Have I ever told you about the time I washed newborn clothes with the tags and hangers still on? Or the time my preschooler decided to “help” with the laundry by adding a load of cloth diapers to my freshly cleaned whites?
Personally, I’m not up for adding complications to my laundry routine, which is why I love this easy homemade laundry detergent.
It’s super simple to make and has received a lot of positive feedback, like this comment from Hillary:
I washed a couple loads of laundry today- and it worked so well! Our laundry is always SUPER dirty too! My husband does mechanical work for a logging company and his clothes get REALLY dirty after crawling in, on, and under those greasy machines! I think the detergent cleaned it better than our natural detergent we were buying from Costco! I was very impressed, thank you! : )”
And this one from Cee:
Yay for this laundry soap!! It actually works and is so simple! I haven’t got into making soap yet but I buy bulk bags of soap odds and ends from when I buy my hair shampoo bars and it’s the best natural detergent yet! Thank you so much!”
Before we dive into the recipe, I’ve updated this article to answer some of the most commonly asked questions I’ve received over the years.
What’s the difference between laundry detergent and laundry soap?
According to Chris Woodford, who holds a masters in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University:
Often we use the words ‘soap’ and ‘detergent’ interchangeably, but really they’re quite different things. A detergent is a chemical substance you use to break up and remove grease and grime, while soap is simply one kind of detergent.” (1)
Detergents can be made from other things, too, like natural or synthetic compounds that help separate dirt from fabrics using the same mechanism as soap. Both work by reducing the surface tension of water, which loosens dirt so that it can wash away.
Bottom Line: According to Woodford, all soaps are detergents but not all detergents are soaps.
I call this recipe laundry detergent because that seems to be the name most people recognize, but it could just as easily be called homemade laundry soap.
Why make your own laundry detergent?
As I wrote about here, a University of Washington study of some of the top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found that they all emitted at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws. (source)
Interestingly, none of the chemicals were listed on the label, and five of the six products emitted chemicals which are considered by the Environmental Protection Agency to have no safe exposure level.
Fortunately, in the past few years several companies have begun offering non-toxic options that work well – I’ll cover those later in the article.
Although I do buy laundry detergent every once in awhile, I like making my own because it’s an easy way to save money on household expenses.
Homemade Laundry Detergent: What You Really Need
If you’ve ever searched around for laundry detergent recipes online, you’ve probably seen ones that have five, six or even seven ingredients. It may seem like they’d be more effective than ones with just two or three, but simplicity really does work in our favor here.
That’s because instead of mixing a weaker ingredient with a stronger one, I just use the more effective of the two. For example, according to this post, “Baking soda is only half as strong as washing soda at softening water and doesn’t allow the cleaning pH to go nearly as high. And if you have a stronger product on hand, why dilute it with a weaker one?”
No one uses baking soda in commercial formulas. . . not even Arm & Hammer! With that in mind, here are my essentials for making homemade laundry powder:
Bar Soap
There are two basic kinds of soap:
- Body Bar Soap – Soap can dry skin out, so manufacturers add in a little extra oil to condition skin while cleansing it. This is the idea behind Dove soap’s “one-quarter moisturizing cream in every bar” campaign.
- Laundry Soap – While extra oil is great for skin, it can cause buildup over time when used to wash clothes. That’s why most laundry detergent recipes suggest using soaps that are specifically made for laundry care and don’t contain extra oil. Two of the most popular are Fels Naptha and Zote bar soap, however both contain ingredients that I prefer not to use.
With that in mind, here are my top bar soap options in order from good to best.
Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap (Good) – Made with clean ingredients, this soap is widely available and works well for many. Depending on the type of water you have it **may** cause buildup over time, but then again it may not. I use it on occasion when I don’t have my best option on hand, and it’s worked well for me.
Kirk’s Castile Soap (Better) – This bar is made from coconut oil, which has got serious cleaning power when made into soap. It does have a little extra moisturizing oomph because it’s intended for skin, but it’s worked beautifully for me as a laundry bar.
Pure Coconut Oil Soap (Best) – This three-ingredient homemade soap is my favorite because it doesn’t contain lots of added oil for moisturizing purposes. It’s easy to make and has excellent cleaning power.
Pure Tallow Soap Flakes (Best) – This is my top store-bought option. I don’t know how they source their tallow but the ingredients are good overall.
Washing Soda
Found in a lot of commercial detergents, washing soda helps to degrease and deep clean clothes. It also helps by binding to minerals that can prevent the soap you’re using from getting into laundry fibers and doing their job.
If you have it on hand, you can make washing soda from baking soda with this method.
Lemon Essential Oil (Optional)
Works well as a stain remover and degreaser.
Optional Additions
Although not part of the main recipe, here are some additions worth considering:
Vinegar
I add 1/2 cup white vinegar to each load for two reasons:
- Laundry detergent has a very alkaline pH, which can irritate skin. Using a vinegar rinse resets the pH to a skin-friendly level.
- It helps dissolve excess detergent and salts off clothes.
The easiest way I’ve found is just to add it to a Downy ball so that it releases after the initial wash cycle.
Powdered Oxygen Bleach Without Fillers
There are several chlorine-free bleach alternatives that are great for brightening, whitening, and deodorizing. Here are my top picks:
- Eco-Me Laundry Whitener and Brightener – Safe for colors and whites. Add one capful along with your laundry detergent to loads as needed.
- Molly’s Suds Oxygen Whitener – Safe for colors and whites. Add one scoop along with your laundry detergent to loads as needed.
- Pure Sodium Percarbonate (powdered hydrogen peroxide) – Safe for whites and colors when you add a couple of tablespoons to your regular wash cycle. May fade some colors if soaked for hours. The brand I link to says it contains 99% pure sodium percarbonate, but it’s totally pure. The other 1% is moisture.
Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe (Borax-Free)
Equipment
- cheese grater
Ingredients
- 6 cup washing soda (where to buy washing soda, how to make your own)
- 3 bars of bars of 4.5 – 5 ounce soap, finely grated (See the "Bar Soap" section above for recommendations. Can also use approximately one pound of soap flakes.)
- 100-150 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Additional Items You Might Want To Have On Hand
- white vinegar
- powdered oxygen bleach
- Downy ball
- wool dryer balls (where to buy them, how to make your own)
Instructions
To Make Homemade Laundry Detergent
- Grate the soap with a cheese grater.
- Add the grated soap, washing soda and essential oil (if using) to your food processor.
- Blend until you have a fine powder. You may want to lay a dish towel over the top of your food processor to prevent a fine mist of powder from floating into the air. Also, let it settle a bit before opening the container or the powder will float onto your kitchen counter.
- Pour into a clean, airtight container.
To Use Your Homemade Laundry Detergent (Top Loading Machine)
- Add 3 tablespoons laundry detergent per load. If you are washing in cold water, dissolve it in hot water before adding it in. I prefer to start each load with a little hot water to dissolve and then put my laundry in.
- Optional Step: Add 2 tablespoons of powdered oxygen bleach to your load.
- Optional Step: Add 1/2 cup vinegar to a Downy ball or the fabric softener compartment.
- Optional Step: For extra fabric softening goodness and a shorter drying time, toss some wool dryer balls in the dryer with your clothes. They're an eco-friendly, reusable alternative to dryer sheets.
Notes
- As with other detergents, it is recommended that you cut the amount used in half for HE machines.
- Be sure to check your owner’s manual – using certain types of laundry products in your HE machine may void your warranty. See the FAQ section below for more information.
What To Buy If You Don’t Want To DIY
When you’d rather not make your own, here are some great options to consider:
- Nature Clean
- Attitude
- Eco Me in Citrus Berry, Lavender, Vanilla Bean and Fragrance-Free
- Better Life in Unscented and Lavender Grapefruit
- Molly’s Suds Laundry Powder is very similar to my recipe below and comes in unscented and peppermint.
- Meliora Laundry Powder is also similar and comes in Unscented, Lemon and Lavender.
- Sapadilla comes in Rosemary + Peppermint, Grapefruit + Bergamot, and Lavender + Lime
Frequently Asked Questions
Since I first posted this recipe there have been hundreds of questions (and counting) posted in the comments. Here are the answer to the most common ones.
Is this laundry detergent HE safe?
This soap is low-sudsing, so theoretically it should be fine for HE washers. A very similar recipe found on the Kirk’s Castile Soap website is said to be safe and offers the following information and tips:
- “This powered recipe is great for High Efficiency washers because it is very low sudsing.
- It is important that you grate the bar soap very finely for HE washers.”[i]
With that said, be sure to check your owner’s manual, because some manufacturers will void your warranty if you don’t use detergent made specifically for HE washers.
Keep in mind that just like with other products, it is suggested that you cut the amount used in half for HE machines.
Is this homemade detergent septic system safe?
Yes, all of the ingredients in this recipe are considered septic system safe.
Can I mix this with water to make liquid laundry detergent?
From what I’ve read, homemade liquid detergents made with washing soda tend to lose potency rather quickly so I don’t use them.
Is this recipe good for sensitive skin?
In my experience, yes. I used it when my babies were small and it never irritated their skin.
Does this recipe work for cloth diapers?
I used it with my cloth diapers. The vinegar rinse I mention in the instructions seems to keep them from needing to be stripped very often. However, I will say that only seems to work with natural fibers like cotton and bamboo. I tried it with some microfiber diapers I had back in the day and it “set” the stink rather than washing it out.
Do you know of a healthy alternative to dryer sheets?
Yes, wool dryer balls!
Do you recommend any stain removers?
I have a stain remover recipe here, and this is a great store-bought option.
Now that I have washing soda, what else can I do with it?
Make homemade dishwasher detergent!
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Sources
1. Woodford, Chris (2019) Detergents and Soaps
2. Science Daily (2008) Toxic Chemicals Found In Common Scented Laundry Products, Air Fresheners
I’ve been using Charlies for about a year now. You think some of the ingredients are not so safe? Also i’m guessing your detergent works well on cloth diapers? We’ve been having some stink issues lately. The diapers have been having a very strong ammonia smell and i’m not sure what to do. Thanks!
I haven’t used Charlie’s so I can’t really say. I just know I’ve been looking for a soap that is GMO-free (many are made from GMO-corn), sodium lauryl sulfate, proprietary ingredients I can’t check myself, etc. After a long search (which did yield a few brands I was comfortable with) I decided it was just easier to learn to make my own!
What kind of vinegar…. white?
Yes 🙂
I make home made apple cider vinegar… can you use that?
