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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/109thbead on 2024-04-02 01:52:21.

Prompted by a post yesterday from u/sunflowerpetal1, I decided to test out my intended method of long term trail laundry, Dr. Bronners. I had read that you could use it as detergent but hadn’t tried it because I took those claims on faith. Silly me. I tested it out so that you don’t have to.

I started off looking at the Dr. B’s website and it said to use 1/3 cup of any of their castile soaps to do a small load. They then said if using a high efficiency washer, to cut that in half. I’m not sure if it was their website or other places, but I also read that you should dilute the soap, and add vinegar to the rinse cycle. So that’s what I did.

I washed every item of my trail clothes that wasn’t wool, down, or DWR coated in a high efficiency washer, with 1/6 cup of Dr. B’s baby/unscented castile soap. I diluted just as much as the little soap compartment in the top would hold after that 1/6 cup of soap. I then filled the same washing machine cup thing with distilled white vinegar when it came time for the rinse cycle. I used the delicate cycle, cold/cold, low speed.

TL;Read later: It worked great! The washer didn’t explode with suds, the clothes smell fresh but neutral, and they feel clean and not oily. I’m not sure I’d use it for down, wool, or DWR fabrics, just in case, but I feel confident relying on it for my typical wash days in town.