| I had been wanting to make my own laundry detergent for a while….but being busy with Annie and other things kept me from it. However, when a reader asked me to write about the process, it was the shove that I needed – but in a good way, not like a shove off a cliff. The verdict? I really, really like it. It gets everything super clean and at a fraction of the cost of store-bought detergent. My mom and I have been using it and we’re both fans. I think when I empty out the last of my stash, I’ll only be using homemade detergent. From what I can tell with my mad math skills and reading on the internet, this soap costs about $.05-10 per load, give or take. Most laundry detergents from the store cost around $.20+ per load. That’s a winner for me! Let’s get clean, y’all. |
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| To make this powder detergent, you’ll need Washing Soda, Fels Naptha Bar Soap, and Borax. That’s it. You know how I feel about Borax. So, all this stuff can be bought at Kroger. Strangely, the Fels Naptha Soap isn’t with the regular soap at my Kroger…..it’s with the mops. Tell me how THAT makes sense? The Arm and Hammer Washing Soda was on the top shelf near the Borax. A good source (thanks Rebecca!) tells me that these items can also be found at Food City. If you can’t find them at either store, you might be able to find them at a hardware store. Ivory soap can also be used, but Fels Naptha is really great for getting clothes clean. You can also use it as a pre-treater and just rub the soap right on the stain. Nice! |
Now, you need to grate your soap. I used my microplane. Somehow when I bought it, I never thought I’d be using it to grate soap. Cheese, yes; soap, no. But it worked great! If you don’t have a microplane grater, you can use any regular type of grater. I won’t judge you because you don’t have the most awesome grater of all time in your kitchen. I’m not here to point fingers. Oh, and this soap smells really good so when you’re done grating you’ll smell like you just had a shower. You’ll need to grate the whole bar – your arms will get tired. You’ve worked out today, baby! |
Add 1 cup Borax. Borax is going to give your detergent that little extra stain fighting power. It can be used interchangeably with Oxy-Clean but at a fraction of the cost. Have I mentioned that I just love Borax? |
Add 1 cup of washing soda. I read on several forums that some people just use baking soda, but then I also read that it doesn’t work quite as well. We don’t want to bake our laundry. Cakes, yes; socks, no. |
Time to mix it up. This isn’t a time to sit down on the job. Unless you want to sit down while you stir – that’s cool. You really need to stir this puppy. |
You’re supposed to stir it until it’s well incorporated and looks like powder. This is what I had after what felt like an eternity of stirring – or maybe it was only like two minutes. Don’t judge me. |
I wasn’t happy with it because you can see all the white powder on the bottom. Hmmmmmm. I’m a perfectionist. So, I broke out……. |
the food processor. Yes, I use mine daily. It’s up in my top five kitchen tools. I poured my soap in there and let it mix away. So much for my workout. You know, I never thought I’d use my kitchen tools to make soap – but I like to adapt. Wonder if Barry would mind if I used his workshop tools in my kitchen. Survival of the fittest. |
This is more like it! Powder! Isn’t it pretty? And it smells so nice and fresh. But here’s the funny part – it won’t make your laundry smell like the soap. Your clothes will come out smelling just non-dirty. They’ll be clean, but they won’t smell like Tide. If you NEED your clothes to smell pretty, then just sock a dryer sheet in the dryer with them. Me, I can just settle for not smelling like sour milk.***IF you use your food processor to make this detergent, please make sure to wash it thoroughly with HOT water and soap. You need to rid the processor of all traces of Borax.*** |
I stored mine in a Tupperware container. You’ll use two tablespoons per load. That’s it. Don’t overdo it! I actually put a tablespoon measure in mine to help. Next time I think I’ll just use my food processor to make the whole batch. |
When you’re ready to wash, add your powdered detergent to the water before you put the clothes in. That will assure that it will dissolve. And don’t expect bubbles. This stuff doesn’t bubble, but it does clean. |
| So, a few handy things to know:
1. This will also work in High Effiency Washers 2. I use it on Annie’s laundry without any sensitive skin problems….and I read online that other people do this successfully as well. 3. It’s so FAST! I made my batch in like 5 minutes. I love fast, frugal things! So, I’ve tackled that for you. If you’ve been too scared to do it now you don’t need to be! I’m a good source for trying things first to make all the mistakes. You’re welcome. Here is the link for the liquid version of homemade laundry detergent. UPDATE: Click here for an update on powdered laundry detergent. |
About Stacy
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I make this detergent too. I found that if you cut your fels naptha into chunks you can microwave then for about 2andahalfmin they need to cool down but they just crumble into powder. Also makes a strong scent the house but I like it!
