Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Photo Credit

I recently tried out a new laundry detergent recipe. Here is it: 

Ingredients: 

• 4 Cups of HOT tap water
• 1 Soap Bar (I used Fels Naptha :: you can find this at your local grocery store.  Any soap will do)
• 1 Cup of Washing Soda 
• 1/2 Cup of Borax
• 5 gallon bucket 

Directions: (with my comments) 

1. Grate the bar of soap (I used my Magic Bullet :: you can also use a hand grater or food processor)
2. Put grated soap, washing soda, and borax in a sauce pan and add HOT water
3. Simmer, stirring continually over med-low heat until soap melts and dissolves
4. Pour mixture into a 5-gallon bucket and fill with HOT tap water to the top
5. Stir together completely
6. Cover and let sit over night to thicken. (Do not be alarmed when you open your container and see that your once liquidy substance has turned into an unidentifiable mass. This is how it's supposed to look) 
7. The next day, scoop the gelatinous detergent into another container (I saved an old container with a pour spout). Note: Detergent is concentrated and needs to be diluted 1/2 and 1/2 with water. So, fill half way with the detergent and the rest of the way with hot water. Give a little shake and you're good to go

• At this point, you can add essential oil for scent if you'd like. I didn't. I like the smell of the Fels Naptha soap. The person who gave me this recipe says that she uses a smaller laundry container and changes out her scent when the container is done. I think that's a great idea. 

Recipe makes probably 180 - 200 loads (use 1/4 cup per load)

I squirt 1-2 tablespoons of White Vinegar into my washer as fabric softener (really, it's suggested to use 1-2 Tbsp but I just use a squirt bottle and give a good squeeze.  But if you are an perfectionist, feel free to measure).  This works great! I do not wait for the rinse cycle... I do not own a downy ball, have enough patience or the memory span to remember to go to the washer for the rinse cycle. 

During the winter months I did notice a little bit of static. To help this, I am in the process of making wool dryer balls, which I will blog about soon. Until then, I'm going to stick with my White Vinegar. (And no, it does not make my laundry smell) 

Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Thanks for stopping by,