10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes
Here is a nice stack of different homemade laundry detergent recipes I’ve collected over the years. Do they work? Yes, I’ve had good luck with them.
Tipnut's Homemade Laundry Detergent
Making your own laundry detergent is a discipline and it’s not for everyone, but it definitely saves money–sometimes just costing pennies a load!
First Some Tips:
- For the bar soaps required in the recipes, you could try Fels-Naptha, Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, and Zote. Don’t use heavily perfumed soaps.
- Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found in the laundry and cleaning aisles.
- Some people with really hard water or well water may have to adjust the recipes if the clothes look dingy.
- Although several of the recipes have the same ingredients, the measurements are different–some contain a higher soap to water ratio. Test and see which works best for your laundry needs.
- You can make huge pails of this at once, or smaller quantities. Also if you can get your hands on a few empty liquid laundry detergent bottles they work great for storing the detergent. Just make a big batch and pour in bottles, cap then use as needed–shake before use.
- Some of the recipes call for large amounts of water. Check with a local restaurant to see if they have any empty large pails from deep fryer oil–that’s how many restaurants buy the oil. See if you can have one or two of the pails after they’ve emptied it–just wash them out really well before using. They’re big, heavy plastic and very sturdy when stirring the soap and hot water.
10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes
Recipe #1
1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
- Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
- Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
- Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
- Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).
Recipe #2
Hot water
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1 Soap bar
- Grate the bar soap and add to a large saucepan with hot water. Stir over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
- Fill a 10 gallon pail half full of hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax and Washing soda, stir well until all powder is dissolved. Top the pail up with more hot water.
- Use 1 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).
Recipe #3
Hot water
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
1/3 bar Soap (grated)
- In a large pot, heat 3 pints of water. Add the grated bar soap and stir until melted. Then add the washing soda and borax. Stir until powder is dissolved, then remove from heat.
- In a 2 gallon clean pail, pour 1 quart of hot water and add the heated soap mixture. Top pail with cold water and stir well.
- Use 1/2 cup per load, stirring soap before each use (will gel).
Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #4
2 cups Fels Naptha Soap (finely grated – you could also try the other bar soaps listed at the top)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
- Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
- Use 2 tablespoons per full load.
Recipe #5
Hot water
1 bar (4.5 oz) Ivory Soap – grated
1 cup Washing Soda
- In a large saucepan add grated soap and enough hot water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is melted.
- Fill a large pail with 2.5 gallons of hot water, add hot soap mixture. Stir until well mixed.
- Then add the washing soda, again stirring until well mixed.
- Set aside to cool.
- Use 1/2 cup per full load, stirring well before each use (will gel)
Recipe #6
2.5 gallons Water (hot)
1 Bar soap (grated)
3/4 cup Washing Soda
3/4 cup Borax
2 TBS Glycerin
- Melt bar soap over medium-low heat topped with water, stir until soap is melted.
- In a large pail, pour 2.5 gallons of hot water, add melted soap mixture, washing soda, borax and glycerin. Mix well.
- Use 1/2 cup per full load.
Recipe #7
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Washing Soda
2 – 2.5 gallons hot water
- Melt grated soap in saucepan with water to cover. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until soap is dissolved.
- Pour hot water in large pail, add hot soap and washing soda. Stir very well.
- Use 1 cup per full load.
Recipe #8
2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)
- Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
- In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
- Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
- Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.
Powdered Laundry Detergent – Recipe #9
12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)
- Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub.
- Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.
Recipe #10 – (Powdered)
1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
- Mix well and store in sealed container.
- I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding). I used 1/2 cup per full load with great results.
Liquid Detergents Note
Soap will be lumpy, goopy and gel-like. This is normal. Just give it a good stir before using. Make sure soap is covered with a lid when not in use. You could also pour the homemade soap in old (and cleaned) laundry detergent bottles and shake well before each use.
*If you can’t find Fels-Naptha locally, you can buy it online (check Amazon).
Optional
You can add between 10 to 15 drops of essential oil (per 2 gallons) to your homemade laundry detergent. Add once the soap has cooled to room temperature. Stir well and cover.
Essential oil ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil
*Admin Update: clarified instructions for Recipe #10 and liquid detergent notes.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve created a new page full of questions and answers for making homemade detergent, you can visit it here: Homemade Laundry Detergent FAQ.
You can still review all the questions, answers, recipes and tips that were shared in the comments area below. There are nearly 300 of them and it was hard for new readers to find the answers they needed since there’s so much information provided below.
No more comments will be accepted for this post but you’re welcome to start sharing your tips, recipes, questions & answers on the new page.
Don't Miss These Tips:
First Published: January 4, 2007
Filed: DIY Projects, Frugal Living, Homemade Cleaners, Laundry, Popular Tips
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I have been using homemade laundry soap for a while now and my family loves it. It leaves no odor on your clothes and rinses clean. I put 1/2 cup white vinegar in my downy ball and use for fab. softener. It works GREAT!!!
I want to make my own laundry detergent preferably the powder. I have an infant, a 4 year old with eczema and coconut allergy and trying to avoid xenoestrogens. I usually use the Nature Clean, but is is expensive and backordered! I’ve heard contradicting opinions on the safety of Borax. And a lot of the bar soaps have coconut in them. DR. Bronners liquid castile also has coconut. Question: Can I use something like grated Kiss My Face which is 100% olive oil soap?
You could make your own soap using a recipe that excludes coconut which is only added for it’s sudsing action. There are lots of soap recipes online. Or ask a local soap-crafter to make you a special batch. You could try kiss-my-face, but I think it may not be a hard enough soap and may not rinse well from clothing and I would be concerned about staining from the soap. You could experiment by mixing a partial batch and testing on different fabric types to see if it works well.
See if you can find some coconut-free goat milk soap for cleansing your son’s skin. (If he is not allergic to milk of course.)
Blessings,
Christina
Yes, but where do you get washing soda? I’ve never been able to find it!
Amaze by Sunlight is the same as washing soda.
washing soda is made by arm&hammer.. contact them by phone or the web to find out where to find it in your area.. here in florida.. we have it at publix.. its great.. good luck.
Washing soda can be found pretty much at all grocery stores, Wal-Mart, etc. It’s in the powdered laundry detergent area. I think the common name brand is Arm and Hammer (be sure not to buy Arm and Hammer detergent). It will say washing soda.
Melissa I’m not familiar with that soap, but it sounds like a beauty/moisturizing bar to me. I’m wondering if it wouldn’t leave a residue on fabrics? (I read the Amazon reviews). Does the Ivory bar soap cause problems for your son?
Sheryllyn Melissa’s right–it’s found in the laundry aisle (at least that’s where I’ve always seen it). Walmart definitely has it, and yes, it’s Arm & Hammer Washing Soda that I’ve used.
Fels Naptha soap, Arm and Hammer Washing Soda and Borax is sold at Kroger Grocery stores in Tennesse
Our Walmart does not have Washing Soda!
But I have tried recipe #6 with sucess.
I make my own cold process soap and use it to make laundry soap. However, to anyone asking what soaps you can use? You can use any soap that lists sodium palmate, sodium cocoate, sodium tallowate, etc. Just be sure you are using real soap and not detergent beauty bars with added free oils. (i.e. dove, etc)
You can use anything like Ivory, Dial, Irish Spring, Lever, etc.
I find that the homemade laundry soap does work, but be sure to use some vinegar in a downy ball to ensure it rinses clean from not only your clothing but from building up over time with soap scum inside your washer and hoses.
I am also trying to avoid xenoestrogens so the only soap I use for my skin is Naturally Clear, which is pure glycerin soap. can I use that in the laundry soap recipes? right now I just use equal parts of Borax and washing soda in my laundry.
Hi, I just made my laundry soap for the first time and I absolutely love it!!!!! It got my clothes so clean, and it was so easy to make!!! I gave my mom some and she also thought it was the best!!! No more buying laundry soap for me, I’m making my own!!! Thanks for the recipes!! I think I’m going to try the homeade febreeze next!!!
For recipe #10, it doesn’t say how much to use for each load. Any suggestions?
Does anyone know the difference between washing soda & baking soda, and why it makes a difference? I’m having trouble finding the washing soda locally all of a sudden, and was hoping I could use some of this big BUCKET of baking soda I happen to have…
Thanks!
Its the arm and hammer soda on the laundry soap aisle. In my store it’s located next to the borax.
I don’t like the smell or stickiness of bar soap. Can I substitute liquid soap and how much? Help! Also, I can’t find washing soda, so I’m substituting same amout of Oxyclean. Seems to work.
Abbey why not try recipe #8 if you have no washing soda, it’s just calls for baking soda. I think for the other recipes you could try and see what results you get, maybe add a bit more soap to make up for the missing washing soda.
Andrea, sorry I missed your question. I went through my notes and don’t see any suggested amount to use. I’d start with 1/2 cup per load and work up or down if needed on the next load.
Washing soda is Sodium Carbonate Decahydrate. Baking Soda is sodium Bicarbonate. If you can’t find the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, I’ve heard you can buy Sodium Carbonate Decahydrate at any store that sells pools supplies.
For those with coconut allergies, as far as I know the fels naptha does not contain any coconut based products, but if you are still leary you can buy lye soap in bulk on the net for pretty cheap and it works great too. Just make sure that you inquire from the manufacturer of the lye soap that it is lard based and not vegetable based. Most vegetable based lye soaps usually have coconut oil in them.
I’ve been using the powder recipe for my laundry and it has been working great. I plan on trying one of the liquid recipes next. I also use fels naptha, lye soap or ivory as pre treaters with great results.
Hi there, I am so excited to have found this page with receipes for home-made laundry detergents:-) I have to avoid all xenestrogens and it was recommended to me to use “Nature Clean” laundry detergent (which we don’t seem to have in the U.K.) or alternatively Trisodium Phosphate (which is not exactly friendly to the environment).
On the practical side of home made laundry detergents: What is the easiest way to grate soap bars? Do you just use an ordinary cheese grater?
Also, how long can home made detergent be kept for? Is there any time limit?
Hi Astrid, yes just use a cheese grater for grating the soap.
I’m not sure how long the homemade detergents can be kept for. I’ve never had a problem with it, usually using up whatever batches I’ve made within a few weeks.
Hope this helps
.
Can you use these recipes with a high effiency washer. I just got one this year and I dont want to mess it up.
I can’t say for sure Melissa, does the washer you have come with restrictions on the type of soap or detergent used?
Of course they want you to use the really expensive H/E only soaps. I will have to get the book out to see what it says about it.
Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) slowly turns into washing soda (Sodium Carbonate, a.k.a. soda ash) when heated above 140 degrees F. The carbon dioxide released is what makes things rise. If you heat baking soda to 350-400 degrees, it’ll turn into washing soda fairly quickly.
Washing soda is also sold in pool supply stores as “soda ash”, and is used to raise the pH of the water. (Read the label to make sure it is 100% Sodium Carbonate).
I had the same problem finding washing soda, aka soda ash and sodium carbonate. Yes,sodium carbonate is used in pools to increase the pH. The best place I have found to get it is at intheswim.com; choose “more” under pool chemicals. (pH Increaser is soda ash) it comes in sizes up to 50lb bag. My girlfriend and I went in on 100 lb with free shipping so it was a deal. If you get on their email list they send out notices when they have free shipping.
Wal-mart and others have this in the pool supplies but is more expensive.
Also, this works GREAT in front loading washers! I use my own cold process soap instead of bar soap.
My daughter has sensitive skin so I wanted to use her body wash that she uses to make her some detergent. She didn’t have enough so I used the White Rain that I had to make the liquid. I dissolved the body wash with the heated water and everything was going great until I added the Borax and the Washing Soda. It immediately started to stink up my kitchen. You know that awful smell at the beauty parlor when someone is having the hair dyed/treated? :>(
That is what it smelled like. I had to quickly dump it out.
Does anyone have any idea what might have happened?
I’d say there’s an ingredient in the body wash that reacts with the Borax and the two should not be mixed together.
Iam so glad I found these tips. I ‘ve been wanting to find the right recipe to homemade laundry detergent. Please help, I have tried several recipes but my clothes comes out dirty. I know we have hard water, how would I adjust the recipe to compensate. Thanks for your advise.
Nitza I don’t have any more advice than what I have up above. Maybe someone reading this can add their notes and what worked for them to beat the hard water problem.
To Laura above
It had a reaction probably because the white rain is not a soap but a surfactant based product. You need real soap and not a surfactant based product. Most body washes and shampoo products are surfactant based. Just get some solid soap and grate it up. If you really want to use liquid soap something like Dr. Bronners liquid soap will work as that is soap based and not surfactant based. It is a liquid soap because instead of using sodium hydroxide to make the soap they use potassium hydroxide which results in liquid soap.
I am getting ready to make another batch of laundry detergent and will be using the powdered recipe above. I will be making some cp lard and coconut soap and grating that up. I made some of the liquid laundry soap recipes listed above, and while they do work I am not crazy about dealing with a 5 gallon pail of glop.
Nice info Charity, thanks for sharing…and glop is the perfect word! lol!
Nitza,
Have you tried adding 1/2 cup of baking soda per washload to help soften your water (on top of the soda in the soap)? We have a mill near us (where they sell animal foods) and baking soda is sold in 50 pound bags for under $10.00. This is “animal grade” soda so I would not use it for baking as I do not know what the “purity” factor is like.
Charity,
Instead of making a “5 gallon pail of glop”, why don’t you use empty gallon vinegar bottles? These are easy to handle.
The recipe I have (before finding this page) is to melt 1/3 bar of Fels Naptha in 6 cups of hot water over steady heat (do not boil). I usually pour hot water into my 6 quart pot, turn on the heat, add grated soap, then bring just to under a boil. Stir, then turn off heat and allow to sit for about 10-15 minutes. The soap will be melted and you haven’t had to babysit it. Then I add the washing soda and borax, stirring well to dissolve, then I divide equally into two empty vinegar jugs (1 gallon size).
I use a basic 2 cup size measuring cup. I think you get approximately 3 1/3 cups per jug. Then I add 2 cups very hot tap water, put lid on tight, give a few vigorous shakes, release lid slowly (the heat will cause pressure in jug). Then I add another 2-3 cups of hot water and repeat the shake, then add remaining water to about 2″ from top. You may have to allow suds to settle some before adding the last cup or two. Give one last shake to mix all ingredients. Allow soap to sit in jugs unlidded until cool. Then replace lid and store in laundry room. No more 5 gallon pail problems!
This makes a nice gift for others, too. I made several gallons in empty vinegar jugs for gift giving, along with a card that had directions, as Christmas gifts. You use 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup per load, depending on size and filth of load.
Lori S.
Instead of using a cheese grater, I use a paring knife on the Fels Naptha soap as the soap will come off in small powdery pieces that melt more quickly. You will still get a few larger pieces, but the melt time is much faster. It only takes about 2-3 minutes to pare a 1/3 bar of soap. I can have a batch of 2 jugs of soap done in less than 1/2 hour (this is with melting time).