Thanks for the tip Tonya! Stacy and I no longer use homemade detergents – it just wasn’t getting the clothes clean. We’ve found much success with Thieves laundry detergent from Young Living. But if you make (or buy!) a detergent you love – I’m thrilled for you!
Julie, Humorous Homemaking Team
I was hesitant to use dry detergent because it may leave residue in rhe clothes. But a friend told me to place dry detergent inside an old sock and it dissolves with no residue.
Great tip – thanks for sharing!!
Julie, Humorous Homemaking Team
Oh my gosh, I’ve been doing it all wrong. I’ve been using a whole box of washing soda, a whole box of Borox and I bar of the soap. The clothes get clean but I am afraid I’ve been doing it all wrong.
I make this, but I use the food processor only. No hand grater. I use both the slicing/chopping blade that goes on the bottom of the food processor and the grater part that goes on the top. The Fels Naptha bar fits right into the shoot part. I double the recipe, 2 bars of soap, 2 cups each of Borax and Washing Soda. I put the bars through one at a time, then open it up, and take the grater part off, and put it back together. Then pour the powders through the shoot while it is on a low speed.
Food processors aren’t just for food anymore – LOL! Great tip. Thanks for the comment!
Julie, HH Team
Fels-Naptha is positioned in the household cleaning aisle rather than in the personal hygiene aisle because it was developed specifically as a laundry product. It is petroleum-based and too caustic for regular use on the skin. The one exception is after poison ivy, oak, or sumac exposure — nothing cuts through urushiol like Fels-Naptha. You will want to scrub within thirty minutes of exposure using Fels-Naptha, a terrycloth washcloth, and COLD water. Hot water will open the pores of the skin causing the urushiol to be absorbed and then you’ve got an even worse case of poison ivy than you’d have with no washing at all.
If it’s soap-making day and I’m out of Castile soap, I will grate the Fels-Naptha I keep on hand for poison ivy. Really, though, Castile soap, which is generally olive oil-based, is easier on clothing, skin, and the environment. I like Dr Bronner’s unscented baby bar best.
As for microplane V box grater, I have both, have used both for laundry soap-making, and find the box grater is much faster and a gentler work-out. The texture is not as fine, but since I run the whole kit-and-caboodle through the food processor to eliminate borax and soda lumps before filling my soap canister, the courser texture from the box grater is not a problem.
Also, with my front-loader, I use only 1 tablespoon per load with amazing results.
🙂 My updated post says a lot of the same. Love Dr. Bronner’s.
I’ve heard that you can put lemon essential oil in the mixture for a fresh smell.
Yes, absolutely!
Your website is very interesting. I would like to add that those who wish to use homemade powdered soap detergent should buy Kirk’s Coco Castile soap rather than Zote or Feels Naphtha. If you google Zote or FN you will find some not so good ingredients. Plus the website ewg.org. — Enviornmental Working Group — has some negative findings also.
There are two versions of Kirk’s soap. The original which has less than 1% cítrus and pine essential oil — very vaguely noticeable — and an unscented version. The latter is harder to find in stores but both are available online — kirksnatural.com. or Amazon — for instance.
Sorry — that should be Fels Naphtha. Why does the spell checker kick in when you don’t want it too but doesn’t when it should — as I’ve seen many times online in various places. Lol.
Thanks for the great tip!!! I’m going to put some on my wish list right now!
