Did you know it’s actually ridiculously easy to make your own Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent? You won’t believe how much money you’ll save!
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe
Who knew making your own Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent could be SO easy?
Just a few simple ingredients, and you’ve got a fabulous laundry soap to clean your clothes for pennies!
Seriously, this one trick will save you SO much money!
Tonya writes: “I have been making this for years. I spend about $15 for a year for 5 of us and fur babies. We are always doing laundry. One 5 gallon bucket lasts about 3 months!”
This DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent is thrifty, simple to make, and works great!
Now you’ll never have to buy expensive laundry detergent at the store again!
Trust me… once you start making your own detergent, the savings are mind-blowing! It’s such a simple way to Save Money Fast!
Prefer powder detergent? No problem!
Simply use this Homemade Laundry Detergent Powder Recipe instead!
Then after you make your own homemade laundry soap, don’t forget to make some Homemade Fabric Softener, too!
So are you ready for this DIY Recipe for the best homemade liquid laundry detergent already?
Here’s what you’ll need to get started…
Related: 50 DIY Homemade Cleaners That Actually Work!
Why Make Your Own Laundry Detergent?
There are so many reasons why I love making my own laundry soap! Here are just a few…
> It’s easy to make!
> You’ll know exactly what ingredients are going into your laundry products.
> It will reduce packaging waste.
> You won’t run out often… each batch lasts a long time.
> If you want to stock up even more… just double the batch.
> It’s ridiculously frugal ~ you’ll save SO much money!
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap Reviews
What Your Frugal Friends Are Saying About This DIY Laundry Soap Recipe…
Misty writes: “I wish I had discovered and known about this many years ago!! I could have saved so much money!!”
Tia writes: “I made my first batch and love how it cleans.”
Rose writes: “Just finished my first batch so making a 2nd time. Works great.”
Tonya writes: “I have been making this for years. I spend about $15 for a year for 5 of us and fur babies. We are always doing laundry. One 5 gallon bucket lasts about 3 months!”
Kristy writes: “I’ve been using this exact recipe for laundry detergent for almost a year now”
Kristen writes: “The Fels Naptha laundry soap bar is by far the best stain remover on clothes ever! It’s my secret ingredient for my messy children and it’s so cheap!
Wet clothing, rub bar on stain, rinse under cold water and repeat until it comes out. Then I toss in the wash! I invested in some nice clothes for my little ones so I invest a lot of time in keeping them nice 🙂 ”
Ingredients for Homemade Laundry Detergent
You’ll just need 3 simple ingredients to make your own liquid laundry detergent…
- 1/2 Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (not Baking Soda)
- 1/2 Cup Borax
- 1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar.)
- Bucket (2 gallon size or larger)
- Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent.
- Funnel
How to Make Laundry Detergent at Home
Making this laundry detergent at home is easier than you might think.
Here’s what to do…
1. Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap, then transfer to large stockpot.
2. Add 6 cups of Hot Water.
3. Heat on stove over Medium-High heat until soap dissolves and melts.
4. Once soap has melted, add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved.
5. Then remove from heat and set aside.
6. Pour 4 cups Hot Water into large plastic bucket, then pour in Soap Mixture and stir well.
7. Then, add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups (22 cups total) of additional water, and stir again.
8. Transfer to empty laundry detergent containers using your funnel.
9. Allow detergent to sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up. Then it’s ready to use! Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.
Note: Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!
How Much Laundry Soap To Use in the Washer
Keep in mind, the amount of laundry soap you’ll use depends on a variety of factors, including the size of your laundry load, how heavily soiled your clothing is, and the type of washing machine you’ll be using.
You’ll want to use more in upright machines, and slightly less in HE front loaders.
So wasn’t that easy?? Now you know how to make your own laundry detergent at home!
Bonus Tip: How to Make Washing Soda
No washing soda? No problem! Check out this simple tip from frugal friend Lynn…
Lynn writes: “Making your own washing soda saves even more money. Put a layer 1/2″ thick of baking soda in a half sheet pan, into preheated 400 degree oven.
Bake for 1 hour, stir 2 or 3 times in that hour, then cool and use as washing soda.
I always make mine as it is not always available.”
More Easy Cleaning Recipes
In addition to this easy recipe, I have even more ideas that will help you can save money on laundry and cleaning supplies.
So be sure to check out these tips to make sure you’re saving as much money as possible…
Homemade Laundry Detergent Powder Recipe
Do you prefer Powder Laundry Detergent? It’s so easy to make that, too!
Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe
This Homemade Fabric Softener with Vinegar and Hair Conditioner Recipe is about as easy as can be! You won’t believe how much money you’ll save!
DIY Wool Dryer Balls
I love my wool dryer balls. I can’t even imagine doing laundry without them!
DIY Wrinkle Releaser
You need to try this DIY Wrinkle Release Recipe that is both fast and frugal!!
Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
I’ve been using this Homemade Glass Cleaner for years and I love, love, love it! It’s so fast and easy to make, so frugal, and honestly works better than store bought glass cleaner!
Homemade 409 Recipe
Just a few simple ingredients, and you’re on your way to an effective and thrifty all-purpose cleaner!
DIY Foaming Dish Soap
You’ll love the simplicity of this ridiculously smart tip. Sometimes it’s shocking how easy it is to save money!!
How to Keep your Washing Machine Smelling Fresh
Keep the odors away with this easy Smelly Washing Machine Fix!
DIY Homemade Febreze
This DIY Homemade Febreze Recipe is such a cinch to make, and you’ll save SO much $$ with this simple little trick!
DIY Carpet Powder Freshener
We love using this DIY carpet powder on the carpets, what an effective and frugal way to make carpets smell fresh!
How to Make Your House Smell Good (HUGE List of Genius Hacks)
Nobody likes a stinky home. So skip the stink, and transform your home into a paradise of lovely fragrances with my easy hacks!
50 Homemade Cleaners Recipes That Work! (Surprisingly Easy)
Get ready for some serious savings with these simple DIY Homemade Cleaners Recipes and Tips!
How to Save Money Fast (20 Genius Tips to Save $2200 this Month!)
Are you wondering how to Save Money Fast? It’s easy when you start slashing expenses and adding these extra sources of income to your finances!
So have you tried making this Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent at home yet??
Leave a comment and share…
washing soda is the same as ph up for pools. 🙂
My daughter and I make home made laundry soap all the time. We have been doing it for 4 yrs. Now. We also put 15-20 drops of clean cotton oils in it. The cost is $11 and some change. That’s for borax, washing soda, and 2 bars of fals soap. We are going to try home made fabric softener next.
I made the homemade softener the other day. I ended up adding another cup of conditioner because I like the “softener smell” & nothing came out greasy from the extra. It made 3/4 gal for me that way.
YW!
I have been using the Ivory soap since that’s all I can find here but I can’t grate it fine enough, the pieces float around in the water!
My dry almost filled a large Country Crock tub (using that for now). I never counted the loads but I make it maybe once a month and I do at least 8-10 loads of laundry a week I guess. There are 4 of us here. Kind of hard to keep count but I suppose you could divide out 2 T of powder per whatever the total cup measurement of powder is and see. I have been happy with the powder and no one is complaining here. Seems like the funky smells that were in our clothes are actually gone now.
thank you for the response and I am diffently going to try to make it got to find a place that sells all the stuff. Going to a Kroger today then if not I am going to try a local mom and pop store that sells the old school stuff so to speak. Found a bottle of stuff there one time kids needed for a science fair project that was no where else to be found. Thanks for all the tips ladies. I am so excited to try this.
Sounds to me like a reaction to the soap. Try switching to something he can use or hypoallergenic.
I used the homemade laundry soap successfully for about a year. Last summer, my son started having a skin problem(eczema) on the inside of his elbows. At the time, I was using some soap bought on sale. When I started using the homemade again, about 6 months later, my son complained that he was itchy all over his back. He appeared to have bumps on his back. It was from the homemade soap that I had started using again. Does anyone have a different recipe that would be kinder to sensitive skin? Thanks!
Try using one of the versions with Castile instead of the fels naptha. Also, try using vinegar in the rinse cycle to help get any residual soap out. Good Luck! ~from a fellow sensitive skin friend.
I make a personal variation of this recipe…simply for simplicity….and I use it as a booster in my lights/whites when I don’t use bleach and brights. I take the whole box of Borax, the whole box of Super Washing Soda and TWO bars of Fels-Naptha (grated with a cheese grater). Mix together and store in an old ice cream bucket. Add 1/4 cup to load. I use to be a TIDE only laundry mom. Nothing else ever worked to my satisfaction. But now…I buy the cheap detergent, add this booster to previously mentioned loads, and have no problems at all! If I have a really, really bad stain I do have the kids spray it that same night with Shout. Haven’t ruined any clothes with this method. Don’t save as much as those using strictly this, but saving and happy with my laundry! 🙂
Dishwasher soap….use 2 tsp WASHING SODA…..you can also fill the rinse reservoir with white vinegar…
I asked if there was anything that should not go into the dishwasher and was told no. My dad suggested NOT using dish soap as it would bubble up too much. I do use a drop in mine and it has been fine. So I don’t think anything in the laundry detergent would be a problem…they also suggested running vinegar through the dishwasher every few months but I use that as a rinse aid anyway!
I ran out of dish washer soap the other day and was frantically looking for something I already had. Well, I just finished making a batch of homemade laundry soap and it look similar to waht I put in there anyways, so I dumped some in and prayed it wouldn’t screw up the dishwasher. And as I stood unloading the dishwasher I was amazed at how clean they came out. No spots, no residue…NOTHING! Now I have a water softener so I don’t know if that affects the results, but I’m still testing to make sure it doesn’t leave yucky residue all over the inside. Just an idea for those of you who have run out!