Vinegar and soap (vs detergent) cannot be used together. Vinegar is acidic, soap is basic (alkaline) and the two tend to cancel each other out. This is a common error in homemade cleaning products. If there is a little more vinegar than soap, then the vinegar is doing the cleaning. If there is more soap than vinegar, then the soap is doing the cleaning. I see the combination of soap and vinegar (and even vinegar and baking soda) and they are NOT chemically compatible. Use the white vinegar as your fabric softener and your results will be better. Usually when I see recipes like this, it is from someone who has not tried them and has simply copied them to yet another blog.
Right, that is why the instructions say use a downy ball or the fabric softener compartment for the vinegar, so it will be released during the rinse cycle. Or you can just catch it right at the beginning of the rinse cycle and add the vinegar then. I would bet mommypotamus uses her recipes.
Vineger is acid right. N what the natural detergent powder formula
I’ve used white vinegar as a fabric softener, and it DID NOT soften my clothing. They were actually very scratchy after drying…and I used wool dryer balls in the dryer.
Will this detergent work for silk?
I’ve been making the washing soda, baking soda & Kirkland’s castile soap for years with very good results, thank you.
A water softener was installed several months ago and clothes appear dull. Possible reaction from softener salt?
All that research and you didn’t discover the difference between soap and detergent?
While I can understand why you would think that, I chose the title I did because it’s the one most people relate to.
what a rude comment. Detergent is more searchable and relate-able. When consumers are used to buying DETERGENT at a store and decide they want to make their own, the word they search is DETERGENT not SOAP!
in the united states, we use the word “detergent” but in other english speaking countries, other words are used. so i don’t think the comment was intended to be rude. for instance, in england, the phrase “washing up powder or liquid” is used for the word “detergent” Soap is a common term too.
In Australia detergent is for washing your dishes. Washing or laundry powder / liquid is for clothing, linens etc! So you, not the lovely mommypotamus, is one who is rude!
That was not a rude comment – Life’s too short – really people!
It’s not rude, it’s her opinion. I actually searched for “homemade laundry soap” when I decided to look for a recipe. What’s rude is you jumping on her for your perception.
Detergent is using chemicals with no soap properties.
Soap: made through saponification process by mixing sodium hydroxide and oils. The end result is SOAP!! Not chemical detergent.
For most DIY laundry detergents, 100% coconut oil SOAP is used to clean the clothes along with washing soda and citric acid.
You will not find “SOAP” in commercial “DETERGENTS”!
It’s a simple google search to find the answer. The author of the site was showing you how to make DIY laundry soap.
Hi is Nutiva Coconut Oil the base for the homemade soap?
For the soap portion would Zotes Laundry soap work. Here are the ingredients and they are similar to kirks.
Ingredients: Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Fragrance, Optical Brightener
we used charlies too for a while. When I looked up safe for cloth diapers they seemed to do well so I figured it was super safe. then looked it up on ewg.org and the rated a D! http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/2428-CharliesSoapLaundryPowder
Hi. How many times can we re-use the soapballs to make new batches?
Soapballs? I’m not sure where you saw soapballs? Sorry, I’m just wondering what you are asking about.
She did mention using a Downey ball (wondering if that is what you are talking about). A Downey ball is a plastic bottle type ball that was made to put fabric softener in, which will release the softener into the water after the wash water spins out. She suggested using it to put the vinegar in to use as a fabric softener rinse. It can be reused many times, but the ball itself has no soap or other products itself.
I tried to add a screenshot, but I guess you can’t put in screenshots. Look up Downey Fabric softener balls in Amazon, or do a google search, and you may find a pictue. There is one on Amazon if you can get Amazon online.
Julia – My daughter’s diapers also started smelling really strong of ammonia after about a year. I started adding some vinegar to the first cold water rinse cycle, then adding detergent to the regular wash cycle followed with a final plain hot water rinse. They still smell stronger than when the diapers were new, but much much better than they did. It will help to be able to hang them in the sun this summer too! Ah sun…..
try to hang your diapers outside Julia. The sun will help kill bacteria. (I don’t know how well it will work this close to winter though, the sun isn’t as strong).
I began having a similar problem with my daughter’s cloth diapers — I had to abandon the homemade cloth diaper detergent (borax, oxyclean and washing soda combo) and go back to buying the expensive Rockin’ Green cloth diaper detergent that’s specially formulated for soft water, which we have. It really works amazingly but I’d rather find a better, cheaper and more natural alternative. They don’t smell at all when they are clean, and not AS bad as they did before once soiled. We just bought a diaper sprayer and I read that spraying the soiled ones before tossing them in the pail helps prevent the odors from permeating the fabric to the point that you have a difficult time washing it out in one wash cycle. I’m still dealing with a work in progress but that’s what has been improving our stinky diaper situation!
You need to strip your diapers if they are smelling like ammonia. http://mamanatural.com/how-to-strip-your-cloth-diapers/
We were having bad ammonia build up problems with our cloth diapers too and finally found Bac-Out which has been really effective and is non-toxic/natural. I put 1 Tbsp of Bac-Out in our cloth diaper pail (diapers get tossed in a pail with lid that is half full of water until laundry time which is every other day). And every few months I do a special laundry cycle to strip the diapers using only Bac-Out. The diapers all returned to smelling fresh and no more diaper rashes that we were getting when the ammonia build up was bad. We also line dry outside as often as possible so the sun helps keep them fresh too.
We had that problem with our cloth diapers also. I called the diaper help line and was told to strip them with original dawn dish soap. It worked great, the smell went away and they were more absorbent after also. Hope this helps.
original blue dawn works well for the stink but i try not to use it unless i absolutely need too. oxiclean is also great. i was having the ammonia smell issue too especially in the dirty ones…my goodness the smelled worse than the cat box and my daughter didnt have a uti or any issues, it was the already sticky clean diaper! lol also washing them longer helps. i went from a 9 minute cycle to a 12 min cycle. i use this recipe and i have no issues at all…but ive never used charlies either. hope this helps!
A strong ammonia smell is baby not getting enough water and or liver problems. Not the detergent
Thank you, Kristina, for pointing that out. Also, if the pee is strong yellow color it is due to dehydration. Pee should be clear and then it almost has no smell. Same for adults.
Thank you for great posts!!
You need to ‘strip’ your diapers. Google ‘how to strip’. I had the same issue. It’s a buildup issue in the material. Stripping is hard core cleansing.
I love your ideas and recipes for healthy diy versions of nearly everything a person needs at home! With drought conditions, I’m looking for ways to reuse laundry greywater and would love your input on diy laundry detergents safe for the garden
I’ve never made powdered. I always make a liquid with castile soap: I am seriously excited about the wool dryer balls-on my way to ckeck my stash right now! (don’t know why I never thought of that-Thanks!
Do you have bar soaps that you can recommend? Thanks!
I’ve been making my laundry soap for almost a year now and did not realize Fels Naptha had GMOs!
Is there another bar soap that you would recommend for purchase?
I don’t know for sure that it does, but unless they are obtaining their tallow from pastured sources only it’s probably likely. Though I’d prefer to use a soap designed specifically for laundry (in other words, one that hasn’t been superfatted) I typically use Dr. Bronner’s bar soap because I’m more comfortable with the ingredients. I’ll post my recipe for homemade coconut oil soap soon!
Oooh, I can’t wait for the soap recipe!
What do you recommend to those allergic to coconut?
what bar soap do you use? Also, was that a yes that it’s cloth diaper safe?
I make my own – will post the recipe soon! For store bought options, I personally would consider:
2. Dr. Bronners. Though soaps made for skin rather than laundry are “super fatted” – meaning there is extra oil added in – I have not found this to be an issue with my detergent. I prefer to use Dr. Bronners because I’m more comfortable with the ingredients. You can find it here
3. Kirk’s castile soap, because it’s very affordable. i believe their glycerin usually comes from coconut or palm sources, but it may also come from GMO corn. Not sure what “natural fragrance” is, but the other ingredients are just coconut and water. You can find it here
I do use it with my cloth dipes. The vinegar rinse I mention in the instructions seems to keep them from needing to be stripped very often. However, I will say that only seems to work with natural fibers like cotton and bamboo. I tried it with some microfiber dipes I had back in the day and it “set” the stink rather than washing it out! My Kawaii covers – though synthetic – do fine with this recipe.
Kirk’s makes an fragrance free bar. It’s what I use for my personal soap. Definitely cheaper than Dr. Bronner’s.
Sorry but glycerin is a natural by product of the SOAP MAKING (saponification ) process. The Chemical soap makers sell their glycerin as another income stream, to makers of glycerin soaps..
Glycerin also comes from plants, usually palm, I think. It will be called vegetable glycerin, and should state its source.
Completely false. It has little byproduct value because so much is extracted from biodiesel product streams. Biodiesel is made by saponification of plant oils followed by transesterification with methanol. So it parallels soap manufacturing. The glycerin must be removed from the transesterified fatty acids before they can be sold as fuel. Hence, there’s an oversupply of glycerin already, and very low prices. There is 0 profit in removing it from soap. All bar soaps contain glycerin, not just those labeled as such.
Forty and 50 years ago IN rural Alabama, I used a 5 gallon white pickle bucket for a diaper pail for my daughters. I filled it half full of water and added 1/4 cup of vinegar. I washed cotton diapers every other day. I squeezed vinegar water out of diapers n threw them in the washer with Bought detergent. Never a urine smell. Dried them on outside line mostly.
I’ve been using soap nuts.
Would love a recipe like this but safe for the front loader washing machine. Have been nervous to make my own laundry detergent for that reason.
I have used this or similar in my front loader for about 4 years. Never have a problem with it.
Do you add the soap directly in with the clothes or do you put it in the detergent compartment? We just moved and have a front loader, so I’m not really sure what is best, etc. We currently use Molly’s Sud’s (a great natural laundry soap), but I am looking to stay natural while ALSO trying to cut costs hence why I am looking into making my own. PLease share how you would use with front loader if you have experience:)
I don’t normally use powder in a front loader since they don’t have alot of water in them – however, I would probably be inclined to use the detergent compartment for this so that the powder is diluted with water before going into the drum.
so do you use lemon oil in your loads? where and when exactly do you add it in? also… do you use the same amount of detergent? 2 to 3 tbsps?
thanks,
Kirks’ website gives a recipe and different amounts for top v. front loaders.
I might have missed this point, but what is the problem with GMO vinegar or glycerine? Other than not wanting to support the practice economically, I mean. If we’re using it for something other than eating or applying directly to our skin….?