I buy (from the $ store) the laundry booster (Oxyclean) and it makes your laundry even whiter! I love this stuff!
To Lori S.
I use my own handmade soap and I blended it with a stick blender into the water. Since I am using my own cold process soap, I noticed that the solution ended up being too thick to put in pour spout bottles. (Or bottles of any kind) I ended up having to scoop it out and use it that way. Plus, I am just a bit worried about storing anything liquid without a preservative system in place as bacteria can build up in it. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. (this concern comes from all my research and development and 14 years of making handmade soaps and lotions). I find that making the powdered soap works just fine by grating then grinding it all up in my food processor. I have a 5 gallon bucket of the powder that I made and I only need 1/8 of a cup. I really like the powder better. But your mileage may vary according to your preference to liquids over powders. My powder is such a fine powder that it all dissolves perfectly in the washing machine. I figure my 5 gallon bucket of powder will last a good 4-5 years. It cost me with making my own cold process soap along with the other ingredients about $10 for the huge bucket full. I think I am set for a long time before I need to worry about making more
hi all
thanks alot about your work for helping us in making more and more detergent and soap
i want to participate in giving information and in getting answer about my ?
I read on another site that Washing soda is very caustic and you should wear gloves to use it. In the recipe that uses 8 cups baking soda and 8 cups Washing soda, could you use all baking soda? I was wondering because it says that the baking soda is basically the same, but not as caustic.
Colleen I can’t guarantee the results since I haven’t tried it, but I would say split the washing soda amount between the baking soda and borax (4 cups of each).
Has anyone used recipe #5? I did some research on borax and was shocked to see it is concidered a poison. Should this be used in our clothes. Fels naphta also had some toxic effects. I wanted to start making my own soaps for safety reasons, yet in my search I’m finding some of these soaps to be just as toxic.
Hi Cristy, here’s some info on Borax: Wikipedia – Borax, it’s used widely in detergents.
Soaps, cleaners and laundry cleaners are harmful if consumed, Borax is no different.
Can these detergents be used with cold water?? I am also trying to save on my electric bill
Hi Carla, it should be no problem but I’ve been doing some reading about laundry and I hesitate to recommend cold water laundry. Here’s an article: Scientist At Work: Charles Gerba, quote (bolding mine)…
Thanks for the info on borax. I am looking forward to trying these soaps.
I’m interested in people’s experiences with homemade soap in HE machines too. I’m all for homemade, less-toxic laundry soap. I’ve had issues in the past with using non-HE soaps in my washer, and having to run everything through an extra rinse cycle or two. I’d like to avoid that if I can, and to be sure the soap will dissolve in the first place as well (Powdered would be much easier for me to make and store, though I’ll do gel if I have to).
Hi! Can you use any of these recipes in a he washer? Thanks!
Anyone use this for infants?
hello,i made my own recipe,i used dawn ultra concitrated dish liquid and amonia.6 ounces of dawn,and 2 cups of amonia 2 gallons of water.i had 2 dollars ivestment in the dawn and amonia and it made 4 gallons of liquid detergent for just 2 dollars ,then i just used it like i would any liquid detergent.if you try this let me know how it worked for you ,i like it and its cheap ,i bought my stuff at the dollar store.
Hello Everyone,
For the last year, I have been using the following Mix for my Sears Kenmore HE front loader:
3 bars Fels Naptha
3 cups Borax
3 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda.
Grate the Fels Naptha, then put in a food processor with a chopping blade and chop until fine.
Pour into a large bowl with the Borax and Washing Soda and stir until combined.
Use 1/4 cup in a HE front loader, use 1/2 cup in a top loader. In my HE front loader, it dissolves perfectly
I use Vinegar as the fabric softener and add Mrs. White’s Liquid Bluing for the Whites load. The whites come out wonderful, the colors are bright and clean., and best of all, it is better for the environment.
Wow Troy, thanks very much for sharing your recipe and info for the HE detergent, a few people were wanting more details on that. Very much appreciated, thanks
.
In articles I’ve read on the web sites diaperpin.com, wisegeek.com and wikipedia.com Washing soda is listed as an extremely caustic agent and all advised wearing gloves when using it. In fact, diaperpin.com advises against it’s use in homemade laundry detergents at all. Wisegeek.com advises that it can cause severe skin burns. I don’t feel like this is a safe ingredient to be using in these recipes; however, “that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong” (Dennis Miller).
Hi Beverly, I decided to pull out all my boxes and make some notes and comparisons, I think your concerns are the same as some others may be thinking–so I’m glad you shared them here
.
Here’s a breakdown of Washing Soda, Borax and 2 ready-made commercial laundry detergents (Tide and Ultra).
Arm & Hammer So Clean Super Washing Soda:
Environmentally Sound Household Cleaning Alternative
Tough on stains – use with your detergent. To boost cleaning simply add Arm & Hammer So Clean with your detergent – Especially heavily soiled loads.
Helps muscle out hard to remove laundry stains such as: perspiration, collar & cuff, mustard, even motor oil.
Safe to use on all washable fabrics & colours.
Helpful Hints: Effective Diaper Soak: dissolve 1/4 cup (50 mL) in hot water, add to pail of cold water.
Caution: Harmful if swallowed, eye irritant. If swallowed, give a glassful of water or milk. Call a physician. In case of eye contact, flush with water. Call a physician. Keep out of reach of children.
My note:
There is no caustic or corrosive symbol on the box anywhere. In the directions part it does say to wear gloves when using it to clean (scrubbing with washing soda & water), but there’s nothing about that in the caution area at all.
Borax – 20 Mule Team
Natural deodorizer, detergent booster, stain remover.
Caution: Eye irritant, may be harmful if swallowed.
20 Mule Team Borax is most often used as a laundry booster, but it is extremely versatile and effective as a household cleaner.
Diapers/Babywear – For all babywear, wash with detergent and 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax following the manufacturer’s care instructions. Presoak extra tough stains in 1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax per diaper pail for at least 30 minutes before washing.
May Irritate Eyes. Do not get in eyes. Do not breathe dust. Keep out of reach of children. First aid Treatment: Contains borax. If swallowed, call a Poison Control Center or doctor. Do not induce vomiting. If in eyes, rinse with water.
Tide Original (powdered detergent)
Caution: May Irritate Eyes. Do not get in eyes. Keep out of reach of children. May be harmful if swallowed. First Aid Treatment: Contains biodegradable anionic surfactants and enzymes. If swallowed, give a glassful of water or milk and call a Poison Control Center or doctor immediately. Do not induce vomiting. If in eyes, rinse them well with water for 15 minutes.
Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergent
Eye Irritant
May be harmful if swallowed
Caution on back label reads: Do not get in eyes. Do not take internally. First Aid: Eyes – Flush with water 10 to 15 minutes. If irritation persists, call a physician. Internally: Give large amounts of water or milk. Call a physician. Keep out of reach of children.
Soaps and detergents, whether they’re homemade or commercially produced, shouldn’t be consumed, inhaled, splashed in eyes, what have you. They are pretty harsh actually, even liquid hand soap or bubble bath shouldn’t be consumed and would probably require a call to the Poison Control Center.
Both the Borax and the Washing Soda are produced and marketed as laundry boosters and that they can safely be used as additives to detergents (specifically states so on both boxes).
No matter which laundry detergent you buy, not matter how mild, I don’t think there’s one on the market that is safe to consume, inhale, or splash in eyes. I could be wrong–I haven’t checked every label for every detergent.
Hi Tip Nut!
I have been making my own laundry soap for a couple of months now. I started out making it with regular bar soaps I had on hand, but got Zote and Fels Naptha and love them. I make the powdered version, 1 cup soap, 1/2 cup Borax and washing soda.
Two questions: 1)how fine do you have to grate the soap? I use a cheese grater and it grates the soap into tiny curls and it’s worked fine so far. I haven’t had problems with it not dissolving, not that I know of. One bar of soap would roughly make 2 cups grated.
When I measure the grated soap, should I pack it into the measuring cup, thus calling for more soap?
Or should I be grinding it up more, like into a powder?
I had 1 cup of soap that was grated from the cheese grater, put it into a ziplock bag, sealed it, went over it with rolling pin and made it into a powder. That one cup, now powdered, equaled 1/2 cup. with my regular recipe, I’d need double the amount. Which makes me wonder if I’m using enough soap.
So should I be grating this into a powder or packing the grated soap down into the cup more?
Thanks!
Hi Natasha
If the grated soap is working out (both in terms of cleaning your clothes and dissolving properly) I’d continue as you have been. The recipes were intending a fine grate (using the smaller holes on the grater). The washing soda and the Borax help clean too, so I think you’re covered as-is (since your results are good).
I wasn’t specifically referring to consuming, or splashing in the eyes, but ALL powders are inhaled to some degree when used. Also, even though the boxes of wasing soda don’t have a caustic labeling on them, the websites I mentioned in my previous post all found it to be very caustic and in particular unsafe to use when washing baby items. I also speak to the effect this product would have on the environment. The reason we turn to alternative household products are to cut down/eliminate the damage to the environment commercial products cause. I feel like washing soda is a damaging product and should not be included in the recipe; however, to each his own. People need to do their own research and judge for themselves. I wasn’t attempting to discredit the detergent recipes listed here by any means, but rather to enlighten the readers of this site concerning something that could be of harm to them, their families and the environment. Other than that one item I think the recipes are wonderful and really enjoy reading the ideas on this site.
Beverly you’ve presented washing soda here as something very dangerous and that it needs every precaution to prevent skin burns based on what you’ve read elsewhere. You have those concerns and I appreciate that, but I feel we’re comparing apples to apples–detergents and soaps are harsh or contain harsh ingredients.
I decided to test how caustic Washing Soda is and sat here for a full minute with my hand sitting in a bowl of powdered Washing Soda. I didn’t get burned and my skin is still intact. I had no fear because if it really was that caustic, it would have to have symbols and warnings on the box (by law, I live in Canada), just like laundry bleach has.
Next I mixed a 50/50 ratio of water and Washing Soda and dipped my fingers in, moved them around the bowl for close to a minute. Again, I have no burns, experienced no discomfort and the skin is still on my fingers.
Washing soda has the same care needs as all soaps and detergents, you shouldn’t consume it, breathe it or splash it in your eyes.
If you’re concerned about environmentally friendly detergents, you’re right, this isn’t the most earth friendly detergent available (along with the rest of the laundry detergents on the market). If it’s a specialty laundry detergent (certified green and earth friendly), these aren’t the recipes for you and I realize that they may be hard to find locally, but shopping online for “organic laundry detergent” or “green environmentally safe laundry detergent” may bring some results.
i tried recipe 1 mine did not gel or look like thick goop …..it looks clabbered (like clabbered milk) or slightly curdled.I did everything the direction said …i don’t know where i went wrong.May be i should try the dry recipe after this batch is gone …i dunno
This batch will still work Amanda, it’s hard to say why it isn’t goopy for you. How fresh is the batch? It will take a couple days to get thicker, just make sure to stir it up well so the soap doesn’t settle at the bottom.
I just today stumbled onto this idea of making one’s own laundry soap, while I was looking for some cute reusable grocery bags. How interesting! I really like the idea of the powdered type, as it sounds so easy to make as well as less expensive than commercial laundry soaps.
After reading lots of information and everyone’s tips here on this site, I do still have a couple of questions…
I really don’t want to have to start using warm/hot water in my laundry, not only because of the increased electric bill but because I don’t want to shrink or damage my clothing. How successful has cold water been (for those who have used it) in really getting the laundry clean?
How harsh are these products (Borax, Washing Soap, Vinegar) on fabrics? I worry that they won’t be gentle enough for my nicer clothes. I’m worried about fading of my dark slacks, my black fabrics, my sweaters, etc. ???
Other than these two concerns, I really like the idea of making my own detergent, and would go in search of the products today!
Hi Melinda, I’ve had no problems using homemade detergent for the same items that commercial brands can be used for. I noticed no issues with fading.
For laundry temperatures, I agree that a lot of things just can’t be washed in hot water. Laundry comes out visibly clean in cold water, but I linked to that article to show how cold water laundry doesn’t kill or fully remove all invisible nasties (that was for any detergent). I decided things like bedding, towels, underwear, cleaning cloths & sponges should really be washed in hot water or at least given a good length of time in the dryer and/or a glug of laundry bleach in the wash if possible. It’s nice to be able to save money/energy or be more environmentally friendly, but E. coli and salmonella are nothing to be fooled with IMO.
Thanks for the response, Tipnut. I actually do wash “things like bedding, towels, underwear, cleaning cloths” in hot water. I agree with you there. It’s my clothes that I wash in cold water, so they don’t shrink or fade. But, you don’t have any problems with the homemade detergent in cleaning your clothing? You find it gentle enough for nicer clothes? That’s good to know!
Thanks again!
That’s right Melinda, I experienced no problems at all with any of my nicer clothing items. I did use Ivory soap bars in my recipes, but I don’t think any of the other bars would cause problems.
it is now 3 days old …
granules(it looks like ) are on top and colored water on bottom.
it looks like it has seperated.I am am stiriing well and using it any way .
Just got back from Krogers, where they had the Fels Naptha, Borax, and A&H Super Washing Soda! Yes! I also got a bottle of white vinegar & a Downy ball. I’m all set, and off to grate some soap and try my 1st load!
Oh, and BTW…told Dh all about it, and how much money it will save, so of course he’s all for it!
I’ve been making my homemade laundry detergent for a few years and it won’t gel or get goopy very well unless the soap has been mixed really really good when you first make it and the water is still hot. Its still good to use though even if it isn’t thick. I use Fels Naptha as the bar soap and the clothes come out just as clean as store bought soap. Washing soda doesn’t burn or I’d be blistered from head to toe by now.
I love that I found this site! I want to try one of the powdered recipes, but I was wondering if you can add essential oils to the dry recipes? If so, what kind of oil ratio would you use?
Dee, I made and am using the powdered laundry detergent, as well as using white vinegar in a Downy ball for a softner/final rinse. Very happy with the results!
But, I have the same question as you re: essential oils…can I use an essential oil with my vinegar, and if so, how much of the EO do I add to the 1/4 to 1/2 cup of vinegar?
I have used these recipes for several years now and add essential oil.
I have a front loader washing machine and I have halved the water amount to make a extra concentrate solution and use halve the amount in my washer.
I use bleach with whites when needed and always add baking soda for that extra boost. I have just found old fashioned bluing and will try that.
You may wash your clothing in the hottest water, but ecoli and salmonella have to be ingested to get sick.
For the vinegar rinse, I would make a big batch at once, about 10 drops per gallon or so of vinegar.
For the powdered laundry detergent, I don’t have anything specific for adding essential oils so you’ll have to wing it (but sure, you can add EO to the dry version). If you start small and work a drop or two up, you’ll find the right mix for you. If I were to try, I’d start with this:
Recipe #4 (Powdered)
I’d start with 5 drops, mixed in very well.
Reipe #9 (Powdered)
I’d start with 20 to 25 drops, mixed in very well.
