Homemade Laundry Detergent

One of the easiest ways to save money is to try making your own cleaning products! I have been reading about making laundry detergent for a few weeks now and I finally broke down and tried it this week. It was super easy to make and very inexpensive! I have done several loads now and I will say my clothes feel softer than ever before and smell great! No rashes or reactions at all!
I think I spent about $6-7 total on the products to make it and only one product has to be replaced with each new batch (and a batch makes about 10 gallons!)! You use 3 ingredients: Borax and Washing powder (these both come in big boxes and you use a small amount of the box, so its going to last for a while!) and Fels Naptha soap. I found all 3 of these products at Kroger, you just have to look! The Fels Naptha soap was the trickiest to find, its a small bar of soap and it was on the top shelf. If you can't find that soap, you can use something mild like Ivory soap.

I read severeal different recipes and went with the one that made the most sense to me. I actually got this particular one from The Duggars wesbite


TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)


I had also read several recipes for making your own fabric sheets. Just like the laundry detergent, there are countless recipes out there, but again, The Duggars made the most sense to me.

Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipe

1 Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4 Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.


I will add that the fabric softener doesn't necessarily have to be in a 5 gallon bucket. I made mine in one and it only takes up about 1/4 of the bucket.
Also, if you don't have an empty laundry detergent bottle, and you make both of these recipes at the same time, just use the fabric softener bottle! Thats what I did!!!

I will also say that I have only found laundry detergent (All is what I used before) on sale for a great price once! I stocked up enough that it lasted me about 10 months and I just recently ran out. But even that deal didn't compare to this one!

Both of these are super easy and now that I have made it, I am wondering why I haven't done this before now!!!!!!

Let me know if you try it!