I’d like the answer to your question also.
Although one issue with GMO crops is that they are generally more heavily sprayed with pesticides and there may contain more residue, I don’t necessarily think that’s a huge concern here. For me it’s mostly about trying to support better agricultural choices.
White Vinegar is made from petroleum, unless it says it is made from grain: think black tar oil. NOT something I want either to consume nor have on my clothing seeping into my body.
I use one brand I have still found to be made from grain…Essential Everyday. It says made from GRAIN. If it doesn’t say made from GRAIN, it IS made from petroleum. I have not found an organic nor non GMO source for white vinegar…there used to be one on Amazon, but I was never able to buy and then it was unavailable.
So, always buy white vinegar that says it is made from grain.
omg you are right Carol L! I am thoroughly stunned and disgusted… What else am I putting into, on and around my body! UGH!
Oooh, YAY! I’m glad to find a recipe made without Borax since I’ve heard differing reports on its safety as well. Do you know how well this works with cloth diapers? We use prefolds and covers which generally aren’t as picky as other diapers, but I’ve heard that some homemade laundry soaps don’t clean diapers very well.
Yes, I use it with my cloth dipes. The vinegar rinse I mention in the instructions seems to keep them from needing to be stripped very often. However, I will say that only seems to work with natural fibers like cotton and bamboo. I tried it with some microfiber dipes I had back in the day and it “set” the stink rather than washing it out! My Kawaii covers – though synthetic – do fine with this recipe.
I would like to know more about which bar soaps are safe!
I’ve been making laundry soap for years and save tons. One caveat, it reduces absorbency of towels and diapers
Could it be that the recipe needs more washing soda? Just read (here?) that you can make your own by baking baking soda at 400 degrees for an hour or so. When I used to simply add washing soda to my regular (natural detergent from the store) wash, I noticed my towels were fluffier and worked better.
I think I know why towels and diapers are less absorbent with homemade laundry soap. Use the soap you are going to make your laundry det. with to wash your hands, and you can feel a residue on your hands after you rince your hands. Wouldn’t this same residue be left on your clothes. Just my personal observations.
Yes! Body soaps contain extra oil so that they are not too drying. It’s best to use a soap specifically formulated without oils for diapers, towels, etc. Here’s the recipe I use.
Do I have this correct….your diy laundry soap recipe does well with towels and CDs because of your specifically formulated coconut oil based soap that u use?
I have had success with using it to wash diapers and towels, but you’ll need to consult your manufacturer to see if it will void the warranty on your diapers. Some only cover diapers that are washed in detergents – this recipe is a true soap. Yes, the coconut oil soap will yield the best results.
When you wash towels do it with 1/2 c baking soda on hot cycle and then do another cycle with 1c vinegar and your towels will be so fluffy and absorbent!
For those of you who have wondered about SOAP:
1. I will be posting my recipe for homemade coconut oil soap soon 😀
2. I’ve also used Dr. Bronners. Though soaps made for skin rather than laundry are “super fatted” – meaning there is extra oil added in – I have not found this to be an issue with my detergent. I prefer to use Dr. Bronners because I’m more comfortable with the ingredients. You can find it here
3. Kirk’s castile soap is very affordable. i believe their glycerin usually comes from coconut or palm sources, but it may also come from GMO corn. Not sure what “natural fragrance” is, but the other ingredients are just coconut and water. You can find it here
Great recipe, thanks Mommypotamus! We tweeted it @elementbotanica
How cold is a “cold wash”? What temp do you use?
I’m not sure! My top loader just has a setting that says “cold.” 😀
Heather… Is your recipe for a regular or HE machine? Thank you! 🙂
I have a regular top loader 🙂
So lemon essential oil will get out grease stains? Do you rub it or just drop a little on? I am having trouble finding anything that will work for these little grease spots I keep getting on my clothes and usually only show up after washing and drying!
I’ve found quite a bit of success by just dropping a bit of oil on my kids stained clothes 🙂
I am surprised to hear that you use OxiClean. I absolutely love the stuff, because I can get out any stain with it, but I had always assumed it was pretty toxic. Do you think not, or have you just not found anything else that works as well? I used to use Lestoil to get out grease stains, but I will have to try lemon oil!
From what I understand, Oxiclean is just washing soda (sodium carbonate), sodium percarbonate and peroxide mixed together. I think it has a small amount of alcohol in it, too.
Fyi, Ecostore USA makes a product called Oxygen Whitener that is similar to oxyclean, but is more natural (from my understanding, at least). I love it and all their products!
I’ve read in several places that regular Oxiclean contains optical brighteners. I use Oxyclean Baby instead, because it supposedly doesn’t.
Yep, I use Oxiclean Free 🙂
IS THIS THE SAME IDEA AS YOUR OXYGEN BLEACH RECIPE?
Nope, this is a different recipe 🙂
Does anyone have this weird problem I have…. I love oxiclean for stains, but when I use it in large amounts, (and I always use an extra rinse), I get really stinky wash in the NEXT batch. Not the oxiclean batch. Is it cleaning off a residue in my machine that is then showing up in my next batch. Arrggh, so weird. My laundry problems seem to never be easy to figure out!
I do even have a Speed Queen which is working pretty well and I didn’t think there would be a residue or mildew because it works much better than the HE one I had.
Clarification: by “large amounts”, I just mean one scoop to soak clothes in for stains.
Don’t you think it would be advisable to look this up rather than just repeat some internet rumor from possibly questionable sources?
My son and I both have allergies to the H.E. detergents…all of them. There is one ingredient they add to keep the suds down that we react to. We had skin problems after switching to a new front-loader. According to the warranty we can only use H.E. detergent. Well, after a long process of discovery, I’ve been using just vinegar with a few drops of essential oils. You don’t have any ideas for homemade liquid detergent, do you?
I kind of said this above, but Kirk’s Castile’s website has a recipe for homemade powdered detergent and amounts to use for front or top loaders; I think all front loaders are HE. Also, I have experimented with very low amounts of soap and alternating washes with and without soap. There is generally some soap residue (even from my store bought natural detergents), even when very little is used. I get clean, fresh smelling laundry (not really dirty stuff that needs stain remover) from as many as two loads without soap. (Water, alone, has the property of breaking chemical bonds, which is why it’s a good cleaner, in general.) This is even true for shirts with anti-perspirant (ok’d by my natural MD!) residue on them. It all comes off. Sometimes I’ll use vinegar instead of soap for one load. And, washing soda and borax don’t create suds, so if you’re concerned, you can add more of that. Borax is only toxic if you eat huge amounts of it.
Where do you get your lemon essential oil? There are soooo many essential oils on the market today, it’s hard to know which are best quality and safest. Thanks!
I usually buy most of my single oils from Plant Therapy, but I often by organic citrus-based oils NOW Foods also.
Is it me or my washer? When I put vinegar in the softener hole, it doesn’t spin out. Eventually I have to clean it out. I’m not coordinated enough to get to the rinse cycle on time!
Have you tried using a Downy ball? That’s what I do 🙂
Just reading thru the comments and thought I would chime in and say that the Downy ball will not work in HE washers. I don’t know the the technical reason why but it clearly says in my manual that the Downy ball will not work in HE washers. Must have something to do with the force of spin and the way the water comes in????
Not true! I’ve had HE washers for many, many years & have always used the Downy ball. If your washer has a spin speed selection, set it to the fastest spin. I’ve never had any problems.
Every HE washer I have owned or used (I do Patient Sitting) says in the manual to use a Downy Ball for fabric softener. Many have a switch to turn on of off for fabric softener. When you put the Downy Ball in, you flip that switch to on.
I have searched everywhere for a non-GMO white vinegar, as far as I can tell, it doesn’t exist. Do you recommend a particular product?
Whole Foods says their 365 vinegar is non-GMO 🙂
Also, I’m thinking about doing a tutorial on making your own this spring.
Ohhh,, yes! That would be excellent. There isn’t a Whole Foods here, and I would rather not shop there but maybe I will stock up on Vinegar next time I’m in a city with WF. Also, I’m suspicious of their claim….
Organic is always non-GMO
Try Everyday Essentials. Theirs says it is made from GRAIN. If it only says diluted to 5%, it is made from PETROLEUM. It needs to say made from GRAIN. There is no brand that I have found in several years of searching that is non GMO grain. The Everyday Essentials brand is the only brand I use.
Dear friend-who-loves-to-research….
Can you comment on whether or not this is ok for front-load washers? I ruined our first front-loader with “natural” detergent that wasn’t High Efficiency. So I doubt Mr. E will let me experiment with this one too.
The Kirks website says to dissolve it in water. You also might want to put it in the basin rather than in the compartment – sometimes certain chemicals (like vinegar) can ruin the transport tube things. It also says that a recipe, very similar to this one (it adds Borax) is safe for HE washers.
I too have a front load washer. I have used this detergent for years. There are no suds created so you should be just fine!
Is this okay for HE washers?
I seem to recall reading somewhere that essential oils shouldn’t be added into the laundry because they can break down the clothing fibers, or something along those lines. Have you ever heard that? I’m wondering if it’s true in general, or only with certain oils?
Just washing your clothes can break down the fibers. and the dryer also pulls fibers from your clothing, and nothing last forever.
Does the washing soda/grated soap mixture have to be mixed in a food processor? Would it work just as well to leave the soap grated and mix the washing soda in? Thanks!
You can do that but you might find chunks of soap in the washer after the load is done.
Darn! Now I don’t know if I should be using the borax I bought a while ago…I guess I have some thinking to do.
Thanks for the recipe though!
Beautiful and AMAZING, yes YOU are! So happy to have found your blog…
I just started making this and I love it!!! I love that it is borax free. Do you have a recipe for borax free dish soap. I do not have a dishwasher so I do all my dishes by hand. I am having a hard time finding a recipe for one that cuts grease.
Can I use scented Dr Bronners or is unscented best?
Either one is fine!
I read on another website (with a slightly different variation of laundry soap) that you should not put vinegar in the place for liquid softener/bleach because it can ruin the “pipes” used to transport it into the basin. Instead, you should put it directly into the basin itself; though you might want to do it as a separate rinse cycle instead.
It looks like the Kirks website has instructions for using a recipe very similar to this one (it has Borax and a slightly lower ratio of washing soda to soap) in front loaders – dissolve the regular amount of soap in a bit of water. You could possibly put that mixture (if it was liquidy enough) in the actual spot for the liquid soap.