The amounts of essential oil given (above and in the original post) are just suggestions. You could add more or less to accomodate your personal preference.
If anyone has some tried & true amounts of adding EO, please feel free to add your tips
.
The reaction between the White Rain product and the alkali (borax and/or washing soda) was almost certainly production of ammonia gas from an ammonium salt in the White Rain product. For instance, ammonium lauryl sulfate is a common ingredient of shampoos.
ok i tried another small batch of #1 this time i got colored water on the bottom and a thick (reminded me of that thick slime you could buy for kids to play with) on top LMAO i give up . maybe it was just not meant to be for me to make detergent hahaha ..nah i am gonna make the powder and hopefully i will have better luck.in the mean time my family is haveing fun laughing at me for my efforts .
What color is the water Amanda and what bar of soap are you using? If you’re mixing things well, I’m at a loss as to why things are separating like that. Things are pretty busy right now for me, but when I get a chance I’d like to mix up the batch and try to reproduce those results you’re getting just to see why it’s happening for you.
I haven’t tried making my own laundry powder yet, but for folks concerned about the laundry powder dissolving in cold and/or hard water I have a tip. Dissolve the powder in a 1-2 gallon bucket of hot water and then pour into the washer. We used this method to dissolve Borax before adding to a cold wash and it seemed to do the trick.
I just made recipe #6.
How thick or gel like is this supposed to be. Once it cooled down
I am shocked at how THICK it actually is…I put it into an empty Tide container, so now not sure how I will mix it before I use it. Will it be fine if I just shake it with all my might? LOL! Thanks, Dawn
Hi Dawn, it should be easy enough to pour, it’s pretty gloppy but not so thick it won’t pour. If you want to thin it out a bit you can add about 1 cup of boiling water to the batch and shake/stir like crazy. That should make it less thick without reducing too much the amount of soap per load.
I’ve made the powdered version #4 mentioned above. So far so good. I have a question however. I usually add liquid clorox bleach to my whites. Can I still use clorox with this recipe?
Thanks
Hey everybody!
I am a textile artist, and often use soda ash. I haven’t yet tried the homemade detergent, but I will soon.
If you are looking for “washing soda”, it is also known as “soda ash” and is used quite often in textile dyeing. It can be found at art supply stores, JoAnn Fabrics, and other places that sell textile products, like:
http://www.dharmatrading.com/ (1 lb soda ash $1.69, 10 lbs $9.69, 25 lbs $19.95)
http://www.createforless.com (1 lb soda ash for $2.59)
Shelly I used a splash of bleach in my whites with no problem. I double checked the boxes on Borax and the washing soda and there’s nothing on them that says not to use with bleach.
I have a friend who makes goat’s milk soap and I have used that for my soap in my homemade detergent. I have also used Zote, which is a pink bar laundry detergent I found at a local store. I am not too crazy about the scent though.
If you can locate a soap maker near you, you might be able to get seconds or chips for next to nothing. They might also be the coconut free variety if they are doing the lard stuff (which my friend does).
I found this link from typing in Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda: thelaundrybasket.com
At that link it gave me this information:
“We offer Super Washing Soda in a 55-ounce carton. If you are having trouble locating this product, you may want to ask your local store manager to order it for you. It may be helpful to provide the UPC number: 33200-03020.”
I went to my local grocery store and told them the UPC and they ordered it!
Just thought that you might find this helpful to use where you live.
Admin Edit: fixed link
Great tip Becky, Thanks for sharing that
.
Just wanted to say that I’ve been using recipe #4, but we have hard water, so I’m wondering if something in the recipe should be adjusted? More soap? More Borax or A&H? Anyone know?
Also, for dirtier clothes (Dh gets sweaty, greasy, and grungy when working on his cars) does adding a scoop of Oxyclean really help?
Thanks!
Hi everyone. My mom and I have been making homemade liquid laundry soap for a few months. We often get samples of laundry detergent in the mail. One weekend while cleaning house, I decided to mix a Tide sample with the gloppy homemade laundry detergent. I shook it up and when I went to start my next load, it wasn’t gloppy! So, if the “gloppyness” of the homemade laundry detergent, bothers you, try adding a cup or so of a store bought laundry detergent to your liquid soap mix and shake. It pours out of the used laundry detergent bottles easily and helps keep the glop and water from seperating. There must be something in the store bought detergent to resolve this problem. I use a generic bradn so that it doesn’t add alot of cost to the homemade detergent.
As for the toxicity of the detergents discussed above, have you ever seen a fly or any other bug on a bar of soap? and if so, survive? This is true of even the most gentle soaps. That is kinda the point.
My mother is allergic to Quaternium-15, formaldehyde and the nearly 30 compounds that might have them. I need to make laundry detergent for her. My problem is the soap that you add. I need to know if any of these ingrediance are there. How do I find this information?
Can I use soap base? My mother is sencetive to smells. This seems perfect, but I have to get confirmation from someone.
Elsie try a search online for the product name and Material Safety Data Sheet…you should be able to find the ingredients that way. For example, search for:
Ivory soap Material Safety Data Sheet
I haven’t tried making the laundry detergent with just a soap base, I think it would work but I really don’t know.
Thanks for the info. I just found this morning the web site householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/product.htl
You can find almost everything manufactured there.
as for the toxicity of nuclear waste, have you ever seen a fly or
germs survive that stuff? using my brilliant logic, that should make an excellent soap, and it might even get rid of gloppyness, which is a big concern.
(duh)
I’m so glad I came across this site. I’ve been making my own detergent for a little over a year now, and I’m very pleased so far with the results. I started out using a liquid recipe, but I found a dry powder to be much simpler to make. I like to add tea tree and lavender oils to the mix (about half a dropperful of each, then mix well). I like the scent it adds, and tea tree oil has natural cleansing properties as well. I’ve used a bit of patchouli as well, but my husband isn’t so crazy about the scent, so I don’t use it anymore.
If you have trouble finding washing soda, you can ask your grocer to special order it for you, or you can google it and order it online. I’ve done both.
I do have one question regarding recipe #10 – would this be safe to wash newborn or infant clothes in instead of using a traditional baby laundry detergent, like Dreft or Ivory Snow? Would any changes need to be made to make extra sure that it would be gentle enough? Thanks.
Meredith there’s been some debate here about Washing Soda, but Arm & Hammer has it printed right on the box that it’s useful as a diaper soak.
Martha Stewart also suggests adding some Washing Soda in her Baby Laundry Article, see Baby Laundry 101.
I think Liquid Castile would be ok, an alternative would be a switch to a grated bar of Ivory Soap (to make 1/4 cup, first melted down in a bit of water).
Update….so far so good!
I am happy with my laundry results.
Clean clothes with a fresh scent.
I do have another question….
I had a very difficult time melting the soap, is this something that gets better with practice and does anyone have any other tips and tricks.
It seemed to take FOREVER!
Brenna!!! Thank you very much for the craft store tip for soda ash….that price sounds very reasonable!
~~Dawn~~
Just a word of caution, if you are planning to add vinegar to your rinse water, please DO NOT use chlorine bleach in the wash. The combination produces a deadly gas and can kill. Even tho it’s down the drain, it’s still in the clothes and it’s lurking in the drain. Please be careful when rinsing with vinegar and washing with chlorine bleach.
I’ve been making a recipe using the Fels, borax and washing soda – both wet and dry. If I’m washing something in cold water I will take hot or boiling water and put it in a recycled cool whip container and mix until disolved (I do with both types, wet or dry), then add to washer and use as usual. Never had a problem not dissolving.
I love adding drops of citrus – lemon, orange, grapefruit essential oils. When I wash sheets, I mix a batch using lavander oil.
I learned of Homemade detergents a few years ago but it clicked in my mind today that it realy works even better than industrial ones.
I now want to get the exact recipes for the dertegents so that i can try them out and experience the goodness of the new technology.
can someone please come to my aid.
Hi moses, there are 10 recipes at the top of the page you can try.
http://www.chemistrystore.com carries most of the ingredients
Another question…is it the borax that is actually doing the cleaning? I just noticed that recipe #9 has a lot more borax than the other ingredients in the recipe, and also that there is baking soda, compared to recipe #4. Does anyone have any experience with one recipe cleaning better than the other (just between recipes 4 & 9)? I’ve been using #4 for a couple of weeks now, and I’m still not sure I’m happy with the results. Sometimes, once they’re dry, I notice they don’t smell clean.
Any thoughts?
A few questions…
1. If you use the powdered versions of the laundry detergent, must you wash in hot water?
2. Has anyone had experience using this for cloth diapers?
3. I am a little concerned about soap residue. I know that vinegar in the downy ball was recommended. Can you also put white vinegar in the fabric softener spot (in the center spinner thing- are you following- lol!)?
I was THRILLED to find borax, washing soap, and FEls Naptha in HYVEE grocery store today. I actually cheered in the laundry isle and got strange looks from people. Can’t wait to try the recipes…!!!
Hi Melinda, all the items contribute to cleaning. I don’t know if Borax is a stronger cleaner than the rest though. When you say your laundry doesn’t smell clean sometimes, is it that they stink or have lingering odors from not being fully cleaned, or is it that you’re missing a fragrance normally found in commercial detergents? If it’s that they aren’t coming out clean, you can try increasing the amount of detergent used. If it’s that you’re missing the commercial fragrance, you can try adding some essential oils to the mix, see if that helps.
Emily, you don’t have to wash in hot water. I haven’t tried using this for cloth diapers (haven’t washed diapers in YEARS, lol) but some of the products do recommend themselves as diaper cleaners. Both Borax and Arm & Hammer Washing Soda recommend themselves to be used as a diaper/baby clothes wash. Yes you can try replacing fabric softener with vinegar.
I think the clothes that were smelling not so clean were my husband’s clothes he wears when working on the cars (his toys). I’m going to try increasing the amount of detergent for those clothes.
Thanks Tipnut!
We have a vegetable garden for the first time this year and being that last summer, we were in a serious drought in our area, I am worried about watering our garden. Does anyone know if the “gray water” from our washing machines rinse cycle would be safe to water garden if we use recipe #9, the powered detergent? I am worried about phosphates and the affecting of our plants.
Thanks!
Stacey I don’t know enough about that to say for sure, hopefully someone reading this can give some advice because I think that would be a great idea if it’s safe to do.
This is the recipe I have been using for years. And yes, I have a HE washer ann dryer.
Homemade Laundry Detergent-Powdered
Ingredients:
2/3 bar Laundry Soap (equivalent of 1 cup grated) (any soap will work but Fels or Zote better for stains)*
½ Cup 20 Mule Team Borax
½ Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda.
Container large enough to hold 2 cups of laundry detergent
Directions:
Grate the Fels Naptha laundry soap with a grater or use a food processor. Approximately 2/3 of a bar of soap will make 1 cup of grated soap.
Add the ½ cup of Borax and ½ cup of washing soda to the grated soap.
Shake and/or mix well
Use:
One tablespoon of detergent is sufficient per load of wash. If you have a high-efficiency machine, you might want to experiment with using a little less detergent for normal loads. If your clothes come out feeling stiff, lower the amount of detergent. For clothes that are heavily soiled, add a teaspoon more of the detergent..
Yield:
The recipe yields 2 cups of laundry detergent. If you use 1 tablespoon per load, you will be able to wash 32 loads of clothes.
Cost:
20 Mule Team Borax: $2.50 for 70 oz. – Cost per batch: .14 (4 oz needed for recipe)
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda: $2.50 for 55 oz. Cost per batch .18.(4 oz needed for recipe)
Fels Naphtha: $1.24 per bar. Cost per batch: .83 (2/3 bar of soap needed for recipe) *
Total cost to make: $1.15 Yields 2 cups which translates to 3.5 cents per load.
*Chop into chunks w/ a knife and throw it in the food processor. Then put it in a roasting pan for a day or two to dry out, then into the food processor again to make a very fine powder. (Fels you don’t have to let it dry out) Actually the powder is so fine that I put a damp kitchen towel over the food processor while blending, and let it settle for a minute or so before opening so I don’t breathe in soap powder. This extra is just personal preference, and not necessary-many folks just use it grated up and mix the powder well before measuring out each load.
I do like all of these ideas and will try some of them soon! I am concerned though. My husband is a pipe & tank welder and works in a refinery. My old top loader has finally quit. We used to wash repeatedly to get a minimal amount of cleaning done to his clothes. We also have a front loader and since the top loader has died we recently purchased another front loader. I would love to have his clothes come lots cleaner. Plus I would like to preclean his clothes before I put them in the front loader, whch of course uses less water. I have used lots of things in trying to clean the smells and nasty oily gunk off his clothes. Oxi-Clean works nice (& best so far) but still doesn’t completely do the job. I hate that they still look dirty and smell horried after I wash and wash and wash them. What can I do differently? Please help! Thank you!!
A friend of mine always washes her husbands dirty clothes with ammonia and she says it gets all of the smells out. I am not sure what it’s reaction would be to the other detergents. But you could try a wash in ammonia and then another with the homemade detergent.
Thank you Melinda, lots of folks will be interested in that recipe
.
FixItMom: I don’t think you can do anything more than allow a period for pre-soak, then a full laundry cycle. You can try extra soap and some vinegar in the rinse cycle. See if that helps
.
vinegar in the center fabric softer port of your washer should be okay, I just started using homemad soap (love it), but have been using vinegar for some time for fabric softner, it seems to work.
I have found that my towels sometimes stink like vinegar, I have put a cheap essential oil in the vinegar bottle, and the smell of the oil does not come through, but the vinegar smell in my towels is gone! (I use an old softener container, and i just pour vinegar into it, and then about 10-20 drops of essential oil, so it lasts a long time!)
Fix it- My hubby gets greasy at his job too, I wash in hot water, use the homemade soap, plus dawn dishsoap, I don’t know howmuch, I just squirt it into the wash, aprox 1/8 cup, I know its allot, but his clothes come clean. I also double rinse his clothing, to ensure they are clean! I’ve put the dishsoap directly on larger greese stains, the stain generally remains, however, the greesy feel is gone.
HELP! I need feedback!
I made the dry laundry detergent (recipe #4). Two questions, if anyone has used this recipe…
While the bar soap Fels-Naptha is 5.1 oz, when I grated the entire bar, I almost had 3 cups (24 oz.), as I did not pack it down. So, I used that as the required “2 cups” of Fels soap. Should I have packed it down and used two BARS of soap? I ask this because….
I just used the 2 TABLESPOONS for a full load as the directions indicate. Not only is there absolutely no suds, but even after I added another 2 TBSPS to the machine, there were still no suds. Is this correct????
Thanks, Lisa
Hi Lisa, there won’t be suds so don’t worry about that
. The grated soap does not need to be firmly packed in.
Sara thanks very much for sharing your tips
.
