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Homemade Laundry Soap — Budget-Friendly & Gentle on Clothes
If you’re looking to save money and simplify your laundry routine, making your own laundry soap at home is a great option. This DIY laundry detergent is easy to make, cost-effective, and works well even in high-efficiency (HE) machines. It’s a wonderful project if you enjoy frugal living and practical household DIYs. I’ve been making homemade laundry soap on and off for over 20 years now. I don’t always make homemade laundry soap, but when I do, this is my favorite recipe.
You don’t need a long list of complicated ingredients — just a bar of soap, washing soda, borax, and water. This recipe makes a big batch (about 5 gallons), but you can easily halve it if you don’t need that much.
Why Make Homemade Laundry Soap
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Saves money: Making your own detergent can cost a fraction of store-bought brands.
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Gentle cleaning: Works well on everyday laundry and is low-sudsing, so it’s safe for HE machines.
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Customizable: Add essential oils for fragrance or booster products like OxiClean if desired.
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Easy to store: Store in recycled detergent bottles, milk jugs, or other containers.
Ingredients
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4 cups boiling water
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1 bar Fels-Naptha soap or about 5 oz of Zote, Castile, Ivory, or similar soap
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1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Laundry Booster
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1 cup Borax
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Enough hot water to fill a 5-gallon bucket
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Optional: a few drops of essential oil for fragrance or 1 cup OxiClean as a booster
Instructions
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Melt the Soap:
Heat 4 cups of water in a large saucepan until boiling. While the water heats, grate your bar of soap using a cheese grater or food processor. Add the grated soap to the boiling water and stir constantly over medium-low heat until it is fully melted. (Zote melts faster than harder soaps.) -
Mix the Base:
In a 5-gallon bucket, add about half of the hot tap water. Stir in the washing soda and borax until dissolved. -
Add Melted Soap:
Pour the melted soap mixture into the bucket and stir well to combine with the washing soda and borax solution. -
Fill with Water:
Add more hot water to fill the bucket nearly to the top. Stir thoroughly. Cover and let the mixture sit overnight. -
Finish & Use:
The next day, you’ll notice the detergent has thickened into a slightly gel-like consistency. Stir it well before using. Transfer to storage containers, such as recycled detergent bottles or milk jugs. Shake gently before each use.
Usage: Use about ¼ to ½ cup per laundry load. This detergent is low-sudsing and safe for HE machines.
Hard Water Tip: If you have hard water, add ¼ cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to help soften clothes and reduce residue.
Tips & Extras
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Scent Boost: A few drops of your favorite essential oil (like lavender or lemon) can give your laundry a subtle fragrance.
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Cleaning Power: Adding OxiClean (about 1 cup) to the mixture makes this soap even more effective for heavily soiled clothes.
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Smaller Batch: If 5 gallons is too much, cut the ingredients in half and use a smaller bucket or container.
Why It Works
This homemade laundry soap combines simple cleaning ingredients:
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Soap: Provides the cleansing action.
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Washing Soda: Boosts water softness and helps remove stains.
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Borax: Enhances cleaning power and deodorizes fabrics.
Making your own laundry soap is a classic frugal hack that can save you money and let you control what goes into your cleaning products. Whether you make a big batch for your family or a smaller one to test first, this recipe offers a reliable and wallet-friendly alternative to commercial detergents.
When I buy laundry detergent instead, I wait for a good sale and stack it with a coupon – I rarely pay more than $2 a bottle.
This recipe makes 5 Gallons, it’s easy to make and use. You can cut the recipe in half if you don’t want to make so much.
Homemade Laundry Soap
Ingredients
- 4 cups boiling water
- 1 Bar Fels-Naptha soap or approx. 5 oz. Zote Soap, Castile, or Ivory Soap
- 1 cup Arm and Hammer Super washing soda
- 1 cup Borax
- 5-gallon bucket / Hot Water
- essential oil for scent (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 4 cups of water until boiling.
- While the water is heating Grate your Preferred bar soap ( use a cheese grater or food processor) and add to the boiling water. Stir continuously over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
- Fill your 5-gallon bucket half full with HOT tap water, add washing soda, and borax, stir, add melted soap mixture, and stir well until all powder is dissolved.
- Fill the bucket the rest of the way to the top with hot water, stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.
- The next day it should be lumpy with a partial gel-like consistency, Stir well and fill old laundry detergent containers, cleaned milk jugs, or whatever empty containers you prefer. You can add a few drops of essential oil for scent if you like.