I have used vinegar in the cavity named “bleach / softener” for years, well over 20 years, and I have had the same washing machine for more than 15 years,,, so this myth is DEBUNKED.
Vinegar does not destroy your piping / lines, it actually cleans all the gunk that normal people (haha, not me) put in their washing machine, ie standard laundry powder / liquids. It sets and coats internals and rusts out metal parts (corrosive stuff), so the vinegar washes cleans that gunk off. When you rinse with vinegar, you’re rinsing with water (to spread the vinegar) and diluting it, so it’s not like acid eating away rubber. It gets taken away with your waste water, not sitting there coating everything and soaking forever like in a bath of pure acid you may be picturing…. Do not be fooled or scared by people who may have hidden agendas or just don’t know and want to pretend they have some kind of knowledge – “google armchair experts”. Try for yourself to see what I say is true. Experiment for your own truths.
To all those sucked in by CHEAP WASHING MACHINE DETERGENTS. Did you know most standard store bought laundry powders have plastic fillers to blow out the powder and basically sell you “more of plastic nothing” for the price you’re paying? It’s like making a cake to sell at a wedding and throwing a heap of sawdust into it to make it go further and thus get more money for less ingredients!!!!! If it’s cheap it might suck you in – but just engage the brain and think for a minute: are you paying $2 for plastic NOTHING? ?!?! Something filler that you dont even want or need and that does nothing but perhaps contribute to coating your washing machine internals and shortening the life span of your washing machine? Why on earth would you pay your coin to wreck your machine and do absolutely nothing in regards to washing your clothes?? Would you buy the sawdust “cake” or the real thing with no sawdust???? What a waste of your money it is, even if it’s only $2! YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Pay peanuts, get monkeys. You’re only deluding yourself when it comes to paying close to nothing for washing machine detergent, you’ll get nothing. And not only that, but contribute to plastics in the environment, in waterways, in fish, in EVERYTHING. Just like GM Genetically Modified stuff – everywhere! (Way to go for those with future generations,,,, not!) DO NOT perpetuate the plastics industry or GM crops any further than they are already. Better use is to save up and pay premium for a quality product that has NO FILLERS and ONLY quality ingredients that WASH YOUR CLOTHES, (these also leave little to no phosphates in the waterways / environment), NOT plastics that you’re paying to do absolutely nothing. OR, of course, the BEST option, make your own washing detergent, as per this post.
But if you’re using any kind of salts such as in a home made recipe, you will at some point need to rinse of any residue, and the thing that cuts thru this is vinegar. Do not be scared of it folks, and never again worry about it “wrecking your washing machine” – if anything, it prolongs it’s life span by cancelling out the actions of gunk. Peace out.
Oh, and by the way, even if you put the vinegar in the basin (that you recommend) as compared to the cavity specifically for bleach / softener…. it’s a moot point. They all get washed away FROM THE BASIN into pipes to your sewerage system. It still goes through your rubber hoses. It doesn’t go anywhere different!!
The issue with vinegar is that it supposedly destroys the lines in newer front loading machines. The vinegar sits in the line (and destroys the seal) going from the softener to the washing drum, not the rubber drain pipe. Your 15 year old washing machine isn’t going to have that problem.
I find it funny that you yourself undermine your own comment by using the word “supposedly”….. you’re basically spouting words from god-knows-where with no hard evidence to back what you “think” you’re saying…… let’s discuss your flawed arguments here.
You can always just do a final water rinse so the last thing that stays in any line, drum or internal, is 100% water…..??! — IF you’re so super concerned about this.
BUT then, for a person so concerned such as yourself, that would bring in problems of its own: IF you could say water itself wouldn’t leave its own mineral (“salts”) deposits! You would have to use distilled water ($$$ to buy, pricey for a distiller, which has it’s own maintenance pitfalls..) to counteract any kind of mineral sitting in any line rotting away any perishable rubber seal or metal internals, as ALL water is chemically treated and has mineral salts naturally in it anyway — why are you not concerned about this????
THEN, why haven’t you mentioned what effects bleach has…. if you use 100% bleach, as designed, with the blessing of the “manufacturer recommendations for bleach” in vinegar’s place,,, what does it leave / do to seals???
HMMMM
We are not even talking straight vinegar, we are talking DILUTED vinegar. When you talk about one capful in a wash, it is so watered down it makes your point REALLY kind of irrelevant. Especially if you are paranoid about it and do a water rinse! Makes no difference what kind of washer you have.
I don’t know why people such as yourself are so paranoid about something like this, something that you are parroting secondhand and don’t even know if what you say is true or not.
When you focus 100% on something that has buckley’s or 0.01% chance of happening, that is so minutely NON EVENT, and blow it out of proportion to make it “SOMETHING” when it’s “nothing” (ie. create drama where its not necessary), instead of being concerned about the REAL threat – crap commercial CHEMICALS PETROLEUM PLASTICS MINERALS AND SALTS you buy and use daily that does MORE damage (98%) to ANY washing machine than one capful of vinegar diluted right down (which CORRECTS the actions of commercial powders and gunk)….
WELL,, it’s like saving all your life all your 1c and 2c coins in the name of “not being wasteful” but blowing wads of cash daily, I don’t get this kind of mentality??!
Let’s focus and not get carried away by imaginary “boogy men”. “Perspective” and not histrionics. Commercial powder has the ability to destroy your washing machine much, much, much more than diluted vinegar could ever wish to. Let’s add salts to that list as that is their action on rubber, silicon, metal, etc…. Watered down vinegar that cleans your internals from the crap you put in daily, is nothing to worry about, trust me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And to discuss your “major concerns” about seals. Seals are cheap and plentiful, much cheaper than a new washing machine. Expecting them to last forever if you don’t use vinegar, is like expecting your mobile phone to last forever if you don’t use it. It will die, regardless. And just like repairing a head gasket on an older car for a couple of hundred dollars, or getting so paranoid about something “old” that it makes it scary, and thus deciding to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a new car!!! Lets not mention getting a loan for this privilege, to pay someone back with interest! WTF??? Cutting your nose off to spite your face or what!!!! Spend a couple of hundred to maintain what you have, and contribute less to consumerism and a throw away mentality society, – its a no brainer. So, if your seal goes, REPLACE IT! You hardly qualify for a whinge if that’s the least of your worries! It’s like whinging about a tap washer!!!! WHY??? It’s so small, just do it and get over it!!!! If a seal needs replacing – hardly due to diluted minute amounts of vinegar in any case – these things WILL wear out eventually as most REPLACEABLE PARTS DO and WERE DESIGNED TO DO. They don’t live forever! Just replace em! Just don’t blame perishable goods (seals) lifespans on diluted vinegar that is almost 99.9% water! Don’t forget, manufacturers make replaceable goods like seals for a reason: they figure – either you get smart and replace them,,,, or like the majority of scared people who have no trade knowledge and don’t want the “”hassle”” (lol) of maintenance, they know they will just “go out and buy another”… it’s the same with cars. Or most practical items. Manufacturers use short lifespan items knowing it’s one tiny little part that makes people freak out / get lazy and buy another washing machine or whatever it was… they bank on, and feed off, people’s ignorance and laziness.
But seriously, seals??, is that your argument, just call a tradie to replace if that’s your worst fear (paranoia) from extremely diluted vinegar….. but i’m telling you your fears are unnecessary and unwarranted. I use it every time. I have not replaced a seal yet! And you don’t know what kind of washer I have, do you? :)) Let’s just say, all you need to know is: it doesn’t rely on horse and buggy (ie, built post industrial era) or manual cranking, and it’s not a manual handwashing twin tub! It too has seals… internal components…. and metal parts….. all exposed daily, yearly, over a decade to watered down vinegar. (and I do not rinse it out with water!) More electronic machines (ie built in 2014) are not more “specialised” and therefore more vulnerable than an older one to watered down vinegar (don’t they give you the sales pitch that they get better and more robust with each new machine? so why would it be a worry all of a sudden after years and years, lots of people used to use these basic ingredients to wash their clothes with at some point..) and seals die regardless of the presence of vinegar or no, that’s what they are, sacrificial parts. Common sense, folks, no imaginary dramas needed……
Your “fillers” story sounds like a familiar internet rumor. No one who makes that claim has ever identified any such substances amongst the ingredients. Basically, it’s just another excuse to be angry and distrustful about something you dislike.
Excited about this. I’m washing my first load now. Hopefully I baked the baking soda long enough. It didn’t seem to mix too well. Will this soap sud? So far mine isn’t. Thanks!!
It does a little if you add it to the water and mix it a little before adding the clothes, but not a whole lot. 🙂 I hope you like the results!
where do you add the lemon oil? in the tub itself or in a compartment? i have a front loader so i will dissolve the detergent in water before hand thank you,,,i was just wondering about the lemon eo! thanks
When I scoop up the powdered detergent I just add some drops to it before I put it in the washer.
I am wondering HEather if you or anyone else has used your laundry detergent recipe in very hard water? I have all of the ingredients to make your recipe and I am looking forward to it…..just don’t want to get any residue left on our clothes.
Thank you for your time in responding,
I just made a batch this weekend using a similar recipe but it called for Borax. After I made it, my husband asked if that was the same stuff that kills rats. Woops. Should I toss my batch and remake without the Borax? Thanks!
Borax and boric acid are different products, though chemically similar. Some say Borax is totally fine. I think it’s probably better than a lot of things, but I think this recipe works just as well without it. Each person has to decide what their comfort level is with it 🙂
This might be a silly question. Would a microplane be ok to grate the soap? I don’t have the space or money for a food processor.
Yes, it would! You’ll need to stir the detergent for several minutes to get it to blend, but it will work 🙂
I use my Salad Shooter and run it through twice since I have a front loader. It works great!
Do you have to dissolve it in hot water first? I go through a lot of laundry and I always use cold water… Just seems like an extra step! Thanks!
It works MUCH better if you do 🙂
I have been trying to find a better homemade laundry detergent and am THRILLED to find this post! I had never heard of Kirk’s Coco Castile bar and wanted to check into it. Imagine my surprise that I live less than 10 minutes from their newest ‘home’. Ha! I am happy to see it is a family owned company now instead of an acquired P&G product as it was for years. I wonder if they do any kind of tours??
I don’t know if you have posted your own coconut soap recipe yet, but I look forward to that as well! 🙂
hi. wondering if that coconut oil soap has been posted yet. thanks!