To make this even easier microwave your fels naptha bar! I cut mine into 8 pieces, microwave for approximately 3 minutes. The bars swell and get hot. When they cool you can literally touch them between your fingers and they turn to powder! No more grating and it makes a finer powder. I make a big batch of this once a year. For about $15 I have enough soap for a family of 4. I also add scent boosters so that adds a few dollars. I use pure because it’s cheaper. I make a small batch with no scent for my husband to wash his hunting stuff in.
What a super cool tip!
I found it works really well to cut the felsnaptha into chunks and microwave them. Just like ivory soap, it puffs up real big, and no longer has a sticky feeling to it. Then I put it through my blender. It is literally a very very fine powder after this, and it only adds a couple minutes to the process. I also have no issues adding my completed powder to my laundry load right on top of the clothes. I used to have to add to the water first to ensure it all dissolved. Not anymore.
Great tip!
Since the Borax can get hard sitting in the box I measure it out by 1 cup each and put it in individual Zip-Lock type plastic bags (1 pint size or sandwich bags). I label the bag and reuse them. I do the same for the baking soda just for convenience. I buy the cheaper bags at dollar stores since I am not actually storing food in them.
Smart thinking!
I’ve been making a recipe similar to this. If you have a magic bullet, it works wonders on that bar of soap without killing your arm. 🙂 I use my mixer to mix it all together as well. I’m new to your site Stacy…really loving all I’m reading.
Okay…I do have one big worry…does this stuff ‘suck’ the color and greatness out your clothes after a while? Cause I am afraid I cant use it on ‘finer fabrics’. I know how to dry clean my clothes at home so those clothes are no problemo…but the ones that can be washed….well I just don’t want my clothes to lose their pazazz, if you know what I’m saying?? Thanks!
Not that I ever noticed. 🙂 I use Soap Nuts now.
http://www.stacymakescents.com/soap-nuts-a-natural-frugal-laundry-detergent
Curious your thoughts on using this with Cloth Diapers? Would love to try but try to stick to something we can use for both clothing and cloth diapers. Thanks so much!
I’ve actually switched to Soap Nuts – and I do it use for all of our laundry, cloth diapers included.
http://www.stacymakescents.com/how-to-make-soap-nuts-liquid
Michele – I didn’t use the homemade detergent with cloth diapers, but I did soak them in borax before washing. If it was poopy, I’d flush it down the toilet (holding it) to get the solids off. I had a bucket with borax solution that I’d toss them in. Did a good job.
Hey Stacy, I made a batch of liquid soap about 3 months ago. Now I’m ready to try the powder. 2 questions for you. I have a front loading machine so I don’t add the detergent to the tub, or can I?
When using the liquid detergent I would add a handful of Purex Crystals to the tub, just for added smell. The Dr. Bonner’s soap I purchased was unscented. (it’s all they had) If I add the Crystals to the recipe would I add 1cup like the other ingredients? Thanks for all your trial and errors. 🙂
I wish I could help you, girl…but I don’t have a front loader, so I have no experience. 🙁
I like the sound of this, and my Tide is getting close to gone. I’ve never really liked Tide, but at the time I got my front loaders, it was the only thing carried locally that was HE.
A suggestion re: food processors and graters. If you don’t want to use your kitchen tools, and you have enough storage space, get some old beat up tools from a tagsale or craigslist. I would imagine you could get a serviceable food processor for $5, and who cares if it’s grungy? Even if you’re eating your soap, it’s usually as a punishment anyways!
Thanks Stacy. I just found your site today, and lots of great stuff! My crockpot is stain free now, too. Baking soda – definitely the way to go!
Awesome! 🙂 I know several friends have a special appliance dedicated to soap. I use soap nuts now, so I don’t make this any more.
I would use about 2 tablespoons at the most. It doesn’t really suds up so you don’t have to worry about that. 🙂 It might be a bit of trial and error…I can’t say for sure since I don’t have one. 🙂 Good luck!
