Homemade Laundry Detergent FAQ

Comments

1. Nettacow says:

   Whew, what a post of excellent tips! As a lifelong lover of Tide detergent, I mix borax and washing soda in a 1:1 ratio, and use a tablespoon of that with a drizzle of my Tide (double both for husband’s farm clothes). It’s worked quite well for me.

   A note about washing diapers – I use pocket diapers lined with PUL and while this is by no means a scientific study, it seems that the borax/ws combo might be a bit hard on the fabric. Since I’ve been using it, I’ve noticed some small places where the fabric is worn away and only the PUL remains, which does NOT alter the functionality of the diaper in any way. It also could be because my little one was in one particular size for eight months and being washed every other day for that period of time would be hard on anything. Before I began using this combo method, it seemed no matter what I did, I’d still get too much Tide and then be rinsing forever. This really helps control that problem.

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2. Misti says:

   Hi, I just wanted to share my experience with homemade laundry detergent. On Novemeber, 25, 2008, I made my first batch of detergent, using recipe #1. I love this detergent. My husband and 5 year old son, have some sensitivities to laundry detergents with a lot of chemicals and fragrances. I also wanted to cut our detergent budget. I have a family of 4 and I do several loads of laundry per week.

   As mentioned above, I made my first batch in November the week of Thanksgiving. I have poured it into a couple of milk jugs, a 5 gallon ice cream bucket and a 78 oz. recycled detergent bottle. I store the batch in all of the others and just refill the detergent bottle. I have a small see-thru plastic cup that I have marked with the measurements per recipe #1 instructions.

   I re-filled my container on December 18, 2008. As of today, I have a small amount left in my container; maybe a cup or two left. So basically, I use 78 oz or less in a months time. I still have about 1/2 of the 5 gallon ice cream bucket left over. I think this should get me through all of February. If I can make a batch and it lasts me approximately 3 months, then it is worth it. I did a cost breakdown on my blog and it came to about $2.50 per batch($0.02 per load). That is $2.50 for 3 months worth of laundry detergent.

   Thanks TipNut!

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3. Rachel says:

   Thank you so much for posting all of these great laundry tips!

   I just wanted to address washing cloth diapers in homemade detergent- Washing Soda and Borax are absolutely safe and recommended, but grated bar soaps ARE NOT recommended as they can cause build up and absorbency issues over time.

   One of the most popular recipes for diaper detergent is: 1 cup Washing Soda, 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax, and 1 cup Oxyclean Free; Mix it well and Combine in a sealed container. Use 2 tablespoons for a small load, 1/4 cup for a large load.
   Sun Oxygen cleaner is cheaper and can be used in place of the Oxyclean.

   Thanks again TipNut!

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4. Char says:

   I have been using recipe #1 for about 5 months and I love it. I have used Ivory and Fels Naphs both work fine. I mix the detergent in a recycled kitty liter container once it gels pour into milk jugs, 2-liter soda bottles, whatever you have. It’s a great feeling not to pay ridiculous amounts of money for laundry detergent.

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5. danielle rice says:

   I store my liquid homemade laundry detergent in a Steralite 5 gallon garbage pail. Origionally I stored my son’s soiled fabric diapers in it, because it has a lid. Then, after I started making the detergent, I started using it for my laundry detergent. It works wonderfully. To make dispensing it easier, I pour some of it into a 1 gallon plastic pitcher with a lid, and a spout. I think is is also made by Steralite. I just keep a measuring cup by my pitcher and pour it up. The pitcher is empty so I can see when it needs a little shake.(Also, I keep a large wooden spoon handy to stir the big bucket up when I am transfering it to the pitcher.) This stuff has been a lifesaver on our budget! I wash at least 1 load of fabric diapers per day, and probably 2 other loads as well of regular clothes, so it is a huge savings!

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6. Lisa says:

   I had no idea you could make this! Thanks for the how to tips and recipes, I’m going to try this as soon as I can find all the ingredients. I think I will start with the powdered detergent as you suggested Tipnut. I do like my liquid Tide but hey, why not see how this dry recipe works out. I also have a few 5 gallon pails in storage that I could use for the liquid detergents if I want to go that route, I knew I was saving them for something! Thanks again for showing us how to make our own detergents, cool cool tip!!!

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   • jamie says:

     you should try recipe 3 I was a tide nut and I found recipe #3 works most like tide I really love it

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7. Deanne says:

   Several of our family members have asthma and sensitive skin, which are both agitated by perfumes and additives. I was so excited to read the tip on making Home made detergents, shampoo, soaps, and cleaning supplies. Our local Dollar Tree carries gallon size plastic containers with wide mouths and screw on lids. These are the perfect size to mix the powdered detergent and store a 1/8 cup measuring scoop. Our clothes are softer and we haven’t had any itching complaints due to laundry soap.

   It did take a bit to find the ingredients as we live in a small town, but a trip up the road to WinCo Foods proved beneficial. Washing soda, borax, and Fels Naptha soap were all there, easy to find, and at the right price. I love TipNut.com. Every single day I pick up a new recipe, idea, pattern, or….tip to try! Thank you for adding good things to our lives!

