Household Recipes: Homemade Laundry Detergent
I am a hardcore couponer.* My kids are even in on it. Whenever we go to the grocery store together they both want to know ahead of time “Do we get any coupons?”. I usually pick out a coupon I had planned on using (for a kid friendly item to make it more fun) and give one to each of them. Their job then is to find the item or items in the grocery store and put them in the buggy. They also get to put them on the belt and hand over their coupons when time comes to pay. Then we talk about how much money they saved that day by using them and I’ll usually go through a drive through for some sort of treat and explain to them how we got that “free” with the money we saved.
Consequently, Katy’s favorite thing to do is get my coupons out of the printer whenever I print them off from websites and such. As soon as she hears that printer going she hollers out “Ma! Can I get the coupons out for you?” and here she’ll come a running with pieces of paper, proud as a peacock. Hint: You can print out coupons directly from SouthernPlate.com by using the Coupons widget about middle ways down in the right sidebar!
One of the things that drives me half mad is the price of laundry detergent. This is one item which is absolutely necessary in your household but so seldom goes on sale. To make matters worse, Katy has had some sensitivity issues to detergent in the past (she broke out in hives when I tried out a lavender scented one and on one other occasion when I tried another detergent) so I am limited to which ones I can purchase.
A while back, I came across a Tipnut.com post on homemade laundry detergent. Now my initial thought was not to replace our laundry detergent but rather to simply know how to make my own in a pinch, if I ever had the need. I just love being able to do things like this on my own, must have been all those episodes of MacGyver when I was younger. I was pretty surprised to find that not only did it clean better than the high dollar brands but it also softened our clothes (I no longer use fabric softener) and made everything even smell fresher than the brand I had been using.
It has been requested by all members of my household (including the youngest, who thinks grating soap is just the coolest thing ever) that I only use this detergent from now on. We’ve been using it for a few months now and I’m totally won over. Of course, they love it for the smell and feel of our clothes, I love it for how great it works and the fact that it only costs me about eight cents per load of laundry now!
In my mind, the commercial versions can’t come close to this.
Tipnut has an extensive list of laundry detergent recipes on her site, including several for liquid detergent. She also has a great FAQ section just for laundry detergent questions! I considered the liquid detergent recipes for all of thirty seconds and went straight with the powder because it suits my commitment to keep things as low maintenance and simple as possible.
This is only my second batch that I’ve made up. It seemed to last forever so this last time I actually measured out how many loads were in each batch so I could give you an accurate figure. No wonder it lasted forever, I had made enough for 160 loads!
Today I’m bringing you the recipe I use which I found on Tipnut.com. After viewing this tutorial, hop on over there and check out her other recipes for detergent to find the one that works best for you. This one is the hands down winner at my house!
You’ll need:
- Laundry Soap (Fels Naptha or Zote are the ones I have used. You can also use: Sunlight Bar Soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, or even Ivory)
- Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
- Borax
Note: You’re not likely to find all of these things in one store. I usually have to make trips to at least two different stores to get them. One store will have the Borax but put it beside a huge box of Baking Soda instead of washing soda and then another will have the soap. Just have fun shopping around for what you like but be sure you remember where you got everything! I am going to show you a recipe for detergent to make about eighty loads worth but I recommend you get four bars of soap and go ahead and make 160 loads worth because there is enough Borax and Washing Soda in one box to do that much. This will give you the absolute best savings!
The only real work involved is grating your soap. I use a cheese grater for this. I really want to use my food processor but I’m worried about hard soap damaging or dulling my blades so cheese grater it is!
Get your soap, a dishpan or large bowl, and grater and go find something good on TV.
If you have access to one of the first few seasons of Mcleod’s Daughter’s, that’d be my pick.
*I get about three cups of soap shavings from each bar. Measurements will vary according to the size of your bar soap and how finely it is ground.
We’re grating this kind of fine so it melts easier in the water.
If you like, you can run the shavings through the food processor when you are done to make it finer but this works just fine for me.
Measure out your soap grounds in a large mixing bowl. This is where the recipe gets easy.
However many cups of soap shavings you have, half that to know the number of cups of Washing Soda and Borax to put in.
So for six cups of soap shavings, use three cups of borax and three cups of washing soda!
Measure out Washing Soda
And borax..
Stir all of that up!
You’ll have to stir a bit each time you scoop some out to get a good ratio of soap shavings to powder but that’s no big deal.
I store mine in a little flip top container and leave an 1/8th of a cup measuring cup in there to measure it out. Can you believe this only takes two tablespoons per load? Seriously! I put this to the test, too. I’ve figure out that two tablespoons is pretty close to 1/8th of a cup so that is the measurement I use now.
The main difference you will notice between this and store bought detergents is that this detergent doesn’t suds up as commercial ones do. Don’t let that deter you! Once you pull out your first load of clean, fresh smelling, naturally soft and fluffy laundry, that only cost YOU eight cents to clean, you’ll be hooked.
