My neighbor Rebekah passed along a great tip a couple months ago: how to make your own laundry detergent. And since word got out that we have a laundry detergent recipe, we’ve been sharing it constantly. Now to share it with HiP…
This recipe makes 10 gallons of laundry detergent and costs about 25 cents per gallon! So ridiculously cheap, plus it works wonderfully.
Laundry Detergent (makes 10 gallons)
- 1 bar Fels Naptha soap
- 1 cup washing soap
- 1/2 cup Borax
(All these ingredients are in the laundry section of the grocery store)
Finely grate soap into medium sauce pan. Cover completely with water. Heat and stir over medium heat until soap is completely dissolved. Put washing soap and Borax in a 5 gallon bucket. Pout in hot melted soap mixture & stir till all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with hot water. Stir, cover and let sit over night. Next morning- stir. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and hot water in smaller containers. (Can use gallon milk jugs). Shake before using each time. Use 1 cup per large load. (1/3 cup for front- loading machines). Does not make suds in washer.
Can you believe this? Cost = about 25 cents per gallon!
I never thought of making my own. What a great idea! Thanks!
I used to do this all the time before I got an HE machine. I’m scared to do it now. If anyone has good recipes for detergent for HE machines I’d love to know. Thanks.
[...] at Handmade in PA they just posted this great “recipe” for making your own detergent. It is a [...]
neat. I think I might try this. passed it on to my mom who I know will try this! :)
no cook version that we use…
Laundry Soap
1 bar Kirk’s Castile Soap
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
Grate the bar of castile soap to make little beads of soap. You can also use a food processor to grate the soap, but slice the bar of soap into thin strips before you put it in the processor. I’ve also heard that a salad shooter works well. Mix the soap beads with the washing soda and borax, and store in an air proof container. Use 2-4 Tablespoons a load depending on the size of the load. You can also use Oxyclean Free or any bleach-free alternative in place of the Castile Soap, and this would be a better choice if you are washing diapers. This recipe is perfume-free, dye-free, phosphate-free, and biodegradable.
For stains, I use a 50/50 mix of regular Dawn and Dr. Bronners liquid Pure Castile Soap. This works really well on oily stains. I like Biokleen’s Bac-Out for food or organic stains.
All great ideas!
For HE machines, simply use 1/3 cup of the detergent. We have a HE machine.