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8. Amanda says:

   I started making my own laundry detergent after seeing it done on the TLC show “17 Children and Counting”. I run a state licensed daycare out of my home and I have two toddlers of my own. If I had to guess, I’d say I do about 14-16 loads of laundry or more per week. At first I figured if nothing else it would be a cheaper way to wash daycare bedding, but now I use it for all of our laundry. We have hard water, so I added more Borax and our clothing has never been softer. With a house full of “potty trainers” urine smell is also a big concern. Homemade laundry detergent seems to get the pee smell out every bit as well (if not better!) than the Purex I had been using. LOVE IT!

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   • Tomma says:

     We also have hard water and the first load of whites that I washed with my new soap mixture came out terribly grey. I read in your comments that you used more Borax per load to help solve your hard water problem. Can you please tell me how much of the laudry soap you used and how much Borax you added to the loads. I am very excited about making and using the homemade soap but I need to do some tweeking on it!! Any advise you can give will be greatly appreciated.

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9. Traci Moshier says:

   Thank you for compiling this list!! That post was wonderful and I appreciate everyone’s comments, but I have to say–I was overwhelmed with it. I have never made my own detergent but I want to. I didn’t know where to start after reading most of that. You have made it simpler and saved time for me by putting it all together.
   Thank you again!!

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10. Kat says:

    I would not use washing soda in a situation where the “waste” water was going to either a greywater oasis nor direct to ground. Too much sodium. Fels Naptha no longer contains actual naphthalene, but it still contains one or two toxic ingredients ( I can’t recall what they were ) I suggest getting the ingredients list for Fels Naptha and doing an online search. I just recall making a note to myself never to have it anywhere near my home. I try to avoid petrochemicals.
    Old timers used Fels Naptha for most everything, including as an insecticide for the garden. I don’t know about borax – However I wouldn’t chance it as I would guess it could also be bad news for gound water and cause soil contamination.
    Anyone know about soap nuts, or another plant; soap wort?

    Reply
    • Beckie Parker says:

      Kat,
      Did you know any soap can be used as an insecticide in the garden . Most women used it to water the flowers after they finished washing and it did two things the soap kept the bugs away and the water of course watered the plants. I remember my babysitter using hers in this way and she used tide.
      Beckie

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      • Marie says:

        Whether or not you can safely use the resulting grey water, or some diluted homemade detergent, in the garden for watering or pest control depends on the ingredients in the original bar of soap, and how much of the washing soda you used. The antibacterial ingredients and other additives in many bar soaps such as regular Dial may harm or kill plants. The washing soda contains sodium which can actually keep the plants from absorbing enough water.

        Reply
    • new nom says:

      Fels Naptha should not be used as an overall body soap or regular laundry additive since it contains Stoddard solvent, a skin and eye irritant, and formerly used in dry cleaning.

      According to the “Chronic Health Effects” section of the National Institutes of Health’s MSDS for Fels Naptha:

      “Chronic toxicity testing has not been conducted on this product. However, the following effects have been reported on one of the product’s components. Stoddard solvent: Repeated or prolonged exposure to high concentrations has resulted in upper respiratory tract irritation, central and peripheral nervous system effects, and possibly hematopoetic, liver and kidney effects.

      Stoddard solvent is another name for mineral spirits, which are, like petroleum distillates, a mixture of multiple chemicals made from petroleum. Exposure to Stoddard solvent in the air can affect your nervous system and cause dizziness, headaches, or a prolonged reaction time. It can also cause eye, skin, or throat irritation.”

      Not *any* soap should be used in the garden. Detergents are not the same as soap and can damage plants. You should always make sure the soap container actually says “soap” on the label before using it in the garden.

      Reply
11. LuvGdss611 says:

    Just some clarification for those of you asking about washing soda and borax and the safety of handling them. Borax is harmless to the skin and is non-toxic if swallowed-HOWEVER borax is a violent laxative if ingested. that means violent on both ends. You should try to avoid breathing it in as it will irritate the respiratory tract. Borax is a common ingredient in children’s “slime” and putty like toys (allows for gelling). Washing soda (ash) is irritating to the skin and should not be handled exessively without wearing some simple household gloves. When mixed with water if produces carbonic acid which can cause mild burns on some people’s skin. Contrary to what some have said it is not the same as baking soda and is not safe to be ingested. Washing soda may irritate the respiratory tract considerably if the powder is inhaled. Just because ingredients are naturally occuring (which both borax and soda are) does not make them harmelss (a classic example being poison ivy).

    The main sudsing ingredient in store deterents is sodium lauryl sulfate. As a powder it is extremely caustic and if inhaled will damage the respiratory tract as it kills live cells and splits open thier membranes. It is more toxic than both borax and washing soda and yet we rub it all over our bodies every day in shampoos, soaps and detergents.

