Top 3 homemade liquid laundry detergent recipes

1.  After melting the soap in your saucepan, add 1 cup Washing Soda and 1/2 cup Borax.  Turn heat down so that you are creating a nice consistency for the liquid laundry soap.  Stir well until ingredients are mixed well.2. Fill a pail or large pot with the mixture and add additional water if it is too thick, making sure that you do not make it too thin.3. Use a funnel to pour the soap into your chosen storage bottles and let cool.4.  Use 1/2 to 1 cup of the liquid laundry soap per load, shaking or stirring soap before each use as it will gel.  Using a saucepan, heat your water on a stove.  Depending on whether or not you want a high liquid homemade laundry soap or a little thicker; adjust the heat from near medium high to just warm enough to melt your soap shavings in step one.Add the soap flakes to the pan once your water is the correct temperature.  Remember, you simply want to melt the soap flakes.  If you don't use enough water, your laundry soap will be thick.  If you use more water, your laundry soap will be very thin.Depending on which type of bar soap you use, you will have to grate it.  Using a cheese grater and a medium mixing bowl, continuously rub the bar over the cheese grater until you turn it into small flakes. View the list »
Making homemade liquid landry soap is cheap and easy

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Due to the expense of most top-brand laundry soaps on the market today, a lot of people are taking some advice from homesteaders and trying a more organic and simple replacement for their clothes washing needs. You can do it in the safety of your home with kitchen items you most likely already own. The ingredients to make the liquid laundry soap are inexpensive and do get your clothes clean; sometimes better than brand name laundry soap.

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The average cost savings for homemade laundry detergent can be pennies per load. While cheaper doesn't always mean better, these recipes will get you great results. The recipes I have placed here can be tweaked, but I highly recommend staying as close to the recipe as possible. Some materials you add on your own may interact with others, and I would be remiss if I didn't tell you the dangers or disadvantages.

What you'll need for most of the recipes:

  • Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
  • Baking Soda (yes, there is a difference)
  • Borax
  • Warm to hot water
  • A medium to large non-stick pot (the size depends on how much you want to make at one time)
  • Cheese grater
  • Used (but clean) milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles, or other fairly good sized plastic container with a lid.
  • A large mixing spoon
  • Bars of soap (Castile Soap or Fels-Naptha)

With each recipe, I will show you how to put it all together to make a liquid laundry detergent that really works and saves you money.

Notes:

  • Where to find washing soda - Look in the laundry aisles of your grocery store or supermarkets (Walmart usually carries it as well). If you can't find it in stock, you can call the suppliers/makers of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (or Soda Ash); 1-800-524-1328. Also, check art supply stores. Washing soda is Sodium Carbonate Decahydrate. Baking Soda is Sodium Bicarbonate.
  • For those with hard water or well water, you may have to adjust the recipe of your choice in order to keep mineral stains from showing up or your clothes having a dingy look to them. Try adding baking soda or oxyclean or a very small amount of white vinegar as laundry boosters, suggestions for baking soda are to start with 1/2 cup per load. (see list for recipe aimed towards this issue).
  • Borax and baking soda used in these recipes are biodegradable. Neither will harm a septic tank or gray water pit (as I can attest from personal usage). In fact, Borax has many uses - including killing insects, freshening clothes, killing weeds and more. Baking soda can help absorb odors and cut down on grease and oils.
  • Bacteria may survive when using the cold cycle. To counteract this, my experience is that using bleach (as long as you do not use any vinegar, which interacts with bleach in a negative way) or color-safe bleach works great with these recipes. Also, Tea tree soap or tea tree essential oil can be added to create a natural antiseptic property.
  • Essential oils (make sure you know what ones you may be allergic or sensitive to ahead of time) can be added in small amounts to give your detergent a fresh, clean scent. Lavender is a popular essential oil for laundry soaps.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me or leave comments below.

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  • Depending on which type of bar soap you use, you will have to grate it.  Using a cheese grater and a medium mixing bowl, continuously rub the bar over the cheese grater until you turn it into small flakes. 
  • Using a saucepan, heat your water on a stove.  Depending on whether or not you want a high liquid homemade laundry soap or a little thicker; adjust the heat from near medium high to just warm enough to melt your soap shavings in step one.Add the soap flakes to the pan once your water is the correct temperature.  Remember, you simply want to melt the soap flakes.  If you don't use enough water, your laundry soap will be thick.  If you use more water, your laundry soap will be very thin.
  • 1.  After melting the soap in your saucepan, add 1 cup Washing Soda and 1/2 cup Borax.  Turn heat down so that you are creating a nice consistency for the liquid laundry soap.  Stir well until ingredients are mixed well.2. Fill a pail or large pot with the mixture and add additional water if it is too thick, making sure that you do not make it too thin.3. Use a funnel to pour the soap into your chosen storage bottles and let cool.4.  Use 1/2 to 1 cup of the liquid laundry soap per load, shaking or stirring soap before each use as it will gel.  
  • 2 quarts Water (boiling)2 cups Bar castile or Fels Naptha soap (grated)3 cups Borax2 cups Washing Soda10 to 15 drops of essential oil (per 2 gallons of liquid)1.  Add finely grated bar soap to a large pot full of hot water (hot enough to melt all ingredients).  Reduce heat to medium as you add Borax, washing soda (not baking soda) and essential oils.Note:  Make sure you are not allergic to essential oils you choose to add for scent.2.  Stir ingredients well over the medium heat until it begins to gel.  Remove from heat.3.  Pour 1/2 of your mixture into a gallon container or used store-bought laundry soap container (make sure the container you choose is clean).  Pour the other 1/2 of you mixture into a second container.4.  Fill both containers the remainder of the way to the top with warm water.  Shake well before using on your laundry.5.  Use 1/2 cup of your homemade liquid laundry soap to your laundry.  Use 1/4 cup to small loads.Note:  The soap will not be sudsy like store bought brands because it does not have the dyes or oils that they use for their soap.    
  • If you're wanting stain busting homemade liquid laundry soap, this is a great choice.2 quarts Water (boiling)1 cups liquid soap (Ivory)1 bar of Kirk’s Hardwater Castile3 cups Borax2 cups Baking soda1.  Add finely grated bar soap to a large pot of water (hot enough to melt all of gratings).  Reduce heat to medium as you add Ivory liquid soap, Borax and baking soda.2.  Stir ingredients well over the medium heat until it begins to gel.  Remove from heat.3.  Pour your mixture into gallon containers or used store-bought laundry soap container (make sure the container you choose is clean).  Depending on how big of a batch you make, you will have to store your homemade liquid laundry soap in different containers.  1/2 of the container(s) should be filled with this mixture.4.  Fill containers the remainder of the way to the top with warm water.  Shake well before using on your laundry.5.  Use 1/2 - 1 cup of your homemade liquid laundry soap to medium to large loads.  Use 1/4 cup to small loads.Note:  This recipe works especially well for hard water and greasy stains.  Pre-treat any greasy areas with homemade laundry soap before putting it into the washing machine.This recipe does best in warm to hot water, but can also be used in cold. If your soap becomes clumpy or overly gelled in the container you are storing it in, try adding it to the washer with warm to hot water running before you add your clothes.  Simply swish your hand in the machine's drum until you feel that the soap has softened and mixed with the water.  Add your clothes and then adjust the temperature you would like your wash to be completed (ie. cold). 
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, National Sustainable Living Examiner

Christina Rivers is a freelance journalist and photographer that was raised in a family that promoted frugal, self-sustaining life methods. Covering everything from home food storage and personal preparedness to emergency survival and medicine, Christina offers readers an opportunity to create...

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