I have made one of the recipes and i like it. Although i have not tried the vinegar in the downy ball yet. I couldnt find the washing soda anywhere so i called Arm & Hammer and asked where in my area i could find it. It could be found at only one store. Its still only about $3 for a big box. Happy washing all.
question for DH who is utterly paranoid about his new HE frontloader “babies”
i see that some people have used homemades in their HEs, but does anyone have comments on it long-term? i keep mentioning that these ingredients are sold in the LAUNDRY AISLE but he keeps grumping that he doesn’t want his warranty voided because we were washing with “twigs and berries.”
Question 1: Does anyone have any experience doubling the amount of water in recipe 1 (or any of the liquid recipes) and then just doubling the amount in the machine so you don’t have to stir it before each load. That way it would be more like the store bought which would add legitimacy that this is a real laundry detergent for my wife. For some people perception is reality.
I’m sure a double the amount of a diluted mixture would work fine, I jUst wouldn’t go through the hassle if it still congealed into glop and the soap separated out.
Question 2: do you use half the amount per load in a front loader? Thanks! David
For other sensitive folk
I am a new soapmaker from Australia and found an allergy free soft soap recipe in Alan Hayes book It’s So Natural, see itssonatural.com. It starts with making lye, the start of all soaps, including those grated in the recipes above. It was a bit more complicated than grating the soap, but I know it contains nothing I will react to. I used 250 grams of caustic soda from the cleaning section in our supermarkets in 3 cups of distilled water (because our bore water is hard) for the lye, and when that became lukewarm I added 3 cups of sunflower oil because I had no history of allergies with sunflowers and it was cheap. I used a stick mixer for a few minutes, left it overnight in a bowl covered with a plate. Then into a 5 litre lidded bucket I put 1.1/2 cups of soft soap, 1/4 cup of borax, 1/4 cup washing soda, 1 capful of eucalyptus oil for extra cleaning power, disinfectant and deodoriser and topped it up with warm water, used the stick mixer again. When cool I poured some into a 1.1/2 litre juice bottle which is light to handle – it glugs out freely. I have been using 3/4 cup in my small twin tub for softer clothes and towels and a cleaner wash to the point where some old stains left by my HE low allergy powder have already gone and older, darker ones are fading. I now have an untried front loader and will try a smaller amount with the vinegar rinse. The book gives instructions on making the lye, it boils, and is corrosive, so follow instructions carefully. This took longer than the grating recipes, but for me it has been very successful both for my sensitive skin and my clothing.
I just made my first batch of detergent (from recipe #4) and the wash cycle is on!!!
First, I’d like to say I also had a very hard time finding the washing soda. I found a number online to call 1-800-524-1328 and you can give them your zip code and they will tell you where you can buy the product in your area. In the Portland, OR area, Fred Meyer is the only place apparently.
2nd, I’d like to comment about the dangers (health and environmental) brought up about washing soda in previous comments…I went to look at the ingredients in my other detergents I have in the house, brands Planet and Seventh Generation (both reputable for being environmentally friendly). Well, they both contain Soda Ash – which is another term for Washing Soda from what I’ve read. If it’s in those products, I feel it’s pretty safe for including in a home made recipe, especially compared to most other commercial products out there and the ingredients in those which are mostly all petrolium based as well.
I too plan on using a home made detergent to launder cloth diapers and while I feel the recipe is safe for me, I’m not sure how it will be for sensitive baby skin…any one else used these recipes and laundered cloth diapers? Or have a different recipe specific for cloth diapers?
Thank you TipNut for the great info!
Thanks again to those adding their extra tips and info, very very helpful for everyone
!
For the HE questions and the diaper/baby laundry, I can’t add anything more since I don’t have first hand experience with those areas. Feel free to jump in with your tips if you do
.
David, re: Question 1, I haven’t tried that and I’ve spent a bit thinking about it. I think you would still need to give it a good stir even though you’re increasing the water. I guess the only way to know for sure is to give it a shot, but maybe someone reading this will have more info.
I’m 74 years old. Oh, how I wish
I had had all this information when having a house full of kids.
Have sent this site to my 4 adult
kids, (total of 11 great grand
children still). I pray they use it because all are low on cash ….isn’t everyone? I am going
to try the powder form myself.
God bless you for your site.
I have been using Homemade Laundry Soap for 2 years now
I was not every able to find Washing Soda anywhere nearby
So, I modified… here is mine
I have tried it powdered & liked the results better with the liquid form, especially in this water that is extremely hard
I have given it to everyone I know by pouring it into smaller portions in re-used apple juice containers
I like to use 1/4 cup Vinegar in a Downy Ball as a rinse agent, not necessary but a little softer fabric when Line-Dried
I line-dry my clothes year-round (part of my save-the-earth commitments)
1 cup grated soap (I have used Zote, FelsNaptha, Octagon, and Ivory… I like Octagone & FelsNaptha the best)
4 cups water
1/3 cup Baking Soda
1/3 cup OxiClean (I use the generic sold at WalMart)
1/3 cup Borax
Boiling Pot
5 gallon cleaned, recycled paint bucket
Place water in boiler pot
Place grated soap in water
bring to boil & then turn down to low simmer… simmer until all soap is melted
Keeping heat on low, add dry ingredients… stir
continue stiring until mixture thickens & then turn off heat
Pour about 4 cups hot tap water into paint bucket
pour mixture into water that is in paint bucket, stir
allow to settle overnight
Use 1/4 cup for washload & if needed soak load overnight
for extremely greasy clothes:
add 1/4 cup Borax
soak overnight in the hottest water safe for the fabric
for very smelly clothes (excellent for removing pet odors or urine odors), do as for greasy clothes
for blood, catsup, etc:
add 1 scoop of OxiClean (use the scoop that came with the product, then soak overnight in cold water
This particular mix (with 1/4 cup added borax & overnight hot water soak) is the only thing I have ever seen that gets “hot-mud” out of clothes (my boyfriend is a painter/drywall finisher)
I have been able to remove old stains (except rust stains, use Rust-Out)
The Borax & the Baking Soda & the Oxyclean are all Alkaline
The Vinegar is a light acid
The alkalinity softens hard water… the Vinegar reverses the alkalinity & this helps with the rinse being clean
WOW!!! I’m going to try some of these recipes in my new HE front loader. i’m a little nervous, so like the idea of periodically cleaning out any residue – should this be bleach? or vinegar?
also, what’s a “downy ball”? can i just put vinegar for rinse in the machine’s container that says “fabric softener”?
thanks so much everyone!
I was wondering, does anyone know if Borax will fade out colors? Can I safely add it to whites and darks? Thanks!
I too have a HE washer and I add the vinegar in my washers fabric softner container and everything works just fine!
Hi, I’d like to make the powdered detergent but I can’t find washing soda anywhere! Any advice on where to find it? In the meantime, I will substitute baking soda, though I know it’s not quite as heavy duty.
I went and read some comments, did some research and found a pool supply site that always has free shipping, and has very competitive prices. It’s called saveonpool.com. And, as someone above noted, you’re looking for a pH increaser with only Soda Ash in the ingredients list. This is what washing soda is. Since I can’t find it locally, this seems like the best deal for me.
I see that people are adding Oxyclean too. That is great but I can save you money just put in a 1/2 cup of 3% Hydrogen peroxide. The stuff in the brown bottle. It is a great disinfectant too.
I wash produce with 3% hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar solution. It washes away every thing and does not leave a taste.
I am really excited to find this website. I have just recently gotten into making my own cleaning supplies and liked the idea of making my own laundry detergent.
I made up recipe #8, but I added 1 cup of borax to it. I was going to use it today but when I took the lid off the bucket there was a lot of foam on the top and underneath the foam it was a milky looking water. So i put the whole batch back on the stove and reheated it. Do not know if this was the right thing to do but I did it. I was just wondering if it is still really watery will it still work correctly.
The other question I have is can this be used with cold water. I wash pretty much every thing in cold water.
Thanks in advance for any help
Tammy
You mentioned that if you have very hard water or well water you may have to adjust the recipes. What needs to be adjusted? What are the amounts to use? I have well water and I am wanting to try making my own laundry soap. We do not have a water softner either.
I am so excited about trying one to the recipes. Looking foward to your reply.
Thanks, Gloria
any one looking for soda wash on a well ? check with the local water filteration guys for Soda Ash… after looking all over the laundry isles I found out my hubby who fixes pumps and installs water systems had it right on the shelf in the shop!!! boy he got a good giggle but hey who knew, for a year now I have used baking Soda because I just couldn’t find the wash. Oh well the reason I started making my own soap was because we moved to land covered in poision oak and I am really alergic. Hubby can roll in the stuff and the dogs are always out so using the fels-napa soap has kept me from getting any tranfer oils from washing his clothes and then mine. Dr said the fels nappa one of the few soaps that keep the oils from spreading. yea for me finding this great life saver!!!!
I haven’t made any of the soaps yet, but I saw where trying to find soda, and someone mentioned Soda Ash. Well I just realized my DH works with the stuff all the time and I was his clothes which are caked in it. He works at a Chemical Plant, and people come in and purchase chemicals for there pools, water supplies, etc. So if you have access to a chemical plant or has someone that buys pools supplies in bulk maybe you can order Soda Ash also.
I can just see DH when I tell him I want a big ole bag of Soda Ash! LOL
Gloria
Which of these recipes would be best for washing cloth diapers? Anyone had any particularly good or bad luck doing so?
Thank you for posting this recipe. I have done the one with borax and Washing soda in it and the one with just washing soda in it. My clothes are cleaner (Recently I washed a pair of pants with bike grease on the leg and it came out beautifully), My skin itches less and it’s money saving while good for the enviroment.
Also some things I have learned by doing this recipe:
1.) Washing soda can also be found at some natural health food stores. I was very fortunate to find mine at a independent dealer.
2.) WM and some other big box stores sell borax.
3.) You don’t need to buy expensive soaps for this recipe. I have scored a bunch of them this through walgreens (their store brand soap) and through yard sales.
4) If you have no luck in finding washing soda, put some baking soda in a cup (the measurement required in the recipes) and heat it on high in your microwave. I would recommend about ten minutes, maybe less than that. when you are done, the baking soda will look like ash, which means it’s now washing soda.
5) Other excellent container ideas are:
Tidy Kats or any other cat litter company containers, old 2 liter soda pop bottles and milk jugs (rinse them out good so the liquid det. doesn’t stink), You may also want to keep a couple of small water bottles or travel size containers, if you plan on doing laundry when you are out of town, state or country.
Lastly I have a question, does anyone of a good laundry stain remover that you can make? I don’t mind using waterless hand cleaner for the stains but I would like to make a stain remover from scratch.
Thanks for the recipe, the replies to my questions and for this site.
Shannon, I have used recipe #4, the powdered detergent, for my cloth diapers, and they turn out just fine. Just as well, if not better than the store detergent I was using before. When I soak them in my washer, I do add just a little bit of it, and drain it, and then I add a little bit more when I run the wash cycle. The diapers actually have come out cleaner than they did before, less stains, etc.
Oh yeah, I forgot to add that I also put vinegar in the downy ball with the diapers to make sure there is no soap residue left on them!
Thanx for the great ideas. I found a website (sorry don’t remember the address) for recipes for pretreatment of stains and found this recipe
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tablespoons laundry detergent
2 quarts warm water
I hope this helps.
Hi! I just made my first batch of laundry soap. It turned out well. To answer Melissa’s question (from 2007), Kiss My Face 100% Olive Oil Soap works for receipe 8. I used vinegar instead fabric softener and my laundry came out clean and soft. And, once the laundry dried completely, the laundry did NOT smell like vinegar. One more thing, if you’re looking for a nice container in which to store your homemade laundry soap, try a cleaned 40 pound plastic kitty litter container. It has a lid, a handle, and is very sturdy. I think it holds about four gallons.
Oh – I nearly forgot. Some people have claimed that washing soda is dangerous. If baking soda changes to washing soda at high tempuratures, why is baking soda safe for baking? (I’m an amateur classist, not a chemist!)
Thanks for the tip about the stain remover.
I have also tried the neutrogena bar soap for this recipe and it has no oils in it, rinses out very well, is easy to melt on the stovetop and it comes unscented. The only downfall is the price. I have been fortunate to score the bars off ebay, at yard sales and thrift shops. Time to time, Nuetrogena will send out coupons or samples to you or have them in magazines, so that way the bars are a bit cheaper for people to buy. I have bought them with my coupons and they end up being cheaper than the store brand bar soap.
BBW Glycerin soap is also excellent, very cheap (My store will sell the bars at the semi annual sales for a $1 each). These are fragnant but they leave no oil on the clothes afterwards.
Also If you can’t find washing soda, You can use a little more soap to make up for the Washing soda.
I just tried recipe#4. A couple of questions:
#1 I have a ‘large-load’ top-loader Maytag. Is 2 TBSP enough for a big load?
#2 I did a dark load and many of the black/navy items came out with residue on them. More detergent needed? I ended up rinsing again.
Before trying this homemade recipe, I had been using 1/2 cup Borax and 1/8 cup Tide liquid detergent,pre-mixed with warm water. Very pleasing results with little or no residue. But would like to switch to the homemade stuff permanently.
Would appreciate any tips.
Hi heza, I wonder if you had the laundry machine packed too full (for the residue problem)? There shouldn’t be any residue. Also you might want to try running the water in the washing machine first, add the soap and let it dissolve a bit before adding the laundry (like you normally would with powdered detergents). If you aren’t filling the loads to full and the powdered detergent is given a chance to dissolve before adding laundry and you’re still having problems with residue, try reducing the amount of detergent per load.
2 TBS should be enough for a full load, if you find it isn’t getting your clothes clean you can up the amount.
I’m mixing up powdered recipe (#4) as I type, and I have a ?? about amounts. We have to use the laundromat, and we usually use the huge front loaders (you know, the ones that cost $4 a load vs. the regular machines that are $1.75 a load) How much soap should I throw in? Thanks!
I can’t say for sure shannon, I’d start with 3 TBS and see how the clothes turn out, adjusting as needed.
Hexa:
2 I did a dark load and many of the black/navy items came out with residue on them. More detergent needed? I ended up rinsing again.
do a couple of tbls of vinegar in the rinse cycle and this should get rid of the soap mess. Good luck
I was wondering if anyone had tried adding Calgon water softener to their powdered laundry soap recipe to prevent soap residue. I don’t know how cost effective it would be, but I am making some soap to sell and thought it might be a good substitute for the vinegar rinse.
Excellent advice, and wonderfully helpful people!!
I’ll add – for a stain remover – just take the bar of Fels Naptha and rub on stains (esp good for the ‘ring around the color’) before throwing into the laundry! (my grandma gave me that tip – years ago, always found it to be much more effective than the Shout it out stuffs )
Also I want to add once again – do not combine vinegar and bleach!!
Vinegar rinse helps get out the soap – perfect – I’m sure you could probably google to find more reinforcement of this as well as – -
with towels, you dont need any fabric softner to them…
Thanks again, I havent tried the homemade soap, just found the site… and I agree with above posters the washing soda isnt as caustic as say… Oxyclean (dont be putting your bare hands in a mix of that without knowing it will hurt!!)