Homemade Laundry Detergent
*This was based off of Tipnut.com’s recipe #4, I just altered the amounts
- 4 Bars Laundry Soap (to yield 12 cups of soap shavings)
- 6 Cups Borax (this is roughly one box)
- 6 Cups Washing powders (this is roughly one box)
Grate soap using cheese grater. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Place in sealed container and measure out two tablespoons for each load.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smaller Batch Recipe
- 2 Cups Laundry Soap Shavings (you can get this easily from one bar)
- 1 Cup Borax
- 1 Cup Washing Soda
*Follow Instructions For Above Recipe
Soaps you can use: Fels Naptha, Zote, Sunlight Bar Soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, or Ivory
*For great coupon strategies and advice, visit www.southernsavers.com.
Happy Birthday Maralee!
Maralee McKee of Manners Mentor Blog celebrated her birthday yesterday. Hop on over and send her belated wishes!
“You can complain because the roses have thorns, or you can
rejoice because the thorns have roses.”
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I’ve seen a similar recipe posted in various places for the past few years, but it required boiling the soap/borax, and washing powder, to create a liquid. I LOVE your recipe so much more! It seems like it would be a lot easier to make and to store. We’ll be trying yours! And, of course, I have about 100 bars of Ivory soap that I got veeery cheap after coupons!
THANK YOU!
Yeah, see, y’all benefit from me being lazy all the time! lol
I LOVE the smell of ivory. It always makes me think of taking baths at my grandmother’s house when I was a little girl. My great grandmother used Ivory soap all of her life.
and Hey, IT FLOATS! lol
Gratefully,
Christy
Is this safe for my High Efficiency washer. I wonder if I need the boiling method?
HMMM!
Hey Teri! Tipnut actually addresses that in her FAQ section!
Here is the direct link:
http://tipnut.com/homemade-laundry-detergent/
All in all, I’d think it would be fine. I don’t have an HE machine but some of her readers have reported back using it with them!
Thanks – I was just about to ask the same question.
I was going to ask it too. Thanks!
McLeod’s Daughters! hehehe
I have no need to buy any laundry powder for a year because I got a year’s supply free when I bought my washing machine at the end of last year. And it will probably last me longer than a year because I always use less than the recommended amount. I think using one scoop is too much, I still feel the soap on the clothes.
I am so jealous! lol
A years supply of laundry powder would have been reason enough to buy the machine for me!! Congrats!!!
Try using vinegar in the rinse cycle to remove any soap residue. Works great. And no, your clothes won’t smell like vinegar once they’re dry.
Sorry, forgot to tell you that you just fill the fabric softener dispenser in HE washers or 1 Cup in a top loader.
I am SOOOOO going to try this! I bet it will take me a while to find all the “ingredients” needed (I live in a very small Texas town). But I am determined to find them all and try this out. I break out and itch from nearly all of the suds (I call them suds) that I use. And I hate the ones they call “free & clear” b/c they smell like NOTHING. So, I have suffered through the itching and breaking out into rashes to have softer clothes and clothes that smell clean! So, hopefully this works out well for me! Thank you, thank you! I am also going to check out the tipnut.com site!
I just love this stuff, truly. Let me know how you like it! I was thinking that for someone with really extra sensitive skin, Ivory soap would be a dream to use.
Of course, my Katy and her hives have had absolutely no problem with this though!
I just love it!
Gratefully,
Christy
P.S. Free and clear ones bother me for the same reason. I want a fresh smell!!! lol
Shawna,
HEB has all the ingredients!!!
I would love to try this but have not been able to find the ingredients anywhere around where I live.
Have you tried the fabric softener? It is soda and vinegar, not got the exact measurements handy but recipezaar.com had a lot of these to try as well as tipnut.
Yep you can use bicarb/baking soda and vinegar as a softener. It will also clean your machine. Some people run an empty cycle and add the soda and vinegar to keep their machine clean.
You know, I have totally quit fabric softener because my clothes come out so fluffy and soft with this, I really don’t need it anymore! I’ve never seen anything like it! If I hadn’t of been the one doing the laundry I’d swear fabric softener was used!
Thank you for the recipe though! I will sure file it away for future reference!!!
I’m definitely going to try this recipe. I use Borax a lot anyway, especially with my whites.
Interesting use for Borax: When my daughter (now 8 years old) was a baby, she was allergic to disposable diapers–all brands. They gave her a horrible rash. It was so bad that I sometimes would lay her naked on a waterproof pad so she wouldn’t be in a diaper. I didn’t use wipes on her either. I had to use warm water on a washcloth to clean her up. That’s how sensitive her skin was. To alleviate her rash and against the advice of her pediatrician (who insisted that diaper rash is worse with cloth than disposable diapers), I tried cloth diapers. Her very bad rash vanished almost overnight. I had a pail that I’d soak her diapers in until it was time to wash them (which I did every night). The pail had water and Borax in it, and it got rid of any bad odors. (Of course, I got rid of all solids before soaking the diapers in the pail.) When I’d wash them, I used the “free and clear” type of detergent with a hefty dose of Borax added in to the hot water. I used an extra rinse cycle to make sure they were really clean. I couldn’t use chlorine bleach because of her sensitive skin. Needless to say, the Borax always made those diapers and washcloths so clean and white, and my daughter never had a rash after I put her on cloth diapers. I am a HUGE fan of Borax now and will definitely try making some homemade detergent.