Not yet – I’m posting it next week!
ok thanks. i made some so i was just curious. it just seems so ‘fancy’ for laundry 🙂
I’m looking forward to making my own laundry soap, and am looking for brand suggestions for bar soap. We have major sensitivities in my house and I can’t seem to find a coconut based soap without added fragrances or other questionable ingredients. Does anyone have a suggestion? I’ll also look back through comments…Thank you!
I just posted one today, Diane! https://mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-pure-coconut-oil-soap-for-cleansing-and-laundry/
Quick question to confirm…….I went out and got the ingredients to make this after discovering the detergent we’ve used for 7 years has been discontinued. But then I came back and re-read the recipe. Am I understanding that I need 3 bars of the castille soap and not just one to make this? I want to make your coconut soap recipe, but have to wait until I get an immersion blender. So for now, I’m getting Dr. Bronner’s soap as that is the easiest to find. I just need to know if I need to go back and buy two more bars, since I just picked up one today.
Yes, three bars of soap! I can see why the wording was confusing, so I’ve updated it!
Thanks so much for taking the time to clarify! I went ahead and just made 1/3 of the batch today with the amount I did have on hand, which was the perfect amount my food processor could hold at one time anyway. It’s waiting for me in a decorated old peanut butter jar now. 🙂 I’m super excited to try it. And I priced immersion blenders yesterday and just have to read some reviews on each, so I’m hoping to add your coconut soap recipe to the mix soon enough.
Hi, how many pounds of washing powder does this make? I’m in Australia and coconut oil is a tad expensive so I’m trying to work out if making my own coconut soap is economical enough to do it. Many thanks
Is this recipe HE safe?
It is a low suds recipe so it should be in most case. However, check your owners manual since in some instances certain ingredients may void the warranty.
Thank you so much for this go-to recipe!!! I use it all the time for our laundry 🙂
Safe for cloth diapers??
I use this recipe with mine no problem. 🙂
I just made it, and when I opened the lid on my food processor there was SUCH a cloud of particles coming out, it looked like my kitchen was full of smoke! Is this safe to inhale? I started losing my breath and coughing. I used Kirk’s original Castile soap, though it does have natural flavoring in it (wonder what it’s made of, and why does soap need flavoring!?).
Hi Sveta! Personally, I wouldn’t worry about breathing it one time but I do think it’s a good idea to let the cloud settle before opening the food processor. Will add that to the notes!
Do you recommend soap nuts for laundry ?
Do you have any information about how safe and effective sodium perborate is? Would you use it in place of the oxyclean?
sodium percarbonate IS oxyclean without all of the extra ingredients, like brighteners.
Hey! Love all of your natural diy recipes! I made your coconut oil soap and used it in your detergent recipe. I also made the washing soda. I washed a couple loads of laundry today- and it worked so well! Our laundry is always SUPER dirty too! My husband does mechanical work for a logging company and his clothes get REALLY dirty after crawling in, on, and under those greasy machines! I think the detergent cleaned it better than our natural detergent we were buying from Costco! I was very impressed, thank you! : )
YAY! I’m so glad it worked well for you, Hilary! Thank you for stopping by to let me know!
I’m excited to try this recipe. I’m 36 weeks pregnant and have been trying to get around to washing our son’s clothes before he gets here, however I have had a lot of reservations about buying brand name “baby detergents.” I’ve compared a lot of recipes and yours seems the be the best choice especially because it does not contain Borax. However, I’m curious if you ever tried making it into a liquid? Most the liquid recipes I’ve seen call for a soap / washing powder combined with hot water to make a gel. Have you ever tried doing it this way? I thought that this would cut out adding the essential oil to each indivual load by adding a larger amount to the detergent itself. Also I’ve read that tea tree oil added to laundry soap can help disinfect , which I thought might be helpful for heavily soiled a baby clothes. Any thoughts on doing this?
Two questions (sorry if they’ve been asked, I didn’t read through all 95 comments!) 1. Where (other than Whole Foods, which I did see that you said) could I find gmo free vinegar? I’ve never seen it, but I use vinegar for everything cleaning! (Which speaking of, is that super awful since its not GMO free?????! I guess since we aren’t eating it or applying it directly to our skin I didn’t think too much of it…??) And 2. Can I just buy washing soda?? Or is that bad?? Thanks!!
Hi Mindy, I’m not sure where else to buy GMO-free vinegar – maybe online? I also don’t know how much of an issue GMO’s are when it comes to vinegar (there are no studies that I know of), but I avoid it both because I’m cautious and also because I don’t want to put money in the pockets of GMO growers. There are times when it can’t be helped, though, and I personally would use any vinegar over chemicals if I didn’t have the GMO-free option. Yes, store bought washing soda is fine 🙂
Bragg’s makes organic apple cider vinegar. I think I found some organic white vinegar at Natural Grocers, but I’m not poitive.
I’d be more concerned that the white vinegar you are using is made fro petroleum. Only if it says made from grain alcohol diluted to 5% is it made without petroleum. I have not yet found one that is organic (thus, non GMO). But I’ll take GMO over petroleum anyday!
The brand I buy in Oregon is Essential Everyday brand.
I do use borax in my homemade laundry soap, also I add the “OxyClean”
(Sodium Percarbonate is it’s chemical name: basically it’s hydrogen peroxide in dry format) to it as well. I only use vinegar in the rinse cycle.
There are no non GMO brands of White vinegar. You shouldn’t use ACV, as it will discolor the clothing. You need to buy a white vinegar that says made with GRAIN. If it doesn’t say made with grain, then it is made from PETROLEUM. The only brand I have found to be made from grain is Everyday Essentials, and it is the only one I use. Unfortunately, again, there are no white vinegar brands made from GMO free grains. You are lucky to be able to find made with grain, and this brand is the ONLY one I have found in years of searching.
I use Molly’s Suds laundry powder. I love, love it, and it rates an “A” on the EWG website.
I do, too, but looking to cut costs! So, hopefully this diy recipe will make me just as happy for a lower cost:)
This looks fantastic. This may be a bit of a techie question, but do you know if this is safe long-term for HE machines? I’d just assume make my own detergent but would hate to have to buy a whole new washer from unwittingly gunking it up.
It is a low suds formula so many say it is fine. However, you’ll want to check with your manufacturer for specific recommendations on your model 🙂
Is this laundry soap safe to use with a greywater system for watering plants?
The washing soda I have states that it’s not for use on wool or silk. Do you know if this is standard?
Hi Jesse, yes I would assume that is standard. I have only one silk dress and it cannot be washed with traditional detergents of any kind. I have a few wool pieces that have special care instructions, too.
Thanks, that’s good to know. I used this recipe for the first time today, on cottons and synthetics, and it worked so, so well. Thank you!
Yes! I, too, was SO HAPPY about the simplification of the contest. I’ve quit entering most of them because of the tons of ‘stuff’ I have to have cluttering up my e-mail, etc.
I have made the washing soda and am about ready to make your laundry soap now. Your directions are so clear that I don’t feel intimidated by the process. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I’m just wondering if there is any way to make this into a liquid soap? Maybe using Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap instead? Will the washing soda dissolve in it?
Hi Latosha! In my experience, homemade liquid detergents lose potency rather quickly so I don’t use them 🙂
Hi, Latosha,
I’ve been wondering the same thing, and decided to make the rest of the mix and then mix in some Castile liquid soap right before using. But, I did google and there are recipes out there for making the liquid in large batches ahead of time, with no mention of the potency issue. I guess you could experiment with both and see.
i prefer liquid over powder but love this recipe. how much water should i add to make it a liquid? i was thinking a gallon would be good, but i would like some insight before i try!:-) and congrats on baby Levi!!! i read your part one story and ill read part two tonight at work during my night shift (yuck!).
Hi – in the laundry detergent recipe above it offers links where to buy coconut oil soap (and another how to make it) then a link where to buy an alternative soap but both of those links are to Kirks Castile Soap. I just want to check if that was a typo? Is there a link where to buy coconut oil soap that you like? Thank you. I’m really excited about trying this recipe.
Thanks for pointing that out, Valere! It should have been linking to Dr. Bronner’s mild bar soap. I’ll update it now.
What about using ZOTE soap?
http://www.zote.com.mx/english/about.htm
Great question! Zote is made from tallow, which is most likely sourced from conventional factory farms. Though I wouldn’t consider that ideal, it does work 🙂
I love easy, and after reading a great number of posts about homemade laundry soaps (and laboring over a few of them) I discovered that I could add 1/2 cup of washing soap and 1/4 cup of Dr Bronners liquid soap right in my machine, agitate the water to dissolve the powder, throw in my clothes, and they come out so fresh and clean-smelling. Couldn’t be easier! Not sure about that greasy, grimey dirt, though.
I just finished washing my clothes with this recipe & I love it. I’m never going back to store bought detergent again.
Thanks for the recipe! Will it really wash 42-62 loads? Above the recipe it says 42 Tableapoons. But I don’t see how that’s possible if each load uses 2-3Tbs?
So sorry, Krista, I’m not sure where that tablespoons reference came from. I’ll have to go back and measure a fresh batch when I make it, but I think 42 loads sounds about right.
Sylvia Genchi Here is another easy one!
So much yes! I’m always looking for great DIY recipes that are so much better than the store-bought variety. I know this will save me money + be more healthy! #oils4everyone
Because of the all-natural ingredients I assume this is a gentle, safe detergent to use for babies and little ones. Would you say the same for extra-sensitive skinned little ones? Has anyone used this on their babies/child’s clothes who has sensitive skin? Just looking for some recommendations before I dive into a specific recipe. Hopefully it will be just right:)
I love it! I was looking for a no borax recipe for so long. Next time I’ll be shopping I will have to buy washing soda (I have just one box at home and still need to do some color catchers). Unfortunately I still have two bottles of Tide to finish.
This is a great post! I know you wrote it almost a year ago, so I’m not sure you’re still answering questions, but on the Little House in the Suburbs blog, I noticed she said she uses 1 part soap to 1 part washing soda, and in another post she lists a recipe using 12 oz. grated soap, and 2 C. washing soda. Your recipe calls for about 15 oz. soap and 6 C. washing soda. I was wondering how you came to that amount ratio? Thanks for the great soap post too – it made making soap feel doable!
Hi Natalie, I came to the ratio via research and experimentation 🙂
i read recently that washing soda is quite a harsh product (sort of like using bleach) and should only be used occasionally so as not to wear out one’s clothes prematurely. i am just researching homemade laundry soap recipes so don’t know what to think as yet.