Loved the tip way at the top about cleaning diapers with the mix according to box directions and Martha Stewart… I used borax for lots of things when the kids were young… cant remember all of them now tho!)
Hi, I’ve not tried any of these recipes yet but intend to very soon.
I see some people cite environmental and safety concerns about washing soda. Calcium carbonate is a natural product, taken from certain dried lake beds, burnt seaweed (where it gets the name soda ASH)and is now made from table salt.
It is used in food (E500)as an anti-caking agent, a flavouring in ramen noodles and in sherbet.
If anyone wants to follow this up I got all this info from wikipedia and a few other sites by just googling ‘washing soda’.
I have a tub of Vanish stain remover and when I looked at the ingredients found it mainly contains washing soda – at 3 times the price! I know what I’m using in future!
I made recipe #4 for powdered laundry soap. It is the easiest thing in the world to make but 2 tablespoons of the soap is nowhere near enough to clean a load of laundry. I used 1/2 cup and could use more. It doesnt clean my dishtowels at ALL. I used Ivory soap. Next time I’ll try a different soap. The recipe is so easy to follow I cant imagine what I could be doing wrong. DO the clothes need to be soaked first?
I don’t like Ivory soap for my body, not surprised it doesn’t seem to wotk as well for the laundry soap. I just bought all of my ingredients at WM for #9 and got fels naptha (3 bars to be exact). Thet didn’t have washing soda, but a 4lb box of baking soda that I will be throwing in the microwave shortly.. thanks so much for that tip!
I can’t wait to make this and make my new house budget stretch farther!
I made powdered detergent #4 with Fels Naptha and used it today for the first time. Everything seemed to turn out really well. I used a little extra washing soda in the bin to help things out and used white vinegar in the rinse and there seems to be no issue. Anyone know if you can add a fragrance to the powdered detergent? My husband misses the smell of the fabric softener. I think the clothes smell fine, but is there any way to add essential oils or something to the powdered soaps? Thanks!
Just an FYI on Fels Naptha bar laundry soap. It IS made with petrochemicals and is not a ‘green’ option and should not be used in grey water collection or septic systems.
The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) on the product states:
INCOMPATIBILITIES: Strong oxidizers, acids, bases, chlorine.
I don’t know if this would cause problems with OxyClean or other additives.
http://www.soapsgonebuy.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=D1001&Show=TechSpecs
Using soap (a animal or vegetable fat by product) will leave residues on your clothes and in your washer. To avoid this, use 1/2 cup vinegar per load of laundry (in a Downy Ball or fabric softener dispenser) as a rinse agent and fabric softener.
Also, sodium lauryl sulfate is a common ingredient in soaps and body products of all types. It is a foaming agent among other things (and often contains coconut ingredients). SLS is what normally causes irritation in a lot of people and if you can find a soap to use in these recipes that does not contain it, the recipe will be better suited for an HE washing machine as well as your skin.
I have been making/using and loving one of the powdered detergent recipes, but am almost out and do not have any bar soap left in the house to use in this tonight, so I thought I would try one of the liquid recipes:
Recipe #10
1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
Mix well and store in sealed container.
Note:
Soap will be lumpy, goopy and gel-like. This is normal. Just give it a good stir before using. Make sure soap is covered with a lid when not in use. You could also pour the homemade soap in old (and cleaned) laundry detergent bottles and shake well before each use.
Please help! This is a disaster! I know from grade school that mixing vinegar and baking soda makes a nice volcano, so I decided to “dilute” the vinegar by adding it first and the baking soda last. No matter, I did not get a volcano, but I did get some sort of chemical reaction. My old reused container that I mixed it in started heating up in my hand, then I realized that the mixture was not turning to gel, but something more like cement! I tried adding about a cup of hot water to soften it all up, but, didn’t really help, so now I am just afraid that this concoction is going to eat through a table and blow up! : – )
Anyone know what is wrong with this recipe or do you have another no-cook recipe using liquid castile soap???
Hi Karen, that is definitely not how it should turn out, the smell is a chemical reaction. The only thing I can think is that the soap you used was not pure liquid castille. Is there an additive maybe in the bottle you used?
Also I see a blooper, the note about liquid detergent is for all the recipes, not #10. Number 10 is actually a powder.
Karen this is a quick recipe to try so I will mix up a batch today and post the results in here. I do recall that the vinegar will foam so I mixed things slowly. I will clarify the recipe instructions after I whip up a batch.
I did a quick search online and found this alternate recipe for you (for liquid castille):
The Green Guide:
LAUNDRY ROOM
Laundry Detergent
1 oz. liquid castile soap
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/4 cup baking soda or 1/4 cup white vinegar
Using the liquid castile soap as a base, combine with washing soda, borax (for stains and bleaching), and either baking soda (reduces static and softens fabrics) or white vinegar (softens fabrics, reduces static and bleaches clothes). If you feel like your clothes aren’t clean enough, play around with the amount of liquid castile soap, using from 1 oz. to 1 cup.
====
My notes:
1 oz is about 3 TBS.
This recipe is different in that it uses borax and it’s either vinegar OR baking soda. But it sounds like a nice one to try.
I’ll post my results in here later today regarding recipe #10 as well as clarify the instructions a bit so that there’s no confusion about the liquid/powder results.
Ok I made two batches of the #10 recipe using these ingredients:
-Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps
Peppermint Hemp Pure-Castile Soap
-Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
-Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
-Vinegar
I poured the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first).
There were no problems, the mixture is like a thick powder detergent, smells minty fresh (because of the castile soap I used) and soapy from the washing soda. I even put my fingers in the dish to break up some of the hard clumps, no burning at all on the hands.
The second batch I made up I reversed the order of ingredients to be similar to Karen’s method:
-Vinegar
-Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
-Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps
Peppermint Hemp Pure-Castile Soap
-Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
I found it a little harder to mix but not hard like cement.
Both batches were slightly warm, not hot, I think that’s just the activity from the baking soda & vinegar. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all to the touch and I spent some time crushing the lumps into powder, so I did use pressure with my bare hands.
I did find the smell to be minty & soapy from the washing soda, but not stinky like a chemical reaction would (I somehow got the idea that Karen’s smelled, but she didn’t say that).
I did two loads of laundry with this mix, first tossing in 1/2 cup of all the hard lumps that I didn’t break down. I let them sit in water for a few minutes, swishing around and breaking the lumps in the water (they are quite hard).
The second load I used 1/2 cup of the powdery stuff.
Both loads turned out clean and the lumps from the first load were reduced in the wash and didn’t show up on the clothes after drying.
**This is a powder detergent, not a gel or liquid. I’ll fix the blooper so there’s no more confusion.
I wonder if I can use a variation of this recipe for body wash. Using say ivory, baking soda (which I use instead of washing powder as finding it in my area is rare) vegetable glycerin, and maybe something like jojoba oil?
I have a bunch of essential oils that I purchased on ebay and decided to use them up in the HMLD. This smells nicely (light scent) and it still leaves my clothes really clean and with no oil stains. You may want to try very little oil so it’s not strong smelling and it doesn’t leave oil stains on the clothes.
You can probably use body wash for this, leslie, but I would not recommend it being cooked on the stovetop. One poster on here did that and ended up with a big mess.
For those who want to try castile soap but are scared of the prices, try store brand castile soap (trader joe’s has an excellent store brand soap, small but cheap. If you want a bigger quantity, they have the dr. bronners there for 8.99-50% cheaper than other stores) or try the dr bronner’s castile soap in a bar (the bars are 2.00 to 5.00 each, depending on where you live). TJ’s doesn’t have the dr. bronner’s bar soap but most places such as target and walgreens have them.
I made my first batch of laundry soap and I can’t say I was impressed and not impressed. I am a person who believes clean comes in a smell and since the homemade version tends not to have a “perfume” odor I panic thinking my laundry isn’t clean. So I started using the 1/2 cup of home made and 1/2 a cap full of the store bought. This has helped with my need for scent.
I store my homemade in an unlided bucket. It looks like a pickle bucket and I bought it at Home Depot. I read on here that there is a possibility of bacteria if the stuff isn’t preserved properly. Am I potentially exposing my family to unseen bacteria? I also have been using cold water thinking this was saving me and getting my stuff just as clean, but from I read this is also bad. So I will make it a point to wash out my machine with a hot water bleach bath I guess.
I am now going to try the softener recipe for the first time and I am also a bit nervous about this. I hate the smell of vinegar and worry this will be my new scent.
I am wondering if I can add leftover oil from my reed defuser in this, along with perfume oil and body splash?
I am asking this because the reed defuser is a mixture of essential oil and rubbing alcohol.
Thanks
Mary I’m not sure about the rubbing alcohol and whether or not there would be a reaction with the washing soda or borax. The body splash might also contain an ingredient that would react badly.
As an experiment I did make up one of the powder detergents using liquid dish soap instead of liquid castille (recipe #10) and there was a nasty reaction–so I stay away from soaps that aren’t listed above (castile, ivory, etc.). Also there was a comment up above somewhere that someone had a bad reaction from using a liquid shower gel.
Hi TipNut! Thanks so much for your site. I’ve just made a second batch of Recipe #3. I have 2 issues: I find the clothes have a residue left on them, and the heavier soiled items do not get fully clean (I live in a very dusty/sandy area). Would you recommend vinegar for the residue, and if so at what point do I add it?
Hi Becky
. I wonder if you’re packing the load too full with clothes? The soap should wash away without leaving a residue. I would try the vinegar rinse to help wash the soap residue away. If you’re not packing the laundry too full, are you adding the soap to the water (as its running) to dilute the soap first before adding laundry? That will help too.
Thanks, it’s quite a possibility that the machine’s packed too full! I also noticed that the soap doesn’t completely dissolve in the water, there are little curd-like bits floating around still. Is that ok?
Hello Tipnut,
My husband and I make our own soap and I wondered if any of these recipes have been tested with handmade soap? We would love to use our own products to make an all-natural laundry soap.
i was wondering if you could make one of the liquid recipes with liquid castille soap instead of bar soap. If so, how much dr. bronner’s should i use?
THANK GOD FOR THIS POSTING! I have been trying for weeks to locate washing soda to no avail. I live in a VERY small town & hated driving an hour just for washing soda-kind of defeats the purpose of making it homemade to save on the $$$$. Anyway, I’ll be sure to turn my baking soda into washing soda so I can get started on my detergent! And Thanks for the reminder to not mix vinegar $ bleach since I use it on occassion!
Hi, I was wondering if anyone can tell me if borax is okay to use on cloth diapers. I tried using oxi clean on them, and it gave my daughter a horrible blistery diaper rash, so I’m hesitant to use harsh cleaners. I have tried recipe #8, which doesn’t call for borax, but I just thought I might try a different one.
Heather
All 4 of my kids have been in cloth diapers, and I have used Borax as a soaking agent in my diaper pail, and add it to my wash. I’ve never had a problem with it affecting their skin, so I would say it is perfectly safe. I also have no problem with diaper pail smell ( as long as you rinse your diapers before adding them to the pail)
I’m going to start making my own laundry soap. I was inspired by saop I purchased (Moonworks.org) They add essential oils to their powdered laundry soap, so I know it can be done)
Thanks for the tips… I’ll give the borax a go and if it doesn’t work, I’ll just use that soap for our regular clothes.
I have read all I could on line regarding ‘homemade laundry detergent’, finally made my first batch and have done several loads with it.
Points I would make:
I grated soap with microplaner which went fairly fast and produced a fine product which I wanted. I made the powder version and added 8 oz of Oxiclean. I have been using 2 tablespoons of this to a load and clothes have looked and felt great. You cannot use bleach with this mixture with Oxiclean. Plan to make another batch w/o Oxiclean to use w/ bleach loads.
I made a special batch of CP soap because I superfat my other (as most people do – so be careful when buying say goats milk soap to use). Superfatted soap will leave residue on clothes per other postings, which makes sense. It is also harder to dissolve and leaves reside in pipes, etc. Love it for my skin – but not a good thing for laundry. Lye soap is going to be your only truly ‘green’ option if you are trying to get away from ‘detergent’. Most commercial castile soaps are petro based as well.
I put my powder in and run hot water in washer a minute then switch to cold. That is enough to dissolve it so far.
Hi,
Love the tips, but am in need of some help with recipe #10! I mixed it all up per instructions, but was left with a thinish liquid (it looked very much like when you mix icing sugar and powder) even after stirring for over an hour!
Wondering if it was not drying up because it was a bit lumpy, I ran it through the blender – I now have a (very beautiful!) thick, white, fluffy cream…but it’s definitely not turning to powder.
I used:
1 cup bicarbonate of soda (same thing, right?)
1 cup washing soda
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup Dr Bronner’s unscented castille (the ‘baby’ version)
I did notice that after I had mixed the washing soda and castille, there was nowhere near enough liquid to absorb the baking soda – that only happened when I added the vinegar. I’d love to use this recipe – can anyone suggest what might be wrong? Pretty please?
Is any of these recipes safe for septic tanks? I want to make my own laundry soap, but cant afford to ruin the 50yr old septic system!!
thanks
Hi Sophie, it’s definitely a heavy, crumbly powder for me. I really don’t know why there’s a difference for you? Did you mix it in the order that I did? Maybe that affects the results? You should still be fine using the mixture in your laundry though since the ingredients are the same.
Dale I can’t say for sure, I’m sorry. Maybe someone else knows for certain and can pop a comment in here?
Thanks for posting these recipes – I tried making one of the powdered recipes and it works great!
I want to share a couple of things that I disovered:
1. When I started reading these recipes, I wanted an exact recipe and worried about making even minor modifications. I was wrong and I’ll explain why.
2. The soap used in these recipes serves as the laundry soap, no more no less. Soap is simply a chemical compound with an affinity for oil that is also water soluble. Choose a plain soap without a lot of additives. The extra oil or lanolin or whatever, that makes the soap nice for your skin will just be deposited on your clothes.
3. I didn’t really want gallons and gallons of goop, so I made powdered detergent. I shredded the bar soap using the fine section on a cheese grater (I assume a food processor would work even better). Remember that large lumps of soap won’t dissolve as quickly in your washer as a fine powder. If you don’t want to grate the soap to a fine powder, make one of the liquid versions.
4. Washing Soda serves as a water softener as well as a laundry booster. Use more Washing Soda if you have extra hard water; use less if you have a soft water.
5. Borax is a laundry booster. As Americans, we tend to believe that “if some is good, more must be better.” Don’t go crazy with the Borax. If you’re not getting the cleaning you desire, try a little more Borax, but remember it’s a booster, not a soap.
6. Add some Baking Soda if you have extra stinky clothes. Both Borax and Washing Soda have deordorizing properties, but a little Baking Soda won’t hurt anything.
7. As another poster mentioned, adding vinegar to the rinse (a Downy ball with 1/2 cup of white vinegar) is great. All of the detergent ingredients are alkalai, vinegar is acidic and will help restore the pH balance of your wash load. Your clothes WILL NOT smell like vinegar.