    Handle the ingredients with the caution that you would any houshold cleaner and keep them out of reach of small children and pets. Keep in mind that people were washing their clothes by hand using these ingredients for centuries before commercial detergent was even invented. When in doubt, wear gloves!

    I am a materials scientist and I work for a pharmaceuticals company. I hope this helps clarify the issue for those of you who were asking!

    Reply
12. meredith says:

    I am really stuck on what to do about making my own soap. I like the idea of having washing soda, borax and grated soap, but grating the soap simply isn’t working for me. Are there any alternatives that are still relatively green and inexpensive?

    Reply
    • TipNut says:

      Hi Meredith, what do you mean by grating the soap isn’t working for you? Recipe #10 is a powdered version and it uses liquid castille soap instead of grating bar soap. It’s the recipe I use now and it’s super easy to put together.

      Reply
    • Erin says:

      I grated the soap in the food processor using the cheese grating wheel. Then whirled it with the chopping blade. It does create some dust so make certain that you have proper ventilation – I tossed a wet towel over the processor while processing, but for my bionic nose it wasn’t enough precaution!! Hope this is helpful to you =)

      Reply
13. Keta says:

    This is for those who have made recipe #1 and ended up with water on the bottom and very thick glop at the top.

    I made recipe #1 and had the same problem. I thought maybe I hadn’t heated it enough, so I started another batch. After the soap melted I added the glop and let it dissolve. When it had cooled somewhat, I poured it into a 2 gallon kitty liter jug. I figured I had it right this time. Wrong again. When it cooled I had the same problem as before.

    Early this morning (6ish) I put a mixer blade in my drill. Determined to make the detergent usable, I gave the jug several viscous shakes to break up the thick stuff and went to work with the drill.

    It is now almost 6pm and although there is a little separation it hasn’t ended up like it did before. It can be poured now, I don’t have to cut a chunk off.

    Hopefully I didn’t miss a post that already had a remedy for the problem and that this helps.

    Keta

    Reply
    • Tina says:

      I have made my first liquid laundry soap, it did become very thick on top. I used a wire wisk to stir it. I did this twice before I poured it into gallon jugs. It seems to work fine.

      Reply
14. jim chapman says:

    One thing i do with the liquid laundry soap is filter it.
    Here’s how its done,
    when you have your soap stock ready (before you delute it with the rest of your water) use an old coffee maker, place 2 paper filters in the basket add just enough to fill the compartment when that lot is done add more from your pot till it’s all finished.
    At this point you can throw it into your mixing bucket and add your water.
    If you want to scent your laundry soap use 1/4 tsp tea tree oil for some added disenfectant along with 2 tsp lavender essential oil.
    you want to add these to the stock while still warm to because essential oils have a harder time mixing into a cold product and you might end up with them floating at the top of the finished product.
    So the top smells great but the middle and bottom will have very little scent.
    I hope this information helps.

    Reply
15. jim chapman says:

    Oops i forgot to add-
    One of the reasons the product gels up is because of the impurities you get from mixing your ingredients.
    Another problem is temprature while mixing the stock,you should ty to maintain around 140 degrees for 15 minutes to cook off unseen bacteria.
    Also try adding 1 ounce of distilled white vinegar per 2 pounds of stock.
    I find this too helps keep the “gloping” to a minimum when filtered.

    Reply
16. Pam says:

    These recipies seem more complicated than they need to be…

    Am I missing something if I just think I can put in a 1/4 teaspoon each of (1)borax, (2) washing soda and (3) liquid castile soap (or finely grated other soap) into the washing machine and add clothes?

    What is the value of the melting, mixing, diluting etc? Won’t they dissolve and mix together during the washing? Is there some sort of chemical reaction that would be skipped if I just throw in the ingredients each wash round?

    Reply
    • TipNut says:

      I’ve never tried it Pam, these recipes are for making batches to have on hand. If you do give it a shot, please let us know how it turns out for you .

      Reply
17. Erin W says:

    I was wondering if anyone has ever added a bit of downy softener to any of these recipes? I want to try one of the liquid recipes. My friend, who I’d be making it with, really enjoys that downy scent in her and her family’s clothing.

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18. Hilary says:

    As a pediatric RN, PLEASE remember to keep laundry detergent out of kids reach. Especially when storing it in drink containers. I use juice bottles to store my laundry detergent, but I label them with “SOAP” in marker and keep them high and out of reach. I see many kids who have drank chemicals when they have been stored in soda bottles, cups, etc.

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19. Amanda T says:

    I have a small tip that i just tried when making a very small amount of detergent for my mom to try. I could not give her some of mine because I added about 1/4 of a jug of ALL to mine in order to empty out the ALL container and that changed the consistency (but it still works fine.) My mom wanted to try the homemade, not homemade with store-bought added to it, so I made a tiny batch for her using the dry ingredients I already had grated and prepared. If you are in hurry and have some ice to spare you can speed up the cooling process by adding ice directly to the HOT detergent stock. It worked great and the detergent was ready to pour directly into a thin plastic container without having to wait for cooling or gelling. I used that 1/2c of leftover quick method detergent in a load of our clothes and it worked great.

