DIY Laundry Detergent

There is a wealth of information online regarding homemade green cleaning products that not only protect the environment but also can save you money. In addition to the household cleaning products I made, I decided to try homemade laundry detergent. I found a variety of recipes online, some powder and some liquid, and after doing some research on reviews, ingredients, etc., I decided to go with a recipe I found here.

I did some price checking to determine the best price of ingredients. Between Walmart, our local grocery store Meijer, and big-box store Sam’s Club, Walmart came out with the best prices and I was able to find all of the necessary ingredients there:

• 1 box (3 lb 7 oz) Super Washing Soda - $3.24
• 1 Box (4 lb 12 oz) Borax - $3.38
• 1 Box (4 lbs) Baking Soda - $2.24
• 28 oz Fels Naptha Soap (or Zote soap) - $8.10
• 3 lbs Oxi Clean - $7.52
• 1-2 bottles (55 oz) of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener (not recommended for HE machines) - $8.96

I used the Fels Naptha soap because that’s what I could find. I understand that Zote soap works just as well and I’ve heard that it may dissolve a bit better in cold water, but I can’t speak to that personally since I haven’t used it. I haven’t noticed any build-up or lack of dissolving with the Fels Naptha so far.

The Purex Crystals are optional of course. They do add a fabric softening element to the soap as well as a stronger scent. I have an “old-fashioned” washing machine, but I’ve heard that the Purex Crystals shouldn’t be used in the newer HE machines. So if you have an HE, eliminate the Crystals.

Anyway, to make the laundry soap, you first need to grate the The Fels Naptha or Zote soap. There are many ways to accomplish this, but I chose to use a small cheese grater and that worked fine for me. It is a great arm workout! After a couple bars, my husband offered to help and he grated much faster than I could! 

Not Shredded Cheese!

Once the soap was grated, I combined everything into a large bucket by adding about half of each ingredient and mixing and then adding the other half and mixing again. This seemed to help the mixing process a bit. Once it was mixed sufficiently, I dumped it into two 6 Quart resealable containers. 

I use the Oxyclean scoop to measure the soap for each load. I use between 1 and 2 tablespoons per load depending on the load size and dirtiness. (The 1 or 2 line on the Oxyclean scoop).

I have very sensitive skin and was a bit leery making a huge batch of laundry soap that could result in an allergic reaction. But, I figured if it irritated my skin, I could always give it away to some of my not-so-sensitive-skin friends and family. I’ve been using this soap for about 3 months now and haven’t had one issue with itchiness, irritation, redness, etc.

At first, the soap seemed to work just as good as the store-bought stuff. However, after a few months, my husband started to notice that his white t-shirts weren’t staying quite as white. I decided to add in a second box of Oxyclean a few weeks ago so it’s still too early to tell if that’s helped. I don’t typically use bleach to wash our whites, but that may be another option if necessary.

After using the soap for about three months, I’m estimating this batch will last about 480 loads which in our house is about 27 months! 

On a side note, I read that putting a ball of aluminum foil in the dryer helps to eliminate static. Static is one of my biggest pet peeves, so I was hesitant to throw my clothes into the dryer without my tried and true Bounce sheets. But the aluminum ball actually works quite well. The only time I’ve noticed an issue is when I have a larger load of towels and/or sheets. I think the ball gets caught up in the fabric and seems to be less effective. 

Also, here is an amazing resource from Better Homes & Gardens for removing 1,000 different stains!

Do you have an adaptation to this recipe that’s worked for you?