7. As noted by previous posters, DO NOT use vinegar with chlorine bleach.
Again, thank you for these recipes and for all of the helpful additional posts. I hope that these notes may be of value to anyone who is unsure of trying these recipes.
When looking for a large pail to store the homemade soap in, my SIL gave me his cleaned pails that he gets at his construction site. The grout he uses comes in these and he says that these are thrown away because they end up with so many of them! The have lids and a handle! I love them!
Hello everyone! I just made my first batch (recipe #4) and my laundry’s washing as I type. One issue… I used about 6 tablespoons instead of 2. It’s hard to kick the habit of just dumping in a big scoopful of Tide.
I just wanted to share my happiness. I sat down and did the math and it turns out that to do a large load of laundry it will cost about .06 cents!
So congrats to all of us for saving money and being greenies!
I have always had to live frugally. Just found your web-site today–this is wonderful! It will help to live even more frugally. I am interested in the oxyclean and one person said it brightened her clothing. Do they add it to the detergent when mixing up a batch, or as they do the laundry? Also, do you have a recipe for dishwash (not dishwasher) detergent, too.
Harriette
Hi, I have skin allergies, and can only use Tide Free, which is hard to find these days. Do you recommend these for sensitive skin?
I am loving all the new things I am learning on this site. But I do have a question. I made recipe # 8 and it is very watery, not a gel like. Did I do something wrong.
Sorry your comments got approved so late Dina & Erin–it’s a problem on my end, not your comments!
Dinah I really hesitate to say yes or no, I’m not sure how you’ll react to the ingredients. If you tried a gentle soap bar and made a small batch using one of the recipes, and then once the detergent is made, apply a bit on the inside of your arm and just see what happens.
Erin if I remember correctly that recipe won’t be a heavy gel or glop. What kind of soap did you use? Have you tried a load of laundry?
I used dial soap. Yes I did a load, it came out ok. There was one stain that I noticed that did not come out.
Hey, I just posted yesterday, so not late at all! I can use Caress and Dove unscented, so I may try those. Have to see if I can get the ingredients first, and if it’s cost effective for me to make my own. Thanks for the site! I’ve learned a lot since I found it.
Hi I have been using the recipe for soap #4 plus a few cups of oxiclean since april and i just love it! If i want my dress shirts a little whiter i just add some more oxiclean..its great and lasts forever
I tried a recipe almost the same as #3 and for some reason it didn’t gel. The soap all congealled on the top (about 1/2 of an inch) and the rest stayed as soapy water. I thought I followed all the directions. I used 1/2 bar finely grated ivory soap bar, let it melt at medium heat in 3 pints of water and added 1/2 cup of Borax and Washing Soda (both authentic bought just for this purpose). Cooked it for about 40 minutes stirring it constantly (my recipe said to cook it until it was as thick as honey but I gave up). Anyway I put it into a bucket with 1 quart of hot water and stirred it for 2 minutes then covered it overnight. First, any idea why it didn’t gel? I didn’t fill it with cold water but I’m unclear as why adding a bunch more water would have turn it to gel.
Also is there something I can use what I’ve got for – such as reheating the soap scum, melting it and trying again with the extra water?
Anyway thanks, in advance, for any time you spend on this.
Hi ron, sorry for the late reply! Hmmm, I’m not familiar with that technique (cooking till it’s thick like honey), but I think you should still have had a more gel-like result. Homemade laundry detergent is more like “glop” rather than a thick gel. If you keep stirring it before each use and keep the container sealed, you should see some thickening up. I’d still use your batch.
i was wondering if anyone has used recipe with
borax
baking soda
washing soda
bar soap
I wanted to know if you could use soap flakes with this recipe.
and if anyone knows if it works iwth sentive skin or baby skin.
I’ve gotten ph balancer for the swimming pool to use in recipe #9.98% sodium carbonate..2%inert ingred. is this product correct.also warnings a bit frightening.thank you.-s
Hey everyone. I discovered this homemade detergent two days ago and decided to give it a try. To all the talk about not finding washing soda i have a soluion. I used oxy-clean as a substitute. I also used Fels-Naptha Heavy Duty Laundry Bar Soap. this is for treating stains so it worked really well. i used 2 cups borax, 2 cups of bar soap, and 2 cups oxy-clean. and it worked excelent and it had a smell that wasnt too strong. the oxy-clean worked great so for people wondering give that a try and let me know if it worked for you.
I stumbled up on this site when I was researching how to make eco friendly laundry detergent. I made the powdered version #4 and did about 4 loads of laundry with it already. Probably took about 15 minutes to make. I just used a cheese grater to grate the soap (Zote). It was easy. The soap was soft so it made it easy. I mixed the powder to the soap and let it sit for a while, then I went back and crushed the soap some more now that it was drier and thus easier to break up into smaller pieces.
The first load was dirty rags and I couldn’t believe how clean my rags were. I also tried the 1/2 c of vinegar in the softener dispenser and the rags came out clean and soft and not smelly at all! The stuff melted in the water pretty well. I didn’t have soap residue on my clothes. I lined dried the rags and they were soft, not like when I use fabric softener which makes my towels look like a cardboard.
I’m sold! Never going to buy expensive detergent anymore. Telling all my friends and family about it. Thank you.
Hi. I just heard about making laundry detergent and am anxious to make my first batch. I went to the store and tried to find the fels naptha. i have not heard of this before. what is it and what section of the store do you find it in?
It’s soap Margie, if you can’t find it locally, try amazon (you can search for it there to see what it looks like too if you want to keep trying locally).
Washing soda is perfectly safe for the environment.
http://www.root-cn.com/Laundry-Ball-Knowledge/Washing%20soda%20is%20environmentally%20friendly_23.Html
I started making the liquid detergent about a year ago and I am really happy with it. It is NOT an exact science, there are MANY recipes, but they all call for basically the same 3 ingredients.
I have even seen people use bar soap like Zest, Dial and more. But the reason I am writing today is that if you decide to make the powdered version, you need to be VERY careful about grinding up the bar soap. When I used the mini Cuisinart today to do so, it was the right powder like consistency, but would also float in the air when the lid was opened to the processor. People who have respiratory problems, asthma, etc may want to stick to the liquid or use a face mask when grinding up the soap powder. My lungs have been burning all day after making a batch of the powder.
That being said, the recipe I use is one part bar soap – I have used ZOTE and Fels Naptha; ground to a powder to 2 parts Borax and washing soda each and I only have to use 1 TBS of mix on normal loads and 2 TBS on heavily soiled. I also use Oxyclean on whites. With 4 boys and a grimy hubby, it works wonderful and lasts me for months. Once you buy the 3 ingredients, you should easily be able to make a year’s worth or longer depending on how much you use..one whole year on less than $12 of supplies!
I switched to the powdered just to save storage space and time. I recently ran out and purchased a bottle of detergent for about $3 and I barely used it for a week!
If you want to save and use more natural products, this is the way to go, and YOU CAN change the formula up a little bit to suit your liking and water hardness…again, this is NOT an exact science!
I have tried making the liquid detergent and it works great except that the clothes come out smelling like nothing. I can’t use fabric softner as they irritate my young sons skin. Any suggestions on how to correct this? I was told to add potpouri oil or essential oils but won’t that leave a residue on the clothes or cause spots? How much do I add? The recipe I use is :
1 bar of soap dissolved in 1 quart of water
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
3 gallons hot water
I use a potato peeler to grate my soap. It works great. I have a almost 4 year old boy and a 11 week old baby girl and this detergent even gets red popsicle out of clothing!
Hi, I have been making my own laundry soap for a year now. We live on a farm (lots of mud) I find my whites are not so white anymore plus a gas dryer does not help that. but anyway to the question…. Can I add powdered bleach to my laundry soap when I make it to help my whites? my recipe is 1 bar lye soap, 1/2 cup borax, 1/2 cup baking soda 5gal water. (Clorox2 color safe is what I was wanting to add.) Thanks
Hi Everybody,
Has anybody just added ingredients right into their wash or does it have to be added to hot water and put in a bottle?
This is what I have done for the past 3 loads and it seems to work fine. One large top loading washer full of warm water gets:
1/3 cup washing soda
1/3 cup borax
1/3 Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Liquid Soap
I was wondering if I can use less since many of the recipes above are using significantly less per load.
I thing we are missinng something to have this be powdered?
Recipe #10 – (Powdered)
1 cup Vinegar (white)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 cup Washing Soda
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
Mix well and store in sealed container.
I find it easiest to pour the liquid soap into the bowl first, stirred in the washing soda, then baking soda, then added the vinegar in small batches at a time (the recipe foams up at first). The mixture is a thick paste at first that will break down into a heavy powdered detergent, just keep stirring. There may be some hard lumps, try to break them down when stirring (it really helps to make sure the baking soda isn’t clumpy when first adding).
Hi othermother, it does turn out to be a powdered mix. It may have something to do with the order it’s mixed in though since someone mentioned above that it didn’t turn out for them. I made a fresh batch recently and it turned out great (following the order I gave).
never mind… i read it all …
To make hard water softer use more baking soda.
I am going to try the powdered version – #4
You say to use 2 tbs for each load, but what size load does that take care of? Sorry if you already answered this question, this is a long post! thanks!
Has anyone figured out how much to use for recipe #10?
Also is there a substitute for powder detergents that are without washing soda AND borax? ( maybe using just baking soda……
By the way, regarding safeness, oddly enough, i looked up seventh generations ingredients detergent and it was the same ingredients as alot of these on this recipe forum…they “claim” they are not toxic to humans and the environment….also the msds listed none of these as carcinogenic, but mainly irritants……. i guess we must pick the healthiest of it all……
Dawn the load size would be for a full load.
Caty I used 1/2 cup for #10 and everything turned out well, I hadn’t tried reducing so you may find good results with a lesser amount too.
I have a questions about using the detergents.
Can you use them in a front loader washer?
I have a front loader and very sensative skin and I would like to make my our laundry detergent, but don’t want to damage my washer.
Can you help with a good receipe. I prefer liquid detergen.
I also need a good fabric softener without perfumes and dyes.
Thank you,
Mickie
These responses are great, Im getting into making CP, HP and M&P soaps along with sprays for body and home.
I do have one question. Is there a recipe out there anywhere for a Eco-friendly laundry soap?
I like the idea that one lady has enough soap to last for 5 or so years.. WOW.
Bev:
The reason I want to make my own soap is cause I can not pronounce all the ingredients on the back of the bars plus I’m looking to make a few bucks on some bath and body and more products. When I first started reading how to make soap, I almost threw the towel in cause I had to use “lye” I thought if that stuff is that bad I do not want to put it in my soap. After finding out, I HAVE to use lye to make soap I did more and more research about precautions and how to handle it. I to am worried about “dangerous” products in my soaps of all kinds. If you happen to find a recipe for an eco-friendly soap could you post it here.. I would love to try it as I am as green as I can be, but you know we all need room to grow.
Soapers: On using the CP soaps which bar worked the best for you? Or will the results be the same.
Cool site THANKS!!
Sherry
My skin objects to Ivory & Fels Naptha (big time–ever feel like you’ve been rubbed raw?). Does anyone have a suggestion for a milder soap to use? Obviously, I will be using one of the recipes without Borax. Most likely to protect my frustratingly sensitive skin, I will be using the one with baking soda, rather than washing soda. The laundry detergents I have to buy to avoid skin reactions are all *much* expensive, so I would like to try this if possible. I just really need a different soap alternative.
Thanks!
Jennifer
Hello,
I tried Recipe #3 with success, using Zote soap. I made a few modifications myself, out of a wish to be frugal with limited accommodations.
I followed the recipe to the dot, up to after I had melted all the ingredients. Then I added one quart of cold water. I emptied the pot into a cleaned 2 qt bottle of laundry detergent. It’s pretty much super concentrated. So I use less than the recipe suggested amount when washing.
The mixture gels something solid, so it’s a good idea to place it into a pliable bottle, a bottle you could squeeze with ease. 2-liter bottles, detergent bottles are great for this. You could squirt it into a measuring cup, or if your sight is measured, directly into the washing machine.
Another tip for dealing with thick gels: add the soap and run the water first, before adding clothes. Stir it around with your hand or a piece of cloth, or a stick. That way you can ensure that the gel dissolves completely and with equal distribution.
Thank you for the recipe.
I was able to call Church & Dwight the suppliers/makers for Arm & Hammer Washing Soda…1800-524-1328…gave them a UPC # 33200-03020. They told me the closest store to purchase it…still an hour away. They told me I could order it directly from them…$3.99 plus shipping, at this time it is $6.39 to ship. BUT…they told me if I bought 4 boxes from them I will get free shipping. $15.96plus tax .96 cents =total $16.92 for 4 boxes This will probably last me the rest of my live since you use so litle at a time.
Hey , you can add a few barbles to the soap container then shake, it will mix quicker…
I made the recipe that produces a gel-like detergent (used fels soap that I grated and borax and washing soda). As my (top loading) washer fills with water I dump in a half cup of the “glop” and wait for it to dissolve before adding the clothes but the glop never dissolves!! I put in the clothes to be washed and when the entire cycle ends there is no glop left in the bottom of the machine so it goes somewhere!! But does anyone else notice this? Shouldn’t it dissolve as the machine fills with water??
marbles sorry for the mistake.. Allso I grate Zote and naptha and just us that if I do not have the other stuff…
Ok so I am looking for a recipe that has these ingredients and you would use a tablespoon of it for a large load in a top loader (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Carbonate, Oxygen Cleaner). I am also looking for a recipe with these ingredients that uses 1 tablespoon of it for a large load top loader (Soil and Stain Removers in the form of soap, sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium borate, oxygen cleaner). The first one is for cloth diapers and the other is for regular laundry. I am assuming that the “oxygen cleaner” is just oxyclean? I would really like to know what the “store names” (so I can find it in a store) of these are and if anyone knows the amounts to use to make a batch. I live with my inlaws and I don’t have space or energy to )or the patience of those around me) to just try different recipes until I get it right. If I can start saving us enough money we can move out!!!!!! So please help! Thanks
I am going back to making my own detergent to save $. To answer a few questions others had:
1) These soaps are excellent for front loaders because that are low sudsing. Start with a small amount and work your way up.
2) TIP: I have found with my new front loader it is important to PRETREAT stains either with a commercial products or use fels naptha to rub on stains.
I also live on a farm with a septic and well. I am most concerned about using detergents that are safe for septic and cause build up in the pipes over long time use. Could someone please respond. WE are all chemically sensitive and walking around in stained dirty looking clothes. My children, husband and my little biological buddies in the ground would really appreciate a response. ps I’ve got a big old bar of lye soap just waiting to jump in my food processor. thanks.
Hi Susan, I have no experience with septic tanks so I can’t offer any advice. Maybe someone reading this can advise.
Can someone tell me if I add vinegar or regular baking soda will it bleach my clothes, and how does vinegar work as a fabric softener? Thank you!
I have soft well water. What suggestions do you have?
For a scent can I place a towle with eo on it in the dryer? Use the same towle every time.
