A few weeks back I shared a picture on Instagram of me making my homemade laundry detergent and I had some people ask me for the recipe. Sorry it’s taken so long for me to get it up, but here it is in all it’s easiness!! There are like a million recipes online for this stuff… this is just how I make mine!
Just a little bit about this homemade laundry detergent:
PROS
– SAFE FOR {HE} MACHINES!!
– I have been using it for almost a year, and am STILL completely satisfied with it
– It smells AWESOME
– It gets your whites really bright
– It’s SUPER CHEAP to make
– My daughter has sensitive skin and this does not irritate her at all!
CONS
– It does not create little magical people that come and do your laundry for you. Sorry… it just doesn’t work that way. If you find a recipe that does, let me know and I’ll do the same ; )
Disclaimer: I am in no way guaranteeing that this is the laundry detergent for you, nor am I guaranteeing the results. I am only sharing how I make it, and that I am satisfied with the results. Please do not yell, scream or throw rocks at me if you disagree : )
Are you ready to…….
Like I said before, this homemade laundry detergent is super easy!
Ingredients (pictured above):
– 1 1/2 Cups Borax
– 1 Cup Washing Soda
– 1 Bar Fels-Naptha
Technically you can get away with 1 cup borax, but my water is a little hard so I add the extra 1/2 cup. If you have extremely hard water, I’d go with 2 cups. Just my thoughts.
Recipe:
Using a cheese grater (on the finest side) grate up your entire bar of Fels-Naptha, then pour it into wherever you are going to store your laundry detergent. I bought my little container at Hobby Lobby for I think around $5.00! I love it because it is air tight and it allows you to shake it up to mix around your ingredients! Ok, after you pour in your grated soap bar, add in the other two ingredients and mix. Then shake it around a bit (if your container allows) and you are good to go! See… easy right?
To USE:
I use 1 heaping Tablespoon for all my loads. If it’s a specially dirty or stinky load I do 2 Tablespoons.
Now you are using cheap laundry detergent without sacrificing quality! Plus I love how it smells so fresh and clean! No complaints here, other than the fact that I have to actually DO my laundry ; )
Next I want to try some homemade dish washing detergent!
I use Zote instead of Fels. (cheap at the Dollar Store) It is plant based. Smells like lemons. It is so safe, it is used for bait for fishing and it can be used to wash dishes.
If I leave the bar out for a couple of days, I get a finer grate and it mixes easier.
Thanks for sharing.
Oh, wow… thanks Amy, I’ll have to give that one a try. I LOVE lemon scent!
You drink coffee? I am a part of a Organic and a non acidity coffee, email me back and we talk,
Thanks for the information on the plant-based soap! As a vegan, I worry about using soap that is animal fat based.
I didn’t know the Dollar Store had laundry soap! I love making my own soap, so I’m definitely going to check that out!
I was wondering,can I use any kind of soap with this recipe
As long as you are using a LAUNDRY soap bar, any brand will be fine. Do not use a bar of body/hand soap. You will have a mess!
This is great! Especially with a newborn I always worry about what is in detergents and being touched to her sensitive skin.
Curious how much these items cost???
Thanks Pamela! The Borax and Washing Soda are around $3.00 or $3.50 for a box, and the bars are $.97! : )
Where do you buy the laundry Bar Soap and the Arm and Hammer Washing Soda? I have never seen these.
Hi Ann! I get both of them at Walmart. The washing soda is usually by the laundry detergent near the borax and baking soda. The bar soap is usually in that general area as well… but it’s hard to spot sometimes because they don’t usually stock much of it. Hope that helps!
What is the different washing soda and baking
My ingredients cost under 8 dollars. Can be made into liquid by melting the shredded bar soap. With hot water, makes about 4 gallons.
Hello, Can you use this if you have septic tank?
You know, I’m not sure, I’ve never used it with one, but I don’t see why not. Borax is a pretty safe thing to use and the soap isn’t much different from normal soap.
You can use these ingredients with a Septic tank. And for all fellow Kiwi’s, the soap we would use is Sunlight! And yes, if you leave it out or in a warm place it is easier to grate! Great “recipe” by the way, and love your posts!!
Thank you so much!!! I will make this ASAP, very exciting!!!!
P.S. What are Kiwi’s?
Hi there, KIWI is the nickname given to we folk that come from New Zealand! That tiny country off the east side of Australia!! A real Kiwi is a bird native to New Zealand that is about the size of a chicken, has brown silky feathers , a long beak and doesn’t fly!!! There will be pictures on Google if you wanted to look. Have a lovely day :)
Very Cool! Kiwi’s here are a fruit that we eat. I am from the States, Florida to be exact! Thank you so much for chatting with me, I hope you have a lovely day too!!!
Any time Angi, it’s nice to know where people are! We have those kind of kiwi’s too but just to be clear, over here we call them Kiwifruit! Be terrible to think that Kiwi people were being eaten!! Hahaha Are you interested in any crafts? I’m into patchwork and a few other hand crafts
love it…i’ve seen this before but a good reminder for me tomake my own…and it looks so pretty!
