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DIY Thieves Laundry Detergent… for less than $5 a Gallon!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. You can view my full advertising disclosure here.

October 10, 2018 by Erin Meyer 40 Comments

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This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

I recently read an article that addressed the effects of cleaning products on the lungs of women. And, you guys, it’s not good. After following 6,000 participants for 20 years, women who regularly used cleaning products were found to have the same decline in lung function as those that smoked 20 cigarettes per day. What?! This is why it is so important to find cleaning products that are natural and don’t contain those harsh chemicals… Some think going natural in their cleaning products means spending a ton of money, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Check out this DIY laundry detergent that costs 7x less than what you’d buy at the store.

I have been making my own laundry detergent for years, and have loved almost everything about it… but there was one little part I wasn’t a huge fan of, and that was the need to grate soap into the mix. It isn’t super difficult, but it makes a mess, and you really need to wash your clothes in warm or hot water to ensure the soap fully dissolves. I was willing to overlook this for the past 3 years because the batches I made would last forever, and it did a fine job of getting my clothes clean. (You can find the recipe here if you are interested). But then a friend of mine posted a recipe for a liquid laundry soap that required zero soap grating and was super budget-friendly. As always, I did a little research and tweaked the recipe a bit, and then I actually tried it out for awhile.

After loads and loads of laundry, I can say, with confidence, I will be making this my new go-to. I love that everything in the recipe is void of harsh chemicals, and even better, it costs a fraction of what you’d pay for laundry detergent in the store. (Cost breakdown at the end of this post.) Ready for this awesome recipe?

Here’s What You’ll Need:

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

The recipe below will make one gallon, you can certainly double the recipe (like I did) if your dispenser is larger.

  • 1/4 Cup Washing Soda
  • 1/4 Cup Baking Soda
  • 1/4 Cup Thieves® Laundry Soap– Find out how to save 24% on Thieves products here
  • 1/8 Cup (or 2 Tbsp) Thieves® Household Cleaner– Find out how to save 24% on Thieves products here
  • Hot Water
  • 8 Drops Essential Oil of Your Choosing (Optional)- I used Thieves® and Lemon– 4 drops of each
  • Drink Dispenser (at least 1 gallon)- I used this one and doubled the recipe to make 2 gallons. While my dispenser was glass, many ask about using a plastic container instead… If you want to use a plastic, it needs to be the right kind of plastic for use with essential oils. “Typically, HDPE plastic as well as plastics number 1 (PETE) and 2 are safe for use with essential oils.” -Dr. Hill (Quote found here.)
Directions:

Ready for the easiest tutorial ever?

Start by pouring 1/4 cup Washing Soda into your dispenser.

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

Add enough hot water (not boiling) to cover by an inch or two and stir until the washing soda has dissolved.

*** To avoid any issue with the glass cracking from the heat of the water, you can perform this step in a stock pot instead. Proceed with the baking soda (see below) and then allow the contents to cool before continuing with the recipe. Once the washing soda/baking soda/water mixture has cooled, add to the dispenser and proceed with adding warm (room temperature) water***

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

I would highly recommend putting your dispenser where you plan to keep it so it doesn’t break; and use a plastic pitcher to add water as you go.

Once your washing soda has dissolved, add 1/4 cup baking soda, and, once again, stir until dissolved.

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

At this point you are going to fill your dispenser with warm (room temperature) water, allowing some room at the top to add a few more ingredients.

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

First add 1/4 cup Thieves® Laundry Soap. I have seen similar recipes done with Castile Soap, but I love the idea of using an actual laundry soap instead. Plus, the entire line of Thieves® products smell amazing!

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

Next add 1/8 cup (or 2 Tablespoons) of Thieves® Household Cleaner. This plant-based cleaner is highly concentrated and requires diluting when using as a cleaner… the 14.4 oz. bottle actually makes 29 bottles of household cleaner*!

*Based on using a 16 oz glass spray bottle and following instructions for “Most Cleaning Applications”.

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

If you want to enhance the scent of the detergent a bit, feel free to add a few drops of essential oil. I chose to add Thieves® and Lemon (2 of my favorite essential oils for cleaning 🙂 ).

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

All you have left to do is give it a little stir, and you’re good to go. When doing laundry, use 1/4 cup per load.

UPDATE: If you notice the laundry soap separating (the laundry soap settling to the bottom), just give the mixture a little stir. I actually didn’t notice this happening until the preparation had been sitting on my counter for about 2 weeks, but others are reporting this happening after a short period of time. I just leave a wooden spoon next to my dispenser and give it a quick stir if I notice any separation.