Hello i just want to thank “Tip nut” for this sight and taking the time to respond to all comments made here! Very helpful. I am going to try #4… Will share the results later
Does any one know if you can use these recipies in a High efficiency front loading washer??? the one I have has a dispenser that you pour the detergent in. Should I be worried about clogging it or should I just pour the detergent in to the wash like aI would with a top loader?
Thanks all
Geof
Making your own Homemade Laundry Soap is very inexpensive and a good choice for those concerned about quality, health related benefits, the environment & living frugal. It’s good to first understand the difference between the words Soap & Detergent. Virtually all laundry “soap” on the market today is a petroleum-based detergent (which is a cheap and synthetic copy of real soap) and the vast majorities contain dyes and perfumes that can irritate or fade clothes & they also contain optical brighteners that make you think your clothes are clean. Detergent was created during World War I when a shortage of fats (main ingredient in soap- either animal or vegetable derived) occurred and as an alternative; companies developed the first synthetic version of soap called detergent… much like margarine was chemically created to mimic butter. You can make better & less expensive soap for your clothes right at home and cut your costs down dramatically… one person spent $12 and made enough Homemade Laundry Soap to last her an entire year!!
There are lots of different combinations & recipes for Homemade Laundry Soap, but there are 4 common ingredients among them all: soap, washing soda, borax & vinegar. If you have a HE (high efficiency) washing machine please know that homemade laundry soaps are naturally low in suds which should accommodate these machines well. Trial & error will most likely be the case- as with anyone making their own customized laundry soap. Below is a description of each ingredient found in most Homemade Laundry Soap recipes. This should help you understand how to tweak your laundry soap based on whether your water is hard or soft in order to give you the best outcome. For those that wash in cold water, it is best to put your homemade laundry soap in with the washer’s hot water for a minute so it correctly dissolves, then turn the water to cold & begin adding clothes.
1. Soap: Use soap bars marketed for laundry such as Zote, Fels Naptha or Castile soaps or you can also use regular body bars as well as homemade soap bars too! Just choose plain bars of soap without a lot of additives. Beauty & deodorant bars (which contain extra oil, perfumes & moisturizers) are great for your skin but not for clothes or machines! If you’re searching for eco-friendly or more gentle & natural homemade laundry soap I would suggest something like Castile soap. It is perhaps one of the gentlest soaps to date- a fact that makes it the choice of many mothers when choosing a first soap for their babies. It’s made with 100% pure olive oil (which is one way to tell whether or not it’s a true Castile soap) and is naturally very mild. Also look for Dr. Bronner’s All-One Hemp Unscented Baby-Mild Pure Castile Soaps.
2. Washing Soda: Not the same as Baking Soda. Environmentally safe household cleaning product that helps to remove laundry stains such as: perspiration, collar & cuff, mustard & even motor oil. It also serves as a water softener as well as a laundry booster. Use more Washing Soda if you have extra hard water; use less if you have a soft water. Safe to use on all washable fabrics & colors. FYI: brands Planet and Seventh Generation (reputable for being environmentally friendly) both contain Soda Ash
3. Borax: A natural deodorizer, detergent booster & stain remover. Don’t go crazy with the Borax… more is not better in the case of Borax.. If you’re not getting the cleaning you desire, try just a little more Borax, but remember it’s a booster, not a soap. Borax, baking soda & oxyclean are all alkaline which also soften hard water.
4. Vinegar: The ingredients in Homemade Laundry Soap are considered alkali. Vinegar is an acid and will help restore the pH balance of your wash load so that your clothes, your machine & pipes rinse clean & do not build up with soap residue much like what happens in with soap scum in showers. Vinegar also works as a great alternative to fabric softener! Your clothes WILL NOT smell like vinegar. Add ½ cup of distilled vinegar to the “fabric softener” part of your washer or put in a Downy ball. Some have also suggested putting a few drops of essential oil in with the vinegar to give clothes a scent (rumor has it that Bergamot essential oil gives the Mountain Fresh scent). DO NOT use vinegar with chlorine bleach!
Add Mrs. White’s Liquid Bluing or oxyclean to your Homemade Laundry Soap as a safer & less expensive alternative to bleach. The whites come out wonderful, the colors are bright and clean and best of all, it is better for the environment. You may also find the need for a spot treatment and there are several recipes & ideas for homemade ones as well or you can use any store bought brand.
The following recipes are for either powder or liquid Homemade Laundry Soap. If you do not want to bother with the melting of soap and having gallons and gallons of goop (not like store bought liquid- more like egg drop soup) then the powder recipes are best. Just make sure to shred your soap using the fine section on a cheese grater or food processor for the powdered recipes… large lumps of soap will not dissolve quickly in your washer. If you decide you like the “liquid” version best but are concerned with bacterial growth or spoilage then you may consider adding Grapefruit Seed Extract. It is a natural preservative that contains powerful anti-oxidants such as vitamin A, E and C!
Powder Laundry Soap
3 bars of Soap
3 cups Borax
3 cups Washing Soda
Put chopped soap in food processor until fine.
Pour into a large bowl with the Borax and Washing Soda and stir until combined.
Use 1/4 cup (same as 2 TBSP) in HE front loader, use 1/2 cup in a top loader.
Liquid Laundry Soap
1 cup grated soap
4 cups water
1/3 cup Baking Soda
1/3 cup OxiClean
1/3 cup Borax
Boiling Pot
5 gallon cleaned, recycled paint bucket
Place water in boiler pot
Place grated soap in water
bring to boil & then turn down to low simmer… simmer until all soap is melted
Keeping heat on low, add dry ingredients… stir
continue stiring until mixture thickens & then turn off heat
Pour about 4 cups hot tap water into paint bucket
pour mixture into water that is in paint bucket, stir
allow to settle overnight
Use 1/4 cup for washload & if needed soak load overnight
Spot Treatment & Stains
for extremely greasy or very smelly clothes (excellent for removing pet odors or urine odors) clothes:
add 1/4 cup Borax
soak overnight in the hottest water safe for the fabric
for blood, catsup, etc:
add 1 scoop of OxiClean (use the scoop that came with the product, then soak overnight in cold water)
mud: 1/4 cup added borax & overnight hot water soak
I made recipe #1 awhile back and it turned out great. This time I used the same recipe but added an extra cup of soda and borax. Now the soap is in a semi solid mass on the top with the soapy water underneath it. I reboiled the soap and it was very smooth but this morning no gel and its all clumpy again.
Any idea what going on and can I still use this batch?
I added the extra borax/soda because my whites and colors were getting a little dingy.
I have not tried making the soap yet a friend and i are going to do it together cant wait but for whitening i have a son that plays football and baseball and was tolled a long time ago to use powedered dish washer soap walmart cheap which works great usually i just need to swish it around and maybe some elbow grease and they come out looking brand new. Could you add the powder to the soap recipe when you start making it?
Hi, I’ve just made my first batch of liquid soap (recipe #7) because I can’t find any borax that is reasonably priced where I live (New Zealand). I ended up with a a semi-solid gel which I put into two liter icecream containers for storage. Can I now just mix a cup of that glop with hot water to make it liquid and more easily dissolvable in the wash?
Also, are there any powdered recipes that do not require borax?
Could some one tell me how much of recipe #10 do I use for each load? Someone told me the whole batch, but that seems like a lot. Also is there a recipe for a liquid detergent that has white vinegar, washing soda, baking soda and castile soap? One that can be made ahead and ok to put in the dispenser of a front loader. Thanks!
Hi, TipNut!
I have not tried making any of the soaps yet since I still have not found a source of Washing Soda here(Philippines). Arm and Hammer Brand Washing Soda is unknown here. and none of the drug stores and supermarkets here even know what Washing soda is. I have a few questions about the recipes.
1. When you mention 1/2 Cup for a full load of laundry, how big is a full load? There are several different sizes of washing machines on the market (10.5Kg, 8Kg, 6Kg., etc.) being sold here, which one is the full load you mention. I have a 10.5Kg washing machine (Speed Queen Brand),is 10.5Kg the standard load there in the U.S.? Someone in an earlier post mentioned using a $4 dollar load instead of the $1++ load sized washer in her laundromat. Can you give me an estimate of how much of the soaps to use per Kg of laundry? I know in the end I will have to do trial and error for the amount of soap to use, but it would be nice to have a good starting point.
2. Here in the Philippines, hand washing all our laundry is still king and therefore, we have a plethora of laundry detergent bars sold in the market. Will laundry detergent bars do (Mr. Clean, White Cat, Superwheel) instead of bath soap bars, because laundry bars are more affordable than bath soap bars? Fels Nephta and Zote are unknown brands here. Tide Brand laundry bar is also available here, will that do?
3. Aside from white vinegar is there anything else that would make a great fabric softener?
Thank you so much for this wonderful site and blog. I await your speedy reply.
I was reading some of the comments and wanted to know, do I need to put the downy ball with vinegar in the rinse cycle of the wash? And how much vinegar do I use?
I just made Powdered Recipe #4 and I have to admit I was very skeptical. I have a front loader HE machine and didn’t know how it would work. I pulled some of the dirtiest clothes out of my laundry pile and put the detergent to the test. My son’s sweat pants with ground in mud and my husband’s work clothes were among the worst offenders. The clothes came out absolutely clean. I even threw in a shirt that I had with a large coffee stain. I didn’t pretreat it and the stain came out. I used 2T of detergent. Whoever made the comment about the benefit of a low sudzing soap for front loaders is right. I’ve had a lot of problems with that using conventional detergents. I’m going to give the vinegar a try. When I did the laundry I didn’t have white vinegar, but I had red wine vinegar. Worked OK but I thought I could smell it. I’ll try plain white vinegar next time.
I’ve been using the powdered recipe #4 for over a month now. I wanted to test it out before I commented, and I have to say that I love it! I’ve made a few adjustments, however. I’ve never been a fan of cold water wash, so I use mine in warm water for most loads, and hot water for towels, sheets, and whites. I’m still a believer in a little bleach for some white loads occasionally. My clothes have still come out very clean and fresh. I haven’t noticed any graying whites, or stale smells, or stains not coming out.
I also don’t have to worry about family skin problems or allergies, so I have used Irish Spring soap (one bar grates up to equal 2 cups) because I love the scent. I buy the Borax in Walmart, but I have to go to the grocery store to get the washing soda, as our Walmart does not carry it. After grating the soap, I put the three ingredients in my food processor. I like how it gets blended together better and the soap is very fine. It looks just like brand name detergent. One other adjustment — I was not comfortable using only 1/8 cup. Both the Borax and washing soda instructions say to add 1/2 cup of their product to a load of wash to boost the cleaning power. If they recommend 1/2 cup, I don’t think I want to cut it down quite so much, so I use 1/4 cup in a large load of laundry. Even using that amount, it is still a huge money saver. I store my powder in those great plastic coffee containers. They’re just the right size for a triple batch.
Thanks for this great website!
I’ve been using recipe #4 for almost a year now. I love it. I have a HE front loader. I use Ivory as the bar soap, borax, and washing soda. I also pour vinegar into the “fabric softener” location. My clothes do not come out smelling like vinegar. Depending on the clothes, I wash in all temperatures. I have not had any problems with residue or soap not dissolving. I always set our washer for the Extra Rinse.
The results:
WONDERFUL!!!! Everything comes clean. I rarely pretreat, spaghetti sauce would be an exception. I haven’t noticed fading or dingyness. And we all have one set of white sheets!
I have three young, messy, active, sports-playing children. Their clothes look great. From uniforms to delicate church clothes. I also use microfiber rags for cleaning instead of sponges or paper towels. I find this detergent to work great getting these clean.
Allergy issues:
My daughter has severe eczema. This is what got us started on making our own cleaners. She does fine with this detergent (again powder #4 using Ivory). We can’t use Ivory on her in the bath, so I’m guessing that the vinegar and the extra rinse helps remove any soap residue.
Detergent Side effect:
I’m finding dirt build-up in the door lining of my washing machine. This did not happen when I was using store-bought detergents. I personally would like to attribute this to better cleaning of the clothes. I’ve had my front loader about 3 1/2 years and haven’t had this happen before. Though if someone knows differently, I’d sure appreciate the information.
Thank you TipNut for taking your time to run this site. Your work is appreciated!
To answer the latest questions:
Vinegar as a rinse has not affected my clothes (fading, etc.). You do not have to use a downy ball, just pour some vinegar in the rinse cycle. No your clothes will not smell like vinegar. Use regular white household vinegar.
How big exactly is a full load? Gosh, I don’t know, lol! As mentioned by someone above, this isn’t an exact science. Experiment with your measurements to see what amounts work best with you, but for me my full load is 3.5 cu/ ft capacity.
Yes you can use laundry soap bars in these recipes.
Recipe #10 amount–I used 1/2 cup with success.
If your liquid detergent is too thick, sure you can first mix it with hot water to liquify it more. You probably won’t need to use the full soap amount since the soap is so concentrated, try reducing it a bit and see if your clothes come out clean.
Yes I still use bleach for whites, no problem.
Tammy can you stir the glop up to mix each time? I’m sure you can still use your batch. Maybe add some water to the soap first to dissolve the detergent better then add to water.
Thanks to everyone offering notes of their experience and suggestions for alternatives, great stuff and it benefits everyone!
I bought all three ingredients (Fels Naptha, Borax,& Washing soda) at Publix today. I am looking forward to making my laundry soap.
I made recipe #1 everything was looking great until I went to use the first time there was a ‘thick’ (about 3 inches) of gel on top followed with mostly water and aa crystal hard bottom. What did I do wrong and can I still use it?
I also read baking soda if heated to 350 – 400 degrees quickly turns into washing soda. Is this true?
I just happened to come across this site and it is very interesting. I have been a Tide addict for a long time. I wanted to make #4 but after going to 7 different places I still could not find Washing Soda. It was actually annoying the amount of times I had to repeat “washing soda not baking soda” because they thought I was crazy. I did try heating the baking soda in the microwave to convert the baking soda to washing soda only to have the microwave glass bowl burst in the microwave.(?) I then put it into the oven for awhile and then mixed it with the other ingredients. The first thing my husband said was “it’s not working, there are no suds”. I am glad that I was able to show him all the info on your site to back up no suds. I have to say that I do like the way the clothes look and feel and I will make more detergent when I find the washing soda. I had converted to using vinegar along time ago due to costs but was glad to read about essential oils. Thank you for a great site..
I’ve been using homemade powdered detergent (like #4) and it cleans better than store bought. I add baking soda to soften the water and oxybrite for whitening. I also use vinegar in the DOwney ball.
The biggest suprise I found is that this is the BEST toilet bowl cleaner. I threw some in one day while doing laundry (our machines our in our bathroom) and LOVED the results.
Hi, I have been using this recipe and love it but wondered about those using it on cloth diapers?
Are you using it on the cloth diapers with the PUL outer like a Fuzzi Bunz or BumGenius or are you washing the prefolds and terry cloth type?