    Reply
20. Becca says:

    The proportions of borax, grated soap, and washing soda vary in different recipes. It would be nice to know what factors to consider in creating the optimal mix for my purposes/situation.

    Reply
21. Priscilla says:

    Is there anyways that dark clothing colouring can be added to the soap to help black clothes retain there darkness? or is that too much? and can fabric softener be added also?

    Reply
22. Vivian C says:

    I am also an avid Downy person like Erin W. Before I discovered Homemade Laundry Detergent, I used unscented detergent so I could smell the “White Lilac” scent better. Now that I have made my homemade laundry detergent, it doesn’t smell all that great. Does anyone know of a high-quality fabric softener that smells good with these recipes?

    Reply
23. Sue says:

    I recalculated laundry det recipe #1 for an empty 3 qt. Clorox bottle. Use 2 qts. Water total, and 1/2 cup each of shredded soap, Borax and Washing soda. When dissolving the shredded soap, use about a cup of the water and add soap by the pinch until it is disolved before adding another pinch. This amount will fit into a 3 qt Clorox bottle with lots of room to shake vigorously.

    Reply
24. Tammy says:

    great site. does anyone know if it is safe to use active oxygen liquid bleach (hydrogen peroxide) with vinegar in the rinse? i’ve seen comments regarding chlorine bleach, but nothing on hydrogen peroxide bleach. I’m using the PC Green Ultra Active Oxygen Bleach. many thanks.

    Reply
25. Laz says:

    My Mother and wife have this thing about seeing Suds..How can i make more suds..and should i use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate..thanks

    Reply
    • amanda says:

      I like suds too. I tried recipes 8 liquid recipe and 9 powder. I like the powder better than the liquid i seemed to get more suds that way. I found the washing soda at Jewel grocery store. As for fabric softener I use the clean breeze. I also used ivory soap which I didnt like so much and zote soap which i really liked and has a really nice smell. My walmart and target do not have washing soda but they do have the borax. Although I like the ideas of making laundry soaps I spent about 9 dollars on all the ingredients and while I do not mind taking the time to make it I think I will stick to store bought laundry detergent. I switched from tide which was about 22 dollars for 120 loads to purex naturals which is about 8 dollars for 100 loads. Thanks for the recipes though I had fun doing them but I perfer Store bought.

      Reply
26. eddy says:

    I made the powder recipe and wash some white clothes. It come out gray. Please help will my clothes stay gray? What can I do to fix my clothes and recipe?

    Reply
27. Cecilia says:

    There is a problem with recipe #10. Vinegar should not be added as an ingredient to the laundry detergent. It should only be used as a rinsing agent (in lieu of commercial fabric softener). Vinegar and baking soda, when combined, react to produce carbon dioxide and water. If you add the vinegar, you’re just spending extra money to create plain old water and CO2. The recipe will still work, because it still contains soap and washing soda. However, adding vinegar to the recipe is just a waste of useful vinegar.

    Reply
28. Deb says:

    My husband is highly allergic to laundry detergents with soda in them, he even has scars because I kept trying to elimanate other things thinking the soda was a ‘natural’ thing and couldn’t be the cause until it was the last thing left. Are there any recipies that don’t contain soda? Or is there that big of a difference between washing soda and baking soda that I could try the one with baking soda? I just know that it’s the Arm & Hammer laundry detergent that scarred him, I assume it has washing soda in it, not baking soda.

    Reply
29. Preston says:

    I made my first batch last night and I washing the first load of towels. I have a solution to the container problem. We were given laundry soap container with a dispenser built in and we used to refill it with whatever ever detergent we bought. I am putting the homemade laundry soap in the dispenser. Ask your friends & family if they have one or two they could save for you.

    In recipe #6, Glycerin is used. Anyone know what it does?

    Reply
30. Tonya says:

    We use the recipe that uses baking soda and add an equal amount of borax. The problem is that the soap ALWAYS seperates and floats back to the top requiring lots of stirring before it could be used.. No matter WHAT we do but I accidently found a way to stop that. I had about 1 cup of store bought det left in my bottle and dumped it into the soap pail. No more seperation. I have done this 2 times now AFTER the soap seperated and it solved the problem. I figure I can either buy the cheap det when it is on sale and add it or use thos free samples I keep getting in the mail for this. Hope this helps others.

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31. ladeedah says:

    I noticed that one of the recipes calls for glycerin. I don’t use that in the one I make. What does it do, and what are the advantages of adding glycerin?

    Reply
    • Sam Orez says:

      Soap is made by reacting a fatty acid triglyceride with a strong basic compound (as opposed to an acidic compound) with a high ph. The basic compound most commonly used is sodium hydroxide, otherwise kbnown as lye. The fatty acid triglyceride is basically any kind of fat, animal fat such as lard or suet, or vegetable fat from coconuts, soy beans, corn, olives, safflower, to name a few. Fats are called triglycerides because they are composed of three long-chain fat molecules connected at one end by a glycerine molecule. the lye severs the chemical bond between the long-chain fat molecules and the glycerine. All nayural soap has glycerine in it unless it has been removed.

