Homemade Laundry Detergent

There aren’t many things that are more satisfying than making your own laundry detergent.  Who knew you could do that?!  The best part is….it will only cost you about $3 per batch.  Our first batch lasted one whole year.  A WHOLE YEAR! Three dollars for one year of laundry detergent!

I started making it because I’m cheap then I started thinking about how much better for us it must be.  There are no chemicals being put on our clothes and rubbing against our skin.  Cheap…healthy…sounds good to me!

Here is the recipe:

1 Fels Naptha soup bar, grated

1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda)

½ cup Borax

Clean 5 gallon bucket with lid

Smaller laundry detergent dispenser or container

The ingredients can usually be found in the laundry products aisle.

Grate the soap into a small sauce pan.  (This is a little difficult in the winter because the soap bar is sooo hard.  Just keep a good thought!)  Cover with hot water.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves. 

Put washing soda and borax in a 5 gallon bucket.  Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture.  Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved.

Fill the bucket to the top with additional hot tap water.

Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight.

The next morning, stir the mixture.  Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry detergent dispenser or container.  Shake before using.

For top-loading, machines use 1 cup of the soap mixture per load.

For front-loading machines, use 1/3 cup per load.

Now you can smile each time you wash a load of clothes because you know it’s only costing you pennies!

-Keep in mind that this detergent is not scented.  If you want a scent, use a nice fabric softener or dryer sheets.

The three homemade laundry detergent ingredients