Homemade Laundry Soap
Laundry soap is a necessity that every family needs and a cost that no one enjoys paying. What if I told you that you never have to rely on store bought laundry soap again that that you could make ten times the laundry soap at a fraction of the cost, would you do it?
Well you can, and it is simple.
Here is what you need:
- 1/3 bar Fels Naptha (or other type of soap, as listed below)
- ½ cup washing soda
- ½ cup borax powder
- Water
- (optional) 2 to 3 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice
- ~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
or if you want to make one large batch to use the entire bar of Fels Naptha here it is.
- 1 bar Fels Naptha (or other type of soap, as listed below)
- 1 ½ cup washing soda
- 1 ½ cup borax powder
- Water
- (optional) 2 to 3 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice
- ~You will also need a bucket, about 5 to 6 gallon size~
The Soap Ingredient: The best soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. I have placed it in our convenience store for you, however not that I located Fels Naptha at a cost as low as $1.59 per bar at Fred Meyer. You can also locate it in bulk for $1.29 per bar at BuyTheCase.com. If you absolutely can not find it anywhere or want the convenience of purchasing it here I have provided it but the cost is not as low as these other costs. If you want to use an alternative soap try Ivory or another brand called, Zote. If you use Ivory or Zote you need the entire bar for the first recipe and would need three bars for bulk recipe. You can also use any homemade bar soap that you make. Ivory and Zote are also located in our convenience store.
Washing Soda: The first thing to note is that washing soda is not the same thing as baking soda. It is often hard to find locally however if you can find it, it will be located in the laundry isle of your local shopping center or I have provided it in our convenience store for you.
Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the Washing Soda and Fels Naptha I have included it in our convenience store.
DIRECTIONS:
- Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.
- Add 6 cups (18 if making larger batch) water and heat it until the soap melts.
- Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.
- Remove from heat.
- Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of (4 gallons 2 cups water to your bucket.
- Now add your soap mixture and stir.
- Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.
- You use ½ cup per load.
You should know that the finished product is a watery gel.
In addition, the soap is low sudsing so it will not bubble up.
The laundry detergent is scentless.
Optional: Some people add 1/2 cup of Oxyclean to their recipe (1 1/2 cup to the bulk recipe) however I do not.
Optional: If you want your soap to be scented you can add ½ to 1 oz. of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice. My favorite scent is lavender essential oil.
Cost Breakdown:
I did a bit of a cost breakdown. First the comparison:
- Tide – Powder – 80 loads $16.19 ($0.20 per load)
- Tide – Liquid – 78 loads $18.99 ($0.24 per load)
- Cheer – 52 loads $16.67 ($0.32 per load)
- All – 96 loads $12.99 ($0.14 per load)
The cost of my ingredients:
- Fels Naptha 1 bar $1.59
- 55 ounce box Washing Soda $2.89 per box, I need 1 1/2 cups for a cost of $0.64
- 76 ounce box Borax $3.99 per box, I need 1 1/2 cups for a cost of $0.76
Total cost $2.99 for 192 loads (each load is 1/2 cup) or $0.02 per load.
So even going with the cheapest laundry detergent that is a savings of $0.12 per load. Counting all of the towels, bed linens, clothes and everything that we wash with two young boys I do about 10 loads of laundry per week. That is a savings of $1.20 per week or $62.40 per year. Do that for a few years and you can really achieve some savings.
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Living Provident is a website and blog for those of us who want to prepare for emergency`s and times of personal need, people wanting to get back to basics and people who have the desire to be healthy and happy... Read More at our About page.
The Ready Store
is washing soda the same as baking soda???
No it is not, Baking soda is Sodium Bi-Carbonate, whereas Washing Soda is Sodium Carbonate. They are different and if you use the wrong one your clothes will not get as clean. If you are having trouble locating Washing Soda check out our convenience store or just click here.
I got this recipe from a friend and have been making it for 8 months & love it! I have sensitive skin & always had a problem with detergents and now I am allergy free. My laundry smells clean and fresh without any harsh chemicals and everything is spotlessly clean! I use Dawn dish detergent on stubborn spots and find just a drop or two does a great job on just about every stain. I also line dry my laundry for several reasons.
I’m new to your site & already love it. My favorite magazines are Mother Earth & Real Simple – I see similar interests here. I am a Christian, a Master Gardener (and I start ALL my plants from seed), I use organic gardening principles, I’m a writer (I’ve written 2 cookbooks & a homemaking newspaper column for 8 years), I love to read, sew, cook, bake, quilt, and I live in the Midwest.
I found your site because I have a tree full of cherries waiting to be picked & canned & when I googled looking for a cherry pie filling recipe to can, there you were! Tomorrow I will be canning cherries & will try your recipe. Today I canned 12 pints of pickled beets that will join the other 15 jars sitting in my pantry from last week.
Thanks for a fun time checking out your website – I’ll be back often! LaDawn
LaDawn,
It is such a pleasure to hear from you and to learn of all your enjoyments. I am very happy that this laundry detergent works for you. We absolutely love it since it is scent free and does not make my young child’s eczema act up at all.
