How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent Powder - Recipes You Can Use

by Taylor

Economic times are tough, so many people want to know how to make your own laundry detergent. (Some people are also looking for greener, more natural options for their family too.)

There are two basic types of laundry detergent or soap you can make yourself, liquid or powdered.

In this article I've gathered up recipes from readers who have shared how they make powdered laundry soap for cleaning their clothes on the cheap. (You can also find recipes for how to make laundry soap liquid here.)

What I've found is that there are typically basic similarities in these recipes, but people have tweaked them a bit here and there once they've figured out what works best for them. There is no right or wrong laundry detergent recipe, just whether it works well for you or not.

Be adventurous, and try some of these recipes and see how they work for you!

In addition, I would love to hear what recipes you use, either liquid or powder. You can share your homemade laundry soap recipe here, or read other recipes which have already been submitted.

Christina's Favorite Powdered Laundry Soap Recipe

by Christina

Christina shared this recipe for how she makes her own laundry detergent on SR101's sister site, Household Management 101's Facebook wall, while we were discussing the high price of detergent, and more frugal alternatives.

Christina says:

This is my favorite recipe. It takes out barn smell, and the stink from PT gear.

• 2 bars finely grated Sunlight soap (1 bar of any laundry soap will do)


• 1 cup washing soda


• 1 cup borax


• 1/2 cup baking soda


• 1/2 cup Epsom salts


• 20 drops of my favorite essential oils

Use 2 tablespoons per load, and up to 1/4 cup for a very soiled loads.

I also use 1/4 cup vinegar as the rinse and it brings out the colours, kills diaper smell.

Finally, I dry with a fabric softener sheet because I love softness.

I also multiply this recipe by a lot so I make it twice a year (in a 5 gallon pail, it's a paint pail from Home Depot).

It's a powder. If you wash in cold then pre-dissolve it in a cup or two of hot water before adding it to your machine.

Taylor says:

Thanks Christina for sharing this great recipe for how to make your own laundry detergent.

If you don't make many of your own cleaning products yet you may not be familiar with the major varieties of laundry bar soaps that can be used for these recipes. The major brands and varieties include:

• Fels Naptha


• Ivory soap


• Sunlight soap (mentioned above)


• Zote


• Kirk's

I know there are other brands and varieties too, but these are the major ones.

In addition, I know many people get tripped up when wanting to make a homemade laundry soap recipe with fragrance, because people just say to use your favorite essential oils. If you aren't familiar with essential oils, and how to put various combinations together, I've created a resource for you.

You can check out my essential oils recipes for laundry supplies which gives some common and popular pairings for various oils that many people love for their laundry.

Powdered Laundry Detergent Recipe - With Video

Below is a video showing a powdered laundry detergent recipe.

I thought this video was interesting because it says that in the UK borax is unavailable, so they instead use a "borax substitute."

I had no idea borax was not available everywhere, and for the life of me I can't figure out what "borax substitute" is.

Anyone know? If so, tell me in the comments.

Anyway, here is the ingredients:

• 500 grams of soda crystals (known here in the United States as washing soda


• 500 grams of borax substitute


• 2 tablespoons soap flakes


• 2 tablespoons powdered oxygen bleach (such as Oxiclean) (optional)


• Few drops essential oil (optional) (for fragrance)

You just mix these ingredients together to create the laundry detergent, which is much easier than using the stove to make a laundry detergent recipe.

I thought it was interesting that she says you must use hot water when washing with this detergent though, to adequately melt the soap flakes in the wash.

That makes sense when you hear it, but I don't know if I would have thought of it otherwise.

If you want to wash in cold water she suggests instead using liquid soap with the mixture, in place of the soap flakes.

Here is the video for full details:



Photo by peagreengirl

Stretch Your Powdered Detergent With These Ingredients

by Sheila

Sheila also shared how she makes her own laundry detergent powder, or at least stretches out the store bought version to last a lot longer.

Sheila says:

I've made homemade detergent for a long time. It's saved us money, and cleans better than what we were using.

The recipe I use is:

• 3 cups borax


• 3 cups any powdered laundry soap


• 1 bar of Fels Naptha soap, grated

Mix and store in container with lid and use 1/8 cup each big load.

Taylor says:

Thanks Sheila for sharing your tips for how to make your own laundry detergent.

As you can see there are a lot of different recipes you can use to clean your clothes for less. If you've used a recipe, and it has worked well for you, please share it here, or read others already submitted.

In addition, you can also check out my homemade laundry detergent recipes here for even more ideas.

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