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…
This proves that everything old is new again: as a very young child during WW II, it was my job to grate the Fels Naptha bar soap for the hand-operated wringer washer. I was over-joyed when boxed detergents were produced (Oxydol was the first my mother used). To this day, I remember the smell of Fels Naptha. I don’t make my own detergent (senior apt. too small), but I do use Arm & Hammer washing soda and Oxiclean.
I get a large tub and this mixture lasts almost 6 months.
2lg boxes of Arm & Hammer washing powder
1 lg box team mule Borax
1 large box of Xtra detergent (on sale at family dollar 3.00)
1 tub of fake oxi clean from the dollar store
Mix it all in a large tub really well. I use a cheap dollar store 1 cup scooper to put it in the washer.
I have been using this recipe for over a year now. I usually add some Oxy-clean and a little dawn. My husband is a mechanic and it gets the grease and odors out no problem. But today I did learn to make SURE the soap has dried out some. I grate it so it dissolves really fast. The bar I bought was fresh and very soft…it was a mess.I now make a batch in about 10 min. and it last about 6-8 weeks.
I would like to try this but one question. Does it make your clothes smell dingy? For the people who add vinegar when do you add it? We have a front load.
Thanks!!
I tried a dry detergent recipe and liked it but it didn’t last nearly long enough, so I thought I’d give the liquid a try. I was out of Fels Naptha and the store nearest me only had Zote and it didn’t work out very well. I grated 1/3 of a bar into a big pot but when I started to heat it, it didn’t melt. I was expecting it to turn into a liquid but it just sort of formed a doughy consistency. I waited and waited but it started to scorch and turn brown. I added the soda and borax and it just all turned into chunks. I gave up on the cooking and went ahead and finished the recipe. Hopefully it still works…
Is this what happens when you use Fels Naptha or does Zote just not melt??
I have never had trouble with Zote but I do leave it out for about a week to harden before grating it and it melts fine for me – maybe yours was too soft and that is why good luck
Love all of the ideas and have used vinegar for other cleaning purposes for years. (Cleans windows amazingly well and you use newspaper instead of paper towels). For laundry do you when do you add it to the wash cycle? In a downy ball or??
I made my first batch of liquid soap today. Will let you know how it works out for me. I have a culinary student and believe me….her clothes stink! Even after I wash them. Hoping that this recipe will cure the greasy, fish smells. Will try vinegar too, per my neice. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Since this is low sudsing, I wonder if this can be used in rug shampooers. Those cleaners are so expensive, such as the rug doctor brand, and I wonder if adding vinegar is a safe way to help with pet odors in carpets?
I have a friend who owns his own carpet cleaning business & because of his advice I don’t use ANY soap in my carpet shampooer. If it’s a nasty mess I’ll spray it w/my trusty bottle of vinegar water (lol) & there are occasional stains that I need to hit w/some sort of soap, but as a rule I just use the hottest water I can get from the tap. He told me that most of the stains on the carpet are actually soap stuck to the dirt. By using just hot water I get most of my stains up (still working on the wizard wand mess tho-red cabbage dye mixed w/vinegar & a few of the Easter egg dye pellets, yikes!) & I still get the nasty dark water 🙂
Oh & for those stains:
iron a brown paper bag over a WAX spill on carpet (I’ve not tried it so I don’t know what temp)-keep moving to a clean spot of bag until the wax is gone
RED stains (koolaid) come up with windex, an iron & a white towel-spray windex (I buy name brand solely for this purpose cuz that’s what another carpet cleaner told me to get-cheaper to pay for Windex than a room of carpet) over the stain (I use my fingers to kind of agitate it on the spot), iron a white towel on the stain at the highest safe setting for your carpet (test first), moving the towel to a clean spot each time
INK & SHARPIE come up w/rubbing alcohol poured onto the stain & BLOTTED w/a white towel
my friend got purple paint out of her carpet w/Pantene shampoo (bad for your hair, great for stains!) & I got all but a little of my red cabbage dye mess up w/it.
How does this work when you wash your clothes in Cold Water?
is this gentle enough for babies skin??