Love it!! i can’t believe how much I spend on laundry soap! This will save me a ton!! Thanks for the recipe!!
I never did like the smell of Fels Naptha. Maybe the Zote instead of my usual Ivory, which smells gross to my preggo nose? Also you can add a cup of baking soda is everyone in your house tinks like mine.
Have you tried the grate and grind method? I like it for consistency. If you add some powder to it while processing the soap doesn’t gum things up, either.
I make my own detergent too and my recipe is almost like yours – but I add baking soda as well. I’ve been using it for years and LOVE it. Thanks for linking up at Project Inspire{d}, Ashley!
How much baking soda would you add to this “recipe” ?
If I was going to try using baking soda, I would do 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda, 1 cup baking soda, and probably use 2 tablespoons instead of the 1 heaping… but I’ve never tried it this way before, so you might want to test it out by following the directions and seeing what ration of baking soda works best and add in a little per scoop until you are happy with the outcome.
Doesn’t washing soda have having soda in it?
I mean have baking soda in it?
You can see my recipe {with baking soda} here: http://www.dukesandduchesses.com/2013/01/homemade-detergent.html … my measurements are just a bit different.
So, I currently use liquid Tide, but only a fraction of what they say to use and then I fell the remainder of the detergent receptacle with white vinegar. Do you suppose I could still use my white vinegar with this recipe without worry? Thanks!
You can use White Vinegar as a fabric softener, instead of downy, you can add essential oils so it will have a scent to it.
I have used white vinegar with essential oils for fabric softener, but even with using tennis balls I still have static cling. Now I use a cheap hair conditioner from the dollar store and mix with white vinegar.
This is awesome I never would of thought to make my own but now, I can’t wait to try this! Thank you! :) Michelle
Isn’t homemade laundry detergent the best! I LOVE making my own but I only use 1 cup of borax..I’ll have to try using 1 1/2 cups next time
I am very interested in making my own laundry detergent…especially with a baby on the way! Do y’all know if this is safe for high efficiency washers? Thanks!!
Disregard…just re-read and saw it IS…sorry about that! :)
Very impressed! Fels Naptha has a wonderful natural scent. I love it. I always buy unscented laundry detergent but this might be okay. Best wishes, Linda
I really want to try this. Thanks for linking up last week, you are being featured.
http://sarahdawndesigns.blogspot.com/2013/04/pintastic-tuesday-link-party-33.html#.UWTaMZOkrCc
This sounds awesome! I’m so sad they don’t sell these products here in the Netherlands so i can’t make it :(!
Rosie, you could always order from Amazon….they have all of these ingredients there. Not sure if it would be cost effective depending on the shipping rates, but there at least is that option!
Thanks so much for partying with us over at Live Laugh Rowe! You’ve been featured this week here: http://www.livelaughrowe.com/diy-gifts-for-mom-live-laugh-linky-56/ Hugs!
Hello, just wondering if this could be used when washing in cold water, since the soap bits probably wouldn’t melt. Would you recommend a liquid detergent for cold loads?
Thanks!
I use cold water to wash but sometimes found that the granules were stuck to my clothes because I was loading the clothes and then sprinkling detergent on top of it so this is what I now do. Turn the washer water temp to hot and let it run until I have about an inch or so in the washing machine, put the tablespoon of detergent in, then turn the water temp to cold and load the clothes.
You could probably just catch some hot water in a cup and add the detergent too but I just found this way easier.
I no longer have any issues; my clothes smell wonderful (even my towels which always smelled funky/musty).
I just bought Zote at Big Lots and paid 90 cents for it! I use basically the same recipe but I use half a bar of Zote (or Ivory) and half a bar of Fels-Naptha. I keep my bars in the freezer and find that it grates it into a really find powder.
My Hubby tends to get a lot of oil stains from food, etc. on the front of his shirt and I found this works like magic: shave a little Fels off the bar into a small microwave safe bowl, add a bit of water (not too much) and place it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften the Fels a bit, so it mixes up well. You want a thick glue/paste like consistency. After it’s mixed, rub it into the oil stain. Let sit for an hour and wash as usual. Hubby had three polo shirts that had stains on them, the stains had been through several washings (and dryings) and were still there so the shirts sat in his closet to be used when he did chores even though they were nice shirts. I tried this with the Fels and all the stains came out. Shirts were saved!
I have allergies and I’m always looking for new ways to reduce the chemical usage at home. Having seen all the positive feedback, I am ready to give your recipe a try. I really liked the suggestion about the plant-based soap in the first comment, I think I might start with it :)
I wish I could find my bar soap as cheap as you girls! I pay $1.49 for 1 bar of Fels-Naptha or $1.79 for Zote, which I could only find at Kmart. Because I have arthritis in my hands (I know it sucks right? Im only 41!) I use a potato peeler on the bar soap then put it in my processor and, per one users suggestion,with a bit of the powder. Works great for a finer consistency. We have super hard water here for I have to use 2 heaping Tablespoons but it is still waaay cheaper than Tide, which, when ON SALE here, still costs 31 cents per load and my soap is 14 cents. Worth it to me :) Have a great day!
