How To Make Laundry Soap Liquid - Recipes Your Can Use

by Taylor

Below I've collected instructions for how to make laundry soap.

Why would you want to make your own laundry soap or detergent, instead of buying some at the store? Well, some of the most common reasons I've heard is that it is environmentally friendly, and also much much cheaper!

The main deterrents to making your own though are lack of knowledge of the best recipes, and also fear that it won't work as well. That is where this article is designed to help.

A lot of SR101 readers (and reader's from the sister site, Household Management 101), make their own, and have shared their recipes. I've gathered these together to help others find one that works well for them too.

There are two main types of homemade detergent you can make at home -- liquid or powder. This page is dedicated to those recipes that make the liquid version. (You can click here to learn how to make your own laundry detergent powder.)

Whenever you use your own detergent you need to remember that there is a difference in the amount you should use for HE machines, versus top-loading, non-HE machines. If you use too much soap in an HE machine it will make too much suds and potentially ruin the machine. Therefore, pay attention to the directions below and add as little detergent as possible, upping or lowering the amount until you find the right balance between clean clothes and cost savings by using the least amount needed each time.

I've also found that there is no "right" detergent recipe, nor "wrong" one. Instead, many have ingredients in common, but often they have little tweaks to them which people have found work best for them. The beauty is you can tweak the recipes below to work well for your family too, with some trial and error.

If you also make your own laundry detergent, but don't see the recipe you use, either liquid or powder, please share it with me here, so I can add it to the site.

Now, without further ado, here are the recipes I've gathered from readers for how to make laundry soap.

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe - Make On StoveTop

by Lady Sarah

Lady Sarah shared this recipe on Household Management 101's Facebook page, which is SR101's sister site.

Lady Sarah says:

I make my own - you need a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. You also need a bar of soap of your choice - I use Ivory - washing soda, and borax.

The recipe will vary depending on the type of soap you use - but with Ivory it's 1 bar soap, grated into a pot with 5 cups water, and melted.

Then you add 1 cup washing soda, stir till dissolved, 1/2 cup borax, stir till dissolved....

Next, fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with HOT water, add your soap mix, stir really well - then top up bucket with water. Put lid on, let sit overnight to gel.

Finally, stir before using - and you use about 1/4 - 1/2 cup per load for regular machines - but start out at 1 tablespoon for HE machines.

This is low sudsing, environmentally friendly, and the cost is $2 Canadian per 5 gal bucket.

I've used it for months and I love it. I get 400 loads out of a 5 gal bucket.

Taylor says:

That sounds like a nice cheap way to wash your clothes! I don't think even the cheapest commercial detergents are that inexpensive, at least unless you get it free with coupons or something.

Thanks for sharing that recipe! I've noticed many of the recipes below are very similar to this one.

I would be interested in hearing from more readers, sharing which laundry bar soap they prefer to use. Some people prefer Ivory, others Fels Naptha soap, others Sunlight, Zote, or Kirks, or maybe even something else. Which do you choose, and why? Please share your opinions here.

Photo by moonlightbulb

How To Make Laundry Soap Cheaply Using Three Basic Ingredients

by Roxane

Roxane also shared her laundry detergent recipe on HM101's Facebook wall (and then several others responded, sharing how their recipes varied slightly from Roxane's.

Roxane says:

Ingredients & Equipment:

• 5 Gallon Bucket


• Three Gallons Hot Water-straight from the tap


• 1/2 cup of Borax


• 1 Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda


• 1 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap

Directions:
Step One: On your stovetop heat 4 cups of water and shave the bar of soap slowly into the water until it is dissolved (keep the water below boiling).

Step Two: Add this mixture to three gallons of hot water using your 5 gallon bucket.

Step Three: Add the Borax and Washing Soda.

Step Four: Let it sit overnight.

Use about 1 Cup per load. ***Note from Taylor - I would try starting with 1/4 or 1/2 cup per load for top loaders, and just a tablespoon for HE machines, before you use a whole cup at once!***

You can also use 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (added to the fabric softener dispenser) to rinse water for a squeaky clean wash.