Wow! Thank you for that story! It’s amazing how powerful this stuff is!
When I first read that Tipnut said to use two tablespoons, I thought she must be crazy! lol “How on earth are two tablespoons of detergent going to clean my clothes?”. I’m a believer now.
I know the other readers are really going to enjoy reading how well Borax has worked for you! Maybe we’ll help a few more skeptics to convert! lol
Hi Ashleigh!
My oldest son (now 9) was also allergic to a certain brand of disposable diaper. I learned the hard way not to use them on him. His rash was just awful! He’d even cry when I wiped him with just plain water & the softest wash cloth I could find. Never tried the cloth diapers though — just learned to use only one or two brands of disposables on him.
I’ve seen this around in blog-ville, but never got up the courage to actually try it. I think trying to find the ingredients is what’s putting me off – I don’t think I’ve ever seen those anywhere, but that could be just because I’m not looking for them. I think this time I’m actually convinced I could try this. You make it look super easy, for one thing. And for another, we’re saving to buy a house and I’ll do any cheap tightwad thing it takes! So once we’re through with the box of detergent we’re currently using, I might actually get out and find that stuff and make my own detergent.
By the way, what area of the store is that stuff usually in? Should I start looking in the laundry aisle and fan out from there? I really have no idea where I’d even try to look for stuff like borax and fels naptha.
Our local Wal-Mart carries Borax (same aisle as the laundry detergent), and I’ve seen Fels Naptha soap at the local grocery. I’m not sure if big chain groceries would sell the soap, but our local grocery sells it.
Usually, Wal Mart will have the Borax but they have it next to a big box of baking soda. Both are on the laundry aisle but you gotta keep hunting for the washing soda. Ashleigh was totally right, of course, you’ll likely find it at a local grocers.
I have found Washing Soda, Borax, and the soap all at local grocery stores. They don’t have to be small ones, Publix usually has them and so does our Piggly Wiggly’s and things. I’ll bet you’ll have to go to two places to get it all but you might get lucky! I would check Wal Mart last as I have never seen all of the ingredients there.
HOWEVER, my “new” local Publix grocery has everything! The Publix in Athens (where I used to live) did not though.
Strange, strange!
It’s always on the laundry aisle though!
I found borax and arm and hammer washing powder at Kroger- sitting side by side. I live in a town of 3500 people, so you might find it on your laundry aisle at the grocery store if your town is of any size.
The soap, however, I have not found yet. May have to use ivory.
Be sure that you are purchasing the A&H Washing Soda, not detergent. I almost bought A&H detergent which defeats the purpose.
I think I want to give this a try. My family is hooked on Gain but I could use it and for me
would last forever. The borax reminds me when shopping in the laundry aisle, I always see the it and the ivory in a box and remember how my grandmother and aunts would still get the detergent that bath towels would come in. And scents and trigger such memories, I fondly remember a customer I delivered to that always would buy 6 bars of the Yardley English Lavender and how nice it smelled till I delivered it.
Side note not that anyone else has mentioned, but was it just me or was there not a direct link at the bottom of the email taking me to the Southern Plate page for this. I went back to a previous post and from there found the link to this page. The link to wish Maralee a happy birthday , coupons (yeah and freebies) , and to leave quotes all worked at the bottom but nothing about to continue click here…. just thought I would try to be helpful.
David, the missing link is purely a products of my overtired brain! I am terribly sorry but glad you found it just the same! I sent out an email just now with the link that I forgot to include last night!
Whenever I send out a post, it is always featured on the homepage of SouthernPlate.com but including a link is something I strive to do! lol
Might as well laugh at myself now!
Loved your story!
Gratefully,
Christy
That is where I got the recipe more then a year ago. My daughter has been making it now for about 10 months, but I just finally made it this past Monday. LOVE IT!!! I used the Kirk’s Castile bar soap for mine.
1 Bar Kirk’s Castile (my daughter really likes the Ivory bar soap)
1/4 C. baking soda
1 C. Borax
1 C. Washing Soda
Used 2 Tbsp per load
I used my Wolfgang Puck food processor for all of the recipe and was done in about 5 minutes. I used one of the attatchments to grate it, then switched to the bottom blade to blend it all. It was all a nice fine powder.
I also made the dishwasher soap recipe. Wasn’t too thrilled with it, but I think I’m going to try it again and use some Epson Salts also — that’s suppose to take care of the cloudy issue.
Thanks for bringing this recipe for laundry soap to everyone’s attention. Oh yeah, you can also add a little Peroxide (that little brown bottle that is so cheap) to your load of laundry to perk it up!
Now you’re just full of clever advice! I love this! thank you so much for posting it for everyone to benefit from!!!!
I’m copying and pasting your comment to email to myself so I can have it handy!
