Make Your Own Laundry Detergent
July 25, 2011 4:57 pmWhen I began a while ago trying to eliminate toxins from our home I always looked at the ingredients of my laundry detergent and knew that all that stuff in there couldn’t be good-Not just for the environment but for our family. I began buying the natural laundry detergent but it was costly. My sister in law showed me this recipe to make your own and I’ve been doing it ever since. Mine only has 5 ingredients and costs about $3 per jug of detergent!!!
(Recipe adapted from The Simple Dollar)
What you will need:
1 bar of soap ( For best results use a bar with pure and natural ingredients)
1 c. of washing soda (This is NOT baking soda. If you can’t find it, look online to order it. You’ll use it for tons of other things.)
1/2 c. borax (I also tried oxyclean and this works much better)
Water
A couple dashes of your favorite Essential Oil
Container ( I use an old laundry detergent container. It’s just easier to me. You can use a large bucket and lid, as well.)
Next step, grate your soap. I love this part. It’s just so funny grating soap.
Boil it in about 4 cups of water until it all dissolves and is nice and soapy.
Once it is dissolved, turn the heat off. Then add your borax, washing soda and essential oils to this. Make sure it is all dissolved.
I carefully pour this into my container. Then I fill it up with water. If you are using a bucket, fill the bucket up with about 6 Liters of water. Mix it up well. Let it sit overnight before using it. I shake mine periodically to mix it up well. Sometimes it gets a little thick and I just shake it in my container. That’s one of the reasons why i really like having it in the laundry detergent jug.
Honestly, this is SO easy and SUCH a great money saver. And if you are questioning if it works as well as the other junk, trust me, it does. It is just as effective and the best part is it’s safe for the environment and YOU!
Tags: DIY, home, homemade, Laundry detergent, make your own, money saver
Posted in home, other | 23 Comments »
By Holly on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
Thank you for posting this, I have wanted to try this forever and it seems very easy. Do you use approximately the same amount when you wash your clothes as regular detergent?
By Melisa on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
I used to do the same thing, but now I just mix the same ingredients minus the water. The powder form is just easier to throw together when I’m out. I use 1-2 Tb. I usually double the recipe
By Melisa on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
….actually I use equal parts borax and washing soda!
By Alexis on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
Yes, I use just the same.
By Alexis on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
Melisa, I’ve hear of that! I’ve just always been a liquid laundry detergent gal. But good to know that one works great too!
By Vanessa on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
I use the powder form too, it never even crossed my mind to
make it into a liquid. Now I have to try it! Thanks for posting!
Vanessa
By Minimalist Homemaker on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
Several years ago I cut back to just using the grated soap
and have had no problems. Granted, I’m not having to deal with
heavy stains, so that might be part of my success! Also, to save on
energy costs, you can let your soap dissolve before heating it. I
usually leave mine sitting overnight. Then, bring it up to a high
heat. Boiling is not required.
By Stephanie on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
I have made my laundry detergent a few times, but for some
reason haven’t mastered it…does yours get gel-like globs in it?
AND, sometimes I feel like I see spots on my clothes when I use
it…maybe I just need to rinse twice…
By Alexis on Jul 25, 2011 | Reply
Mine does get globby so Stones but I just shake it up. I’ve
never noticed the spots, though…
By Leah on Jul 26, 2011 | Reply
Is it ok to use with high efficency washers?
By Becky on Jul 26, 2011 | Reply
I use this same recipe & I love it! I find that it lasts a lot longer than store bought soap. I love how cheap it is!!!!!
By liz on Jul 26, 2011 | Reply
yes, i’m wondering if this works for HE machines and if so, what amount to use?
By Alice on Jul 27, 2011 | Reply
thanks!
Great post.
By corrin on Aug 1, 2011 | Reply
My husband is a PhD chemist. We make our own soap too. He says that you still need Borax even if you use OxyClean. They do totally different things. And if you make liquid soap, you have to use liquid OxyClean. If you make dry, use the dry formula. The OxyClean will lose all it’s properties if you dilute it with water and let it sit on a shelf. Also, you can make your own Washing Soda, if you can’t find it. Put a few cups of Baking Soda in the oven at 400 degrees. Cook it for at least an hour. After it cools place it in a sealed container. If it sits out, open to oxygen for too long, we are talking hours, it will reabsorb the oxygen you just removed by heating it.
Hope that helps.
By Joen on Aug 5, 2011 | Reply
My Walmart has both the Borax and Washing Soda, I found it right in with all the other laundry detergent. I’m going to give this a try I have made my own household cleaner so I have most of this on hand. If it works as well as the household cleaner does I’ll be using this all the time too!
By Grace on Aug 7, 2011 | Reply
So, I do not know what I am doing wrong. When I leave it out to sit, it separates somewhat and turns into a hard mass at the top. Is this normal? If not, can I fix it now? I hope I didn’t waste all of those ingredients.
By Alexis on Aug 7, 2011 | Reply
No, that’s what mine does too. Just stir it up. I shake mine before each use.
By Julie on Aug 7, 2011 | Reply
How big is your laundry container? I plan to use an empty gallon milk jug and wonder if the recipe is for 2 gallons or 1.
By Grace on Aug 7, 2011 | Reply
Excellent! Thanks for getting back to me. I used it today anyways just to see, and it worked! So I am happy. Thanks for posting this!
By Alexis on Aug 9, 2011 | Reply
It’s definitely more then a gallon. So if I were you I’d cut it in half. Good idea to use a milk container!
By Stella on Aug 24, 2011 | Reply
I’ve heard Borax is also very toxic though. One teaspoon is enough to kill a child. I’ve also heard that you should wear a mask and try not to breathe it in and that you need to be careful using it around pets too. This prevented me from making the detergent and I’ve been looking for something else. Maybe Corrin’s husband could give us more insight on it. It just doesn’t seem safe to have around with children. Have you checked into that at all?
By Abby on Sep 20, 2011 | Reply
Just made this today…loved how easy it was! Thanks so much for posting this! Do you happen to know if it is safe for cloth diapers?
By jenniferbartlett on Mar 24, 2012 | Reply
Borax was added to the Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) candidate list on 16 December 2010.