      Reply
32. Sandy says:

    I had several bars of Ivory soap that someone gave me several years ago. Even still being in their wrappers, they were pretty dried out–they grated amazingly! I used the finest grater on my box grater, and I got very fine powder. So buy your soap ahead, and remove the wrappers to let them dry before using for your homemade laundry detergent.

    Reply
33. Joey says:

    TIP FOR USING IVORY IN POWDERED DETERGENT!!!

    I have noticed that when I try to grind/chop/grate Ivory soap, it comes out looking like white hamburger meat… An easy solution I found is cut the bar in sixths (or smaller) then put on a 9″ dinner plate and microwave on high for ~1:00… It will form like a cloud (in fast motion!) and if it starts to fall off the plate, stop it and fold it on the plate… You will know when it is done microwaving when it stops growing….. After that, break it into small chunks and put into a mini-chopper or a food processor that has the blade in the bottom of the bowl (not the top)… It becomes really fine powder (like flour)…

    That is what I do for powdered soaps, and the soap dust melts FAST (or break the cloud into small chunks and boil, that works too…)

    Reply
    • Abby says:

      Joey, thanks for your advice! I have been making the #4 powdered recipe for a year now. Last summer, I tried just making a batch at a time and never felt that I had any trouble with dust from the grated soap. My recent batches, I have made several at one time to have a large supply on hand, but the dust that is created from grating/chopping the Ivory soap is awful! It fills the whole kitchen and living room up and we can’t stop coughing. I have tried leaving the soap out for weeks on end to get it to dry out. I also tried hand grating it and then putting it in the oven.

      I am anxious to try out the suggestion you have gave with the microwave. I was confused by the last part of your suggestion, when do you boil it? And does that cause it to melt? I guess I will experiment, but if you wouldn’t mind going into a little more detail after you microwave, I would really appreciate it.

      And now, I must get back to my laundry.

      Reply
34. Joey says:

    I forgot to mention that Clorox Oxi-Magic is also a OxiClean ‘clone’ and that it is pretty much washing soda (check ingredients: Sodium Chloride…)

    Reply
    • Corrie says:

      My first 2 batches of detergent was made using the Clorox OxyClean as a substitute for the Washing Soda. Yes, it is basically the same but there is a different reaction. Those batches were messy and foamed up. It expanded in the detergent bottles and made quite a mess. Not a good first experience. When I finally made it with plain washing soda it was amazing at how much cleaner and easier the process was. So be careful with the other because it doesn’t quite react the same. As it foams it literally doubles in size.

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35. shelia says:

    has anyone tried recipe #8 and does it work?

    Reply
36. crystal says:

    I have not made any soap yet,but I am debating between powdered and liquid.Which is better? Has anyone made both and which do you prefer? I’m not sure why you would go through all the bother of adding water,boiling,etc. if the powdered works just as well. Any comments would be appreciated! Thanks!

    Reply
    • TipNut says:

      Crystal I’ve tried both and now I stick with making powdered/dry detergent, it’s just less hastle for me. I don’t see a difference at all between the cleaning abilities.

      Reply
      • crystal says:

        Ok. Thankyou! That’s kinda what I was hoping to hear Can’t wait to try one of your recipes!Great informative website!

        Reply
    • Corrie says:

      I have made both but prefer the liquid. It really depends on what you currently use and what kind of washer you have. I have a front loader and find the liquid is a little easier. I also prefer it because everything is melted and I don’t worry about the soap not disolving when I wash in cold. It’s all about personal preference.

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37. Rebecca Sue says:

    I have been making my own laundry soap for a few years now. I prefer it in powder form. I add a tablespoon to each load along with OxyClean and baking soda (hard water). I have loved it from the very beginning. I feel that my clothes are cleaner and it is certainly less expensive that anything from the store. I also use the “blue dryer balls” instead of dryer sheets. Again, I feel they work very, very well. In the winter I might use a dryer sheet if I am concerned about static cling or just want the load to have a fragrance.

    I spend about 2 hours about twice a year grating Fels Naptha bar soap. I store it in an (semi) airtight container and mix in the other ingredients as needed and store in yet another (semi) airtight container. I have 30-40 half cup(?) containers and I fill them maybe every 8-12 weeks with they dry laundry soap and OxyClean. (I’m single with no kids.)

    Again, I am loving the money I save and I feel I’m getting a great clean with no fillers and no allergic reactions.

    Reply
38. Lana says:

    I have been making the home made detergent for about a year now.I LOVE it!!!! I have found that the easiest way to stir it (I make 5 gallons at a time) is to use a metal paint stirrer with my cordless drill. It looks somewhat like a huge whisk, can be found at Walmart or any hardware or paint store.Makes quick work of the mixing,and the detergent doesn’t “glop” up later like when I stirred by hand.