This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

Cost Breakdown
  • 1/4 cup Washing Soda: 17¢ (Based off Walmart’s pricing of $3.97 for a 55 oz. box, which has 6 cups)
  • 1/4 cup Baking Soda: 10¢ (Based off Target’s pricing of 79¢ for a 16 oz. box, which has 2 cups)
  • 1/4 cup Thieves® Laundry Soap:  $1.84 (Based off Young Living’s wholesale pricing* for a 32 oz. bottle)
  • 1/8 cup Thieves® Household Cleaner: $1.56 (Based off Young Living’s wholesale pricing* for a 14.4 oz bottle)
  • 4 Drops Thieves essential oil (optional): 56¢
  • 4 Drops Lemon essential oil (optional): 20¢

Total Cost:

  • With optional essential oils added: $4.43/gallon
  • Without optional essential oils added: $3.67/gallon

When using 1/4 cup per load, this equals 6-7¢ per load.

*Wholesale pricing is available to members of Young Living, however, you also have the option to buy retail. (Get more details here.) If buying retail, the price of the Laundry Soap would increase to $2.43 and the cost of the household cleaner would increase to $2.06; increasing the price per gallon to $4.76 (without essential oils added) and the cost per load would be 7¢/load.

Dare to Compare

Leading Brand of Laundry Detergent: $16.66/gallon (Based off Target’s pricing of $17.99 for a 138 oz. bottle of Tide)

Be very careful when looking at cost per load. While the packaging states there are 89 loads, it also states this is when measured to “line 2”. If you are doing a “large load” of laundry, you are directed to use twice as much detergent and fill to line 4. If using a HE washer, you need to use even more, and fill to line 5. I have a HE washer, and would definitely need to fill to that number 5 line, so…

Cost per load (if filling to line 4 or 5) would be about 41¢ per load. That is 6-7x higher than the DIY version above! Even if filling only to “line 2”, that is still 20¢ per load (3 times more expensive!)

Okay… after all that math, I need a break 🙂 For the printable version of this recipe, click here.

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This DIY Laundry Detergent is free of harsh chemicals and costs less than $4/gallon. So easy to make and smells amazing! #laundrysoap #laundrydetergent #thieves #essentialoils

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Filed Under: Cleaning Tips, Essential Oils

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  1. Carli Johnson says

    February 18, 2019 at 3:51 PM

    Whenever I add the baking soda to the washing soda mixture.m, it doesn’t dissolve at all. The baking soda makes a giant rock solid clump and will not mix in. Any suggestions?

    Reply
  2. Lauren says

    January 30, 2019 at 3:44 PM

    Tried to make this, but twice now when I add the baking soda to the dissolved washing soda (and other way around the second time) they react and I end up with what looks like rock salt. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. I did make my washing soda myself (baking soda in the oven at 400 for an hour makes washing soda), but it sounds like someone else in this thread had the same issue.

    Reply
  3. Brandi says

    January 24, 2019 at 4:22 PM

    How do I keep this from separating? I am making my third batch right now and the first two I made both separate. It is just slightly annoying to have to stir the detergent before every load. Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Colleen says

    January 21, 2019 at 12:56 PM

    What did I do wrong? My baking soda is clumping and won’t dissolve.

    Reply
  5. Kim says

    January 16, 2019 at 5:56 PM

    Hi Erin. I wonder if you mixed/combined the THC, laundry soap, essential oils & a little bit of sea salt first & then added it to the washing soda/baking soda mixture if that would help emulsify the oils so that it wouldn’t separate. Not sure what ingredients were separating but I was just curious what you thought. Excited to try this recipe!!

    Kim

    Reply
  6. JJ says

    January 10, 2019 at 10:15 AM

    Do you have any suggestions for someone who can’t use Thieves? I’d love to make this, but rosemary and eucalyptus are contraindications for a medical condition that I have.

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:11 PM

      I know there are some recipes that use Castile soap, however, I had heard it gets pretty gloppy and thick. I haven’t personally tried it, so I don’t know for sure.

      Reply
  7. Karyan says

    January 9, 2019 at 4:42 PM

    Hi Erin,
    I have recently found your blog and absolutely love it!! This post is the first one I read, I’m curious if one could use Castile soap instead of Thieves Laundry Soap? I really want to give this recipe a try but the Thieves Laundry is so expensive!
    Thank you for your amazing, inspiring blog!!

    Reply
    • JJ says

      January 10, 2019 at 11:24 AM

      I’m also looking for an alternative to thieves. I just found that Mrs. Meyers has a concentrated laundry detergent, too. The concentration is different though- thieves is 1/2 oz/load while Mrs. Meyers is 1 oz/load. So I’m thinking we can make this recipe, substituting 1/2 cup Meyers for the 1/4 cup thieves. It looks like thieves is about $37 for a 64 load bottle, and Mrs. Meyers is about $16 for a 64 load bottle.

      Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:12 PM

      I have heard of recipes that use Castile soap, however, many complain that the soap gels and gets very thick and gloppy. I haven’t tried it, so I don’t have any experience with it.

      Reply
  8. Shannon says

    December 30, 2018 at 12:31 PM

    is the housecleaner diluted or straight from the bottle?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      January 1, 2019 at 10:21 AM

      It is undiluted.