Gratefully,
Christy
I use the powered dishwasher soap recipe. I also ended up with clouding on my dishes. I found an easy solution though. Use vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser. It removed almost all of the spots and clouds. Way less expensive than store bought rinse aid with all of those chemicals.
I’ve used this for several months now….and wouldn’t dream of switching back to a commercial brand. I had trouble finding the soap locally….so my son stopped at every Publix food store during a trip to Florida amd now I have a huge supply of the Fels Naptha.
I’m so glad the soap is as cheap as it is!
I pay .99 for mine for each bar
2.26 for washing soda
and 3.76 for Borax
Just in case anyone wanted to know!
I feel the same way you do. It works so much better than everything else out there, I’m not going back!!
Thank you!
Christy
Laundry detergent is the least of my laundry expenses! I wonder if there are recipes for Shout spray stain remover & Oxyclean powder? We go through a spray bottle of Shout every week or so treating children’s clothes! I spend literally hours going through their clothes looking for spots and such … my kids wear their food, and are bad to have especially dirty bottoms and knees. And then the clothes that don’t have an inch *without* a spot gets a good soak in Oxyclean. I can’t stand spots … even on their designated play clothes!
Truthfully, I don’t know if I would try this. Grating the soap is a dealbreaker for me, and I don’t have a food processor.
This was a footnote on the recipe for liquid detergent I use. You might try substituting washing soda for Oxyclean if is is less expensive. I haven’t compared the prices.
“Washing soda is sodium carbonate, which can also be found at pool supply stores.An oxygen cleaner like OxyClean works wonders. It has the sodium carbonate (washing soda) & one other ingredient. This can be used as a substitute for washing soda also.”
My sis in law just soaks the clothes in the homemade laundry soap first… and then washes them like normal… and her two messy kids’ clothes are ALWAYS like brand new.
Melody, Just keep an extra bar of Fels Naptha handy. I use that, wet down and rub into the stain, and I also keep a bottle of Ivory Clear dish detergent in the laundry room to pour onto the stain and rub in. That takes care of most everything, and neither will fade clothes. LOTS cheaper than Shout.
I’m just starting my first load with this recipe – hoping for good results. My Publix, which in the past has not stocked these ingredients, now has all 3 (Zote soap) in the laundry aisle, so if someone has been disappointed in the past, check again. I originally bought Fels Naptha from Soapsgonebuy.com.
You might want to try to make a half batch of the liquid soap. I use it to pretreat and it works great. Use a 1/4 bar of whatever soap you use for your dry laundry soap. Melt it in a pan with 2C water on medium heat until it’s dissolved. BTW you don’t need to grate it. Just cut into smaller pieces and throw them in the water. Once it’s melted add 1/4C each of borax and washing soda. Stir until it’s dissolved. Remove from heat. Add 4C hot tap water. Mix well, then add it to a 1 gallon container. Fill the container the rest of the way with water. It will gel over night and need to be stirred or shaken before use. I use this as my laundry soap and pretreater. However, I just put some in a quart size jar with an old tooth brush. My washer and dryer are in my garage so it’s not always convenient to head out there to grab the jar, so I keep it under the sink. When I need it, I pull it out and treat the stain by mixing it with the tooth brush and rubbing some into the stain. I know it seems like alot of work, however it only takes about 10 minute to make a gallon. If you go through a bottle a week, this should last about 4-5 weeks and costs about $0.50 to make. Just shake the gallon container before you refill the jar.
I have all of the ingredients to try this, just have not done it yet. I also found a recipe for liquid hand soap that I may try at this blog:
http://frugalhomeliving.blogspot.com/2009/05/blogger-spot-light-farming-on-faith.html
She has a whole series of cleaner recipes in her right side-bar.
Have a great day!☺
Morning Christy…
Since I live in the South (Louisiana to be exact) I’ve noticed most of your ingredience you use are from with their brand of Great Value. I haven’t looked for the ingredience for this Home Made Laundry detergent yet, but I’m asuming that the Borax and Washing soda should be easy to find right? I’m just curious to see if the home made detergent works better then the less expensive brand I normally buy. I have a hint also. I read in one of my e-mails that when using the less expensive brands of detergent, to give them a little boost you add 1 cup of white vinegar to your load of laundry. I tried it christy and it the vinegar helped a lot. I buy the vinegar by the gal, and it’s around 3.00 but well worth it, because there’s 1000 used for plain old white vinegar anyway.
Happy Weekend to you, and your family. Love your new Home!!!
Linda in Keithville La.
Wow, I think I may have to give this a try… It will take me months to find all the ingrediants, but that’s ok, I still have most of my new bottle of All.
I don’t know where you live. I live in Washington state and I’ve found all 3 at both Fred Meyer and Win Co. For those who don’t have these stores near you, Fred Meyer is owned by Kroger. So if you have a Kroger near by try looking there.
Christy,
What a great post! My boys are going to love making laundry detergent. What’s not for little boys to love, grating soap, mixing soap,and pouring deterergent into water! We’re off to get all the ingrediants as soon as everyone is dressed ane ready this mornging.
