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Homemade laundry detergent, one of the simplest DIY projects, can be really confusing for a first timer, so here’s an updated tutorial. But first……..
*LIQUID DETERGENT LOSES POTENCY IF NOT KEPT ABSOLUTELY AIR TIGHT*
I just needed to get that off my chest before people start asking me about it. ANY baking soda, washing soda, or other basic solution (like lye) reacts with air and completely loses potency over time. In a chemistry lab, these things are kept in liquid form, but only in tightly stoppered little bottles.
So, I no longer make liquid detergent. Our old liquid detergent post is still popular, but I want to make it clear that it’s obsolete.
No Borax?
Borax is found in commercial LIQUID detergents only. It’s not very strong compared to washing soda, and requires HOT water to really do it’s thing. I have omitted it, and am VERY pleased with the results.
However, if you insist on making liquid detergent, PLEASE use borax. The gelling will help keep it stable for a while longer than washing soda alone.
You will need:
- 2 cups washing soda
- 3 bars of soap
- cheese grater
- some sort of electric grinder
- measuring cups
- scale (optional)
- an old baby formula container, or the like
1. If you have whole bars, use 3- 4oz bars. If not, you can weigh out 12 oz of random chunks.
2. Grate on a cheese grater.
3. Add the washing soda NOW. (Soap doesn’t grind well without the dry soda in there to break it up.)
4. Put batches in your grinder and make it tiny.
5. Use three tablespoons per standard load. Half that if you have a high efficiency.
More about laundry
To see how I use it in my laundry, go HERE.
To hear all kinds of nerdy chemistry babble about detergent, go HERE.
For all kinds of troubleshooting, or if you have sensitive skin, go HERE.
For a DIY stain routine and lots of nerdy babble, go HERE.
For my hundred-years-ago tutorials that are out-of-date, but still frequented, go HERE.
Tips and FAQ
- You do not need a dedicated grinder, bowls, etc. Just run it through the washer.
- The finer the grind, the better your dissolving
- The older and more dried out your soap, the easier it is to grate and grind
- Borax is unnecessary for powder and absolutely necessary for liquid (if you want it to keep any potency).
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks! I will bookmark this and give it a shot!
We have been using this for about 2 months for all of our household laundry and it works just great. Mixed up a batch for my son to take to college and his roomie is using it now too because it’s cheap and doesn’t smell funky (his words). And they are using vinegar for the rinse! (That took a little convincing.) Thanks so much for your exhaustive research and helpful posts, pictures and descriptions!
If you’re using 3 bars of soap, make sure one of the bars is Fels Naptha. Despite it’s name, it does NOT contain napthalene; and I’ve found it does a WONDERFUL job.
I do have to disagree with you on the borax. I used to live in a city that had very hard water, in an apartment where what water there was came out of the faucet. I found my clothes came out cleaner once I started adding borax to the mix.
The point I want to make here is: THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING IN THE WATER. It doesn’t matter what your local water is, if you use softened water or if your water is magically de-mineralized by fairies, washing your clothes with soap or detergent involves a chemical reaction that may or may not be affected by minerals or chemicals that can be in your water. This is why you have to play around with the formulas and figure out what works best in your situation.
(As an aside, this is why I always tell people that, in an emergency, NEVER drink the water from your water heater without filtering and treating it first. Whatever chemicals/minerals/etc are in your water will be cooked into … something … by the water heater. For proof, look on YouTube for videos on “water heater sediment flush” and you’ll see what I mean. You’ll never use the hot water from your kitchen faucet to make a cup of instant coffee again.)
Borax is toxic and should not be put into the sewer for dispersal to the oceans. Glad to see a ‘safe’ formula.
What is the cost per load?
Please tell me a little more about what types of soaps will works – should they be made of lye – are the glycerine or oil soaps okay to use?
I’ve got the hardest of hard well water – the kind that smells like sulfur – I use vinegar in the dishwashing machine to stop the spots and etching.
I’m looking forward to trying this out.