Washing soda is simply baking soda that has been heated. It is alkaline, but I personally wouldn’t consider it too harsh for laundry.
This is great! I’m all into natural DIY recipes and I also love learning about the science behind it so I really understand what I’m doing. I’ve always wondered about the different combinations of baking soda, borax, and washing soda. I love the simplicity of just using washing soda! Do you think orange EO will work as well as the lemon?
You mentioned that you do not use this detergent on cloth diapers, towels, etc. Do you have another DIY recipe that you recommend/use for the other things or do you purchase a specific brand instead of making your own?
Hi Leah,
Happened to notice your comment because it came after mine. She stated a few times that she does use this on her cloth diapers and that it works better on those made with natural fibers. Someone else mentioned that it might decrease the absorbency of the towels, but there’s some discussion about it. I would just do a specific word search of the comments so you can find relevant info!
Hi Heather
Thank you for this wonderful post,i stay in Africa and was wondering if this laundry soap could be used for hand washing clothes? Many people in the townships don’t have washing machines and hand washing is basically the norm. I would really appreciate your prompt response.
Thanking you in advance
Sally
Yes, I think it would.
Do you think this would work as a dishwasher detergent, too, or would the soap leave a residue? I’m not having any luck with a DIY dishwasher detergent that cleans effectively.
Hi Karla, I have a dishwasher detergent recipe posted here that is similar (but not exactly the same) as the one above.
Maybe someone has already asked this, but could you use regular unscented soap, like Dial or Dove? Or would that mess things up?
really instructive thanks I’ll just end my detergent.:)
I’ve been successfully making this detergent….love it!!
Love This Stuff!!!
Is this recipe cloth diaper safe?
Alyssa Damon – I’ve used it on my cloth diapers. It’s worked beautifully, but some manufacturers will void your warranty if you use soap rather than detergent on your dipes. And of course depending on the fabric used it may/may not be a good idea to use soap. I tend to favor natural fibers. I’ve also heard from a lot of mamas that they use it for diapers and are pleased with the results – they didn’t mention what kind they’re using, though.
How do you feel about Dr. Bronners Castile soap bars in this recipe?
I use this recipe with Dr. Bronners bar soap and it works great.
Borax is banned in the UK and Europe so I have been using grated vegetable soap and washing soda for years,I also always add lemon oil because I love the scent,I would never go back to store bought.
Hi! I am really enjoying your website. I was wondering if you know how having softened water would impact the soap recipe? Any input on making laundry soap for soft water would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Christine, unfortunately I’ve only lived in areas with hard water so I can’t say for sure how the recipe might be impacted.
Hi! I have everything to make this except the lemon essential oil. I do have sweet orange however. Would that work instead?
Yes it will!
I have been making my own laundry soap for about 8 yrs. I make a concentrated liquid version that fits in 2 quart size jars and lasts 4-5 months. I use Kirks hard water Castile as this was the most natural soap I could find at the store (and affordable) I do add borax, but may try it without next time. I have heard that powdered soaps can wear out your machine faster and I’ve never had much luck with them dissolving. For those you have odor issues, I’ve worked in restaurants most of my adult life. Smelling like a fajita isn’t pleasant. I would soak all my work clothes in hot water and vinegar for at least 30 min, I would let it agitate and drain then restart and run a normal load. I did this every other week or so, works like a charm.
Would this be okay to put in my Vitamix if I don’t have a food processor? Thank you for any feedback.
Hi Stella,
I put mine in my Ninja Blender and it creates and amazing laundry powder! It is really fine and I love it. I do soak my blender jar in vinegar for a bit afterwards and then run it through the dishwasher.
DON’T use your Vitamix for this!!! Just a warning…..it doesn’t work out so well. Literally just now tried this, and the soap is now “glued” to the bottom of my Vitamix, which made it grind to a halt during processing. :/ NO BUENO.
Make sure you add a cup of the washing powder with in the blender.
Hello Heather,
Thank you for a great blog! Quick questions in choice of soaps: Have you noticed a difference in cleaning capacity between Kirks and Dr. Bronners? I’ve tried it with Dr. Bronners which seems to be working pretty well for us so far, but wondering if Kirks may be even better since it’s more coconut base in it? Also, have you had any issues with fabric “bleeding” when using this detergent. I’ve had a few items doing this that never did before while using store bought brand. Any suggestions welcome!
Thanks!
Hi Malin, I usually use my homemade coconut oil soap so I”m not sure I have enough experience with either the Dr. Bronners or Kirk’s to have a strong preference. They’ve all worked well for me. I haven’t had any problems with bleeding.
Curious if anyone has used this for their HE wash machine and your routine (add directly to wash basin? do you mix with water then add to wash basin, etc.), how much per load, etc. Please share if anyone has experience. This is the ONLY thing holding me back from making this right now;)
Is this recipe dissolve well in cold water? Thanks to let me know
Would a strong lemon infusion work in place of the essential oil? I’ve got a lemon tree, so I hate spending money on anything lemon.
Heather,
I really like this laundry soap. Everyone here, would like to know if we can make this into a liquid/gel soap.
How much water would we use?
Lynette
Hi Heather,
I love your recipe and will use it to make my first batch of homemade laundry detergent. I just wanted you to know that the link you have with a recipe to turn baking soda into washing soda does not work. Access to the information is only available to person’s who are invited by the owner of the “hollythehomemaker” blog and no one else. I tried to get access but to no avail I can’t get the information. Can you post this recipe somewhere on your website and link it for us? Thanks much and I’m so happy I found your blog. You have really useful information.
Samantha
Hi Samantha, someone just alerted me to this a few days ago so I published an article on how to make washing soda from baking soda.
Heather,
Can you tell me why you don’t recommend Zote or Fels-Naptha? I know Zote contains optical brighteners, but otherwise is beef tallow and coconut oil and the website states it is non toxic. And from what I can gather, Fels-Naptha consists of tallow, palm kernel oil and coconut oils and no longer contains the actual toxic naptha. I’ve seen many homemade laundry recipes that include one or both of these. Thoughts?
Thanks for your time!
hi heather, i was wondering why you recommend coconut oil-based laundry soap bars over lard/tallow-based ones. i read that lard-based laundry soaps don’t foam as much as the coconut oil-based laundry soaps and was thinking that would be better for HE machines. i wasn’t sure if your concerns are regarding where the lard/tallow comes from or if you are recommending for vegans. i’ve seen some lard-based laundry soap bars on etsy so was thinking of buying them for laundry soap. first though, i’m tackling liquid dish soap where the suds would be great and then i’m wading into the murky waters of making laundry soap.
I actually make and use lard-based soaps for body care, but in my experience coconut oil-based soaps just tend to clean laundry better 🙂
oh, that is good to know. thanks. 🙂
Hi Heather
What strenght peroxide do you use? I can get it from 5%/Volume up to 98%/Volume here in South Africa.
Hydrogen peroxide is very reactive unstable oxidizer. That’s why it works. Home use containers are diluted with water to about 3%. If you really could get 98% you have a burn fire explosion situation.
Is the vinegar absolutely necessary? Because I’ve heard it can cause the washer to rust with the acid that’s in it.
If you are using vinegar becareful it can rust your machine. I did that. I have added it to my clothes directly when in the wash cycle. Occasionally I have run it through with the rinse cycle in place of fabric softener. I do not recommend it being done with every load. I also ran a cleaning cycle just after.
what is your total cost of making the laundry soap (including costs for coconut soap) I’d like to have all natural but we are making our own stuff to cut costs as well. TIA
Wondering if anyone has tried using these wonderful recipes with the HE Front loaders?? Any problems or alterations made? Thanks! Cat
I’ve already tried to make liquid soap but never made powdered one. Thanks, I’ll try!
I would like to know the reason behind the washing soda to soap ratio? Most powdered recipes I have seen seem to use a 1:1 ration for soda to soap ( 1 bar soap to 1 cup of soda) . Is it because there is no borax? I am just curious. Thanks.
Based on my research and experimentation at home, that ratio is likely to leave soap build up on clothes and potentially the washing machine. I find that a higher washing soda to soap ratio rinses away better, especially if you use vinegar in the rinse cycle.
How many loads does this recipe make?
Any idea of cost per load or how many loads this recipe will make? Thanks in advance.
Heather,
We cannot use white vinegar due to allergies. Do you have any recommendations for substituting white vinegar?? I know a lot of DIY home cleaning products call for it and I would like to try more but I don’t know what to do about vinegar. When making soap, will ACV be enough to neutralize lye?
Would this work with a lye based soap? I am allergic to coconut so that obviously rules out a lot of soaps.
Many liquid detergent come to the market.but some bleach clothes and others make the hand reddish and burning.so do you tell me basic composition better quality so as we can choose.
Thank you for your detailed information! I’ve tried to find a recipe for washing detergent without borax and I am happy found your website! It is really important for me – as a mother of two beautiful girls to keep them away from all these chemical commercial products. I have enough free time to make DIY recipes… and this is a good way to give my kids a good example how to save Mother Earth! Greetings!
Hello Heather,
I really want to try this recipe. I want to ask you, if I could replace the coconut soap for the Aleppo soap ( Olive oil + laurel oil)…Do you thing it will work well?
thanks
Carol
Thank you so much for sharing this! My family loves this laundry detergent, and it gets all our clothes so clean!
Hey Heather!
I’ve been looking for a laundry soap recipe so I’m going to try this. Did you know, though, that for static removing in the dryer, you can just fill a spice bag with a small amount of pink himalayan salt, and it works like a charm? It’s amazing, but I’ve put it to the test and it really works. You can use one bag again and again so it’s really cheap, too.
Question: why do you recommend the Downy ball and the Oxiclean? Aren’t they pretty toxic? What do I not know?
Thank you!
Katie
Yes, I do! A friend of mine actually shared that tip on Mommypotamus 🙂 https://mommypotamus.com/get-rid-static-cling-naturally/
I recommend the Downy ball because it allows the vinegar to be released at the right time during the wash cycle. If released too soon it will neutralize some of the cleaning power of the laundry soap. It’s better to release it at the end so that the pH of the clothes is restored, making them soft once again.
Oxiclean Free (no perfumes) is simply a mixture of sodium percarbonate(powdered hydrogen peroxide) and washing soda. It’s non-toxic. 🙂
p.s. this link to “Get rid of static cling naturally” no longer works, and directs to the “how to make wool dryer balls” page, with no mention of salt!