The last time I bought detergent it was about $15.00 for the large bottle. Your approach I like much beter. With the money I’ll save, I’ll take the family to lunch at Chick-fil-A! Such a deal!!
Thank you again for your sweet birthday wishes! You made my day extra special!
Blessings,
Maralee
Happy Birthday to you, Maralee!! I know if I was in your town, that I would “treat” you to a Chick-fil-a lunch for your special day and then you would save even more. ;-} Have a wonderful birthday. P.S. The news said that today is National Doughnut Day………..SP has a great donut recipe ya’ll. weeeeeee
Hey Christy, can you pick me up a dozen eggs at the farm? Have fun!
Oh my goodness, $15?!?! Why is it so expensive?
They sell it here for about $3.99. The more expensive ones are about $6 – $8, and they’re usually either the eco-friendly or sensitive skin formulas.
The Detergent for my front loader is about $18 for a large bottle. If I’d known how expensive it was, I never would have bought the machine.
LOL Maralee, Terri, Su, and Bill, all of the members of my peanut gallery all on one post! lol
~giggles~
I love you guys!
We love u too. BIG CONGRATS to you too, on the Darla Shine radio spot. waaaay to go, girl.
Ah no, $18! That is crazy.
I have a front loader as well which does slightly restrict me in which detergents I can use (although I’m told regular detergent is fine but you just have to reduce the amount you use because is suds so much) but no way does it cost anywhere near $18!!
At least that’s one thing we have on you in the US. You may have better snacks but we have cheaper detergent!
My homemade liquid does great in my HE front loader. There are no suds to damage the motor. That’s why when you by an HE machine the instructions tell you to buy the special soap.
I’ve been doing this for almost a year and love it. You can call Arm & Hammer and they will tell you where you can find the Washing Soda locally. I found the Fels at my local Ace Hardware. I also use a little vinegar for the rinse and it has kept my washer from smelling(front loader)as an added benefit!
I started using a food processor to make it and it really made it easy. I learned to heat the Fels just a little and it grates MUCH easier and faster.
My sister (I Play Outside The Box) turned me onto this homemade detergent, and I love it! I use an old ‘Salad Shooter’ to grate the bars, and the bar fits perfectly into the hopper! I picked up the Salad Shooter at a thrift store for $1.00. It is just used for this purpose, saves time, clean-up and hand fatigue.(Just be sure you get one with the grater blade.) Isn’t it a little hint of Heaven, to walk into your laundry area and smell the soft aroma of your homemade detergent on wash day?
It does smell heavenly doesn’t it?
I had a salad shooter back in the day and sold it on Ebay, lol!
Oh the things we do when we are young! Wish I had it now!
I have used this now for about 4 months. I will not go back to a regular detergent. I mixed mine up in a 5 gallon bucket. And store it in it also. We even had to travel out of town to get the supplies!! One bit of advice-try not to inhail this stuff-especially if you have your head down in a bucket. It will make you sick. Fumes are strong. Also…..the best tip. I DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER! You dont need it. Clothes are so much softer. I use baking soda also. Most Krogers carry all supplies. And, the amount I made uses only 1/8 of a cup and I wont have to make any more for a year!!!!
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!
AMEN! Folks are going to be really surprised by how soft and fluffy the laundry is. I’m so glad you agree!!
Looking for these ingredients will be like a treasure hunt!! I always have a box of 20 Mule Team Borax on hand so I will be ahead of the game.
Another use for borax:
A couple of years ago my neighbors brought home two new puppies. My cat NEVER goes outside but sure enough, she developed fleas just from being out on our screened patio. Along with treating my kitty (I HATE using the flea meds on her), I took my trusty borax and put it in a flour sifter and walked every room with a carpet and sifted in a fine powder. (work it into the carpet) The borax dessicates the flea eggs.
First I vacuumed the carpets, then I did the borax and I left it in there for a few days and then vacuumed again. It stops the vicious cycle of eggs hatching new critters! You have to make sure the fleas are off your pet first or the cycle will just continue.
Christy, you’re saving me money, but you’re making me work! *grin*
Barbara
How clever! I seem to recall Victorian’s using Borax as a form of pest control by putting it on windowsills and such as well but I could be wrong. There is far too much information rattling around in this brain of mine to keep it all straight!
This is a brilliant and incredibly helpful tip! Thank you!
Hehe, if you have to work a little for it, you can sit back at the end of the day and survey all that you have done and then grunt in satisfaction, like a man.
~snickers~
I know, I ain’t right in the head!
After after grating and mixing all of the ingredients, how big of a container do you need to store it in? Would a gallon size work?
A gallon size should work fine but you might want to get just a wee bit larger if you are doing the full recipe, just to make sure.
I like my little flip top container so I just fill it up and store the rest in a zipper bag until I run low.
Christy,
Do you know if this mixture is safe to use in the “newer” machines that calls for one particular detergent so the machine will last longer? Will not mention the brand the washer maker recommends but it is a liquid and expensive!!!!!!! Answer if you know the answer!!!!!
Tipnut addresses that on her FAQ page about the detergent. She has had readers use it and report back that it works just fine!
