It’s easier than you may think to make your own laundry soap. With three simple ingredients you can avoid harsh chemicals and keep your clothes smelling fresh and clean.
Andrea Fabry
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DIY Laundry Soap - Powder
Cut through the grease and grime with this old-fashioned laundry soap recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 bar natural soap (I prefer old-fashioned soap made with lard. See Just So's Old Fashioned Laundry Soap . Other suggested brands include Kirk's and Dr. Bronner's.)
- 1 c. borax
- 1 cup washing soda (make your own from baking soda. Find out how here .)
- Optional: EM powder (find out more here .)
Instructions
- Grate the soap bar.
- Mix with borax and washing soda. (To do this quickly and efficiently, purchase an inexpensive food processor for the sole purpose of making laundry soap.)
- Store in airtight container.
- Use 1- 2 tablespoons per full washer load.
What about cold water loads of laundry? Blend the powder ahead of time in warm water OR use a liquid laundry soap. Find the recipe here.
This recipe is suitable for HE (High Efficiency) machines due to the low-suds nature of the products.
For added potency, add 1/2 c. baking soda to each load and 1/2 c. white vinegar during the rinse cycle.
To clarify, Washing soda is sodium carbonate…a higher PH than baking soda…so a bit more effective in cleaning. Arm and Hammer makes a washing soda that is readily available in the laundry section of stores like Wal Mart.
Will this mixture dissolve in cold water?
Great question. I’ve had no trouble with it in cold water…in our high efficiency machine.
Thanks for the question.
I’ve used a recipe like this for years with my laundry and it works great! Love that I use less per load (and so save money), it’s easy on the clothing, too, even delicate items. Instead of fabric softener I use 1/2 c. white vinegar in the softener dispenser. You won’t smell it on the dry clothes and it makes them soft, even towels. My cousin, visiting from Germany, remarked on the softness of my bath towels. 🙂 Also, in the dryer, I toss in a knotted, old, clean sock that I drop a few (3-5) drops of my favorite essential oil. Helps give my clothes a gentle fragrance as they come out of the dryer. So thankful you guys are sharing these tips, tricks, recipes, etc. This is my favorite blog!
Thanks Sarah! Thanks for sharing your great tips!
I am new to making my own detergent. I found a few blogs that had recipes that were very similar to this one. I just made my first batch today. I used this lavender castile soap from some dr it smelled really good along with washing soda, borax, and baking soda. I read about using the vinegar. I tried that in the rinse cycle. I am a believer! I think i didn’t use enough of the fragrance with the soap or enough of the castile soap LOL But the clothes came out without any smells not even the vinegar. I have did about 3-4 loads so far and i have not even made a dent in my detergent. I used to hate having the brand name detergents and they basically ran through. We have a huge household and I can easily do 3-4 loads a day. Trying this method has already saved me money. I think I spent all of $12 my first batch! I heard that it can last for quite a while. I would be happy if it lasted me six months. I wish I would have thought of this years ago. Thank you to people like you who have these recipes out here!!! It is so neat!
Hi Cassandra. You can always add some essential oil for added scent if you like. Or add the essential oil to a washcloth as a dryer sheet. I’m glad it’s working for you!