DIY | Homemade Laundry Soap

We have been making our own laundry detergent for about four years now and have been very happy with the results! It started out as an effort towards eliminating all toxic chemicals from our home and has also saved us a lot of money at the same time. 

I love making things on my own for many different reasons. This includes household cleaners, many pantry staples and foods {I will be posting more about these soon!} There are so many advantages to making your own cleaning products. Knowing exactly what is going into your products, the significant cost savings, and no harsh chemicals is just a few advantages. It is very easy to make your own cleaning products and most people already have some of the basic ingredients right in their kitchen! 

 

 

The three basic ingredients used are Borax, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, and Fels-Naptha bar soap. You can also add an essential oil if you wish. I don't use it in ours as it has a natural, fresh, and clean scent without it. These ingredients can all be found in the laundry aisle at either Walmart or your local grocery store.

We use to grate the soap by hand but now use a mini food processor which is much faster! We have one that is kept with all of our laundry supplies and used for soap only. 

First, cut the bar of soap into small pieces. 

Add a small amount of either borax or washing soda to the food processor prior to adding the soap. This prevents the soap from sticking.

 

 

 

 

 

Mix all of your ingredients together, store in an airtight container, and your done! If you would like to make your own laundry detergent, here is the recipe:

 

 

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP RECIPE  {POWDER}

 

1 cup grated fels-naptha soap 

1/2 cup borax

1/2 cup washing soda

essential oils {optional}

Use 1-2 tablespoons per load {$0.03 - $0.06 per load!!}

 

 

It can also be used in front loading HE washing machines! Since homemade laundry detergent doesn’t contain a sudsing agent it is safe for a high-efficiency washer. For front-loading machines, use about two tablespoons of your homemade detergent and mix the detergent with two tablespoons of hot water before adding to the dispenser. {source}

 

 

 

Borax {source}

Borax, also known as sodium biborate, is a natural mineral compound.  It is used as a natural laundry booster because of it’s unique ability to clean, and bleach, by converting some water molecules to hydrogen peroxide.  Because of the boron, salt and oxygen in borax it is able to disinfect.  Borax also has an enhanced cleaning power because its borates bond with other particles to evenly disburse its particles in a mixture. It is best used in hotter water.

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda {source}

“In laundry, washing soda accomplishes several things. The high alkalinity of washing soda helps it act as a solvent to remove a range of stains, and unlike bleach, washing soda does not usually stain. It is also used in detergent mixtures to treat hard water; the washing soda binds to the minerals which make water hard, allowing detergent to foam properly so that clothing will come out clean, without any residue. Sodium carbonate is also used by some textile artists, since it helps dyes adhere to fabric, resulting in deeper penetration and a longer lasting color.”

Fels-Naptha bar soap {source}

Grating up a bar of Fels-Naptha, and adding it to the laundry detergent, helps eliminate residual stains. It works as a stain remover, for tough stains and oil-based stains.

If you have tough stains that don’t come out in the wash you can rub the stain with a wet (whole) bar of Fels-Naptha soap to get it out. Let it sit for a few minutes and then throw it in the washing machine and wash as usual.  A wet bar is also great for pre-treating greasy, oily stains, like perspiration and rings around the collar of a shirt.
 

 

 

 

Above photo taken a few years ago. We have made some changes since then, such as switching from liquid detergent to powder. All of these cleaners were made in just one afternoon! Many more homemade cleaning recipes to come.....................