap and dryer ball post was perfectly fine, but I think most of us know the cold truth about laundry–it’s not a simple job. Oh yes, there’s the washing and folding.  But what about the mysterious black stains that magically appear on my favorite white shorts? Or the new white towels (by the way, I’m a huge advocate for white towels!)  that after only three washes feel like you’ve been using them for ten years. Laundry problems, my friend! Problems that need more than just soap and dry balls.

Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster. Ditch the Oxi-Clean and get those whites white with this homemade oxygen bleach!

Over the years, I’ve experimented with various homemade laundry solutions. I’ve experienced countless failures. Through those failures I’ve discovered that while laundry may be complicated, the homemade solutions that fix those problems don’t have to be.

After peeking around Live Simply that day, I decided my tried-and-true laundry solutions needed to be shared, so over the last four weeks we’ve sat down to a cup of coffee, our computer screens, ignored the big pile of laundry calling out in the corner, and spent a few minutes each week talking about homemade laundry solutions!

To wrap up this laundry marathon (There are a few more solutions to share, but I’ll switch back to beauty and home for a few weeks.), let’s talk about oxygen bleach.

Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster. Ditch the Oxi-Clean and get those whites white with this homemade oxygen bleach!

Oxygen bleach is a laundry booster that can be used directly in the washing machine to help clean soiled clothing and improve the performance of laundry detergents. For years, I used this product in my home until I finally decided to do a little research into the ingredients. After reading the ingredient list and articles online, I realized the expensive oxygen bleach powder I purchased to provide my laundry with a sweet little boost was nothing more than a special ingredient called Sodium Percarbonate. From my research I learned Sodium Percarbonate is made by bonding two ingredients together: hydrogen peroxide and washing soda. Mind-blown! Talk about simplicity!

It was at this moment in my research that I realized the expensive product I was purchasing from the store shelf each month could easily be made at home. I played around with several variations of a homemade Oxi-Clean like product: mixing equal parts hydrogen peroxide and washing soda, reducing the hydrogen peroxide, etc. Each attempt only led to disaster.

As it turns out, washing soda and hydrogen peroxide form some kind of chemical reaction after sitting for 24 hours in a container. The two ingredients form a crystal-like hard substance. It’s actually pretty fascinating, and that’s as far as I get with the technicality of it all. Hard rock-like crystals are no bueno for a mom in need of a homemade laundry boost.

Finally, I figured out my problem. I was over complicating the whole process.

Since that light-bulb moment, I’ve been happily using a homemade laundry boost. I simply keep a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a glass jar filled with washing soda near the washing machine. When our laundry is on the dirtier side or I’m washing a load of towels, I simply add equal parts of washing soda and hydrogen peroxide to the machine as the water fills up, swish the ingredients in the water with my hand, pour in the laundry soap, and add the clothes! Viola!

Before I share this simple recipe with you, let’s take a look at the two ingredients:

Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster. Ditch the Oxi-Clean and get those whites white with this homemade oxygen bleach!

Hydrogen Peroxide: The primary job of this household ingredient is to remove stains and naturally-brighten clothes. This ingredient is also used in my homemade bleach alternative, which also uses washing soda and the power of lemons to whiten dingy garments.

Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster. Ditch the Oxi-Clean and get those whites white with this homemade oxygen bleach!

Washing Soda: This is the cousin of baking soda. In fact, you can actually make washing soda from baking soda–I tell you how to do that in my DIY Natural Cleaning Challenge eBook. When it comes to cleaning clothes, washing soda is preferred over baking soda due to washing soda’s higher PH level (PH 11). Washing soda can help soften hard water. It also works as a degreaser and stain remover.

Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster
4.88 from 8 votes

Homemade Oxi-Clean Like Laundry Booster

Oxygen bleach is a laundry booster that can be used directly in the washing machine to help clean soiled clothing and improve the performance of laundry detergents. 
Kristin Marr
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course DIY, Homemade
Cuisine Cleaning
Servings 1 load

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Turn on the washing machine, allow the water to fill the basin 1/4-1/2 way full. Add each ingredient to the water (preferably hot water), along with the laundry soap, and swish (use your hand or a wooden spoon).
  • Continue filling the washer with water until you reach the desired level.
  • Once the ingredients are dissolved, add the clothes. Proceed to wash the clothes according to your washing machine's cycle.

