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…
Borax is not toxic, it is environmentally friendly and it can even be used for killing roaches and other bugs…it does not kill them by poison, it gets on their feet, they bring it back to the nest, they then crawl all over the other insects, and it is abrasive to their shells (exoskeletons)they dehydrate and die. I know this because I used to work in pest control and when people had little kids in a home with roaches, the techs always used or suggested this method.
sorry im missed spelled the website name, it is Acehardware
You can find fels soap at ace.com i paid 30 dollars for 24 bars. you can also find washing soda on Ace Hardware. They can ship it to your house or you can pick it up at your local ace store when you order it off the website and put ship to store. great value.
The biggest reason I make my own liquid saop is for the purity…saving maney is the byproduct…I used Zote 1X…It does not dissolve as well as Pure Castile, Ivory or Fels Naptha…plus it’s pink, which means red dye….HELLO! If I want pure NO ZOTE…I can reuse my water on any of my yard or garden….generally no bleach is needed on white clothes…I’ve used Homemade for at least 5 years…BTW, I found a residule on the inside of the washer every time I used the soap made with ZOTE, but never with Pure Castile, Ivory or Fels Naptha….and I want my clothes clean, NO residule…
do you have a recipe or making this soap with castile soap? I tried zote and it cleans just fine, I just LOVE dr bronnors castile soap and was wondering if I could use that and how much to use?
I made the liquid laundry detergent and it seems to work on the dark clothes but when I used it on my whites with bleach it turned my t-shirts yellow. I do have hard water. Is there anything I can do to take the yellow out or to be sure it wont happen if I use the detergent again? I would love to continue to use it. Do you think the powdered version would work better? Thanks for your help!
I use Iron out for yellowish stains from my water…wouldn’t advise mixing with your container of soap…but put in loads of whites when you wash…it works great for our whites and we have really bad well water.
I just tried this but could not find “washing soda” I found the same box pictured in the laundry aisle, but it was “baking soda”.
I assume that is why I made a volcano on my stove.
The detergent I ended up with smells great..I’m still gonna try it..hoping I don’t get a washing machine volcano as well LOL
I have made my own laundry detergent for years now. I also add the Oxy-Clean to my detergent when I make it. I to have found that vinegar is a great substitute for fabric softener and helps give a real dingy load a boost when I add it to the wash to. When I do buy fabric softener though, I like to freeze it then thaw it out. Once it is thawed out it is really thick. I squeeze out half of the bottle into an empty fabric softener bottle and then fill each half bottle with vinegar and shake it until it is thoroughly mixed. This gives you two bottles of fabric softener for almost half the price. The consistency is basically the same and it doesn’t affect the smell or the quality.
I made this detergent and then found out that I was allergic to fragrance. My skin became one giant rash that was red, inflamed and ITCHY!!!! Be careful if you have sensitive skin.
Oh and BTW I actually don’t use the FelsNaptha Soup. I actually use my favorite bar of Dove, it adds the scent that I like!
I just wanted to comment and say I have been doing this over 2 years now and I love it. I have really sensitive skin and switching detergents makes me break out in hives, but not with this. I love the fresh clean smell. I couldn’t find washing soda in any local grocery store or anything so I did have to order it offline, it is well worth it! I actually make this for my mother in law too that have 8 people living in her house and she save over $800 last year because all of these incredients cost around $10 and it lasted her the whole year! I would recommend this to ANYONE! 🙂