I have been making my own laundry detergent for about 2 years now. I was making the liquid laundry detergent by the 5 gallon bucket. It was not the most fun, but it saved tons of money for me. Last week I tried a new recipe for powdered laundry detergent. It’s easier to make and it smells fresher.
Here’s what you need:
- 3 Fels Naptha bars of soap
- 4 cups Borax
- 4 cups Washing Soda
- 1 cup baking soda
- Hand Grater or Food Processor
Grate the bars of soap or cut into to smaller chucks and put them in the food processor. Then add all the ingredients to a very large container (at least a gallon sized), preferably with a lid. I used an empty gallon-sized ice cream bucket that I had. I layered in each ingredient and mixed with a spoon, then secured the lid on my container and shook it for additional mixing. :)
For a regular load, you only need 1 Tablespoon and for really dirty loads 2 Tablespoons. It works great and my clothes smell fresher than with the liquid recipe.
Laura Myers December 30, 2012 at 8:31 am
Is this for standard washers or can I use it for HE washers also?
and why 3 bars of soap?
Katrina April 10, 2013 at 11:08 am
It’s low to no suds (trust me), which is perfect for a HE machine!
Nicole December 30, 2012 at 9:08 am
I’ve been using this recipe for the past six months and it is a LOT easier than the liquid. I also add two bottles of Purex Crystals and a bottle of Downey Unstoppables
lisa December 30, 2012 at 9:09 am
I am curious about how badly this mixture fades your clothes?
mary p December 31, 2012 at 4:41 pm
i’ve been washing about 2 full loads every day (3 kids 3 adults) for over 2 years now. doesn’t seem to be much of a problem for most clothes. however, if you’ve got dark designer denims, dark dressy work clothes, sunday best or anything particularly special or expensive separate those out and use tide or woolite to make them last a little bit longer. you’ll still save wads of money on washing your whites.
Tammy Hall December 30, 2012 at 11:07 am
I like the liquid due to the easier disolving, but i add “clean cotton” fragrance to it.
mary p December 31, 2012 at 5:12 pm
i’ve tried food processors and blenders. don’t bother. unless you’ve got a tight rubber seal you will inhale large clouds of pulverized soap. also, soap is greasy, gunky stuff (it builds up when grated much like cheese, only worse). you are going to burn out your appliance, so even if you’re talking about a cheap $10-15 black friday number you’re loosing more than you save. just do yourself a favor and hand grate it. I do a slightly larger 4 bar batch and it takes me about 15 minutes per bar, so an hour for the full batch. However, I think I probably shred a little slow and this batch does laundry for 6 (including a baby and small children, at about 2 loads per day) for TWO MONTHS. If you don’t want to shred, try a hand crank meat grinder. I haven’t done this yet but plan to try it this week and I think it will turn out great. You could also look into buying soap flakes or soap noodles. I haven’t completely broken down the prices yet, but I think it still works out cheaper than store bought detergent.
melissa March 5, 2013 at 9:57 pm
I’ve made this about 4 times now and when I put my soap in the processor I mix it with the baking soda so that it doesn’t build up. In fact it makes it break up very fine alone with the soda. Hope this helps.
jodi January 1, 2013 at 10:51 am
I have found the best way to handle the soap is to microwave the bar for about 2-3 minutes then let it cool of really well. It pretty much just crumbles into fine particles with my hand or i use a fork. The recipe I use is a bit different but it works very well and I do a lot of laundry….
Cindy Pennycuff January 17, 2013 at 3:34 pm
I just grated bars wi a hand grater. No problem at all.
Mailynn January 19, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Is this detergent recipe “green”? Our clothes washer water is piped to the backyard to water trees and I need to be sure that it won’t harm them. I currently use All free and clear.
Kristy W February 9, 2013 at 11:09 am
Jodi is BRILLIANT!! Microwaved for 2 min let it cool and it just crumbles! So easy! Plus, it puffs up in the microwave and looks really cool!!
Anonymous March 14, 2013 at 1:53 pm
who ever you are that added baking soda to the mix when you were processing the bar soap so that the soap would be finer. It works! It works! best tip in a long time. Thank you
Sasha April 4, 2013 at 4:22 pm
I tried the microwave method for the bar soap. The only problem that I had is that the scent of the soap was very strong and is a lingering around a little in my microwave. Trying out the mixture on towels first to see if it will irritate anyone, we all have sensitive skin. Has anyone tried using a plain glycerin soap bar?
Sasha May 4, 2013 at 5:05 pm
So we had great results with this. No irritations to report. Made another batch. This time I used a grater for the bars. Didn’t even take that long to grate!
mel April 11, 2013 at 11:58 am
Hi. I have a friend who made this or similar and she thought it made the clothes have a residue when washed. I tried and have the same problem. Is it because we are using too much. She has a HE front load washer and I have a regular top loader. Thanks soo much. Mel
Regina April 17, 2013 at 1:38 pm
I have been using the powder soap for a few months now…I am a die hard TIDE user and I love love the soap…Only I add oxi clean 4 cups and have used the unstoppables also…
Anonymous April 30, 2013 at 3:27 pm
I make this laundry soap but add a half bottle of purex crystals and a cheap version of oxi. Clean makes laundry smell good and brightens all. I still use. Two tbs for average load and three for extra large or dirtier
Diane April 30, 2013 at 3:32 pm
I make this laundry soap but add a half bottle of purex crystals and a cheap version of oxi clean from dollar tree to make clothes brighter and smell fresh