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How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent
One way I save a ton of money off my grocery bill is by making my own laundry detergent. It’s very easy to make, super cheap, and it works great! I’m going to show you exactly how I make it.
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe
Ingredients:
1 bar Ivory Soap
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
Directions:
The first thing I do is grate the Ivory soap using the fine side of a cheese grater. Ivory soap is relatively soft, so this task isn’t as strenuous as it may seem. I can grate a whole bar within minutes.
You need the soap to be as powdery as you can get it. Ivory soap has a lot of moisture, so you can’t really use your hands to crush it down. A food processor will work, but I’ve found if I go ahead and add the washing soda and borax, it will dry up the Ivory soap. At this point, I simply use a large spoon to chop up the grated soap.
Once it is all broken down into powder, mix it up and pour it into a container. You only need to use 1 – 2 Tbsp per load of laundry!
The Fine Details
You can find Arm & Hammer Washing Soda in your grocery store’s laundry aisle. In my area it is high on the shelf at Kroger and low on the shelf at HEB. Most Walmarts do not carry it. If you cannot find it in your area, you can order it from Amazon.com. Even with shipping you will save over store bought laundry detergent!
You can get 20 Mule Team Borax just about anywhere including the grocery store laundry aisle.
The Washing Soda and Borax run about $3 each a box. You can purchase Ivory soap for around 3 for $1.00. Using these figures, you can make a batch of homemade laundry detergent for around $.70!
More homemade cleaning recipes at Clever Homemaking.
I made this exact recipe in a larger quantity just two weeks ago and have been using it ever since. It SEEMS to be working, although there never seem to be any suds when I peek in the washer. I’m not sure if it’s because we have well water or what. I haven’t been DISpleased with it, but I’m also not convinced it’s doing quite as good a job as I’d like.
That’s a good point. This detergent does not get sudsy. I’ve been very happy with it. It cleans better than some of the store bought detergents I was using. Try washing something old or dingy and see if you can tell a difference after washing it in your homemade powder.
You might also try replacing the Ivory soap with half a bar of Fels Naptha or Zote. It makes your batch a little more expensive, but if it makes a better detergent for your water, it’s definitely worth the extra pennies.