I read someone one here saying that they had to watch the suds in their newer machines. If that is a problem, you’ll love this because it really doesn’t suds up like commercial ones do!
I am SO going to try this! Our family of eight goes through a lot of laundry detergent, our washer runs two or more times a day everyday. My husband hates it when I buy fabric softener (but he does like his soft bedding!) so if this would eliminate the need then I would be saving even more money. I am excited to go out and buy the items needed.
As always, many, MANY thanks!
You are going to LOVE this if you like soft laundry. It really will amaze you!!!
Did you ever get that package you were supposed to get, btw?
I love making my own detergent. I have made powdered before as well as liquid-gel. They work wonderfully!
http://frugalhomeliving.blogspot.com/2009/04/homemade-liquid-gel-laundry-detergent.html
~Warm Cozy Wishes
You are so sweet, thank you! thanks also for the link!
Thanks Christy for the wonderful money-saving post!!!
I found your website about 3 months ago and I am absolutely addicted to it. I check it multiple times a day and I get excited when the page loads and there is a new recipe to make!!
I was just complaining the other day about how expensive laundry detergent is and low and behold you post this!! I am going to buy the stuff to make it tonight (hopefully i won’t have to many problems finding them, seeing as i don’t have a Publix anywhere near by…hopefully Piggly Wiggly does) and I’m going to try it out this weekend. I’ve got the other girls in my office curious as well, so I am going to bring in samples for them to try!
Thanks again
Jamie
Hey Jamie!!! Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much all of these comments are thrilling me because I have been agonizing over whether or not my readers would get upset if I posted a non food recipe! lol
Even this morning I called my mother and said “Well, I’m about to put the laundry detergent up, do you think they’ll mind it?”
lol
I love Piggly Wiggly. the staff at the one in Athens, Alabama are just the sweetest people on earth. I’m pretty sure they’ll have most of what you need!
I’ve handed out samples to friends, too! It seems like every time someone visits I send them home with a little zipper bag of washing powders to try and convert them in the end!
I really do appreciate you taking the time to comment!!!
Gratefully,
Christy
Hi Christy,
I bought the ingredients to make the laundry soap back in January and haven’t made it yet. I saw the recipe at the same site you did, as well as Living on a Dime. I like your version better because I don’t have to melt the soap first. But I have a question. If I don’t melt the soap first, will I have to wash in hot water? I sometimes use a cold wash for some things and worry about the soap melting. What has been your experience?
Have you seen the recipes for Dishwashing Powders? I tried one which uses Baking Soda and Borax, equal amounts, but the silverware turned dull. My husband requested I not use it again. But he did like my idea of using half Electrasol and half of the homemade version. It works fine and cuts the cost down to half.
I LOVE your site and look forward to seeing your new posts.
Thanks for the awesome job you are doing.
Maria Petty
hey Maria!!
I use mostly warm water when I wash but have used cold a few times and it works fine. I just make sure I get my powders in early in the cycle and I choose the longest cycle I can. If you are going to use it for mostly cold cycles, I would try to get your soap gratings finer than I do mine by running them in a food processor after you grate it. I think it will be just fine though! I’ve never had a problem with my soap not melting.
I’ve never tried dishwashing powders. I found an incredible coupon deal on the electrosol powerball thingiemajiggers at Kroger recently and ended up getting several boxes for less than fifty cents each. I’m sure when I run out I’ll give it a go! lol
Thank you so very much for your kindness!!! you keep me going!!!!
It’s sad how much I rely on encouragement but hey, I’m human!
Gratefully,
Christy
Oh, I forgot to tell you. I was able to find the Fels Naptha soap at Harris Teeter and they also had the Washing Soda. I didn’t realize they had the washing soda so I ordered it from Arm & Hammer. Would you believe it was cheaper to buy it from Harris Teeter? Wal-Mart had the Borax, but Harris Teeter may have too but I didn’t check.
Maria Petty
I wish we had a Harris Teeter! I keep seeing their deals on southernsavers!
I love this recipe and have been making it for a few months now and love it. I get my Fels Naptha at Kroger and the Washing Soda. Borax I get at walmart.
I won’t ever go back to store bought unless I absolutly HAVE to.
Thanks for sharing.
Julie
I feel the exact same way you do. This even wins out over Tide for me, hands down, and I was raised thinking Tide was the end all in laundry detergents. I’m thrilled to find that what I thought was a “make do” type thing is superior, and I do it myself!!
Thank YOU for reading!!! And for commenting!
Have a great day, Julie!
Gratefully,
Christy
Christy, thank you so much for this recipe I have been wanting to try homemade laundry detergent for awhile now but was always so scared to give it a try. You made this look so easy, I’m going to head out this weekend and see if our stores carry these.
I love this. I have been making my own for a while now. I started with the liquid and now am making the powder. Much easier. My 6 and 15 year olds like to grate the soap! I have found that in a pinch I can use baking soda, but add color safe bleach and still get clean clothes. I also have used Ivory soap but my fave is Zote. Sometimes hard to find, like the washing soda. However, you can find washing soda in pool supply areas too. The vinegar is great for stains and is a natural softener. Thanks for sharing.