      Reply
  9. Tami Seelen says

    December 18, 2018 at 7:47 AM

    Can I use this with cold water or is it best in warm or hot?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:12 PM

      This should be fine to use in any temperature setting.

      Reply
  10. Pam says

    December 14, 2018 at 5:25 PM

    What can you do if you have an allergy to baking soda?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:14 PM

      If you can use washing soda (I think the chemistry is very similar to baking soda, so I’m not sure if it’s okay for you or not) I would double the washing soda and eliminate the baking soda.

      Reply
  11. Patti says

    November 29, 2018 at 12:10 PM

    Could you tell me how this detergent works with bad stains (blood, grass, pen etc..) ?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:14 PM

      For those types of stains, I will recommend treating with a stain remover prior to washing. However, I would do that no matter what laundry soap I was using.

      Reply
  12. Lynda says

    November 4, 2018 at 8:41 PM

    I don’t see any mention of high efficiency washers, unless I missed that part. Can this be used in my front-loading HE machine?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      January 10, 2019 at 2:15 PM

      Yes. The recipe above is written for HE washing machines.

      Reply
  13. Roberta says

    October 29, 2018 at 8:05 AM

    Can this be used in HE washers if so, how much?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      November 1, 2018 at 12:07 PM

      I use it in my HE washer. 1/4 cup/load.

      Reply
  14. Carol Ebert says

    October 27, 2018 at 6:37 AM

    I may have missed it, but, how much laundry detergent do I use per load?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      November 1, 2018 at 12:08 PM

      I use 1/4 cup/load in a HE washer.

      Reply
  15. Jessica Kelley says

    October 23, 2018 at 1:51 PM

    If you have a large load of laundry, do you need to add more then the 1/4 cup of laundry soap? Also, does the amount added per load differ if you have a non-HE Machine?

    Thanks for the recipe and the break down, I so appreciate it!

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      November 1, 2018 at 12:10 PM

      I used the 1/4 cup for large loads. If you have a top-loading washer, you will probably need more, as more water is being added to the washer. Most top loaders use twice as much water as HE, so I would guess you’d need about 1/2 cup if using a top-loader, but you can certainly experiment with lesser amounts.

      Reply
  16. Rachel says

    October 23, 2018 at 8:34 AM

    The recipe listed do I just need to double that to fill my 2 gallon jar?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      November 1, 2018 at 12:10 PM

      Yes. I doubled all the amounts for the 2 gallons 🙂

      Reply
  17. Shannon says

    October 21, 2018 at 8:20 PM

    Where did you get your laundry dispenser?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      November 1, 2018 at 12:11 PM

      The dispenser is from Target. Here’s the link (aff.link): https://rstyle.me/n/da2fkzb9gd7

      Reply
  18. Keisha Dawson says

    October 19, 2018 at 3:56 PM

    This recipe makes my heart so happy. I’m already adding a capful of Thieves cleaner to every single load of laundry I do with a store bought detergent. I can’t wait o make this and start using it!!!

    Reply
  19. Tiffany says

    October 16, 2018 at 12:17 PM

    I am going to try this but I do not like the idea of using a household cleaner in the recipe. Do you think it work well without it? I’m thinking about replacing it a natural laundry booster powder. And thoughts on how well that would work?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      November 1, 2018 at 12:12 PM

      If you would rather not add the cleaner, I, personally, would try doubling the amount of laundry soap and see how that works for you.

      Reply
  20. Beth says

    October 14, 2018 at 10:26 AM

    How about borax in place of washing soda?

    Reply
    • Erin Meyer says

      November 1, 2018 at 12:14 PM

      I haven’t tried the recipe with Borax, although Borax and Washing Soda do the same type of thing for laundry.

      Reply
      • Pam says

        November 28, 2018 at 1:08 PM

        Would you use the same amount of Borax as soda?

        Reply
  21. Dianne Lipetzky says

    October 12, 2018 at 10:44 AM

    Is it necessary to use the glass for dispensing? Could it be put into used laundry detergent bottles?

    Reply
    • Sue says

      October 18, 2018 at 12:58 AM

      If you’re adding any citrus essential oils (like the lemon she uses) they will break down plastic so glass is a must.

      Reply
  22. Joei says

    October 10, 2018 at 5:36 PM

    It would be great if you could print out the recipe to keep in a folder to use when making a new batch.
    Thank you for all your hard work helping us stay green and clean. 😊

    Reply
    • Nancy says

      December 8, 2018 at 7:12 AM

      Did you see, she created a printable and it is on the next blog post!

      With kindest regards,
      Nancy

      Reply

Hi there! I'm Erin. Welcome to Lemons, Lavender, & Laundry, a place to find cleaning tips, organizational ideas, DIY projects, and budget-friendly room transformations. [Read More...]

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