I have an HE washing machine. With 11 kids, I have to! 🙂 You would be AMAZED at how much laundry we can stuff into our washer. 🙂
How much laundry soap would I use do ya think?
Thanks!
Janet….mamachildress
countrylivingmama.blogspot.com
🙂 Well, thanks!
stacy, thank you for your insights. im surprised my search didnt find a facebook account. this is roughly the recipe i use. i have a high capacity washer and dryer, so we do two loads at a time. at first, i used to use two tablespoons and the homemade recipe wasnt working out so well. after the third time using the detergent, it occurred to me that we have a double load washer. i doubled the amount of detergent to each load and it works very well. i wash on eco warm. i do use vinegar for the softening agent.
i used:
1 bar fels naptha
1 c borax
1 c washing soda
1/2 c oxi clean
i no longer use the oxi clean, i use that and vinegar with my carpet cleaner.
i would rather use castile soap for my recipe, but i cant find it in stores. like any. so i ordered some online and will make a double batch with a bar of the castile soap and either a bar of zoot or fels. 1c borax, 1c A&H washing soda. and that’s it. i really like the way my clothes dont have a scent per say. they just, as you put it, smell cleans. and with the vinegar rinse aid, they are soft and will last longer.
i love your blog.
Do you think it’s ok to leave the grated gels-naptha as is after combining? Or is the food processor necessary, I tried using mine but instead of turning to a powder it got ball-y. Thanks!
That’s odd – I wonder why? I’ve never had it do that. Hmmmm, well you’d have to use HOT water for the balls or else the soap won’t dissolve. You could try dissolving it in a small amount of hot water and then adding it to the washer. 🙂
Could I use a Zote bar?
You sure could!
Well Stacy, you did it again! I had to try this. The ingredients were easy to find, the instructions were awesome and the detergent is amazing! My husband drives a concrete mixer truck and comes home dusty and filthy, this detergent is wonderful.
First you spoil me with a mouthwash that is second to none, now you’ve given me this spot on formula for laundry detergent. You are a blessing and a gift! Thanks Stacey…. you’ve made my good life even better.
🙂 You made me giggle.
i’ll definitely take a look! thank you Stacy! love your blog!
🙂 And I love y’all.
is fels naptha really safe? i read that it was FULL of chemicals?
I feel safe using it – I like products that have been around for over 100 years. 🙂 If you don’t want to use it, you could easily substitute a bar of Dr. Bronner’s castile soap.
You might find this interesting: http://www.livestrong.com/article/176905-information-on-fels-naptha-soap/
you definitely have a great point… if it’s been around for that long it can’t be all that bad! thank you so much for the article! i’ll definitely look into the castile soap, my only concern is that it’s made for skin… so would it be too oily for clothes?
I think I just realized that Dr. Bronner’s all-purpose soap only comes in liquid. Mrs. Meyers makes an all-purpose castile soap that should work…it’s like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Meyers-Clean-Day-Purpose/dp/B005LI732Y/ref=sr_1_34?ie=UTF8&qid=1342141665&sr=8-34&keywords=all+purpose+castile+soap
Does this soap “brighten” colors? I don’t want to brighten my dark clothes. Thanks!
I haven’t noticed a change in my darks at all. 🙂 In fact, if you use vinegar in the rinse it should help – vinegar is used to set colors.
All 3 ingredients I can find at my local Wal-Mart all in the laundry isle!
This stuff even gets my mechanic husbands work clothes clean!
Only thing………..I use 2 cups of borax and 2 cups washing soda to ONE bar of soap. Then use 2 tablespoons in washer. Works for me!
Thanks for chiming in with that info, Sherry!
Stacy
Do you use White Vinegar in ‘every’ load of laundry? or do you only use it for stain removal? Thanks for sharing all your trials and successes and research with us!
I use it in almost every load….to kill germs and to soften the laundry. Sometimes I forget. 🙂
Hi Stacy,
I’m trying to find a good “recipe” to use for washing our cloth diapers. Do you have any experience or knowledge if this would work well with diapers? Thanks!