    Reply
39. Azuka! says:

    My comment relates to the issue about how differently the soap can turn out even if you follow it to a T. We used to use Ivory soap because it is free from most additives. And our stuff would work well, but it had a tendency to have clumpy masses of curdles or something. We have since gone to the actual Fels Naptha soap. The first time, we used an entire bar rather than 1/3…. it just didn’t look like enough. And we ended up with a huge container of laundry soap with a jello-like consistency…. VERY THICK Jello.

    We diluted it and all was well. But anyway, I think that your tap water can make a big difference. Our water is very hard which forces us to use more detergent when washing, but also, I think hard water makes the recipe tend to curdle a bit. The softer the water, the better the results.

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40. pam from brooksville says:

    i was readins when i saw that you use washing soda, and when not available to try soda ash. you can find soda ash at a local pool store or in the pool isle of home centers. good luck.

    Reply
41. Christine Bergbigler says:

    I have been making my own laundry detergent for about 6 months now and I love the savings, but we do have well water and my clothes are getting really dingy. I don’t want to have to go back to buying detergent again. You say that you may have to adjust the recipe if you have well or hard water, but you didn’t say how, and I don’t see that topic covered in any of the comments or FAQ. Please tell me how I can fix this. I use the recipe that uses 1 bar of Fels Naptha, borax and soda ash. I have a front load machine, if that makes any difference. Thanks, Christine

    Reply
    • AmyB says:

      Baking Soda (the same kind you use to bake with) is used to soften hard water. I use about a quarter-cup per load, but I haven’t started making my own detergent yet. I have to use up what I already have here on hand!

      Reply
42. Pamela Dort says:

    Many have asked about the toxicity of Borax.
    Here is a site for an October 2003 health risk study done on Borax

    http://www.etimineusa.com/pages/msds_penta.html

    Here is the inform from section 3 (Hazards Identification) from the study:

    EMERGENCY OVERVIEW
    Borax pentahydrate is a white odourless, powdered substance that is not flammable, combustible, or explosive, and has low acute oral and dermal toxicity.

    POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS
    Inhalation is the most significant route of exposure in occupational and other settings. Dermal exposure is not usually a concern because borax pentahydrate is poorly absorbed through intact skin.

    INHALATION
    Occasional mild irritation effects to nose and throat may occur from inhalation of borax pentahydrate dusts at levels greater than 10 mg/m3.

    EYE CONTACT
    Borax pentahydrate is a mild eye irritant.

    SKIN CONTACT
    Borax pentahydrate does not cause irritation to intact skin.

    INGESTION
    Products containing borax pentahydrate are notintended for ingestion. Borax pentahydrate has low acute toxicity. Small amounts (e.g. a teaspoonful) swallowed accidentally are not likely to cause effects; swallowing amounts larger than that may cause gastrointestinal symptoms.

    REPRODUCTIVE/DEVELOPMENTAL
    Animal ingestion studies in several species, at high doses, indicate that borates cause reproductive and developmental effects. A human study of occupational exposure to borate dust showed no adverse effect on reproduction.

    POTENTIAL ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS
    Large amounts of borax pentahydrate can be harmful to plants and other species. Therefore releases to the environment should be minimised.

    SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE
    Symptoms of accidental over-exposure to borax pentahydrate have been associated with ingestion or absorption through large areas of damaged skin. These may include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea, with delayed effects of skin redness and peeling (see section 11).

    Reply
43. tabadaba says:

    wow there are so many great tips here. I think i’m going to try the powdered this weekend

    Reply
44. Shellei Walker says:

    Hi-
    I use recipe #10 with the following variation- 1 cup each powdered ingredients ( washing soda, baking soda and I add borax) mixed up with 1 cup Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile- once mixed I add 1 cup white vinegar. After foam has died down I dissolve it all with 2 quarts boiling water than dilute this mix with 2 gallons hot water – all in a 3 1/2 gallon bucket. I used about a half cup of the mixture per load.
    This solution works so well for me- I used it to wash towels and sheets my dog gave birth on – not expecting the stains to go but be clean enough to give them back to the dog- but they are spotless!

    Reply
45. Corrie says:

    I make recipe #1 and have been using it for over a year now. I absolutely love it and can make a batch in about 15-30 minutes. Less time then it would take me to run to the store and buy soap and drive back home. I have turned several other people on to it as well. The fact it is low sudsing is great for all of you with the HE washers.

    One tip I would like to add is start the recipe out with 1 gallon of boiling water. Dump that into the bucket and add your Borax & washing soda. Then bring your quart of water to a boil and melt your soap. Pour that into the bucket with the already disolved Borax & washing soda. Stir then add in your last gallon of water. It’s so much easier this way. Everything disolves and mixes nicely.

    Another tip is using a potato peeler on the soap. Especially the Fels Naptha. I have tried the Salad Shooter which does work but I found that I preferred just using a paring knife. Today I made a batch and tried the peeler and was shocked. It was extremely easy and made finer pieces that melted so much easier. I peeled down to the “core” then used the knife to finely chunk up the rest. Melted in about half the time.