Hey – we make all of our own soap – lye coming in at 0-1% – and we grate it with a “salad shooter”. I’ve ruined a lot of food processors in my life and NEVER a salad shooter. You can find them used or get one new – they are marvelous for making laundry soap or grinding up a soap and adding nice things to it to make it even better.
thanks for info–however i live in jamaica (washing soda) not the same as baking soda! for the (soap) any soap bar! more explanation please.thanks
All “real” soaps use lye. they say ATE at the end of the ingredient words. Sodium tallowATE. Sodium coconATE. If you have access to “non-soap” synthetic detergent bars, (like…Dove?), they also use synthetic detergents that work well in hard water. That’s why the synthetic ones were invented. Hard water isn’t a problem.
Do you have anything for hard water and rusty water?
Can this non liquid be used in a front load washer. I’ve always used liquid and not sure on powder in my new front loader
I have grated the soap fine and run in through the grinder with the washing soda. I am finding the soap clumps and sticks to one or two pieces of clothing and I have to run an extra rinse. Not sure what to do, any suggestions?
I am going to try this-Thank you for all your explanations, delving into the nerdy stuff, I love it! I have been making the liquid detergent version from other websites because I was fearful of putting powder detergent in my HE front loader. But I have wondered how well the detergent (made in a 3 gallon batch) was holding up. The detergent seemed to be less effective over time, as you have pointed out in your posts. I am still leary of using powder detergent BUT I believe the main issue with powders is they don’t dissolve completely, thus gunking up the machine and plumbing and I’m pretty sure this stuff would dissolve just fine as I have dissolved it when making the liquid detergent without a problem. So, now my problem is…what to do with all this Borax I have???
Yes it can be used in a front loader, but please make small batches and keep in a very air tight container so it doesn’t lose potency on you.
Check our other DIY cleaning product posts. I think you will find what you’re looking for.
Jennifer, try dissolving the soap in very hot water before adding it to the washer.
Here in Peoria we have three Mexican stores where you can buy bars of Mexican laundry soap which works well. If you have hard water go ahead and add the borax to the mix. It is a water softener.
@Jennifer, it could be that you’re using too much soap. Try this: take one or two of your bath towels and run them through the washing machine without adding any soap. Stop the washing machine about halfway through the cycle and check the wash water. If the water is soapy or you see soap bubbles, then you’ve been using too much soap. If this happens, you should probably run all your towels through the washer several times until the soap rinses out. You should also try using half as much soap as you’ve been using.
I’ve been making my own laundry soap for years, I use the pink Zote soap, mainly because I can get it for $0.80 a bar at Big Lot. But I always use Borax, because I was told to when I was researching how to. I make it for my Eczema daughter. When I had my son I never used any baby detergent with him and it works great. I do not make it finer than my grater can do, partly because I’m to lazy, only rarely do I see chunks left in the washer. But I also have “washer balls” (9 hard rubbery balls) to help with the agitating.
My question with this is has anyone ever used Biz in place of the washing soda/borax? Both are in it.
I don’t use Biz, but I do use my own homemade soap and Oxyclean because it has all the stuff in it . . . works wonders. I’m still testing this liquid soap to see if it works. We have one of those laundry plungers too and I’m not getting clothes clean enough with the liquid soap recipe – - – Yes, I do have a clothes washer – but it broke down and I was not going to the laundromat – LOL
I have a house full of teen boys! I need something to control BO. Will this detergent work for that? The box of washing soda says to add 1/2 cup to your load with detergent. So, how can 3 tablespoons per load of this mixture do the entire job? I also have been looking for alternative to bleach. Can oxyclean, peroxide or vinegar still kill those germs on bath cloths, ect. like bleach?
Is this safe to use on cloth diapers?
Ya’ know, I have been making my own laundry soap for years, using equal parts borax, washing soda, and instead of grated soap….drum roll…Ivory snow. It’s already a powder, so there’s no need to process from shavings. Much easier, and I have to say that I have not noticed a difference from when I used to do the grated soap.