I’ve heard yes and I’ve heard no. Last time around I used All Free and Clear. This next time I plan on using Charlie’s Soap or soap nuts. I’ll do a post very soon about soap nuts.
Some have said the soap still causes build up. I know you can use Borax as a cloth diaper soak…..I guess it’s just personal preference.
Here’s my post about how I wash mine: http://www.stacymakescents.com/its-poop-again
Stacy,
I made a big batch can’t wait to use it. Ivory soap now has “Aloe” smell. I added it to mine. It smells great. Has any one used the powder with the front washer yet? I would think if you use 2 Tablespoon for the top loading washer/ the front loading washer should only need 1 Tablespoon…
Was wondering if I am right on that or not. Also How much white vinegar in the fabric softner area? Does your clothes smell like white vinegar? After the rinse?
thanks,
DArla
Darla, once white vinegar evaporates it leaves no scent behind. I never even smell it when mine come out of the wash wet. I guess the rinse gets rid of it? I use 1/2 cup in mine. 🙂
I have read that those who use it in the HE washer only use 1 tablespoon….but some people caution against using it at all because of the warranty issue. Good luck and enjoy! 🙂
Made this detergent yesterday and it took out the stains and smells from my husbands undershirts while washing in cold water! Nothing else has been able to touch it since I can’t use bleach or hot water! LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that it just smells CLEAN!
I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂 I’ve had the very same success!
can I use Baking Soda instead of washing soda?
I have never tried it, but I’ve heard that people who do try it don’t get the same great results as with washing soda….I know the washing soda works, so I hate to mess up a batch to just “try.” 🙂 But, I’ve never been a risk taker.
Hi, Stacey. I have a washer that I don’t think I can run before I put the clothes in (it senses the amount in it then fills with water accordingly). It has a cup at the top for the detergent. What do you think I should do? Put it in the cup, put it in the bottom before the clothes (and water), or just not do it. I saw you have the recipe for the liquid version, but I’m not into that. Thanks!
And I tried my hardest not to spell your name wrong, but I DID! One of my best friends spells it with the -ey, so it’s hard to break the habit. SORRY!
That’s okay…it happens all the time. 🙂
I’m not entirely sure. I think I’d try it a few different ways and see what works best. You’ll know pretty quickly if it’s not dissolving because it will be all over your clothes and you’ll have to do another rinse. 🙂 Keep me posted!
Do you have to use warm water with this detergent? One of my DIY cleaning books says you can only use the homemade detergent with warm or hot water. That seems a bit more costly to me…
Marie, I wash all my clothes in warm water with a cold rinse – except towels and I wash those on hot. We’ve not seen an increase in our bill since starting to do that – but some of that might be because I try to line dry clothes when I can instead of using the dryer.
I have used this with cold water and had great results. I just add the powder to the washer as it’s filling up and when I see that it’s starting to dissolve, I throw the clothes in. 🙂
Just made some with the Fels Naptha. THanks for all the research!
Enjoy! 🙂
Have you ever tryed useing the ivory and fels soap both to get the smell from ivory and the stain fighting from the fels?
No, but that’s a good idea. 🙂 I just use a bar of Fels Naptha to rub directly on stains that need it. I keep it right by the washer just for that purpose. If you try it and it works out, please let me know!
Sounds great. I intend to make it (already have ingredients) for myself and my daughter in law who has 4 children, 5 and under.
Stacey, I use the same recipe but with Ivory soap bars…smells divine and is cheaper than Fels Naptha. Works great! Also sometimes add Awesome Oxygen (2 TBS per batch of laundry soap) to boost the power a bit. Awesome Oxygen is the Dollar Tree version of Oxyclean ($1 per box!) Thanks for the post-
🙂 Leslie, I also use Ivory now and you’re right, the smell is great! http://www.stacymakescents.com/laundry-detergent-notes
I use Awesome Oxygen too. I tell everyone at each workshop to buy it instead of the name brand, and I send them to Dollar Tree. 🙂 My laundry stain removal method: add Awesome Oxygen to your regular wash and white vinegar in the fabric softener spot. When it comes out and if the stain is still there, spray with white vinegar and let it dry in the sun. Stain will come out almost every time.