Taylor says:

Thanks Roxane for sharing how you make laundry soap cheaply.

What started this whole conversation on Facebook, by the way, where people started sharing their recipes, was this post about how people need more low cost laundry detergent options. If you're interested in cheap commercial detergent suggestions from readers check out that post for some ideas of what others have shared (scroll down to the comments).

If you haven't noticed by now, you will soon, that there are basically three common ingredients in almost all homemade detergent recipes. These are borax, washing soda, and some type of laundry soap bar, which is grated into soap flakes.

What makes this detergent so cheap is the fact that all of these ingredients by themselves are also very cheap, and a little of the detergent goes a long way!

Below are several more versions of this detergent you can make at home for cleaning your clothes and other washable laundry.

Variations On The Basic Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

by Cassie

Cassie shared her family's variation on Roxane's recipe (see above), for making laundry soap.

Cassie says:

We use the same recipe as Roxanne except I use two bars of Ivory in place of the Fels-Naptha. I also add a scoop of Oxyclean. We use plain vinegar for the fabric softener.

I would say it cost about $4 for each box of Washing Soda and Borax at the Commissary and I buy a big pack of Ivory soap bars for around the same price at the PX. I only need to buy those maybe once a year for our family of 5 that goes through a ton of laundry.

Not sure how much we spend on Oxyclean, buy it in bulk at Costco when it goes on sale and we have had it two years so far and still have enough for a few more batches of soap.



So much cheaper to make our own and our laundry gets just as clean as it did using the store bought stuff.

Taylor says:

Thanks Cassie for sharing how to make laundry soap for your family.

I will share a secret with you -- it is almost always cheaper to buy your main ingredients for your homemade laundry soap at the store rather than online. Although I have some links to various products you can purchase for making these recipes, from my investigation if you can find it at your local store buy it there instead. It will cost less.

However, these links can be helpful for people who can't get out to stores, and where their stores don't carry the basic ingredients necessary for making your own. For me, it is hardest to find Fels Naptha soap and washing soda in stores. If the store does stock them, they are typically in the laundry aisle, generally in an out of the way area like the bottom or top shelf.

Steps For Making Your Own Laundry Soap

by Sara

Sara shared her steps for making her own laundry soap, and how it varied from Roxane's recipe (see above).

Sara says:

My homemade recipe is similar to Roxanne's but a couple things different.

2/3 cup Fels Napthia grated, 1 cup each washing soda and borax.

I put 12 cups water into a large kettle on medium heat and add the grated soap. Heat and stir occasionally until the soap is dissolved. Gradually add the washing soda and borax, stirring after each addition (I usually do about 1/2 cup at a time) until completely dissolved.

Pour 8 cups very hot water in your large bucket and add the soap mixture and stir. Add 2 gallons plus 12 cups more water, stir, and let sit for 24 hours.

With my front load washer, I use about 1/2 cup per load.

The other cost-saving things: 1/4 cup each baking soda and borax per load, and fill the bleach cup with hydrogen peroxide (every load.)

In the dryer I use the 60 minute setting and a fragrance free dryer sheet for static.

Taylor says:

As you can see there are lots of variations for how to make laundry soap liquid, but they are also pretty similar too.

I hope these recipes help you out, and that you can feel a bit more adventurous in trying some of them out.

For some reason, none of these recipes really mention adding scent to the soap, but you can definitely do this if you like to have some fragrance in your detergent. The easiest way to do this is with essential oils.

I've created an article containing suggested essential oils recipes for use with homemade laundry supplies that you can use to get ideas for the most popular scents, and also great ways to blend the scents together. In addition, you can get creative and come up with your own unique signature scent too!

If you've used a recipe for homemade laundry detergent or soap and want to share it, I would love to hear from you too! You can share your homemade laundry soap recipe here, or read even more recipes that have already been submitted for even more ideas.

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