Meagan, great idea, never thought of it, and I have it in the house to.
@C. Kirk, Honestly, using hot water will do a better job of killing germs, etc. than any soap solution in cold water. The washing soda may say to add 1/2 cup, but they’re going for the lowest common denominator. They have no way of knowing the efficiency of your washing machine or the chemical makeup of your water, so they’re having you put they most that they know will do the job. For most people, that will be much more than they need to use.
This is why every “homemade detergent” article I’ve ever read is slightly different. You need to start out with the proportions in the article, then adjust your formulation for your particular situation. If you’re using softened/de-mineralized water in your machine, you won’t need as much detergent as someone in an area with hard water. The borax and the washing soda help improve the efficiency of the soap by “softening” the wash water. If your water is very hard (where I grew up, we used to joke about having to put a nylon over the faucet to strain out the bigger pieces) you may need to add more washing soda or borax to your formulation.
Wow! My clothes have NEVER been softer! I squirt the pit area of extra stinky shirts with h2o2. I am very happy with this dry detergent formula! Thank you for all your help.
I am glad to see this post, as I have been looking for a Borax-free recipe. One of my children is allergic to Borax. However, I don’t have a food processor. Any good ideas for a substitute way to get the powder fine enough for my front loader?
Also, are you saying there is Borax in all commercial liquid laundry detergents? I haven’t been able to find much information about that, but it would explain a few things for me.
I use a food processor or coffee grinder. The trick is to put the washing soda in WITH the soap when you grind. You can’t get the soap fine enough without grinding it WITH the soda.Your other option would be to dissolve it in really hot water and keep in an airtight bottle.
I’d only do enough for a week or two.
Not all liquid products have borax, but all commercial products with borax seem to be liquid. You would have to look it up http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ for each product. Check out the troubleshooting posts too, it MAY help your kids’ skin to sour your laundry with vinegar.
Did you know you can turn ivory soap into soap flakes by microwaving it? Easier than grating and grinding. Google it. Any thoughts about this recipe for cloth diapers?
@Angela, everything I’ve read indicates this recipe is great for cloth diapers. I would urge throwing some Fels Naptha or some Zote into the mix, grating it to mix with everything else. Start with half a bar, try it, then change the amount in the future depending on your results. I use it as a pre-treatment, and am amazed at how clean my clothes get.
Just a clarification: microwaving Ivory doesn’t turn it into soap flakes; it turns it into a huge pile of soap foam that, when it cools and hardens, is easily crushed. Makes it MUCH easier to mix into the batch.
As for Borax, it’s a mineral that is mined. It comes out of the box pretty much the way it came out of the ground. If the user is using a dry cleaning powder and wants to use Borax, they can add it themselves. If the user is using a liquid cleaning product, though, and wants to use Borax, it’s MUCH easier if the Borax is already added to the final purchased product, since I’m not aware of any liquid versions of Borax. The ONLY reason I use Borax is because I live in an area where the water coming out of the faucets is hard (has a lot of dissolved minerals) and the landlords don’t believe they need to provide softened (de-mineralized) for apartment laundries.
I read that soda (washing or baking) is very bad for the aluminium parts of the machine. What is your idea on this?
I want to use a good unscented soap for this. I’ve read on other sites that castile soap is best. I certainly don’t want to use Fels Naptha since that’s got all kinds of things in it, not to mention fragrance and colour. Will any soap work? This is confusing.
Abby–Yes, just about any soap will do fine. You can certainly use castile if you like.
I have heard that for dishwashers, where the elements and whatnot are exposed. One benefit of the commercial ingredient sodium silicate, is that it protects the parts from the harshness. But I have never heard it for a laundry machine.
@Madeleine, remember that washing soda is different from baking soda. You cannot substitute the two in this recipe.
Hey Deanna and Daisy. I’ve been lurking around your yummy website for months and wanted to say THANK YOU so much for sharing your awesome recipes and ideas!!