    I tell everyone about this detergent and how good it is. We spend about $1 a month on detergent. Can’t beat that. The clothes are very clean and honestly all three ingredients were things I was using to boost the store bought detergents. I have added Borax or soda for years. And have used the Fels Naptha as a stain remover. So to me this was a win win.

    Reply
46. Irked says:

    Look, I just priced borax at Winn-Dixie and it cost $3.99!! No other store around east podunk carries it. Winn-Dixie has re-modeled and now they think they are Publix, and are too snooty to carry items for the common man. No Fels Naptha, Kirks, washing soda. But by the time I could purchase everything to make my powdered soap, it will cost more $$$ than buying regular.

    Reply
47. chrissy says:

    I make my own laundry soap w/ liquid castile.
    I use
    *1 cup baking soda,
    *150 drops Grape Fruit Seed Extract
    *1/4 cup liquid Dr. Bonner’s Castile soap (I use baby mild and use it on my baby clothes.)
    *1 gallon water

    Shake before use and add 1/3 cup per load.
    I skipped the borax and washing soda and such cause I wanted to pipe my water out to my grass!! yay!

    Reply
    • taryn andante says:

      chrissy – thank you SO much for posting this! i wanted to make a laundry soap using baking soda & liquid castile soap, and after combing through ALL of the comments on the original post AND the faq, i was thrilled to find your recipe. a question though – what effect does the grapefruit seed extract have on the laundry soap? does that boost the cleaning power or do you use it for scent?

      and thank you to tipnut – what an informative & inspiring site! keep up the good work!

      Reply
48. Natalie says:

    I have been making my own soap now for about 5 mo. It works very well and I just love the money i am saving. I spent about 7.00$ to buy all ingredients, and still have more after 5 mo. Wow I just love saving money and the soap really works.

    Reply
49. Will Pryor says:

    Has anyone had any experience making laundry soap using soap produced from bio-diesel glycerin soap?

    Reply
50. Janine says:

    I tried the homemade liquid detergent for around 6 months. It cleaned wonderfully, and the savings were wonderful. Unfortunately, I had trouble with it turning my whites yellow. I have city water. I used bleach, I tried both Zote & Fels Naptha, I tried using an Oxy cleaner, and I tried using extra borax with each load, with no results. Can anyone help me out with this problem? I would love to have the savings once again. I really dislike spending so much on laundry detergent.

    Reply
51. Trina says:

    Well I made my first batch of homemade laundry detergent and its in use for the first time as I type. I’m anxious to see how it turns out….
    I first came upon a recipe for homemade laundry detergent on The Duggars family website, and thought “WOW, with a savings that big and so cheep to make how can I not give it a try at least.” Clicking there and following another link here I was amazed to find so many people make their own. But as I got to thinking and looking at pics or what I need I thought “Oh great, I won’t beable to find that here in my home town. Probably won’t even find it here in Canada.” But I set out to look anyway and find something I could use.
    I found all three things I needed at “No Frills” grocery store. Huge smile. For $11.31. However the A&H washing soda was in a blue box and said “Super” washing soda, and I got “Sunlight” bars of soap.
    Then I went to our local baker and asked for 2, 5 gallon buckets. They only had 4 gallon buckets which I was glad to take.
    So I grated 1 bar of sunlight with my rasp put 4 cups of tap water in a saucepan and added the grated sunlight, let it melt. Filled buckets half full of hot tap water, added 2 cups of soap mix in each bucket, then added 1/2 cup of washing soda to each and 1/4 cup of borax to each. Stirred for 7 mins. Added 16 more cups of water to each bucket. Stirred for 30 secs. I put lids on and stored in laundry room over night. In morning one was thick and the other like a cloudy water. So I started pouring the detergent back and forth into each bucket to try and even it out. Put lid back on and went to work. Came home this evening and WOW, a thin gel detergent. I had 7 empty laundry jugs of all sizes so I filled them half way with detergent and added warm water the rest. I still have an almost full 4 gallon bucket under my laundry sink.
    I’m in heaven right now knowing how much money I’m gonna save especially with detergent costing $30.00 a bottle for 140 loads.
    This recipe says its good for 640 loads (front loader) for less then half of what I spent to make it in the first place. I’m thinking it cost $5.00 to make 1 batch so approxamently $0.01 per load. Ha HA HA all the way to the bank….Yippee….Laa la la. Boom chick a bow wow. Yip, I’m HAPPY.

    Reply
52. Kelsey says:

    Can I use fragrance oil instead of essential oil for scent? What is the difference?

    Reply
    • TipNut says:

      Fragrance oils are synthetic and are just used for fragrance, essential oils are natural and have not only fragrance but contain the natural healing/cleaning properties of the plant. If it’s just the nice smell you’re after, fragrance oils are fine.

      Reply
53. Julia says:

    Feb. 3, 2010 — I tried Joey’s tip for microwaving the Ivory soap before using it in recipe #4 (powder laundry detergent). I cut the bar of Ivory soap into eighths and put the pieces on a paper plate. After about 1 minute 10 seconds, the soap stopped expanding, so I removed the plate of soap from the microwave.