Thanks so much for ur post! It’s nice for someone to break down why or why not u use something all the time or sometimes or never!! I finally made my own soap last night and I used the recipe u posted (b4 I even saw ur post) bc I’ve been researching for weeks… I’m excited to see how it turns out!
Have a great day!
hello Heather 🙂
Firstly just to say I am very happy to find your site and it is on the top of my favourites 🙂
My Question:
As I know Borax is now linked to infertility I do not use it(I doubt it is even possible to buy it any more), however there is a natural product which is labelled Borax Substitute… this is Sodium Sesquicarbonate
I wonder what is your opinion on this product and to replace borax with it in olive oil soap detergent ? (borax,bicarb soda and saponificated olive oil soap bar)
I hope to hear from you as I can imagine you are very busy 🙂
Thank you
Ilona
Borax is definitely still for sale at most major retailers.
I love the idea of homemade detergent, but in using a high efficiency machine I need to be cautious of homemade. Using it can cause serious damage to the machine over time.
You can still purchase Borax. I use it in my laundry in lieu of oxy cleaners to freshen. The only dangers I’ve ever read about it is the possible danger as a skin irritant. But that can be said for vinegar, lemon oil, etc. Just about anything can be dangerous used in excess.
Also, in my machine, powdered cleaners tend to leave residue on the clothing due to the difference in the rinsing cycle. My machine never ‘fills’ completely with water (but rinses through the clothing), as opposed to machines that fill with every cycle.
FYI: Vinegar in a washing machine not only damages the seals, tubing, and others connections/ports but it will also void the owner’s warranty.
This sounds amazing all but the icicle an. I can not support their company due to their animal cruelty. What could be substituted??
Oxi-clean**
Hi, Heather. Thank you for this recipe and all the hard work you do in sharing your experiences! Can this recipe be used safely for baby clothes? I didn’t see anything in the comments regarding this. If it’s there, I’m sorry. Thank you for your time.
I have used it to wash my children’s clothes when they were babies, including their cloth diapers. 🙂
I am wondering do you use the coconut soap you make or what brand of bar soap do you use in your powder laundry soap? I want to give this a try. I use to make my own with borax, Fels-Napthsa and washing soda but It did not work to great and our clothes smelled horrible so stopped making it. would love to try yours thank you for your help.
I use the same powder recipe. At first, the soap was getting clumped up in the soap compartment and not getting completely used up. So I powdered it very fine and now I have the problem of the wet soda remaining in the compartment. I do not know why. Please let me know what could be wrong.
Thanks!
I make my own detergent but it has Borax as well as washing soda. I haven’t considered just using washing soda. I’m also excited to try coconut oil based soap. Have you tried adding essential oils to the downy ball? I like to add a few drops of lavender to mine. Also, I’d like to caution you about the brand of essential oil you use. Just because it says organic on the label doesn’t necessarily mean it’s pure. Thanks for the ideas!
Can this recipe be used to create laundry pods (or bombs as some people call them). I am just a huge fan of grabbing a pod and throwing it in, and wondered if this recipe would be able to be used in this way. TIA
Email correct on this one…sorry, my phone is hard to type on!
Yay for this laundry soap!! It actually works and is so simple! I haven’t got into making soap yet but I buy bulk bags of soap odds and ends from when I buy my hair shampoo bars and it’s the best natural detergent yet! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Cee!
I’ve been buying into the DIY laundry soap for so long now, it’s too late for me to go back to chemicals, EXCEPT for bleach as of tonight. I found a Youtube video by accident, where a doctor explained about pathogens on your towels … even after washing! But most can be gotten rid of via bleach …
It is recommended that compromised towels (kitchen towels that got any chicken juices, bath towels that might have come in contact with some sort of skin infection like an eye stye, etc) should be washed with BLEACH, hot water, and a hot dryer. For a bit more info, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdnS2NO0wm0
(This is NOT my video. I just found it, and I’m trying to let people know.)
Wondering if anyone who has made this recipe from the time it was originally posted has any suggestions on how to use it in a HE washer? Our new house has a HE front load washer and I don’t want to ruin it but I also don’t want to go back to traditional laundry detergent!
Hello!
I was wondering if you think that it is okay/safe to use my kitchen food processor for this recipe? or should I use a separate one to avoid cross-contamination?
Thanks!
Melissa
I use mine all the time. Since it’s just soap, after you wash it out it’s just extra clean 🙂
Hi
I want to find a natural washing powder so your blog was interesting.
A concern I have is the coconut oil. I use coconut oil in cooking in place of butter. It is a type of fat.
Is that a different type of coconut oil ?
If it is the same then I would be concerned about putting a fat into a machine that heats it up. In the same way that you should never put fats into a dishwasher because the heat will melt them and then they will reform when they cool down and clog up the dishwasher mechanism. Fats are a quick way to ruin a dishwasher.
So my concern is obviously whether similar fats would ruin a washing machine?
Any thoughts?
Hi Neil, after the coconut oil has undergone saponification (the conversion of fat to soap) it is no longer a fat.:)
Ok a quick update from me as a result of Heather’s kind reply to my concern about oils/fats.
I’ve crafted a washing powder as best I can in the UK from Heather’s excellent blog and from another that I saw. Here’s what I bought:
I bought 2 x 1kg bags of Soda Crystals from Tesco (£1 per bag)
I bought 3 bars of English Lavender & Rosemary Organic Soap from Tesco (£4 each)
These are from the LittleSoapCompany
The soap bars are a little expensive I feel but I looked through the ingredients of EVERY other soap bar Tesco had to offer and they were all full of chemicals like EDTA etc.
These soap bars have the following ingredients
Organic Palm Oil (Sodium Palmate), Organic Coconut Oil (Sodium Cocoate), Water (Aqua), English Lavender Oil (Lavendula Angustifolia), English Rosemary Leaf Essential Oil (Rosmarinus Officinalis), Salt (Sodium Chloride), Citric Acid (Sodium Citrate) and naturally occurring within the Essential Oils, Linalool and Limonene.
So nothing nasty in there that I can see and the soap smells very nice indeed.
I grated the soap bars finely using a micro planer which only took a few minutes.
I already had plenty of Bicarbonate Of Soda to had too.
My Washing Powder mix was therefore:
2kg Soda Crystals
500g Bicarbonate Of Soda
3 grated bars of organic soap
I’m in 2 minds whether I needed the Bicarbonate of Soda but it’s done now.
I’ve just done my first wash using 1/4 cup (125g) of the powder and tumble dried the clothes and they smell fresh, clean and washed. I might add more powder next wash as I’d like more of the Rosemary and Lavender scent.
Overall though this whole exercise looks great and I am keen to see if the washed clothes give me any skin irritation which I am currently suddenly getting from Persil Non-Bio.
I spent £14 on ingredients, call it £15 as I already had Bicarb and that results in about 2850g of powder. If I use 125g per wash that makes some 22 washes which is about 70p per wash.
I can probably reduce that by finding cheaper soap bars.
Thanks to Heather for the blog.
For step 4 using the vinegar, is that to be done on every load? I am not in the cloth diaper stage of life now so is this only for that? Also why do we need non gmo vinegar? Is all natural distilled white vinegar not ok? Where would you find non gmo vinegar?
Thanks
There are no non GMO brands of White vinegar. You shouldn’t use ACV, as it will discolor the clothing. You need to buy a white vinegar that says made with GRAIN. If it doesn’t say made with grain, then it is made from PETROLEUM. The only brand I have found to be made from grain is Everyday Essentials, and it is the only one I use. Unfortunately, again, there are no white vinegar brands made from GMO free grains. You are lucky to be able to find made with grain, and this brand is the ONLY one I have found in years of searching.
In my area Whole Foods sells non-GMO white vinegar, so it is available in some places 🙂
Hey! Any tips for keeping the dust from getting everywhere? I made the washing soda and then laundry detergent and it got pretty dusty transferring from the tray to the food processor and then my final container. I’ve had a runny nose all day since! Great recipes though and c’ant wait to try it out!
I’ve been using this recipe for about two months now and my whites come out with yellow spots on them. At first I thought I must have stained shirts and such but I just washed a brand new white top and it came out with the same spots. What is it? Lemon oil? 🙁
Oh no! I’ve never had this issue so I can’t say for sure why it’s happening. I’ve used lemon essential oil on white shirts to remove grease stains and have never had an issue with spots, but it’s possible that something in the recipe – either the lemon oil or something else – is interacting with the minerals in your water and forming the spots. You might try making up a mini-batch without the lemon oil to see if that’s the issue. Otherwise, my guess is that it’s a general interaction with something like iron in the water.
Did you use a ‘natural’ soap that has color added to it? Like calendula or chamomile? Those wonderful homemade soaps they sell online are often colored with things like turmeric, or other natural colorants.
Hi there 🙂 This is probably a silly question, but is it fine/safe to use our regular food processor for the laundry recipe and then just wash as normal and use again for food? Thanks 🙂
That’s what I do. 🙂
Hi! Love your website! I just made my first batch of soap ever following your coconut oil shampoo bars recipe. I love them!
I have a question about laundry soap. You’re saying that you are using a 1% superfat ratio but would it be the same if you wanted to do handwash? I was thinking of going a little higher, like 4%.
And would you go for a liquid soap or you would simply use hot water to dilute it?
Hi. I love your recipes. I was wondering, however, if you could use Lavender scented Castille soap in your laundry detergent, instead of the unscented. Would it make a difference on how the clothes come out? Thank you for your help.
Lavender would be fine 🙂
What is a good alternative for the coconut based products. My son and I are deathly allergic to all things coconut and would like to know what would you recommend to replace the coconut items with.
Hi! I just made a batch of your coconut oil soap (Lathering Skin Bar) and it is absolutely wonderful! My hands are so soft after washing that I no longer need to use any kind of lotion afterwards, and the softness lasts for hours. So then I made the Shampoo Bar, and since I’ve tried others that were horrible, I’m delighted to find that this one actually works!
I’m about to make the Laundry Bar, but I have a question. In your soap making instructions you say “Though you can try your first bar right away, it’s best to let them sit for 2-3 weeks to let the conditioning properties fully develop.” After making the Laundry Bar, How long do you let it “cure” before grating it to make your laundry detergent?
Thanks again for your wonderful website and such simple yet thorough directions.
Hi Pam, I’m so glad you have enjoyed the recipes! I use my laundry bar right away – no need to let it sit. 🙂
Hi, I’m here looking for some advice, or any suggestions on where to go in my situation.
I’m having a lot of problems finding something to wash laundry with that my skin won’t react to.
