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

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October 10, 2018 by Erin Meyer 36 Comments

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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:

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.

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***

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.

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.

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!

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”.

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 🙂 ).

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.

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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