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Duct Tape and Denim

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Cleaning Recipes DIY Cleaning Laundry Room

How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

I’ve been making my own homemade laundry detergent for years now.  Since I’m working on my laundry room this month for a $100 makeover project I thought I’d share the recipe with you again.  It’s super easy and will save a lot of money!  BTW, these photos are giving you a sneak peek.  You’ll get to see the whole thing on March 31!

How to make homemade laundry detergent | DuctTapeAndDenim.com

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Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

Three ingredients is all it takes:

  • 1 cup borax
  • 1 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda)
  • 1 bar Fels-Naptha

Supplies to make homemade laundry detergent | DuctTapeAndDenim.com

The ingredients can be a little hard to find.  In my area I can get them all at Ace Hardware.  When I bought the ingredients for this batch the girl checking me out actually asked if I was making homemade detergent.  She’s the first person I’ve ever met that knew what I was doing!  She told me she had three little boys and has been making her own for a while.  According to her, her boys are soooooo dirty it takes THREE tablespoons of detergent to get there clothes clean!

lol… Thats one big difference that you have to get used to when you start making this.  It usually only takes ONE heaping tablespoon of detergent for a regular-sized load of laundry!  That’s what I’ve been using.  (Unless Bikeman is washing clothes… I’m not sure how much detergent we went through that week.)

Start by grating your soap.  You can do this any way you like but you can see my secret weapon below.  My grandmother got me (and my sister & sil) a salad shooter MANY, MANY years ago for Christmas.  This is the only thing I use it for now.

After you grate the soap it will look like the photo below.  I’ve found that these gratings are a little big.  If I leave them this size they might not all dissolve in the wash.  So I stick my hands in and break them up a little before adding the other ingredients.  It looks like cheese, doesn’t it?

Grated soap for making homemade laundry detergent | DuctTapeAndDenim.com

Measure out 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of washing soda, and mix all together.

You’re done!  It’s that easy.

I keep a vintage Tablespoon in the jar and this is really all I use for a normal load of clothes!

Close up of our homemade powdered laundry detergent. | DuctTapeAndDenim.com

I usually make three batches at a time (3 bars, 3 cups borax, 3 cups washing soda).  I need to make a note next time and see how long that lasts us.

If you like this recipe for homemade laundry detergent, check out these articles:

  • How to Make Homemade Dryer Balls
  • How to Make Homemade Dryer Sheets (coming soon)
  • How to Make Liquid Laundry Detergent

Try it out and play with the amount you use.  I think you’ll be surprised at how little it takes!

‘Til the next project,

 Ann @ Duct Tape and Denim

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How to make homemade laundry detergent. Save money with this powdered laundry detergent. | DuctTapeAndDenim.com
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10 Comments

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Thrift Store Jewelry Cabinet Rescue! »

Comments

  1. Karren Haller says

    August 29, 2014 at 7:39 am

    I use Felsnaptha all the time, I have even made a paste I keep on hand to spread onto oily stains before going into wash. Even works on stains I missed in the next wash.
    Love your easy recipe, just bought 2 new bars.
    Have a great weekend
    Karren

    Reply
  2. Shanice says

    September 5, 2014 at 11:25 am

    This is so cool! Thank you for sharing this post at City of Creative Dream’s City of Links last Friday! I appreciate you taking the time to party with me. Hope to see you again this week 🙂

    Reply
  3. Gina says

    March 6, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    Wow – yours looks like a super easy recipe. I have made it before with more ingredients and it was pricey. Will try your version soon! For now I am ordering pods off Amazon. Laziness has struck.

    Reply
  4. Carolyn says

    March 24, 2017 at 5:49 am

    I make this all the time but I use cheap soap from the Dollar store. It works perfect!

    Reply
  5. Kapp's Kitchen says

    May 23, 2017 at 6:45 am

    This is pretty much the same recipe I use! It is great! Using the salad shooter is a great idea!!! I hate grating the Fels Naptha but I use it as a time to sit down and watch a little TV while I do it. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    May 24, 2017 at 10:01 am

    Very cool. I’m thinking of making a batch and giving it a try. My 3 year old has bad allergies and we’ve noticed lately that he gets a terrible cough when he goes to bed. We think it’s the scented laundry detergent and fabric softener! We cut out the scents and he’s much better at night now. But I’m tempted to make a batch of this and see how it goes.

    Reply
    • ducttapeanddenim says

      May 25, 2017 at 1:17 pm

      Yes! Hope this will help. Let me know if it works for you.

      Reply
  7. Sandy says

    December 9, 2020 at 10:16 am

    Hi Ann,
    Thank you for sharing your laundry DIY ingredients. I have been looking for recipes and yours is great!
    Please excuse the newbie question. On your list of laundry products you also have Tide free and gentle along with the products to make your DIY laundry detergent. I’m not sure if I need to use that along with your DIY detergent?
    Thanks for all the great info,
    Sandy

    Reply
    • ducttapeanddenim says

      December 25, 2020 at 8:07 pm

      No you don’t need both. I just use Tide when I run out and don’t have time to make a homemade.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Design a Simple Laundry Closet Makeover on a $100 Budget says:
    April 15, 2019 at 10:09 am

    […] Homemade Laundry Detergent […]

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