How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent Powder - Recipes You Can Use

Economic times are tough, so many people want to know how to make your own laundry detergent. (Some people are also looking for greener, more natural options for their family too.)

There are two basic types of laundry detergent or soap you can make yourself, liquid or powdered.

In this article I've gathered up recipes from readers who have shared how they make powdered laundry soap for cleaning their clothes on the cheap. (You can also find recipes for how to make laundry soap liquid here.)

What I've found is that there are typically basic similarities in these recipes, but people have tweaked them a bit here and there once they've figured out what works best for them. There is no right or wrong laundry detergent recipe, just whether it works well for you or not.

Be adventurous, and try some of these recipes and see how they work for you!

In addition, I would love to hear what recipes you use, either liquid or powder. You can share your homemade laundry soap recipe here, or read other recipes which have already been submitted.

Christina's Favorite Powdered Laundry Soap Recipe

by Christina

Christina shared this recipe for how she makes her own laundry detergent on SR101's sister site, Household Management 101's Facebook wall, while we were discussing the high price of detergent, and more frugal alternatives.

Christina says:

This is my favorite recipe. It takes out barn smell, and the stink from PT gear.

• 2 bars finely grated Sunlight soap (1 bar of any laundry soap will do)


• 1 cup washing soda


• 1 cup borax


• 1/2 cup baking soda


• 1/2 cup Epsom salts


• 20 drops of my favorite essential oils

Directions:

Use 2 tablespoons per load, and up to 1/4 cup for a very soiled loads.

I also use 1/4 cup vinegar as the rinse and it brings out the colours, kills diaper smell.

Finally, I dry with a fabric softener sheet because I love softness.

I also multiply this recipe by a lot so I make it twice a year (in a 5 gallon pail, it's a paint pail from Home Depot).

It's a powder. If you wash in cold then pre-dissolve it in a cup or two of hot water before adding it to your machine.

Taylor says:

Thanks Christina for sharing this great recipe.

If you don't make many of your own cleaning products yet you may not be familiar with the major varieties of laundry bar soaps that can be used for these recipes. The major brands and varieties include:

• Fels Naptha


• Ivory soap


• Sunlight soap (mentioned above)


• Zote


• Kirk's

I know there are other brands and varieties too, but these are the major ones.

In addition, I know many people get tripped up when wanting to make a homemade laundry soap recipe with fragrance, because people just say to use your favorite essential oils. If you aren't familiar with essential oils, and how to put various combinations together, I've created a resource for you.

You can check out my essential oils recipes for laundry supplies which gives some common and popular pairings for various oils that many people love for their laundry.

Photo courtesy of a reader, Dee

Powdered Laundry Detergent Recipe - With Video

Below is a video showing a powdered laundry detergent recipe, and they put it all together using a food processor in less than five minutes.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 cup borax


• 1/2 cup washing soda


• 1/2 cup Oxiclean (optional)


• 1 bar laundry soap (they used Fels Naptha)

Borax Cleaning Powder {Referral Links}

They suggest using 1 tablespoon per load in an HE machine.

Here is the video for full details:

Sue's Big Batch Version Of This Recipe:

Another reader, Sue, shared a similar recipe with me, but made in a much bigger batch. She too used Oxiclean in hers, and also adds baking soda. She said:

I make a homemade laundry soap and also have sensitive skin. I used the dye free, fragrance free, perfume free laundry soaps prior to that.

I've tried making the liquid version and paste-like version called laundry "sauce" and found I like this dry version the best:

Ingredients:

• 3 bars laundry safe soap (I use Fels Naptha);


• 1 4pound 12ounce box borax;


• 1 4pound box baking soda;


• 1 3pound 7ounce box washing soda; and


• 2 small containers OxiClean

Instructions:

Grate the bars of soap just like cheese or use a food processor (make extra fine if using an HE washer).

Add all ingredients together and store in 5 gallon bucket.

Only needs to use 1-2 tablespoons per load. That may not seem like my but I LOVE the results!

...oh, I forgot to mention how long the batch lasts too! So it's nice on the budget too!

Photo by peagreengirl

Fourth Time's A Charm: The Recipe That Actually Worked!!

by Holly
(Nebraska)

Holly says:

Ingredients:

• 1 bar, grated Fels Naptha soap


• 3 c borax


• 1 c heaping washing soda


• 3/4 c baking soda


• 4 c oxygen bleach (I used Biokleen)


• 1 c Purex crystals or Downy Unstopables (this is for scent mainly, could easily be left out!!)

Other recipes I tried left my boys clothes dingy or didn't rinse out completely. This one smells nice and really works!!!

I use 2-3 tablespoons per load in my front loading washer, I have slightly hard water.

My mom uses this same recipe but has to add a bit of Calgon because she has terrible hard water.

I use 2/3 cup vinegar for a rinse and when I use the dryer I use wool dryer balls.

This has saved us so much and my clothes have never smelled more fresh!

The photo does not accurately show how much it makes, I never make a batch without giving some away!!

Tips For Making Sure Your Homemade Powder Will Dissolve In Cold Water Washes

Question from Mary Ann:

My homemade powder will not dissolve in my HE machine unless I use warm or hot water. Does anyone else have this problem?

Taylor's answer:

This can be a common problem for homemade powder detergents, whether used in a top loader or HE machine Mary Ann.

If you would like to use a cold water wash one additional step you can take is to pre dissolve the powder and make it into a liquid solution and dump that into your machine. To do this add your soap to a hot cup or two of water and stir until dissolved. Then, add this to your cold water wash.

I also have another suggestion for you, which was provided by a reader, Angela.

Angela says:

Mary Ann, it might not be fine enough. That's the problem I had until I started using a food processor on the bar soap.

Taylor's comments:

Making the soap flakes smaller in the way Angela suggests also makes logical sense. This increases the surface area that the water can cover around the soap and makes it easier to dissolve.

Hopefully one or both of these suggestions will help with this issue!

Does anyone else have any other suggestions? If so, please share them with me here and I'll add them to the page.

Plus, I've answered this question as part of the laundry help section of the site. Click the link to check out what else I've already answered, or to ask your own questions.

Photo courtesy of brittreints

Big Batch Recipe Of Powdered Detergent From Mom Of 5

by Melissa

I make the powder and have for over 2 years. With 5 kids I was a lot.

Here's my recipe if anyone is interested

2 boxes borax
2 boxes washing soda
3 lb box of baking soda
4 bars of Castile soap/fels naphtha

Dr Bronner Soap Bars {Referral Links}

You can cut in half if you want. This lasts me at least 6 months and I wash 6 loads a day

I use a grater to grate the bars of soap.

I don't have any problem with them melting in cold water.

Stretch Your Powdered Detergent With These Ingredients

by Sheila

Sheila also shared how she makes her own laundry detergent powder, or at least stretches out the store bought version to last a lot longer.

Sheila says:

I've made homemade detergent for a long time. It's saved us money, and cleans better than what we were using.

The recipe I use is:

• 3 cups borax


• 3 cups any powdered laundry soap


• 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap, grated

Fels Naptha {Referral Links}

Mix and store in container with lid and use 1/8 cup each big load.

Taylor says:

Thanks Sheila for sharing your tips for how to make your own laundry detergent.

As you can see there are a lot of different recipes you can use to clean your clothes for less. If you've used a recipe, and it has worked well for you, please share it here, or read others already submitted.

In addition, you can also check out my recipes here for even more ideas.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

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{A-M} Laundry Detergent Reviews

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