Inside: Save some money with this easy homemade laundry detergent recipe. You will love this homemade laundry soap and it only takes a few minutes to make!
I love finding new ways to save money and for years I have wanted to try making my own laundry detergent. Sometimes I am amazed at how expensive laundry detergent can be. I had been searching for the perfect homemade laundry detergent.
Although I usually use a liquid laundry detergent I didn't want to mess with making a liquid. I thought making a powder would be quicker and easier to dispense than a liquid. I also wanted to make sure that my clothes came out smelling good. Finally, of course, the clothes need to come out clean. After a couple of years of looking around and trying stuff, I finally found a homemade laundry detergent recipe that does all of that plus saves me money. If you have been wanting to try making your own detergent check out this homemade laundry detergent recipe.
To start you will need baking soda, Fels-Naptha bar, borax, and super washing soda. If you want to add a fresh smell to your laundry you can add some scent booster. Most scent boosters can be expensive so I buy mine from the dollar store for a $1. The Fels-Naptha helps get rid of any set in stains, the baking soda helps eliminate any odors, borax will deodorize and help get out tough stains, and super washing soda will get out dirt and stains. Using all of them together will give you a powerful laundry detergent.
You can either hand grate the Fels-Naptha bar or use a food processor. I used a food processor to grate it and it only took about 20 seconds to do. It pretty much looks like cheddar cheese.
Once you get the Fels-Naptha bar grated then mix in the rest of the ingredients. I just added the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and pressed pulse a couple of times to get it all mixed up. This helps to get the fels-naptha bar ground down smaller too. Once everything is mixed then you are ready to start using the detergent.
Add 1 tablespoon of detergent for small loads and 2 tablespoons of detergent to large or extra dirty loads. You will want to store it in an airtight container so moisture doesn't make the detergent clumpy. I just store it in a flip top container from Ikea.
Your laundry will come out clean and smelling great with this easy to make homemade laundry detergent. Looking for other easy laundry tips? Check out how to make homemade fabric softener for pennies.
Homemade Laundry Detergent
1 Fels-Naptha Bar (grated)
1 cup Baking Soda
2 cups Super Washing Soda
2 1/2 cups Borax
1 container of Scent Booster (optional)
Grate Fels-Naptha bar either by hand or by food processor. Add in all other ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tablespoons of detergent per load depending on load size.
Vanessa says
I truly love all your suggestions. We have been making our detergent soap for years. I will try this recipe with the scent suggested. I usually do not add scent when my children were babies. I will try it now.
Merry Christmas and God bless you,
Vanessa
Marie says
That is waay too complicated for me.
When my husband was working in the field and coming home with sap and poison oak on his clothes, I found a simple recipe that worked wonders on all the mystery stains on his clothes.
One Tablespoon Borax
One Tablespoon Super Washing Soda
One Tablespoon Dawn Dish Soap
Start to dissolve it with some warm water and throw it into the washing machine.
Nothing worked better to get my husband's clothes clean so I continue to use it to this day.