Homemade Laundry Detergent

Interested in making your own laundry detergent? This saves so much money and you can customize your detergent (scent, liquid or powder, etc).

Your usual suspects for making your laundry detergent:

Super Washing Soda: This is NOT Baking Soda, by the way. This is a white powder that is used to remove dirt and grime from your clothing. Make sure you have at least a 3 lb. box of this to do a big batch.

Borax: Borax is a white powder, known as Sodium Borate. Borax is a natural mined product, which is great for an eco-friendly cleaning environment. This will keep your laundry white and deodorize your clothing. Make sure your box is at least 4 lbs for the big batch.

Fels-Naptha: Now, you can really use any kind of soap you want, but the most common soap for this recipe is Fels-Naptha or Zote Soap. These are lightly scented soaps that help clean your clothes and prevent stains. I recommend 2-3 bars of soap for the big batch.




Now, the painful (joking) process of making your own laundry detergent:

1. Grab a 13 gallon trash bag or a 5 gallon mixing bucket.
2. Grate 3 bars of Fels-Naptha Soap into the trash bag or bucket.
3. Pour in the full 3 lb box of Super Washing Soda.
4. Pour in the full 4 lb box of Borax.
5. Next, you are more than welcome to add Oxi-Clean to this mix or whatever else might make you happy. I always do Oxi-Clean separately. 
6. Next, mix it all together. If you have the mix in a trash bag, just carefully turn the mixture around. If you have the bucket, you can put the lid on and shake away. I placed my finalized mixture into plastic jugs (used to hold flour/sugar) from Walmart.
7. Now, you can use your homemade laundry detergent. This is safe for all machines, including HE. Use 1 tablespoon for smaller loads OR at least 2 tablespoons for bigger loads or dirty/stained clothing. 

This mix costs roughly $10 to make. Using only 1-2 tablespoons each time you do laundry, will result in this mix lasting for at least 7 months, if not more. This of course depends on how many loads of laundry you do each week. I know several people that have made this mix and it has lasted them 10 months!! FYI: Call 888-468-6673 to receive Fels-Naptha and Borax coupons. 

Happy Cleaning Friends!