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The BEST Homemade Laundry Soap you can make with just three simple ingredients! This all-natural laundry detergent is perfect for sensitive skin and actually smells great! An easy homemade laundry soap that only costs pennies a load.
Making your own laundry detergent is a super simple way to get clean clothes at a fraction of the price as storebought. Even better, you’re cutting down on packaging waste by not purchasing new bottles/boxes every few months.
Does Homemade Laundry Detergent Really Work?
Yes! It works great and it is effective and super affordable. We have used this in traditional top loader washers as well as a HE washer. I will say that it works best in warm water, especially if using a HE washing machine.
Homemade Laundry Soap Supplies
You’ll need:
- Super Washing Soda
- Baking Soda
- Borax (only about $5 in the laundry aisle of major stores)
- Bar soap
- {optional} essential oils
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups
- Cheese grater
- Spoon
- Storage container
Various recipes suggest using Fels Nelpha soap, but I cannot stand the smell of it! We use whatever bar soap we have hanging around. Use a brand that you already know is sensitive enough for your family’s skin.
The dryer is often the number two user of electricity in American homes. For extra money and energy savings, we love to line dry our laundry outside whenever possible (we have this great retractable clothesline) and use these drying racks when the weather does not cooperate. Check out all my tips for line-drying laundry.
Pro Tips
- If you want to make a bulk batch, I find using the grating attachment on my food processor makes super quick work of it.
- Using warm water is best to help dissolve the grated soap.
- If you want to use essential oils, use 30 drops of your favorite scent.
More Homemade DIY Ideas
- Eco-Friendly Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
- How to Remove Rust From Cast Iron
- DIY Bulk Bin and Produce Shopping Bags
- Homemade Dusting Spray and Furniture Polish
- Zero Waste Food Storage Ideas
- Natural Homemade Deodorant Recipe
- How to Freeze Fresh Produce
Homemade Laundry Soap
Ingredients
- 2 cups bar soap {grated}
- 2 cups borax
- 2 cups washing soda
- 1 cup baking soda
- 30 drops essential oils {optional}
Instructions
- Grate the bar soap. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to distribute.
- Normal loads use 1TBSP – 1/4 cup. I use about 1/8 cup with great results.
I and mine have so many allergies that making our own works the best for us. I use a mix of Fels Naptha and Ivory for the bar soap component and I half the borax (my sensitivity).
~J
I grate my soap in a food processor which works amazing AND I use felsnaptha soap in the laundry section for 97 cents bar! 🙂 It works great!!!!! I add oxyclean also…
You can “make” washing soda. I couldn’t find it in my stores. I did find a recipe on pinterest for it. Basically you put baking soda in the oven on 350? ( don’t remember, sorry) and stir occasionally. It turns into washing soda and is much cheaper. I found it by searching – making Washington soda.
* oops, washing soda
bake it at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. I read that when it gets clumpy it’s ready.
I tried the microwave trick today….total time saver! After it cooled down I pulverized it in a blender. Great tip!
I found the Borax and Washing Soda at my local Wal-Mart. Also for diapers – when my kids were little – grown and married now – I used Dreft. As a child I suffered a burn on my leg from scalding water – the doctor told my mother to put a little Dreft in my bath water. Not sure why exactly but she did it – I have almost no scar at all now from it and it was a pretty bad burn. I dunno. Just throwing in a little trivia for ya.
So interesting about the Dreft for the scar!
I can’t use Dreft though; can’t even be near it. The fragrance in it is so strong that I’m instantly sneeze city!
Where on earth are you finding Washing Soda? I can’t find it in any local stores, and it seems ridiculous to pay $8 shipping on a $9 item.
Do you have any small scale hardware stores? Sometimes it is there. You might also have luck at Wal-Mart (see below). I’m not sure where you’re located, but Fred Meyer is owned by Kroger in the PNW, so if you have a Kroger near you, they may carry it!
An easier way for the soap is to put it in the microwave 30 seconds at a time. It will puff up like a marshmallow. Let it cool down and then it crumbles into a powder.
Oh, I am SO trying this next time!
do you put the whole bar of soap in the microwave?
yes. you can google how long. it was fun to watch and crumble once it cooled.
Do you happen to use this in your diapers? (Although I’ve pictured you as a soap nuts gal. lol) I’ve wanted to try a version of this I found for diapers, it’s essentially the same except without the grated soap bars. I don’t want to risk making an entire batch and it give DS rashes, but I’d like to get on a more natural soap, plus it’s not as hard on his fitteds. Thanks 😀
We never did use it for diapers much. We used Rockin’ Green https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N0JXUW?ie=UTF8&tag=thisb02-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B003N0JXUW
Anonymous–it DOES! Because it doesn’t suds up it works great! I just made some of this with adding a bit of oxyclean as well! I LOVE it! :)Oh–and Sarah–the instant gratification thing–TOTALLY me! Thanks for all your info!
Nikki, do you put “make to do list” at the top of your to do lists just so that you can mark something off right away? If so, I think we might be soul mates! ;-D
Will this work in HE washing machines?
Love your Blog!
Mommy of monkeys, yes, I just throw it in a big plastic container and shake it up. No water, no boiling. There are recipes out there for liquid detergent, but they take too long to satisfy my instant gratification personality.
Do you just mix all the ingredients together? No water, no boiling? Just mix and add to laundry?
Cookie, yes I’m very happy with the Dr.B’s! I also used to use Fels Nelpha, but my husband complained that it smelled like an “old folks home”. LOL
We wash all our clothes in cold, so this hasn’t been an issue.
I have made homemade laundry detergent for some time now. I was using Fels-Naptha for my soap component originally but switched to Zote when I accidentally let myself run out of the other. I noticed that the Zote soap absolutely would not dissolve in cold water. It ruined three of my good sweaters as I had soap stick to them and not wash out, even after three more trips through the washer without detergent. I say all of this to ask if you are happy with the Dr. Bronner soap dissolving in cold water? Thanks!
I love making homemade laundry detergent! We switched over about a year ago and I will never go back!
thanks for linking up to the frugal tuesday tip! https://juliecache.com/2011/03/14/frugal-tuesday-tip-8/.html
I have the ingredients for a very similar recipe, but because I have hard water I have to use a liquid recipe. So its the same ingredients plus lots of hot water and it actually decreases the cost. For dirty, dirty loads I am told I can throw in about 1 c of Borax.
I am off to try this this weekend (while out camping – what better time to grate a 4 oz bar of soap) and then boil it up on return and use it to do the laundry 🙂
Glad I found your blog, your funny and remind me a little of me… with a better sense of humor 🙂
I’ve been thinking about this but didn’t know how. The cost info is really interesting.
Thanks for the monetary breakdown! This is the recipe I use but it’s much more persuasive when you include just how much money we’re saving. I love never having those giant containers around! THank you for contributing to Simple Lives Thursday!
Thanks for the recipe! I will have to give this a try.
Also, creepy doomsday soap made me laugh so hard (and I’m at work, oops!) because it sounds like something my mom would totally do too.
I’m glad I found your blog!