I Use 1 box borax
1box washing powder
2 32oz oxy clean dollar store brand
1 bottle of purex scent crystals
I Use 1 box borax
1box washing powder
2 32oz oxy clean dollar store brand
1 bottle of purex scent crystals
3 felsnaptha bars
I forgot to ask, has anyone tried to use the Colgate or Kirk’s Castille brands of laundry bar soap? Thanks!
hmmm… I’ve never heard of those. Time for a little research ; )
I found a CHEAP alternative for scent! I pour out my Borax on a flat plan or piece of waxed paper; dribble 2-3 teaspoons of imitation extract (I LOVE Watkins Lemon or Orange-I buy it at Walmart for $2.48 for 2 oz) and let air dry. When I run it thru the food processor with my grated soap it breaks up any clumps. I use this with Fels Nathpa soap and the smell is absolutely heavenly!!! There are many othere scents as well. If you don’t like that option; Dollar Tree has scented Bath salt (I love lavender or jasmine) and just throw this into the food processor to grind it a bit finer. You can use as much as you like to achieve your desired “scentage” but when I make a single batch, I find 1/4-1/3 cup per batch is adequate.
I also have to make a slightly negative comment; you girls who are adding Oxiclean to your detergent are actually wasting money and product. Homemade Oxiclean is made up of Washing Soda, Peroxide and water. Rather than spend that money on buying the Oxiclean, just add 2-3 tablespoons of straight Peroxide to your water before you put clothes in. I promise it works. Or if you are super-crazed on germ killing, Tea Tree oil is also anti-bacterial. ( I know essential oils are expensive, but you use so very little of it at a time that it is QUITE cost-effective; but don’t get me started on the many wonders of Essentials oils)
Y ‘all are kill, killing and killed germs!
So sorry for the very long post but I have been doing the homemade soap thing for QUITE awhile and have come up with so many CHEAP variations, its crazy. I probably have 3 pages of notebook pages on just soap, fabric softener and dryer-sheet alternatives. I enjoy my laundry maybe a little too much!!
Brilliant! So good to see there is another sensible person on our planet!!! Thank you for your tips about the “alternative” perfumes and also using bath salts! Love your comments!
I have used my daughter’s home-made detergent and really liked it. I’ve had the ingredients for a while, but waited to make it, using up my massive jug of Gain that I had purchased. My bar of Fels Naptha was nice and dry, so I just used the grater attachment for my beloved KitchenAid mixer. BEAUTIFUL job of grating it, literally took less than a minute to get a gorgeous fine grate! Can’t wait to do a load of laundry with my home-made mix!
This is great! Is this plant base ? Anyway we will try this at home now.
Thanks for sharing .
I will surely use in my house for sure. Thanks for sharing with us.
Putting detergent in a glass jar would be great over here where the humidity clumps up detergent quickly. Any toxic detergent shouldn’t be perfect for kids cloth. It contains many skin diseases but on the other hand natural handmade detergent powder is safe for baby’s skin.
Thanks for sharing your method i am pretty much to your good work.
Hey Ashley,
I am a cleaning professional in Melbourne. I have tried this detergent at my home and it is really cool!!
Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I am happy to use it at my home. It is good solution and will work for sure.
Really helpful tips, i hope this mixed can use for a carpet steam cleaning prespray instead chemicals
Really nice tips. I would like to hear more from your side
Placing cleanser in a glass container would be extraordinary here where the mugginess bunches up cleanser rapidly. Any dangerous cleanser shouldn’t be ideal for children material. It contains many skin infections however then again regular carefully assembled cleanser powder is alright for child’s skin.
I am happy to use it at my home. It is a good solution and will definitely use them for sure.
I am happy to use it at my home. It is good solution and will work for sure.
Really useful for us. I am use at my home.
Nice post!
Very useful. I tried myself after seeing this. And it really works like charm. Easy cleaning.
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Ashley, Thanks for the laundry detergent recipe!
This is so useful! I’ll be giving this a shot as I have more time at home with kids!
Cheers!
Amy Duncan
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Thats so good Thanks for sharing. Will be trying it.
I will surely use in my house for sure. Thanks for sharing.
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Your “Easy Homemade Laundry Detergent” recipe is a game-changer! The simplicity of the ingredients and instructions make it a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to store-bought detergents. I appreciate how you prioritize using natural ingredients, ensuring a gentle yet effective clean for our clothes. Thank you for sharing this valuable DIY solution!
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Switched to homemade laundry detergent and love it!
Saves money, is gentle on clothes, and is eco-friendly. Just mix a few simple ingredients, and you’re set!
Highly recommend giving it a try.
I love this idea! Making your own laundry detergent sounds so fun and rewarding. Plus, it’s a great way to cut down on unnecessary chemicals and packaging waste. Can’t wait to give it a try and see how it compares to store-bought options. Thanks for sharing this simple recipe!
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