Making Your Own Laundry Detergent

Making your own laundry detergent is fairly easy to do and it’s a great way to eliminate the harsh chemicals that regular detergents contain when washing your clothes. Not only that, but making your own detergent can save you some money – depending on which recipe you use, it can cost you as little as .02 – .04 cents per load!!! Compare that to your store bought detergent, and you’ll see that this can lead to some serious savings.

There are a few recipes that you can find on the internet that discuss how to make your own detergent. I’ll share both powdered and liquid versions and you can decide which you would prefer to use. The powder version is a bit quicker to make, but the liquid version is a bit cheaper.

Recipe #1 on making your own soap:
1 box of Washing Soda (not baking soda)
1 box of Borax
Fels-Naptha bar soap

Step 1.  Finely grate the soap – (1 bar makes about 2 – 3 cups)
Step 2. Add an even mixture of washing soda and borax – about 1.5 cups of each
Step 3. Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight containers. Use about 2 – 3 tablespoons per load.

Recipe #2 on making your own soap from Happy Money Saver:
1 Box of Super Washing Soda 3 lb. 7 oz. ($3.24) 3.4375
1 Box of Borax 4 lbs 12 oz. size ($3.38) 4.75
1 Box of Pure Baking Soda 4 lb. ($2.12) 4
3 bars of Fels-Naptha 5.5 oz. or you could also use Ivory soap ($0.97 x3) 1.031
1 container of Oxy-Clean 1.3 lb ($3.86) or use 3 lb size for about $7
*optional: Purex Crystals 28 oz. for scent (or you could use Downy unstoppables ($4.76) 1.75

You can also make your own liquid detergent which might be a little more versatile, though you’ll need to use your stove:

Liquid Detergent

1 quart water (boiling)

2 cups bar soap (grated)

2 cups borax ‘2 cups washing soda

*optional: scented essential oil

Step 1. Once your water is boiling, add the finely grated bar soap, lower heat and stir until the soap is completely melted.
Step 2. Pour the soap water into a clean container and add the borax and washing soda. Mix until everything is dissolved.
Step 3. Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
Step 4. Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Once it’s cool, add 5 – 7 drops of your favorite essential oil per gallon. Stir the soap each time you use it (it will gel).

Check out the video below for a step by step tutorial on making your own detergent.

Related articles

• Home made detergent (ultimatumsurvival.wordpress.com)
• Homemade Laundry Soap (writingcanvas.wordpress.com)
• How to Make Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent (lifehack.org)
• Reviewed.com: DIY laundry detergent recipes (washerdryerinfo.com)

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