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About a week ago, I was up until midnight researching DIY laundry detergent recipes. I know. Crazy. My goal was to figure out the best ingredients to use, while still making it cost-effective. Typically, I use vinegar and baking soda for my cleaning products, so I was out of my element with items like Fels Naptha and Borax, but in the end I came up with a recipe that I really like, and it lasts forever. (Not really forever, but close… like 18 months 🙂 )
There are many DIY laundry detergent recipes out there. The first choice you have to make is whether to go with a powder or liquid version. I have never used powder, but most people felt the powder versions did a better job, and I was sold when it meant I didn’t have to cook soap to melt it down. I will let you know that the recipe I’m sharing is a hodge-podge of different recipes. I did not find this exact one anywhere else.
What You Need to Make DIY Laundry Detergent
- 1 Box Washing Soda (55 oz)
- 1 Box Borax (76 oz)- This was a controversial item. Some say it’s safe, others argue it’s not. This article finally convinced me that it was okay to use, but if you are not comfortable you could leave it out and adjust other ingredients accordingly. Other articles I read state that washing soda can be used on its own because its pH is higher, and therefore it would do a better job cleaning clothes than Borax anyway. Again, up to you.
- 3 Bars Castile Soap– Many recipes call for using Fels Naptha Soap, and this makes sense because Fels Naptha is a laundry bar used for stain-removal. I, however, chose to use Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap which is made with a combination of organic oils. They come in a variety of scents, which adds some natural fragrance. However, you can also purchase unscented from Amazon. (UPDATE: I ended up trying this recipe with Fels Naptha as well, and I like it! It grates a lot easier than Castile Soap, but it also doesn’t score as high on the EWG rating for “clean products”.)
- 2 Boxes Oxiclean Free (3 lb. each) OR 1 Box Oxiclean (5 lb.)- I went with Oxiclean Free which contains no dyes or fragrances as I have a child with sensitive skin, but you could certainly go with a different version if sensitive skin isn’t an issue (it’ll be cheaper). In all my research, I learned that the active ingredient in Oxiclean is hydrogen peroxide and I know hydrogen peroxide is a miracle at getting things clean when combined with baking soda. (See it work when cleaning a porcelain sink and/or cleaning grout).
- 2 Cups Baking Soda– Some recipes state that adding baking soda to the mix is a moot point because its power to work is minimal in comparison with the washing soda, but I added it to actually help with balancing out the pH, especially for gentle-wash clothes.
- Garbage Bags
- Storage Container with Tight Fitting Lid
How to Make DIY Laundry Soap
You are going to start by grating your soap. Cut the bars of soap into cubes and place them into a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the soap by hand; just a little more work.
Allow the food processor to run until you get small pieces of soap (see the picture above for sizing).
Now put a garbage bag into a trash can, just to help stabilize the bag while pouring in the ingredients. Pour all the ingredients into the bag. Yes. All of them. Tie a knot in the bag so nothing can escape. I doubled bagged my mix, and I’m really glad I did because the first bag got a hole in it. Roll it around for awhile so everything has a chance to mix together.
Cut a hole in one of the bottom corners and allow the mix to drain into your storage container. It is best to use an air-tight container with a good seal in order to keep out moisture that could eventually clump and harden the mix. I stored the extra detergent in a Ziploc bag.
Love Montana Jars for storage! I used the 1.5 gallon jar, but you can also get a two or 2 1/2 gallon jar as well. They are strong and I like the way they look.
I created a printable, cut it out, and adhered it to the jar with adhesive spray. If you would like one, you can have one for yourself: Laundry Detergent Printable
When you go to do a load of laundry, add 2 Tablespoons of the mix to your washer, and that’s it.
If you’d rather buy laundry detergent, check out a brand I’d definitely recommend here.
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I have a extra large capacity washer, should I use more than 2 tablespoons per load?
Is this safe to use in an HE washer?
I’ve used this recipe for years, and I love it. The only difference is that I usually add 2 bottles of the Downey scent beads. It gives your clothes that sweet odor. I wouldn’t go back to regular detergent for all the money in the world.
How much do you use per load?
Hi,
I saw you make a laundry soap a while ago on the Jason Show. It was with Thieves laundry soap, washing soda water and baking soda. Can you please send me that recipe? I am not on social media.
Thank you.
In this powdered laundry detergent in reference to the Borax vs Washing Soda:
Do you substitute the Washing Soda for the Borax (i.e. use TWO boxes of Washing Soda?) or just eliminate the Borax and not ADD any more Washing Soda to the mix?
Hi!
This looks great! How many loads can come from this amount?
Thanks!
I am not sure exactly how many loads this will actually do, but it lasts my family of 5 about 18 months, so I hopefully that gives you an idea… it’s a lot of loads 🙂
Do you add detergent to the inside of your HE machine ir put in the actual detergent dispenser ?
I put the detergent into the dispenser 🙂
I generally do my laundry (other than towels and sheets) in cold water.