If you love this Cherry filling just wait until you taste the apple pie filling recipe I have. I will be adding it in a few weeks so that it is on here for apple season. I have made it 3 years in a row and unfortunately I have yet to determined a number of quarts that will sustain us an entire year. We eat it so fast!
I have always loved pickled beets, but my husband gags at the thought of them so I have skipped them since we have been married and just swap something with my mom who still does them.
I hope you come back often and enjoy our site. If you ever want something specific feel free to contact me and I will get right on it.
Living Provident
Hi Living Provident,
Wow, I really like your website. I saw an article/video (peach filling) of yours on the Huffington post this morning. It was perfect timing because just last night I baked my first ever apple pie, and latter today I’m going to buy a canning setup.
Thank you for your videos. The visual really helps in the learning process! I’m excited to try my own laundry soap. At the end of the video you showed the final product in a bucket setting on your washers. Is it important to scoop some of the “egg noodle” looking goo into each 1/2 cup, or is just the yellow liquid enough? Also, does the laundry soap spoil after a certain amount of time?
Thanks,
Alaska Jon
ps- I would love to see a pickled beets recipe!
AK Jon,
Thank you for the comment, I really appreciate it. I will have to look for that Huffington article.
Pickled beets is such a great idea, I remember making them all the time growing up. my dad eats them like candy. I will see what I can do about a video for them, at the very least I will give you my family’s recipe.
Good luck finding a great canning set-up. Your local stores will most likely be able to outfit you pretty well, however if not try considering one of the kits from Amazon. here is a great starter kit. It is the Jarden Home Brands 11102 Ball Home Canning Kit.
As far as the Laundry Detergent goes it is just fine to use the liquid alone. In fact I try to use it on the less soiled loads like underclothing. As far as how long it lasts I honestly have no experience. I have a house-full of boys that I think change clothes more than the young girl playing dress-up so I go through it very fast. I know for a fact that the powdered version will last just about forever, but I have no exact expiry date to advise. The liquid detergent also lasts a long time, but will thicken up over time. It was also suggested by someone on a comments board elsewhere that bacteria may grow in the detergent if it’s stored too long–what too long actually is, I can’t answer.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions and stay tuned for the pickled beets recipe as soon as I can get ahold of my mom.
Living Provident
I love your website thank you so much for the information I have a question about your child having eczema. My daughter has it and the doctor descriped this medication called tryslimilone it is strong but I only put it on on when she has flair ups do you think is a cure for eczeama? and what do you put on your child for this? I sure hope she gets over it
I use an Acitonide and Triamcinalone USB cream prescribed by our pediatrician. It is for diaper rashes, but works wonders for eczema. My sons eczema seems to be getting better with age. I also only use the cream when they have flare ups, which is rare now. They had it a lot worse when they were babies, however I think eczema is around forever and you can never truly get away from it. My mom has had it her whole life. I think you can learn about what causes the flare ups with each child and try to work around them individually.
For us it is laundry detergent and soaps. So that is why I make my own.
Do I still use 1/2 cup detergent with a super capacity washing machine? What about a front loader machine?
Thanks, I’m definitely going to give this a try!
Kate Nelson
Yes, the same amount with a front loader and super capacity.
I hope you love it!
Hi and Merry Christmas! I found you through youtube, and I like the cost breakdown on the detergent–I finally see how it will be better to make my own. My husband and I are here in Texas in a Motel 6, braving the snowstorm until we can get back to our mountain in Oklahoma. I was just surfing a little when I found your site. I consider your site a Christmas gift–I’m looking forward to watching more of your videos and learning more.
I am so glad that you have found us. We cut back in the winter months on posting, but come spring, summer and fall we will be hard at it again.
Oops–forgot to tell you that I will be using the laundry soap in my new(used) wringer washer. The agitator works fine, but the wringer seems to be faulty. Any word on how to fix it or convert it to a hand cranked? Thank you, and have a Blessed Christmas!
If you let me know what brand your wringer washer is I may be able to come up with some info of how to repair it. Rhett (my husband) is quite the handyman and usually has ideas.
hi
i was wandering if this is any good for automatic washing machine , iam not from the united states & i don’t know what kind of laundry washer you use
Sandra,
This is a low sudsing detergent and is good for all washing machines.
Living Provident
I am so excited that I came across your website. I am going to make the laundry detergent with my girls in a few hours. A friend told me she adds vinegar to every load so that it doesn’t have a smell. Do you find that happening (a smell)? No where, in all I’ve read, does anyone mention this problem so I am wondering if I need to do that.
Your whitening recipe I am going to try too, but I have a front loader so I am just going to use a bucket for them to soak in.
Do you happen to have a fabric softener recipe? I am big on soft clothes that smell great. I am hoping this will all work for me! I’ll let you know how it all goes.
Thank you for sharing with us all. This is a great website!!
My laundry detergent has absolutely no smell at all.
Good idea on using the whitener in a bucket with a front loader.
Fabric softener is one I have not been satisfied with the at home recipes. What I do is purchase fabric softener, but instead of putting it in my wash, I place it in a small spray bottle and then as I move the clothes from the washer to the dryer I use an old white kids t-shirt and spray one 2 or 3 spray on it and throw it in the dryer with the clothes. This works great an there is no need for dryer sheets.