How To Make English Ivy Detergent with Step-by-Step Recipe

Photo creds: Gabby Sanchez

I found a free, convenient, and natural way to wash my clothes. It's all within one incredible leaf.  So read along as I tell you about how to make Ivy detergent without buying a thing!

This little story time will be a quick one, and then I'll get to how I actually make it. One day, I was making a bouquet. I needed some filler flowers. I knew some honeysuckle flowers grew on the fence beside my house. So, I decided to go pick some. But honeysuckle wasn't the only plant growing on this fence. I noticed green, viney leaves were growing abundantly all over the metal linkings. I was suddenly intrigued. Of course, I'd seen these vines before; most people have, especially on walls and big tree trunks, but I never really noticed them. 

I wanted to look them up and see what random illness they probably cured. Ha. Once you get into plant studies you can't get out. 

Using the photo search feature on my phone, I found out this plant was known as "Common Ivy." Upon further research, I discovered the vines I saw in particular were specifically English Ivy.

Wikipedia Fact Check if you want some extra nerdy details:

Hedera, commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae (commonly known as ivy/ginseng family), native to Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and across central-southern Asia east to Japan and Taiwan. Several species are cultivated as climbing ornamentals, and the name ivy especially denotes common ivy (Hedera helix), known in North America as "English ivy", which is frequently planted to clothe brick walls.

I went down the internet rabbit hole on my phone, still standing outside, squinting in the sun. I came across a recipe for "natural detergent using ivy leaves." In fact, I came across about ten different websites that featured this natural cleaning concoction. Some mentioned adding essential oils like lavender or lemon oil. Some were saying to add vinegar as well.

 But I also read that there is recorded history of people in the past using it for all sorts of things. In ancient Greece, ivy actually began as a way to treat breathing problems like asthma. It was later used as a cleaning agent. In Eastern Asia, ivy was used to protect structures against weathering and was also recognized to help with respiratory problems. I am a huge history buff. If you know me, you know that much already. After learning these cool facts, I wanted to finally try it out for myself!

I really, really needed to do laundry but had nothing to wash my clothes with. So naturally, I knew I had to use this opportunity to make some detergent!

Here's a step-by-step recipe for the detergent

Step 1: Grab a bag or basket to put your bounty in.

Step 2: Find some ivy leaves. They literally grow everywhere. See photo references if you need help identifying. Don't overthink it.

Step 3: Pick about 40 leaves. It's okay to keep the stems attached when picking. Get some kids to help you if you have any. It could turn into a simple outside chore!

Step 4: Time to rinse the leaves (cold/room temp water). Use a strainer or a bowl. 

Step 5: Fix a good-sized pot of water. Don't turn it on to boil yet.

Step 6: Get a chopping board out and cut up the leaves. (Honestly you don't even have to use a chopping board. I found that it's easier to just cut the leaves with scissors as they are submerged in the pot of water.)

Step 6: Make sure the water is starting to boil, then throw the chopped leaves in.

Step 7: Let it boil for 15 minutes.

Step 8: Let it steep for about 10 minutes.

Step 9: Once steeped, put a bowl in the sink and strain the liquid into the bowl. It's basically a tea.

Step 9: Let it cool in the bowl. Then transfer to a glass bottle or something of the like. I prefer a narrow topped because it's easier to pour when doing laundry.

Step 10: Shake and see the suds! You have now made your own detergent for zero $.

Note: I usually add a bit of baking soda to the top of my laundry before starting the washing machine if it needs extra deodorizing. Baking Soda is actually covered under EBT! (Double check this fact because it may not be true anymore due to recent...changes...ifykyk)

Link to YouTube video tutorial :)

 I think my favorite plant is ivy now! :D