Learn how to make homemade laundry soap with all natural ingredients for under 5 dollars. This DIY Laundry Detergent is an effective way to clean clothes and fight stains.
Hey friends!
I want to reintroduce you to my sister Laura from Our Oily House.
She shared with us a few weeks ago a tutorial for how to make All Natural Organic Cocoa Lip Balm.
Today she is back with another DIY recipe that you can use to keep your clothes clean, without all the junk.
I will let Laura take over, as she shares how to make homemade laundry soap.
Homemade Laundry Soap is Inexpensive
A few years ago, I started making most of my household products.
The main reason was to cut down on toxins entering the body. The other bonus is it saves us lots of money!
Making laundry soap is super easy, and very inexpensive! All you need is a handful of natural ingredients, many of which you may have on hand if you are already creating natural cleaning products for your home.
It makes 5 gallon bucket worth and that lasts my family five months (I do a load everyday) and it cost under $5!
It is worth the 15 minutes it takes me to whip it up.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure HERE.
Tips For Making Homemade Laundry Soap
- You can scent your detergent with a variety of essential oils. Orange happens to be my favorite of the moment. Make sure when using essential oils they are 100% pure. Don’t fall for cheap grocery store kinds.
- This natural laundry detergent will become thick and chunky my morning. Stir it up using an immersion blender or even a drill with a paint mixer attachment.
- The type of water you have at your house may impact how effective this recipe is. Those who have hard water with a lot of minerals may find that it is less effective. I’ve been using this recipe for 5+ years and still love it.
Homemade Orange Scented Laundry Soap Ingredients and Supplies
water
30 drops essential oil of choice (I like lavender or anything citrus)
Homemade Laundry Soap Instructions
1. Shred a 5 ounce bar of Fels Naptha Soap with a cheese grater. You could also use a food processor.
2. Put the soap in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, over medium heat, and stir constantly, until the soap is all melted.
3. Fill the five gallon bucket 1/2 way with water. Add 1/2 cup Washing Soda, 1 cup Borax, and your melted soap water mixture.
4. Give it a stir, and fill the rest of the bucket with water.
5. Add essential oils for scent.
- My favorite is Wild Orange!
- I do 25-30 drops for a 5 gallon bucket.
6. Let it sit overnight with the lid on.
7. In the morning give it a good shake, or stir to mix well. Stirring it with a drill paint mixer attachment, or an immersion blender, really helps to get the clumps out!
That’s it!
How To Use Homemade Laundry Detergent
Add about 1/2 cup per load in my HE washer per load, so it lasts a VERY long time.
You can add directly to the washer or place it in the load and go compartment (if you have one).
Making laundry soap is quick and easy!
You can feel good about using this soap, as it is made out of all natural ingredients, and works very well.
Find More Homemade Products:
- Homemade Non-Toxic Bathroom Scrub
- Minimalist Cleaning Essentials
- Natural Homemade Diaper Rash Cream
- How To Make Beeswax Candles
Homemade Laundry Soap
Equipment
- 5 gallon bucket with a lid
- drill paint mixer attachment
- cheese grater
- Measuring cup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Borax
- 1/2 cup Washing Soda
- 1 Fels Naptha soap bar
- Water
- 30 drops essential oil of choice, I like lavender or anything citrus
Instructions
- Shred a 5 ounce bar of Fels Naptha Soap with a cheese grater.
- Put the soap in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, over medium heat, and stir constantly, until the soap is all melted.
- Fill the five gallon bucket 1/2 way with water.
- Add 1/2 cup Washing Soda, 1 cup Borax, and your melted soap water mixture.
- Give it a stir, and fill the rest of the bucket with water.
- Add essential oils for scent. I do 25-30 drops for a 5 gallon bucket.
- Let it sit overnight with the lid on.
- In the morning give it a good shake, or stir to mix well. Stirring it with a drill paint mixer attachment, or an immersion blender, really helps to get the clumps out!
- To Use:I use 1/2 cup per load in my HE washer, so it lasts a VERY long time.
Notes
- You can add any variety of essential oils that you like. My favorite is wild orange.
- The type of water you have may impact the effectiveness of homemade laundry detergent. It may not work as well if you have hard water.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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hiya,
how much of the detergent would you put in a (3 days worth) cloth diaper load HE? I feel like the ratio of Borax and washing soda is very low, considering you are supposed to put 1/2 cup of each in a regular load.
My little one is very sensitive to borax.. Any suggestions for an alternative in this recipe?? If you mentioned one I totally missed it!
Where did you purchase your dispenser at? I would love to get one similar
IM wondering about the dispenser. Apparently, my soap is too thick and i need a different dispenser. Hoping to find out your brand.
I have made a powdered laundry soap in the past and our clothes never smelled like they were clean. Does the essential oil in it help with that? Have been wanting to make my own soap again but afraid of our clothes not smelling clean.
Can I use liquid castile soap instead of the soap bar ?
I think that would work just fine.
The Fels Naptha bar soap gets a C on EWG standards. This isn’t all natural, it uses chemical color dyes.
https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/441-FelsNapthaHeavyDutyLaundryBarSoap
So substitute with a castile bar. Then it will be all natural. There are ways to adjust for your needs.
Can you use Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap instead of grating a bar?
If so, how much liquid soap would you use to replace the 5 oz. bar?
Please be careful with Borax… it can be harmful to children or person’s w/ chemical sensitivities…
Hi Lisa,
Just wondering how you felt about the mixed reviews on borax being bad for you? I haven’t had time to do a ton of research but really love all your info and trust it!
Thanks!
I haven’t done a ton of research on it, but I do think this article from Wellness Mama makes a lot of sense: https://wellnessmama.com/26407/borax-safe/