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks, Amy
Do not attempt recipe #10 or any other that involves mixing vinegar with borax, or especially with baking soda or washing soda!!! The only cleaning use for mixing vinegar with baking or washing soda is to pour them SEPARATELY into a drain to generate gas as they mix in the drain to unclog it.
Vinegar is acid, those other ingredients are alkali — THEY COUNTERACT EACH OTHER! There are recipes out there like #10 that were written by people who had no idea what they were doing. Mixing vinegar with baking or washing soda is worse than with borax, because not only do they counteract, they also generate fizz that makes a mess.
Expanding what I wrote here a few months earlier, if you mix a liquid product whose ingredients include “ammonium [anything]” with alkali, you will generate ammonia gas. That’s what happened with the person who mixed White Rain body wash with some alkali. It stinks, but it’s not too dangerous when you consider that ammonia is commonly used as a household cleaner.
The reason baking soda doesn’t turn to soda ash in baking is because the dough also contains acids. However, an excess of baking or even washing soda is commonly used in making pretzels to form a glazed crust of soda ash.
Hi Robert, there are so many volumes of recipes both on the web and in books that include mixing borax and vinegar, baking soda and vinegar but I’ll just link to sources here that are reputable (people who know what they’re talking about):
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
New York State Consumer Protection Board
Farmers Almanac
David Suzuki Foundation
Book Excerpt: Creating A Safe & Healthy Home
Kitsap County – less toxic alternatives
Metro – Kitchen cleaners
Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District
Consumer Reports Greener Choices
I could list sources a mile long. If vinegar and baking soda released a poisonous gas when mixed, we’d never be allowed to experiment with it at school for science projects nor advised to pour it down our drains with us hovering over the sink.
There are also plenty of recipes mixing borax with lemon juice (an acid). I haven’t searched for those.
I’ve used #10 effectively with no problems at all, I know what a bad reaction smells like–it stinks bad! I’ve made it several times now and not a bad smell at all.
Hey, thanks for all the facts. But i have one question. To make my clothes smell good, i spray them with laundry detergent..is that a bad thing and could it damage my clothes? I mean it does make my clothes smell really good, and i do dilute it with a lot of water. So is it okay if i keep doing it?
Several readers have mentioned wanting a fragrance on their washing. All the liquid and powder detergents benefit from mixing with hot water before adding clothes. I mix in a large jug or small bucket and it is easy to add a few drops of essential oil to the mix. I like a few drops of eucalyptus for a clean, fresh fragrance and also for its anti-bacterial protection. I pour this mix into the bottom of my front loader. I also use white vinegar in the fabric softener with good results and no vinegary smell, just nice soft fabric.
did anyonr find success with recipe #8?
Hi All,
I whipped up a batch of #3 a week or so ago. It works so well, and is so cheap that it almost feels like stealing! All my clothes, et cetera, come out perfectly clean and very fresh smelling, without a nasty perfume scent. Fortunatly, I had 5 or so empty liquid detergent bottles laying around waiting to be recycled, as they make perfect containers. I reckon the bottles themselves will last for many, many years. What a great way to cut down on the amount of plastic we buy.
Spread this little secret around, everyone! This is a great money and planet saver.
Best,
Jherek
I made laundry detergent #1 and something went wrong. I was reading the posts and Amanda and Tammy both have had the same problem as I…my laundry detergent has not turned into a gel. It is soapy opaque water at the bottom and on top is a white, soap layer, maybe 1/2 inch thick at most. I stir it and it breaks apart but I end up with soapy water with chunks of white soap floating in it. I am going to use this anyway. I couldn’t wait to get up this morning and look in my bucket and see my “slime”, instead I got seperated soap and water.
Even my whole family has become involved.
I had considered doing what Tammy did and that is boiling the mixture…I thought that maybe my soap wasn’t completely disolved. But it still didn’t work for her, so I am unsure what else to do except switch to another recipe. Is the measurement off for #1? I would not advise anyone to use #1. Its kinda discouraging since this is my first time making it and it didn’t end up like it was supposed to. But I will say….I having the time of my life learning about and making my own cleaning supplies, air fresheners, etc…
I’m not sure what the problem is Allie, it’s hard to say. If you notice, Tammy said she made one batch of #1 and it turned out fine. The second batch didn’t after she adjusted the measurements. You’ll also see a couple links above to “miserable bliss”, those are from a blogger talking about her experience with recipe #1 and it was good.
I wonder if the problem is the bar soap used?
I was wondering if I can still use store bought fabric softener in the Downy ball while using the powder form detergent.
Yes you can Stephanie
.
I have been making my own detergent for a couple months now. I use a recipe which uses 1 bar of soap, 1 c washing soda, 1 c borax, 5 gal hot water. Mine has gelled well although once I shake it up or stir it turnes into a lumpy liquid and never goes back to that gel state that I first had. None of that matters, if all your ingredients are in there and were melted and mixed well it will still work the same.
I do have to add about 1 Tbs regular detergent to each load to get the quality of clean that I desire but I still save a great deal of money anyway and will continue to use it. My loads are very large and I have four children so I probally would need a laundry boost anyway.
The question I have is, dose it make any diffrence if I pour it into my detergent containers while it is still warm (before the gel process) or do I need to let it set overnight and gel first. Pouring it while warm is much easier for me.
Also dose anyone have any idea where i can get something to stir it with that is as long as a 5 gal bucket is tall? Thanks!
I made recipe number one but with five gallons.I poured it my saved detergent containers (while it was still warm). I added just a tad bit of regular detergent to one of the bottles and it kept it from gooping. I washed for the first time with it and my goodness!I almost couldnt see straight for the brightness and cleaness of the clothes! What a difference! Our socks(the kids sometimes wear them outside) were bright and white and even my 20 year old son noticed!(so it had to be good huh?)I dont think I even used more than a quarter cup in each super load. I have a family of farm boys and two sweet angels. So we have lots of down and dirty clothes! My only problem is while mixing up the hot soap I splashed some on my shirt and I didnt wear gloves while mixing it so my shirt has white spots now and my finger tips are a little dry.But this effect was only because of the heat, I think. I add the soap to the water, then fill, then add the clothes and our clothes havent faded. They brightened up! I opened the lid after it agitated a little bit and I could not believe how filthy the water was in a load of my daughter’s clothes(and believe me honey she ain’t gonna work to sweat or get dirty) so I was really amazed!A box of borax, a box of washing soda, and two bars of fels-napths cost me about eleven dollars and makes fourteen containers of soap. That’s $140 if I used tide or $70 if I used xtra(which I have been).That’s a lot of money saved!And the clothes are so much cleaner!So if you are wondering if this is for you…….try it! I added Ocean breeze fragrance oil to mine.
I love the recipe for the powdered laundry soap. I use my food processors shredding blade to finely grate the fels naptha, and it is wonderful. That way, I can make a huge batch of it and forget about it. I am from Michigan and I find the fels naptha in meijer along with the borax, but I have to get the washing soda from Borax. My question is, how can I make sure the clothes arent dingy. We have really hard water and our softener is acting up. Is there something I could add to the wash or to the detergent to keep things bright and not yellow? Thank you
Just a little update on number #1…I decided to use it instead of throwing it out, and can honestly say that it is working fine. First load I washed still had a “dirty clothes” smell so I re-washed and added more detergent. My detergent is still watery with soap chunks floating around in it (Oh, by the way, I used Ivory bar soap) but the chunks dissolve and my clothes come out clen and smelling beautiful! I am no longer complaining because when I add up how much money I am saving my family, it brings me joy!!
I would like to switch to homemade laundry soap, however I currently use store bought soap for dark clothes to prevent fading. What adjustments do I need to make to ensure that the dark navy colored clothes that my work buys once a year stays dark navy for the entire year being washed weekly?
I made recipe #2 it turned out like egg whites. I split mine between 2 five gallon buckets, then I fill 1 gallon detergent jugs as I need them. I took 4 20oz water bottles to my friends @ work. They have all tried it and liked it. My daughter made some even though I didn’t give her a sample of it, haven’t heard back from her on it yet. My friends at work all say they are going to try it.
We have used 2 gallons of it so far and have no complaints.
Hi everyone,
I was wondering why would I have to use baking soda and washing soda in laundry soap if they both do the same thing? Isn’t the idea of using them to raise the ph? or is there more to it? and does anyone know if I can use powdered bleach in any of the recipes?Thanks
I have been making recipe #4 for about 6 months and have loved the results. I haven’t noticed any graying or dingy whites, but I also wouldn’t say I have noticed them getting brighter. I am going to try using a bluing agent to the wash to see if that helps any. My question is about the soap dissolving in the washer. I rent so when I first started trying the recipe out I had a front loader. Nothing fancy, I am renting remember. I had no troubles with the laundry detergent that I made and I never noticed that it didn’t dissolve. Now that I moved I have a top loader. Personally, I feel like the washing machine itself doesn’t even work. I am still using my second batch that I made (I made a big one after I decided I like recipe #4) and I feel like the stains are not coming out as good as they did. My other problem is that I am finding that the soap is not dissolving completely unless I use hot water. I have tried the warm cycle and mixing the water and detergent together at the beginning of the cycle before adding the clothes. I have noticed that the water that comes out on the warm cycle is still very cold. I did use the cold cycle on my old machine and didn’t notice a problem. WHY do you think I would be having a problem now? Is there something I can add more of to help it dissolve better?
I can try dissolving it in hot water first and then switching over to warm/cold, but I just don’t understand why I didn’t have this problem on my first machine. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
I’d like to try #10, but I have a question. It says “Mix well and store in sealed container”. Should I wait until it’s dry to seal it, or seal it while it’s wet? I would imagine with all the liquid ingredients it would take a while to dry. Thanks for the great site, btw!
i have borax and washing soda. Is there any way to substute a liquid soap like bronners or aubrey which is like the all purpuse dr bronners instead of the bar?
ok, sorry everyone. i just tried #10 using washing soda instead of baking soda, I hop that is allright. It mixed up smoothly and smells out of this world. I used a liquid aubrey all purpose that I got from the internet, next time I will use Dr. bronners.
One more thing, recipe # 10 said use a half cup. Is that considering that I have a front loader?
Thank you for this! I plan on using recipe #8 (or #5 or #7 if I can find washing soda in the stores.) I have a few questions:
Are these recipes okay for front-loading machines?
I am assuming that 1 drop of essential oil is 1 mL, am I correct?
I cannot have a washer or dryer at home, so I must go to the laundromat. Should I not use vinegar (either in a detergent or fabric softener), since others use bleach in their laundry? I don’t want to cause damage to my (or anyone else’s clothes) or myself or anyone else. Also, I have previously bleached my whites. Should I not use vinegar at all in the future?
The cost to run washers and dryers (as well as bleach, detergents, softeners, etc) is getting higher and higher but unfortunately my income isn’t, so I must cut corners and I was hoping to do so by making my own detergent and softener but I am very concerned with the vinegar/bleach issue.
For those of you having a hard time finding washing soda, they have it at Meijer. If you don’t have a meijer near you, they sell it through their website as well.
Hi! I am teetering on the idea of making my own detergent, I am very excited about the idea…However, I would really like to know how the smell is of the laundry…I use Tide and I like the clean smell it has…can anyone describe the smell to me or does anyone work with oils in their detergent,etc???
Question To Lori, Which Recipe did you like best ? I want to use the for family . My son was the one that told us about making homemade soap to use for our laundry. So for him I would like your favorite recipe. OK?
Hi, for recipe #4 it says “Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container”. Can I use a glass jar with lid, or does it have to be plastic? I am making homemade cleaning products as gifts & I have some nice glass jars i’d like to put it in.
Also it says “Use 2 tablespoons per full load”… i’m assuming this is for top load? Is it any different for front load? I apologize if these questions have already been asked, but there’s a lot of questions & comments to read through!
Thanks!!!
I use recipe #9 and it’s my favorite detergent ever! And so cheap! We have three messy, dirty kids, including two stinky boys and one toddler girl who gets all kinds of food on her clothes. This detergent has worked great for us.
I just wanted to put in my 2cents on the issue of washing soda/borax being caustic. I dye textiles where i use the stuff all the time and using common sense safety precautions like wearing a dust mask while you are mixing the stuff up and I also lay down newspaper over my work area and beyond its amazing how far dust can travel and you never see it, spray the newspaper down with plain water when the dust settles it attaches to the paper so you don’t continue to stir it up into the air as you work. These are chemicals and can be very caustic to mucous membranes and your eyes if you get the dust in them, breathing can cause hypersensitivity to it w/ long term exposure, can also be more irritating to people w/ sensitive skin. the amounts used in a typical load of laundry diluted as they are should be fine to most people if you notice skin irritation from items washed discontinue use of course and/or make another batch w/ less of the soda/borax.
Is homemade laundry detergent safe for septic tanks? Any advice.
i read all the letters but no one said anything on lint removeble from clothes. i do not own a dryers for well over 20 years. the really only time it shows up good on is dark clothes any suggestions . pam
Greetings,
I was wondering if I could use Soap Flakes instead of grating a bar of soap. If so, is there a difference in the amount needed?
Thank-you,
Wickad
I see no reason that this would not be safe on septic systems,if all of the ingredients are septic safe.
Where do you find washing soap at I have looked at Safeway as well as Wal-Mart they don’t have them. Please Help!!
Products that can use to eliminate the vinegar smell:
Scented Vinegar: Add 50 drops of eucalyptus oil, 75
drops of lavender, or 75 drops of tea tree oil to a
gallon of white vinegar. Dilute as required in any
cleaning recipe. Enjoy the smell, the cleaning, the
anti-bacterial, the anti-fungal, and the insecticide
benefits of the herbs! I am sure you could experiment
with other herbs such as mints as well.
Or you can make use of your citrus rinds this way:
Cut your choice of citrus rinds into small pieces &
put them in a jar. Cover rinds with vinegar. Let brew
for 4 weeks. Strain. Use your citrus vinegar in any
of your cleaning recipes, or dilute in water for a
great floor cleaner, window washer, laundry
freshener/whitener, etc.
Note:
You can buy concentrated citrus oil at any
organic store. It has many uses including a great
natural insecticide. Use one teaspoon of concentrate
to one or two teaspoons per gallon of water. It will
actually dissolve the exo-skeleton of the insects. If
you have scorpions, use a 50/50 mixture on
them; it’s lethal.
Citrus oil also makes a great furniture polish at the
right concentration.
Most of all, anything made from citrus, is
environmentally friendly.
I have a question………….what is “washing soda?” I have been looking at home made laundry detergents, and they all call for washing soda. Thanks for any help!
does anybody have the recipe for the homemade febreeze? how about homemade dish soap? thank you!
Hi there, you’ll find homemade dishwasher detergent here and homemade febreeze here.
Since many of the same questions are being asked, I’ve decided to close the comments for this post and create a Homemade Laundry Detergent Frequently Asked Questions page that readers can refer to and find answers. This page will still stay open for reference. Thanks for everyone’s help!
Here’s the page with more info: Homemade Laundry Detergent FAQ.