Are you tired of using harsh and potentially harmful laundry detergents on your clothes? Me too. That's why I experimented with different ingredients to create the perfect homemade laundry detergent recipe. Grab it here. ⬇️ ⬇️
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
When my youngest daughter started getting rashes from our store-bought laundry soap, I knew there had to be a better option.
So I decided to learn how to make my own DIY laundry soap.
I wanted a homemade laundry detergent recipe that was both effective and gentle. And we've really enjoyed making other homemade soaps and beauty products.
Our gardener's soap using coffee turned out really well. And it's just about time to make another batch of DIY lip balm too. We even made a homemade household cleaner with pine needles!
This formula is easy to make, smells fantastic, and, best of all - it's gentle on your skin and clothes.
You can customize it to your liking by adding your favorite essential oils or leaving it unscented.
DIY laundry soap costs
Here is my cost breakdown for the ingredients from Walmart.
Baking Soda 64 oz. 3.24
Borax 65 oz. 5.47
Washing Soda 55 oz. 4.76
Epsom Salt 64 oz. 4.12
Total $17.59
This homemade laundry soap saves us money
I made a triple batch of the recipe and used all the washing soda, but I had plenty of borax, washing soda, and Epsom salt left for more laundry soap or to use in other recipes like my toilet bomb cleaners.
I estimated each batch makes about 50 heaping tablespoons, so the cost per load is approximately $ .35 for the average load. However, that doesn't consider that most ingredients still had a lot left. So actually it would be cheaper.
From my Google search, I found that most loads of store-bought soap would average about .$50, so not only are you using safer ingredients, but you are saving a lot of money in the process.
A 1-gallon jar will hold about 4 batches of this recipe.
I added this pretty Wooden Scoop to my jar; it is about 1 tablespoon so I heap it up for each load.
How to make homemade laundry detergent
Want the printable recipe card? Scroll down to the bottom! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Here's how I made this powdered DIY laundry soap.
Now I have to say, I have made other recipes as well. And I may add some posts showing how I made them.
For example, we really liked the homemade liquid laundry soap that used a bar of Sunlight soap - it smelled so lemony!
Homemade laundry detergent recipe
You'll need a few important ingredients to make your own laundry soap.
Ingredients
They include:
- 1 ½ cups Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
- 1 ½ cups Washing Soda( Sodium Carbonate)
- ½ cup Borax
- ½ cup Epsom Salt
- 25 drops of Essential Oils
I made it with lavender oil, but Dan says it smells a bit "girly." Next time I'll try orange.
Directions
First, combine powdered ingredients until well mixed. I like to use a whisk to ensure everything gets moved around well and stirred up.
Next, add drops of essential oils and mix well. Or leave them out altogether.
If you add them, though, stir thoroughly to combine all the essential oils with the dry ingredients.
Then, store your laundry soap in a glass jar with a pretty scoop.
To Use: Add 1 heaping Tablespoon for regular loads and 2 for extra dirty clothing.
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe
Say goodbye to harsh laundry detergents and hello to a gentler, more natural alternative with our homemade laundry detergent recipe. Easy, effective and customizable.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
- 1 ½ cups Washing Soda( Sodium Carbonate)
- ½ cup Borax
- ½ cup Epsom Salt
- 25 drops of Essential Oils
Instructions
- Combine powdered ingredients with a whisk until well-mixed.
- Add essential oils if preferred. Be sure to stir thoroughly to combine all the essential oils with the dry ingredients.
- Store in a glass jar with a pretty scoop.
- To Use: Add 1 heaping Tablespoon for regular loads and 2 for extra dirty clothing.
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Alina
Ashley, What would clean the clothes then? Thank you.
Sarita Harbour
Hi Marlene! Thanks for your comments. I add the Epsom salts as a natural fabric softener. I notice it works particularly well on our heavier jeans and work clothes (Like Carhartt overalls.)
Sarita Harbour
Hi Sab! We haven't had any issues with using washing soda in this recipe, and my younger daughter has pretty sensitive skin. That said, I also had a hard time getting washing soda up here a couple of years ago, so I started making my own by baking baking soda on a rack in the oven at a low heat. Maybe I'll write a post about that in the future. That could be an option for you.
Sarita Harbour
Hi Ashley, thanks for the comment. Actually, baking soda has mild alkali properties, which helps with cleaning clothes (among other things.) The washing soda does indeed soften cloth fibers by attaching to the minerals in water, letting the baking soda then "lift" away the dirt.
Marlene R.
Hello. I already make this laundry detergent recipe that I found elsewhere, but I am curious: Why Epsom Salt? What does it do for the laundry?
Sab
I would love to try making this but unfortunately once I bought the box of washing soda and actually read it, it doesn't seem too skin friendly. It has a cautionary blurb about getting it in contact with the skin. I'm wondering if it shouldn't be near skin then I might have an issue because I'm sensitive to many laundry detergents. Have you ever had any skin issues such as itchiness or dry skin with your homemade detergent using 'washing soda'?!
Ashley
Sorry to say, but this is nothing but water softeners. There is literally nothing in this recipe that will actually clean clothes.