    After the soap cooled, I slid the expanded soap into a 2-gallon Ziploc bag, and removed as much air as possible before sealing the bag. I then used my rolling pin to pulverize the expanded soap while it was in the sealed Ziploc bag. The soap turned into a fine powder without my having to use a food processor, AND this technique minimized the amount of Ivory soap dust in the air!

    I repeated this technique with a couple more bars of soap. Then I just scooped out the amount that I needed, sealing the rest of the Ivory soap powder back into the Ziploc bag until the next time I needed to mix more laundry detergent. The pulverized Ivory soap mixed extremely well with the washing soda and dry color booster — no big clumps of Ivory soap. (BTW, a double batch of the dry recipe fits in an empty peanut butter jar, along with a tablespoon from the Dollar Store.)

    I hope this helps someone!

    Reply
54. Barb says:

    I find it hard to believe that some of you people Attack someone that is actually trying to help you and myself save money.
    And then you don’t even have enough sense to read/follow the directions.
    I appreciate all the how-to’s that can be found on the internet.
    Guess I am just old school. Trial & error works most times. You do not JUMP on someone for helping.

    Thanks Tipnut for all your teaching, and your Website.
    Barb

    Reply
55. Romaida says:

    I’m looking to try using a homemade bar of soap that’s all natural. Has anyone else tried it? Has anyone found a solution to the dingy whites? Thanks!

    Reply
56. Cybele Pruitt says:

    I have been using homemade detergent for a while now and I love it. I use a paint mixer (for a drill) to mix my detergent in the 5 gallon bucket and then use cleaned milk jugs to store the detergent in. They are easier to handle and just shaking it makes sure it’s all mixed. My receipe is 1 bar Fels-Naptha, grated(I use my food processor), 1 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup borax. Melt the soap in hot water, put all three ingredients in 5 gallon bucket. Mix well. Fill bucket with hot tap water. Let set overnight, mix again(here is where I use my paint mixer and drill), use equal parts soap mixture and hot water and pour into jugs. Makes 10 gallons and cleans great. My husband does construction work and sometimes his clothes are filthy, but they have all come clean! A friend of mine uses Ivory soap and said it works great also. I have a HE washer and have had no problems at all. The cost per bucket is $3.00.

    Reply
57. Patsy says:

    I made up a bath of Recipe #1 of the powder laundry detergent and OMG it is fabulous. The only other detergent that I have found to clean like this homemade detergent has been the very expensive Persil. Now I can make a quality detergent for just pennies a load. I wash the dirtiest and stinkiest of laundry as I do animal rescue work. When the homemade recipe cleaned and sanitized the worst of the worst bedding, I knew I had a winner. Thank you TipNut for your wonderful web site.

    I’m also trying some of the other cleaning recipe’s and so far I love them all.

    I think it’s time we let the world know the detergent and cleaning products being sold to us are not only toxic to us and our homes, but they are so overpriced, and it is criminal. The biggest offender is Procter and Gamble, the company who tests and tests and tests on poor helpless animals when it is completely unnecessary.

    Thanks again.

    Reply
58. Patsy says:

    Oops, that was suppose to be “batch”, not bath!!

    Reply
59. John says:

    Hi,

    I’m really interested in trying these recipes out, but I have one question. I’ve tried “green” detergents in the past. No matter what kind I try, my clothes start to stink after a couple weeks, so I have to switch back to name-brand detergent. Has anyone noticed this with homemade detergents?

    Reply
60. LeAnn says:

    I had a question about the bar soap. I have read through lots of the comments and many say not to use the Dove bar soap. I was wondering why I shouldn’t use the Dove soap. It seemed that it needed to have some key ingredients in the bar. Dove Sensitive Skin unscented has listed in it’s ingredients: sodium lauroyl isethonate, stearic acid, sodium tallowate or soduim palmitate, lauric acid, sodium isethionate, water, sodium stearate, cocamidopropyl, betaine or sodium c14-c16 olefin sulfonate, sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, sodium chloride, tetrasodium edta, tetrasodium etidronate maltol, titanium dioxide. I was under the impression that the soap needed to have sodium lauroyl or tallowate, which it has. So i wanted to see if it was ok to use this since I have really sensitive skin and so does my 19 month old son.
    I received this recipe from a friend, so it’s what I started trying-
    1 76-oz. box borax
    2 55-oz. boxes Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
    2 bars of Dove Sensitive
    1/3 c. Oxi Clean

    Use 1 teaspoon.

    Thanks, I would appreciate any help so I know if this works or if I should be changing something.

    Reply
    • Robert says:

      No reason Dove wouldn’t work in this formula. The borax and washing soda will turn the stearic acid and lauric acid of Dove into sodium stearate and sodium laurate, respectively. But…you use just 1 TEAspoon?! For how much water or laundry? Seems like an insufficient amount of cleaner.

      Reply

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