Easy Homemade Laundry Detergent

If you're like me, you had no idea that you could make your own laundry detergent. I thought it would be difficult, expensive and time consuming, but it's easy, cheap and quick. The recipe I have makes almost 2 gallons of powdered detergent and only takes 1 to 2 tablespoons of powder per load. It smells good and works really well. It doesn't suds up as much as store bought detergent, but it's free from harmful chemicals and doesn't damage your clothes. It's also good for sensitive skin. A lot of laundry detergent has chemicals that irritate sensitive skin. I have not had an issue with this detergent.
This detergent is good for HE washers, top load, front load or even bin and washboard. You can use it on delicates, denim, bedding and even kid's clothing. No more buying special laundry detergent for your needs.

Here is what you will need:

76 ounce box Borax

55 ounce box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

4 pounds Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (I bought a 13 pound bag from Costco)

800 grams Zote Soap 

(I used soap flakes for convenience, but you can grate 2 400 gram soap bars)

3 pounds OxiClean

2 gallon glass container with lid for storage

2 tablespoon metal scoop (1/8 cup)

5 gallon bucket with lid

Digital scale

Directions

1) Gather your ingredients.

2) Pour OxiClean, Washing Soda and Borax into 5 gallon bucket.

3) Put empty OxiClean container on scale and zero out weight.

4) Weigh out 4 pounds baking soda and pour into bucket.

5) Weight out 800 grams Zote soap and pour into bucket.

6) Put lid on bucket tight. Shake, rattle and roll until everything is mixed well. (This is the time to get the kids involved.)

7) Pour detergent into glass jar.

8) Enjoy!!!

Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load. No need for bleach or fabric softener. Simply use 1/4 cup of white vinegar into the softener spot (your clothes won't smell like vinegar) instead of fabric softener. Use 100% wool balls with a few drops of essential oils as dryer sheets.

I spent a total of $27 and 30 minutes making this laundry detergent. I would typically spend $36 every 6 months on 1.5 gallons of laundry detergent and OxiClean. That doesn't include the dryer sheets and any fabric softener I used. I bought a 5 liter bottle of vinegar from Costco to use as fabric softener and to make other cleaning products.

I'll break it down for you.

Store bought laundry supply annual spend: $90

Homemade laundry supply annual spend: $23

Annual laundry savings: $67

Being more self reliant: PRICELESS!

I would consider this a win! I hope you try this for yourself. You can use whatever kind of bar laundry soap you want. The one I use is fragrance and dye free. If you want fragrance or color, you can do so. The best part of making your own laundry detergent is that the possibilities are endless. Add powdered laundry detergent if you would like. Add more OxiClean if you have set in stains. Make some with lavender fragrance for bedding. Whatever you would like. It's up to you! Leave your spin in the comments!