Will this recipe work in cold water?
Hi Patti- I have certainly used this recipe in cold water. The trick is to really get the soap into small pieces as cold water doesn’t dissolve the soap as well as warm/hot water does. Hope that helps 🙂
When I clean my coffee maker with vinegar, I use the hot vinegar with baking soda to clean my drains. It works instantly and I get to use the same vinegar twice.
I’ve made my own powder laundry soap recipe to make my laundry smell better I added some Purex lavender crystals. smell good
Hi Erin! Just curious if you have ever tried any essential oils in your homemade laundry soap? I’m relatiey new to oils but wondered if it would work.
Thanks!
Great question! I have not added essential oils, and there’s a reason. This recipe contains baking soda, and baking soda absorbs moisture and then hardens, so in an effort to keep my laundry detergent from hardening, I avoid it. If you want to add essential oils to the mixture, I would recommend mixing in a drop or two right to a single “serving” right before doing your load of laundry.
My favorite way to add scent through oils is to mix epsom salt and whatever essential oils you want. It just acts as a carrier and is basically a non-toxic and inexpensive version of the scent beads you can buy to go in laundry!
Will this work ok in a HE washer?
And by the way… My grandma, my mom, and now I swear by Borax for super stinky, dirty laundry! Don’t know what I would’ve done without it during 8 years of football!
I have only used it in a HE washer and I’ve never had a problem 🙂
Def trying this! Thanks girl!
XO Ellen from Ask Away
http://www.askawayblog.com
My pleasure! Enjoy your day Ellen!
Hi, I have been looking for a DIY clothes soap to make, thank you! How much does it make total in oz., and how much did it cost total? What size is the jar you have it in? You mentioned you compared it to other recipes, just wonder how it compared cost-wise to the others.
Cathy
Great questions Cathy! Let me go through them one at a time.
1.) The total amount made was 30 cups (or 240 oz.). Yes, I really did measure it all out because I was curious too 🙂
2.) I typically do a cost comparison in my posts when the DIY version is cheaper than a store bought version. In this case, the DIY version costs almost the exact same as the store-bought detergent I was using (I did a price comparison on cost per load, not ounce to ounce, as liquid is measured in volume and powder is measured in weight). The reason I like this better is that I know all the ingredients going in. When I tried to find the ingredients for ALL Free and Clear (the store-bought brand I was using), the container said to go to their website. I went there and got an error message when I tried to get on the ingredients page (maybe temporary, but weird none-the-less). This version cost me about $38. There are ways to make it cheaper though. 1- buy a 5lb box of Oxiclean vs. two 3lb. boxes (As I explained, we have a sensitive skin issue in our house and I couldn’t find the “Free” version in a 5 lb.box), Buying one 5lb. box instead of two 3 lb. boxes will save you about $5. I chose to use Dr. Bronner’s brand of castile soap (because it was the one most recommended in laundry recipes), but you could go with a cheaper brand OR, if you’re comfortable with Fels Naptha, it costs about 1/2 as much as the soap I used. If you do either one of the options, or both, the cost will be much less than store-bought!
3.) The jar I have is 1 1/2 gallons, but there is a 2 gallon size as well (which would probably hold all the detergent). My jar, with detergent, weighs 15lbs, so it’s heavy! Yes. Again, I actually got on the scale with and without the jar to check 🙂
4.) Other recipes. As mentioned in the post, many recipes used Fels Naptha soap vs. the castile soap. Some called for using Downy scented balls (due to sensitive skin, I choose to leave out added fragrances). Rarely, people used salt or citric acid in their recipes. Also, as mentioned, Borax was controversial, so some chose to include it, others didn’t. ALL the recipes did include washing soda and a soap of some type.
Thanks again for all your questions! Hope I answered them fully. Let me know if you have any others.
Have a great day Cathy!!!
You can make your own washing soda by taking baking soda and heat it in an oven at 400 degrees. Here’s a link: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/01/make-your-own-washing-soda-for-homemade-laundry-detergent.html
I’ve made it but haven’t washed with it yet so…
Check your local Wal-Mart, they usually have washing soda (that’s where I found mine). I like that you use Lavender Castile Soap, I’ve used the Fels Naptha and that works great too (especially with a husband who’s a mechanic, gets a LOT of the crud out of his work clothes). Maybe I’ll split the mix and use some castile soap for my clothes and keep the Fels Naptha for him? Thanks for the great article!
I’m so glad to hear that Walmart might carry this! The nearest Walmart to our house is about 25 minutes away, so I checked online for store availability before making the drive. Every Walmart within a 50 mile radiance didn’t have it in stock and it was unavailable online. Maybe just a fluke. Being that this laundry detergent is going to last me awhile. I’ll certainly check Walmart in the future, maybe it was just in high demand recently 🙂 . Thanks letting me know! Have a wonderful day Dawn!
This is so neat! Thanks for sharing it! Please feel free to hop on over and check out my site, I have a link-up going on right now and would love to have join! 🙂