I just mixed up a batch of the “I think I have hard water” laundry soap. Instead of grating bars of Ivory soap myself, I opted to use Zote soap flakes that I bought at Wal-Mart. I put in a load of whites and I noticed that there were no suds. I realize that you do not necessarily need suds to clean, but I want to make sure that this is typical for this recipe. I am wondering if the pre-grated soap flakes measure the same cup-for-cup as the hand-grated Ivory soap would. The Zote flakes were dryer and thinner than I think freshly grated Ivory soap would be. Any thoughts? I’m also not 100% sure that I have hard water and perhaps using this particular version of the recipe is not appropriate for my water.
I peeked into the washer during the agitation cycle and discovered that the water was gray and dirty, so I am hoping this is a sign that the detergent is doing it’s job ’cause I love the idea of having great home-made laundry detergent!
May, I’ve been told that we have an obsession with suds in the USA. I’ve also been told that homemade laundry soap is not sudsy, it can be used in front loading machines because of that. I’ve been using homemade for years and don’t miss the suds, my water is typically very dirty.
Can Zote be micro-waved for ease of use like the Ivory?
I never have, after I shred it, it just drys up in my container. I’ve actually never even ground it I have these little pink streaks in my detergent all the time. You can buy white Zote as well. I’ve seen it advertised at Lehman’s in Ohio.
So, if I wanted to use unscented soap and add essential oils, can I do that? If so, how much would you recommend?
Anyone ever tried making washing soda with baking soda? Does it work? 1 hr in oven at 400 degrees…
Ladies, I need your help! I love this recipe for laundry soap….so much better than any other kind I’ve used. BUT, I cannot use it for my son’s cloth diapers. Back when my oldest was still in dipes I used homemade detergent and it was awful…build up, leaking, diaper rash. Yuck. So I’ve been shelling out big bucks for “cloth diaper friendly” detergent. I don’t want to anymore! I looked on the ingredients on my expensive brand and researched them, and I need your own research to help me determine what ratio if I want to do this myself because I just don’t know where to begin with that. Here are the main ingredients on the one I use: sodium carbonate (washing soda?), sodium percarbonate (some oxygen bleach powders, like Tropical Traditions, had this as their only ingredient), natural agents (citric acid?), sodium sulfate (I didn’t really understand the need for this), biodegradable surfactants (most likely synthetic because it is detergent…not soap, right?).
In researching other high quality brands of cloth diaper detergent I came across one with only 3 ingredients: sodium carbonate (washing soda?), sodium percarbonate (oxygen bleach?), and sodium bicarbonate (Baking soda?). Can you affirm or correct? What do you recommend in amounts if I’m making my own? Help me, please! I’m running out and don’t want to spend $17 on a small little bag of detergent!
That was supposed to say “Natural chelating agents” up there. Sorry.
Also, I might mention we have a water softener.
Looks like you have it right. It’s a synthetic soap, washing soda, oxyclean, and a filler (bicarb or sodium sulfate). The big diff might be the synthetic soap or complete absence of soap in that last one you found. I don’t have a good source for synthetic soap. But otherwise, it’s a standard formula for detergent. I would try 2 T washing soda and 1 T generic dollar store oxyclean (oxygen percarb) in a load and see. The bicarb is pointless. Just make sure to do a vinegar rinse. The high pH of detergents can irritate baby’s skin.
Thanks so much!!
For the cloth diapering mommas….Leave out the soap. No Ivory. No FelsNaptha. No Zote. NO SOAP! I highly recommend a liberal vinegar rinse as well as a second rinse with nothing in it. I use homemade laundry detergent now and I use FelsNaptha and I L.O.V.E. it. I do use borax because, as stated before, I have hard water but, when I was diapering, I didn’t use the soap. The soap is what will coat the fibers and trap that pee smell in which in turn causes the red butt syndrome. The vinegar really helps strip the diapers well of any residue as does the second rinse. If you are still having trouble, strip your diapers. Also, always strip them before trying something new so you really get to see true results.
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