Notes

  • For soiled or extra stinky clothes (not ones that require extra whitening or stain removal–this recipe isn’t a complete stain remover), soak the clothes in the solution for 30 minutes -1 hour before adding the laundry soap and running the washer.
  • This recipe is used in my house as a regular laundry booster (to aid my laundry soap in getting rid of dirt or odors). For clothes that need extra whitening, I use my homemade bleach alternative.
  • For clothes with stains, I use my homemade stain remover, then toss the clothing in the washing machine (along with other clothes, if possible) with this formula. The laundry booster helps lift the stain, if the stain remover needs a bit more of a boost.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
Homemade OxiClean Laundry Booster. Ditch the Oxi-Clean and get those whites white with this homemade oxygen bleach!
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35 Comments

  1. Hi there! Can I just keep a jar of the washing soda mixed with water, then when ready to do a load, mix up the watered down washing soda with hyrogen peroxide and toss in the wash? I don’t typically stand around letting the washing machine fill with water, because my washer and dryer are in the very cold basement and I’m always doing it quickly! Any thoughts on that? THank you~!

  2. Can these 2 ingredents be mixed together in a jar and us as one compont? does it work in cold water?

    1. Hey Bertha, I don’t recommend pre-mixing because the hydrogen peroxide needs to be stored in a dark bottle in order to remain effective. You could pre-mix and then add to the washer. It should work in cold water, but warm or hot will be most effective.

  3. Does the store bought washing soda work better than homemade washing soda with the peroxide in whitening the clothes and/or getting stains out? Is there a difference?

  4. Can I use this laundry booster in my High efficiency washer? If not, how can I apply my own natural booster?

  5. 5 stars
    We have used the 1/2 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide solution with all of our loads (we have two young kids, pets…you know the drill), it works great. We got the idea here, from you, thanks. We just got a HE front loader washing machine and I had to figure out how to use this tried and true method a different way. I found this info in my internet research, originally from Oxiclean, reposted on Life Should Cost Less. Basically, they suggest dissolving the powder in tap water and putting through the bleach dispenser. I am going to try using warm water and peroxide with the powder. Wish me luck! 🙂
    http://lifeshouldcostless.com/2012/05/how-to-use-oxiclean-in-front-loader.html

  6. Hi Kristin, have you tried using sodium percarbonate? I have bought (a lot) with the idea of selling on but first I’m experimenting with it. I make my own laundry powder and at the moment it’s 1:2 soap and sodium carbonate (washing soda) and I’ve used hydrogen peroxide as a booster. I have just started using sodium percarbonate and find it doesn’t dissolve in water as easily as I thought it would.

  7. Hi Kristin. I enjoy using your homemade laundry soap but it seems that some of the clothes look dingy and my navy blue scrubs look faded. Should I be adding this to the laundry each time I wash my clothes? My clothes don”t normally get dirty other than normal wearing. Can you offer some helpful suggestions?

    1. Hey Jane, I would try a different water temperature first, just to see if that will make a different. It could be possible that you need warmer water to help the powder dissolve. Another thought is to try less soap–just a small amount. And (I’m assuming it’s the powder soap), maybe try mixing it with some hot water first before adding it to the laundry soap drawer or the washer. If you have hard water, that may also be an issue that’s causing some issues with the soap–I know we’ve had issues with washing soda and our dishwasher in the past due to hard water. If those fail, then I’d try switching over to a cleaner store-bought soap to see if the issues clear-up. Here’s a list of cleaner options from the EWG: http://www.ewg.org/guides/subcategories/49-LaundryDetergentHE#.WZ_9aZOGMW8. You could try the laundry booster, too, and see if that helps–maybe try a load with just the laundry booster to see if you notice a difference. Let me know how it goes!

  8. Just a thought….couldn’t you take the rock like substance and put it in a food processor to create a powder?

  9. Is your laundry booster for whites only? Since it has hydrogen peroxide I am not sure what that would do to dark clothes. Thank you.