I’ve tried this and yes, it gives clothing such a clean, fresh smell. Of course, I love the smell of Fels Naptha, to me it is just such a “clean” smell. I do recommend that everyone mark their washing soda box with POISON in big black letters, just in case someone mistakes it for baking soda.
I make my own detergent for the delicates cycle; two boxes of Ivory Snow to an equal amount of 20 Mule Team Borax. I do not bother to cook it, just stir it well to mix it up. I use the scoop that comes with the Ivory Snow, one full scoop per large load and I let the washer run for a few minutes to dissolve the detergent before I add the clothes. I store the detergent in an empty plastic biscotti container (Sam’s Club Size).
Forget washing clothes, where do you get McIeod’s Daughter? I used to get it on We, but haven’t seen it in several years.
I am intrigued. I have plenty of commercial laundry detergent for now, but when it runs out, I might try this! And I discovered the first season of MacLeod’s Daughters is on Netflix Instant Viewing! Might give me something to talk to my Australian coworker about!
One hint I heard once was to add your detergent first and let the washer fill a few inches before you put in the clothes. I have been doing that and seem to have better success than when I added the detergent last. Sometimes I even swish it around a little to make sure it distributes evenly.
I’ve been making my own liquid detergent for a couple of years and would hate to give it up. Kids would love making it because it turns out looking like slime. It always amazes me how it sets up overnight.
Can you add a scent (like lavender), or is the scent from
the soap good enough?
I’m one of those people who MUST like the scent, or I don’t care
HOW cheap it is, I wouldn’t use it. :/
PS: I LOVE this website!!! I have learned so much since I started
visiting here, and love the fact that the people who also visit
here are almost like family! Thank you for always brightening my
day. Raising children is difficult…it’s nice to see that others
have the same issues in the kitchen (and in life), and that the humor we find in the insanity can make us ALL feel better!!
Hello Christy and friends!
If you have trouble finding the bar soaps locally, there is a website that has Fels Naptha and Zote. It’s soapsgonebuy.com.
I’ve tried this, and it worked well enough, but I went back to my very favourite detergent, and it’s nearly as cheap… Sears Ultra Plus. (big orange and green box).
I cheap out in other ways. I use real butter, and I use storebought laundry detergent. However, I shop a lot at Goodwill and Salvation Army stores.
Have a great weekend!
Lawrence
Another way to save money on laundry is to use a clothesline instead of the dryer. You don’t have to spend all those kilowatts drying laundry. Plus, you aren’t adding heat to your home in the summer either.
Also, I just love the way my sheets smell fresh and clean after being line-dried. An added benefit is that they aren’t wrinkled at all. Also, clothes last so much longer when they are dried on the line. I do draw the line at towels and unmentionables, however. Those still go in the dryer because towels get kind of “crunchy” when line dried, and I don’t want my back-yard neighbors to see our undergarments!
Ivory is one of the harshest soaps you can use on your skin–my skin always knew this, but research if you like!
Anyway, as a baby, Dreft and Borax and cloth diapers were my only options (poor mom,) but at least they still had diaper service then!
As to these ingredients, great to have on hand anyway, Borax does a million great things, but I also keep Fels Naptha next to my kitchen sink for deep hand cleaning from stains and the like. I also wet it and rub to spot clean stains on most clothing, except finer pieces. It can often be found in home & garden stores, too.
Thanks, Christy!
Christy,
I have been using homemade laundry detergent for a while now, and though mine using the same ingredients yours does, I make the liquid/gel version. When your current batch runs out, you really should try it. You get a LOT more out of it this way. You make a 5 gallon bucket worth and only use about 1/4 – 1/2 cup per load. That’s somewhere between 160 – 320 loads per batch! And it is SO easy to make and kind of fun like a science experiment! Here’s my recipe:
1 bar soap (I use Ivory, can use Zote or Fels Naptha)
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
You heat 4 cups of water on the stove, and while it’s heating, grate the bar of soap. Add the grated soap to the water to melt it. Fill a 5 gal bucket half full with hot tap water. Add Washing Soda, Borax, and melted soap/water. Stir until all is dissolved. Fill bucket the rest of the way with hot water. Stir it up, loosely cover with a towel or something, then let it sit overnight. The next day you will find the liquid has turned into a gel-like substance. Stir it up and go ahead and use it! Often the gel and liquid will separate a little and this is okay, it will still work fine. You can just stir it and include some liquid and gel in each use if you’re concerned.
What I do is take out enough to fill an empty milk jug and use that to dispense the soap for each wash. We LOVE it! I think you’ll find the savings much greater with this method. Plus it works great in our front loader.
Thanks for your awesome site!
I also have a front loader and really want to try this! My GE washer (HE) has a pullout drawer to add the detergent, do you just add it to the liquid place like a normal liquid detergent? I just want to make sure I do it right. I’m going to try and find all of the ingredients tomorrow and try it!!
P.S. I wanted to mention that I’ve shared this recipe with several friends and they all love it! It’s spreading among our circle now!