- Shake well before each use. Use approx. 1/4 cup per load. If you have hard water you may want to add 1/4 cup white vinegar to your rinse cycle.
- Naturally softens hard water
- Improves cleaning power of detergent
- Safe for both standard and high efficiency machines
- Brightens and deodorizes clothes, bathrooms, kitchens, and more
- Helping you clean for over 100 years
- Naturally softens hard water
- Improves cleaning power of detergent
- Safe for both standard and high efficiency machines
- Brightens and deodorizes clothes, bathrooms, kitchens, and more
- Helping you clean for over 100 years
- Old-timers use it as a laundry stain remover and pre-treater, a general laundry soap, or to wash off poison ivy resin after contact
- Our customers tell us they still use it in the laundry, and as a general cleaner for floors, tubs and showers, or dissolved in water as a garden spray
- Each bar 4-3/4" x 2-1/4" (5-1/2-oz)
- USA madeIngredients (as listed on package): Cleaners, soil & stain removers, chelating agents, colorants, perfume. CONTAINS NO NAPHTHALENE. Made in USA.
- For a delicate wash
- Pink laundry soap with a minimum fatty acid content of (66%)
- 7.0 ounces bars
- One 55 oz box of ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda Household Cleaner and Laundry Booster
- 100% fragrance-free and phosphate-free washing soda neutralizes and eliminates odors naturally without the use of heavy fragrances, leaving a long-lasting fresh and neutral clean scent
- As a laundry additive, it improves liquid laundry detergent performance by up to 15% (1), giving you cleaner, whiter and brighter laundry and upholstery (1) For mustard and blood stains vs leading value detergent alone
- Great general purpose cleaner for a wide variety of indoor and outdoor hard surfaces like sinks, stainless steel, bathtubs, garage floors and more, a must-have addition to your household cleaning supplies
- Use as a silver polish to remove tarnish from silver, gold, brass or copper to keep your jewelry, silverware and precious items looking their best
- SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION – ECOSolution utilizes Recycled Material and is 100% Recyclable, making it fully sustainable and environmentally friendly. These food grade buckets are great for storing various items, such as whole foods.
- BUILT TOUGH - Made with durable thick plastic to resist cracks, this large pail is designed to get the job done for housework, yardwork and the back of your work truck. Use it for your cleaning supplies, as a car wash bucket, mop bucket, and more.
- COMFORTABLE GRIP HANDLE - Equipped with an ergonomic plastic grip on a metal handle, you can go further without struggling to carry your pail. This is the perfect tool to help you out while carrying heavy loads to transport a variety of materials.
- EASY TO CLEAN - The durable plastic bucket is made of no-stick, sleek plastic material that makes cleaning up this 5 gallon bucket easier than ever. Rinse out paint, dirt, soap, or anything your project includes so you can use it on the next project. Nest buckets together for storage when not in use allowing you to utilize your valuable space when needed
- VERSATILE USES – Use this bucket for water, tools, gardening supplies, and paint. Designate it as an ice bucket, food storage bucket, or dog food storage container. Perfect for your attic, garage, basement, workshop or elsewhere around the house.
- MADE IN USA & FOOD GRADE: Proudly Manufactured In The USA From Premium BPA-Free HDPE Plastic Meeting FDA Standards – Heavy-Duty Extra Durable, Impact-Resistant, Heat And Cold Resistant For Indoor And Outdoor Use With Complete Peace Of Mind And Long-Term Reliability
- AIRTIGHT LID WITH GASKET: Secure Tight-Fitting Lid With Built-In Gasket Creates An Airtight Moisture-Proof Seal To Keep Food Fresh, Protect From Spills And Leaks – Perfect For Liquids, Powders, Oils, Paints And Long-Term Storage
- MULTI-USE & ALL-PURPOSE: Versatile For Storing Liquids, Powders, Oils, Paints, Fire Chips, Charcoal, Fertilizer, Fermenting, Brining, Bulk Foods Like Rice, Grains, Flour, Sugar, Soup, Deli Meats, Meal Prep, Plus Pet Food, Birdseed, Laundry Detergent And Aquarium Water Changes
- STURDY METAL HANDLES WITH COMFORT GRIP: Easy Carrying With Molded Plastic Grip For Heavy Loads – Avoid Messy Leakage And Spills While Providing Secure, Comfortable Transport Every Time
- SPACE-SAVING & REUSABLE: Tapered Design Allows Easy Nesting When Empty, Ribbed Ridges For Shape Retention, Stackable When Filled – Tough, High-Quality, Reusable Construction For Simple Neat Stacking And Maximum Convenience
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