    1. Hey Sue, I use this recipe with dark colors–I just don’t soak the clothes in this solution. The hydrogen peroxide alone, in a big washer machine full of water, isn’t strong enough to bleach clothes. I avoid using this recipe with dark wash jeans or black clothing, just to be safe.

  10. I just discovered your blog yesterday via a roundup somewhere (lost the trail) and I really am enjoying it. I would like to try this homemade laundry booster but I only have access to coin-operated laundry so I can’t let the machine fill halfway before adding detergent and/or clothes. From your responses w/r/t HE machines I think I could probably try adding the booster to some water to dissolve and then to the machine, unless that would cause a catastrophe I’m not envisioning.

    1. Hey Lori, Welcome to Live Simply! It’s wonderful to have you here :).

      Yes, I think that’s a great plan! The reason I add the powder and hydrogen to the water first and let it fill up is because the washing soda can leave a white dusty look on the clothes if it’s not diluted. So your plan should work very well.

      1. Hope you get this comment. I just recently found your blog and am loving it.

        Just to double check here and make sure I am understanding this correctly…..I have an HE front loading washer. So I should be able to mix up the boost and then dilute in water and possibly add to the drum before adding the clothing to the washer? Once the washer starts, the door locks {for obvious reasons 🙂 } so I would have to do all this at the beginning. What do you think?

      2. Hey Penny, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog! I don’t have much experience with HE washers and this recipe, but I think your plan sounds good! I would love to hear how it goes.

  11. Hi there! thanks for sharing all your experiment and…well..wisdom. Please, I am in no way knocking the method you have nutted out, but is there some reason why using straight sodium percarbonate is not a good idea. One of the web sites I’m looking at for supplies ( ecofreaks.co.nz) sells a ‘powdered’ form which they recommend. Thanks, Pamela

    1. Hey Pamela, From what I’ve read sodium percarbonate can be used as a safe alternative–I haven’t found anything suggesting otherwise. Usually hydrogen peroxide and washing soda are easier to source (sold in the average US grocery store for very inexpensive) and can be used for multiple purposes. Great question! 🙂

  12. Hi Kristin!

    Just wanted to say “thanks” for caring so much about making your blog so useful/usable for your readers! You are totally nailing all of that… other than YHL for DIY renovation projects, I have never encountered a more thorough, helpful and organized round-up of tips that I actually turn around and use.

    Thanks so much for the investment you’ve made to make this such an amazing resource!

    1. Thank you so much, Summer! I feel so blessed to read your comment–that’s exactly what I desire for this little online space. Thank you for your sweet encouragement.

      PS: I’m a HUGE fan of YHL!! I miss their posts, but still go back and read the archives.

    1. Hey Brandi, I don’t have experience with an HE washer. I would check out the powdered oxi-clean box (or website) and read the recommendations for an HE washer, then maybe make an adjustment to this recipe by mixing 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/4 cup hydrogen in a small bowl (don’t let it sit overnight), and add it to the compartment where the store-bought oxi-clean is usually added. That way you have more of a damp grainy product, then a full 1/2 cup of liquid and another 1/2 cup powder (since it’s being added to a single dispensing compartment). I’m not sure how it will work (I really need to ask for an HE washer so I can experiment with my homemade solutions…Oh, Dustin ;)), but that’s my initial thought.

  13. Sounds like a great recipe! How would you go about using this with an HE front loader that doesn’t fill up with water?

    1. Hey Rachel, I don’t have experience with an HE washer. I would check out the powdered oxi-clean box (or website) and read the recommendations for an HE washer, then maybe make an adjustment to this recipe by mixing 1/2 cup washing soda and 1/4 cup hydrogen in a small bowl (don’t let it sit overnight), and add it to the compartment where the store-bought oxi-clean is usually added. That way you have more of a wet grainy product, then a full 1/2 cup of liquid (since it’s being added to a dispensing compartment). I’m not sure how it will work (I really need to ask for an HE washer so I can experiment with my homemade solutions…Oh, Dustin ;)), but that’s my initial thought.

    2. or you could just buy sodium percarbonate cheaply off ebay 9chemical name for oxy clean ingredients !