I cannot find any of those soaps in my area. No one has heard of those brands. I did find one called Octagon. The package says it is an all-purpose soap and can be used for laundry stains and dishes. Doesn’t smell all that great, though. I cannot find the washing powder either. Bummer!
Hey! I’m in NC and Harris Teeter now carries Fals Naptha (it didn’t use to years ago when I made this). Wal-Mart carries Zote. I tried Octagon once and didn’t like it at all. YOu can also use Ivory in a pinch.
The Washing SOda is at Harris Teeter too, but it’s hit or miss. If one location doesn’t have it, another might..you could call around first.
If you live in an area that just doesn’t have it at all, I would ask the grocer if he/she would order it for you.
There are on-line options too, but I never felt that was the best option. It ads to cost and convenience and was just not worth it to me.
Hope this helps some!
Harris Teeter will order any of the items if your particular location doesn’t stock it. Just tell them at Customer Service. One associate at Harris Teeter in Greensboro said that they had quit carrying Borax but one customer wouldn’t use anything else and said he wanted to continue to buy it there…and they ordered it, just for him!
Norma, not sure where you live in NC but i live in Havelock (in between New Bern and Atlantic Beach) and I found the washing powder at Harris Teeter, and the Fels Naptha at Piggly Wiggly.
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I have been using this recipe for a while now to wash our cloth diapers. I only recently decided to use it for all our laundry and I’m so glad that I did! The clothes really do come out softer and great smelling. I always add Oxyclean to the recipe and have been able to stop using Shout except on really bad stains!
Is this supposed to smell good? I tried this recipe and the one from BeckyJ but neither one of them made my clothes smell good! There was no smell at all. They were obviously clean but I want them to smell clean too!
I made my first batch today after neglecting to re-read the recipe and had to go back out for more Fels Naptha. Doing laundry now and laundry smells so clean and is so soft. It cleans very much like Charlie’s Soap that is made here in North Carolina, which also uses 1/8 cup per load. There are no suds with either, at least here at my house, but I’m thrilled to have this recipe. A little truly does go a long way. Thanks Christy.
I forgot to add that Harris Teeter here in Wilmington, at least the newest one, sells all three products. I couldn’t believe that I found all three sitting almost side by side. Wal-Mart carries two of the three (no Fels Naptha, however). I have not looked elsewhere since I found all three at the first place I looked.
There are two kinds of stains I have been unable to remove from our laundry using just about every kind of commercial laundry product. The first is chocolate pudding. I can never get it out of my children’s clothes. The second is my husband sweats while he’s sleeping at night and it leaves a rust colored greasy type stain on the sheets. I have researched this to no end and everything I have tried just doesn’t work. Do you think this will work on those two types of stains? I’ve never tried any of the products you listed to make this laundry detergent. I have been using southernsavers.com since November and actually have been getting good deals on laundry detergent and especially stain removers like shout and spray n wash. However, I wouldn’t describe my clothes’ smell and feel like you have described yours using this homemade soap. I would love to try it, especially if you think it would remove those two stains.
The sheet stains may be a chemical reaction and not a “stain” stain. Home Ec 101 has a post that might be helpful about dealing with it.
You might want to try Fels Naptha. Their claim to fame is getting out chocolate and sweat stains, as well as other stains. Just wet the bar and rub it into the stain, let it sit for a couple of minutes then wash. If your stain is set in, it might take a few treatments to remove. Good luck.
I made my first batch of this soap yesterday. I had to use Ivory because nowhere round here sells Fels Naptha. Next time we go to Sam’s Club in Rome I’m going to check the Kroger. I would like to know why I have to drive to Georgia for everything. Seriously, I can assure you that people in this part of Alabama would like Pioneer Baking Mix and Fels Naptha.
Anyway, I’ve done two loads of laundry and I think it may get our clothes cleaner than the store bought soap we’d been using.
I went to ACE Hardware today looking for the Fels Naptha. For the record, I live in Austin and went to the ACE Hardware up in Cedar Park. Not only did they have ALL three items sitting side by side on the shelf (Borax, Washing Soda, and Fels Naptha!!), but there were cute little complimentary copies of this exact recipe as well as a recipe on how to make the homemade liquid detergent hanging from a hook for the shoppers! SCORE!!
I can’t wait to get grating…and then go dribble something down the front of my shirt.
I went to ACE as well because i saw on the website that they do carry all 3. When i went to the store, they didn’t have the Washing SODA. In fact i went to 5 different stores with no luck. So i went online and ordered the Washing Soda through ACE they will deliver to your nearest ACE location free of charge. Hopefully it arrives soon. I grated my FELS NAPTHA 2 bars gave me approx 4 cups.
I love this recipe! My washer is cleaner, my clothes are cleaner and softer, I’m not itchy anymore, and heck, I even enjoyed grating the soap…I found it to be therapeutic.
I made a big batch and even sent some with my son to use at college.
I found all of the ingredients at Harris Teeter (I live near DC in MD). Borax is also available at most places – including K-Mart.