Thanks for the great comment!
This is the exact recipe I use and I love it. I use the food processor as well but make up several batches @ once. A month ago I ran out of fels naptha n used tide, I can’t stand how it smells now. I like my homemade so much better. I usually buy my fels naptha @ Ace, n its much more expensive than Food City. I hadn’t found it in any grocery stores, but then I never go to F.C. either. I’m more of a Kroger, Earth Fare, Fresh Market, Whole Foods girl. Have u ever tried making bar soap with a cold process method…..its loads of fun n I make mine completely organic, no coloring n just a bit of lavender.
Sandra, I’ve started using Ivory instead of Fels Naptha. We like it better.
I would be more of an Earth Fare shopper if we had one close. The closest one is almost 1 hour away. 🙂
Check out this post:
http://www.stacymakescents.com/laundry-detergent-notes
I’ve heard of it, but never tried it. Kinda thought it might leave a film bc its not a laundry bar like fels. Ill have to try it
I’ve never heard anyone mention a film. Everyone who uses it seems to like it a lot. I love it. I’ve switched to Ivory though. Check this post:
http://www.stacymakescents.com/laundry-detergent-notes
Do you buy all three of these items when they are on sale?
They don’t go on sale very often, but I find that even full price the cost is cheaper than buying detergent. Hope that helps! But, if they WERE on sale I would buy several. 🙂
It does help! Thank you! I can’t wait to try to make some detergent 🙂
So, I’m curious… Are you going to use your food processor for food again? From everything that I’ve read, borax is toxic (natural, too, but so is snake venom). I don’t have a problem using it for laundry, but I’m not sure I would put it in something I would put food in again….
Amy, thanks for your comment. The answer to your question is yes, I do still use my food processor for food. Before I started using Borax, I did a lot of research. I would never put my family in danger.
You’re right, Borax is natural – found in plants, soil, and water. In SMALL amounts it is harmless. It is only considered toxic if ingested in LARGE amounts (via the EPA). I am not going to set down a bowl of Borax for dinner. 🙂 Each time I use it to make detergent, the food processor is thoroughly washed with hot water and soap.
Small amounts of Borax are even used as homeopathic medicine.
There are warnings galore on the side of a bleach container and none on my Borax box.
Can you use the powder laundry soap in a front loader machine? If so how much do you use.
Yes, you can……at least that’s what I read on the internet. I would imagine the same amount: 1-2 tablespoons.
My good friend Amanda and I made this today. We’re excited!!
P.S. I had to buy my Fels Naptha at True Value because they did not have it at my Kroger. It was $1.39 + tax
I just got a bar of Fels Naptha at Food City today. It was $1.25 (3/$5), but I only wanted one today 🙂
YEAH!!!! Thank you Stacey! I am so crazy busy learning my new job and trying to finish this last semester.On top of that, I agreed to teach a college class for one of my former professors on disaster preparedness and global health. What was I thinking???? I am dying here! But, when I saw you had taken the time to do the laundry detergent thing, I felt like singing!! I didn’t cause Caleb always asked me “Please stop, Mom” so I just hummed under my breath. Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!! You are the best!
I aim to please. 🙂
Would it be cheaper to buy online (maybe Amazon.com) or in the store? I get free shipping on Amazon.com because I’m a student.
I’m uncertain what you mean Rebecca. Are you referring to the Fels Naptha soap?
I too make my detergent…sooo much cheaper!Anyway,I like mine smely so I add a few drops of lavender.(I make the liquid form)It doesn’t bother us, but you might want to consider not doing it if you have really sensitive skin. 🙂
I love this! Thanks, Stacy!
My mother in law makes her own detergent too, using similar ingredients, but hers is liquid 🙂
Liquid is coming tomorrow. 🙂