I can’t use any commercial laundry detergents as I am allergic to most surfactants (‘sensitive’, ‘natural’, etc tend to be the worst for me)
I get mild skin reactions when I have used soapnuts and soap based products (castille soap, soap bars etc).
Most recently I have been using a 50:50 mix of washing soda and borax substitute (borax isn’t available in the EU, it’s chemical name is sodium sesquicarbonate) and this has given me a reaction worse than some of the commercial laundry detergents.
Do you have any suggestions what else I could try to wash my laundry with, I really feel like I have run out of options!
I’ve searched through all the comments… Has anyone else had a problem with the mix causing a burning sensation in the nostrils? I have a very hard time breathing around this stuff. And then I sneeze a lot. Did I do something incorrectly?
Where do you find your non Gmo white vinegar? And with using 1/2 cup per load how expensive does this make your homemade laundry soap combination?
Hey Heather.
This looks great and I have been looking for a new DIY detergent that works so I’m very happy. Are you still using this and happy with it?
I do have a question- you mentioned only those 2 ingredients in OxiClean. I think I looked into this a long time ago and wasn’t comfortable with it so I looked again – looks like there is a lot more in there than just those 2 ingredients. http://cryptobrewology.com/home-brewing-tips/the-scoop-on-powdered-oxygen-based-cleansers/
Can this recipe be made into liquid laundry detergent? If so, how can it be done?
Thank you,
Shelly
According to the dilution information from Lisa Bronner (Dr Bronner’s), she recommends using 1/3 to 1/2 cup liquid castile soap for a large load of laundry. On her blog she compares liquid to bar and says 1 cup liquid equals 2/3 of a bar. It seems you are not using nearly enough soap in your recipe. The directions on arm & hammers washing soda says to add 1/2 cup to traditional soap. So it sounds like alarge load would require at least 1/3 bar and 1/2 cup washing soda and yet you recommend much less per load.
Your instructions are confusing. First you say grate soap finely, then you say cut it into chunks. Also, you say to turn on the crock pot to low before adding coconut oil when making soap. Then you say turn to low after adding the oil. Well, what is it exactly ? Please be aware that your instructions are not uniform…and are sometimes confusing. I think my first batch of soap turned out strange because of the inaccurate instructions. Just would be nice to have instructions that are clear.
I am looking for a less expensive alternative to buying chemical free cleaners (dish soap, dishwasher detergent, and laundry detergent) I read your article and then decided to try to do the math, the products needed to make this cost around $15 if purchased off of Amazon. When I calculated it, it appeared that you get about 64 loads out of this recipe if you’re using 2 tablespoons. Do you think that’s accurate?
Thanks!
Hi Heather
So I made lye which i then used to make my coconut bar of soap as per your instructions. However, when i grated the soap, the texture was quite ‘mushy’ which meant that when mixed with the washing powder, the result was more of a ‘cookie-dough’-like substance and not remotely resembling powder. What are your thoughts?
Thanks
Hmmm, I’ve never made lye before, but I do know that it tends to have quite a bit of natural variation from batch to batch. My guess is that the lye was not as concentrated as the standardized lye and that much of the coconut oil remains unconverted, meaning that you have a mixture of some soap, some coconut oil, and some washing soda mixed together.
Thanks for the recipe! Bought all the ingredients and will make it tonight. I was just wondering;doesn’t the vinegar added during rinse leaves its odor to clothes ? Since vinegar smell is quite strong.
I haven’t noticed any residual odor after they’re dry 🙂
Hi there,
Can you please tell me how many loads this recipe will do? Thank you
I am also wondering how many loads the recipe yields.
Sorry if this question has been asked already. (I tried to scroll through most of the comments but there are sooo many.)
Can we melt the soap and dissolve the washing soda in warm/hot water to make a liquid concentrate? Seems like it would work but did not know if you have tried it or not and what your results were.
Thank you!
Heather,
This lady is using your pictures and probably even selling your recipe https://www.etsy.com/listing/219907219/handmade-40-natural-recipes
Hi Heather,
I love the simplicity of your recipe but can’t help but to compare it to other’s that I have seen. The most common being: 1/2 c baking soda, 1/2 c citric acid, 1 c washing soda, 1/4 c sea salt and 1 bar castille soap. Is there a reason that you exclude baking soda, citric acid and sea salt from your recipe?
Thanks in advance!
I excluded baking soda because it is similar to washing soda in composition but not as strong and I excluded citric acid because it’s an acid that neutralizes the washing soda (which is a base). Citric acid can sometimes be helpful if the water pH needs to be adjusted but that would need to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
I made the laundry detergent a while ago, and I put it in with hot water to dissolve it before the washer fills up, but it doesn’t make any suds. I am wondering if this is ok, you say that it is low-suds, how do I tell if this is right or I did something wrong. I have used a piece of one of the bars before I ground it up and it created a lot of lather while washing my hands. I’m a bit confused, and this is probably a silly post. :S
Are u familiar with an ultrasonic bath? Ive used it for 20 years now & im tired of putting my hands into the chemically soapy water. CAN U HELP ME? There’s 2 qualities I need – 1) a cup of detergent dissolves completely & quickly in the 30 gallon bath. 2) the soap rinses out completely from the window coverings with just a quick dip in the 30 gallon rinse bath. And, 3) it’s healthy for my skin and, thus for my body. Thank you.
I should also mention that our baths are filled with SOFT water… Could I use baking soda instead of wash soda since always have my hands in it?
Hello,
I was wondering, for someone who doesn’t use a food processor, and only finely grates the soap and adds the soap and washing soda seperate to the laundry, what would be the soda to soap ratio? Is it 1:1 Where a tablespoon or two of each would be added? Thank you kindly!
I have the same question. I grated my soaps down and wanted to know if I still should put it in the food processor with the washing soda or do I just mix it together without the washing soda…?
oops *with the washing soda.
Yes, put the grated soap in the food processor. 🙂
i have not a laundry machine but i have a desire to make it can i use it by my hand? sorry fir my English??
Anyone tried using just sodium percarbonate in place of oxiclean? Any comments on safety / effectiveness / dosage? I understand it’s the liquid form of hydrogen peroxide.
I have made several home made washing powders and they all had a lot more ingridients that this and they all loosened the elastics of our clothes and my daughter’s nappy elastics and the colours are fading, the clothes just all look like they have been through a hurricane, I thought if I try this recipe with only 2 ingridients it might be better, but unfortunately it does the same to our clothes and my husband is constantly complaining of all his “pants” falling off, I’m guessing it is the washing soda, anyways was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and might have some troubleshooting ideas. I think after a few months of using home made washing powders and destroying a huge portion of everyone’s clothes in this house, I have now decided to go back to store bought, it is a bit of a disappointment since I was so determined to make this work and have been stubborn enough to keep trying, but I guess at some point enough is enough!
If I make my bar soap with lemon essential oil, will that negate the need for adding the lemon essential oil to each load?
Yes and no. 🙂 Lemon essential oil tends to fade pretty quickly in soaps, so it’s usually paired with an “anchor” essential oil to help it stay put. Very often the anchor essential oil is lemongrass because it smells similar. One thing to be aware of, though, is that lemongrass can irritate skin if too much is used, so it’s a matter of figuring out what the max safe amount is that can be used and not going above that.
nothing at all wrong with Borax 🙂
https://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/doc_view/227-the-borax-conspiracy
Hi there, I have been using your laundry soap recipe for a couple months now. It is definitely better than the Castile soap I was using before, but our clothes still are not getting entirely clean. I’m using 15oz soap to 6c washing soda. And I use oxiclean in every load. I’m not sure if our water plays a factor, it’s soft but is high in some minerals. I have to wash laundry once a month in detergent to get them clean, and a lot of dirt comes out. Any thoughts as to why they aren’t a getting totally clean?
Hi there. You might have answered the question already… i habeen using powder for two months now. Iam really happy with it but when i try to make a paste at the start it cloggs… am i putting to much water ? Or my powder has got too much of something ? Thank you. Also i just started adding lemon eo… but cant smell it on cloth… ? thanks for your time. Valerie
I am getting ready to make the switch to this laundry soap. I have already made the body soap and love it. I have an HE top loader which is less than a year old and am ready to throw it out. Do you know if using this soap rather than store bought detergent will help with the odor that comes with HE washers? This isn’t my first HE but it is the first I have had this problem with. My hope is the residue that store bought washers leave is causing the problem and something more natural will solve it. I’ve read that you don’t have an HE (smart woman) but am hoping you know someone that has had the problem. It’s time consuming to hand wash my washer with vinegar. I do not want to use Affresh which is what manufacturer recommends.
Thanks for all the wonderful posts. I made the lotion bars for my parents and they love them! Hubby and me too! 🙂
I have been using this laundry soap for over 2 years now and recently had to strip all of my clothes in hot water, borax and washing soda because they weren’t getting clean and were starting to smell funky. The leftover water from stripping my “clean” clothes has ranged from dark brown to nearly black. I highly recommend not using this or any other laundry soap if you want your clothes to be truly clean. I hope to be able to prevent others from having to go through this process because you have to let your clothes soak for 4 hours then wash them.
It most likely is something else. I have been using a similar recipe for decades with no issues. I must say that I DO use warm/hot water, as I have an issue with water from my well: the winter it is too cold and takes forever to fill, and there is a pipe issue that slows the cold water to a trickle (haven’t had ANY cold water in my shower for 4 years now!)
I always do a short wash with the hot/warm water and the laundry soap, then another ‘wash’ with nothing but water and vinegar adding an extra spin, then two separate 15 minute spin cycles to get all the water possible out so I use less drying time. NEVER had any smelly issues…Could be the products you are using on your body: shower gels, hair sprays, lotions, etc., that remain on your clothing.
Sorry for your trouble.
Do we use one or three of the coconut oil soap bars for the powdered laundry detergent?
Thank you!
(I’m confused with what is in the parentheses have your instructions. 🙂 )
Three 🙂
Thanks!!! I figured it out…roughly 15 oz.
Do you think this will make our food processor taste like soap? 🙂
That’s my only concern. ?
It won’t taste like soap after it’s rinsed. 🙂
Hi!
Can I use the sodium percarbonate in the total recipe for extra stain fighting action?
Yes you can 🙂
Hi Heather!
I want to try this recipe, but I am wondering if I can use the soap that I made using your 10% superfat shampoo bar recipe. I read another one of your blogs, and you recommend a 1% superfat coconut oil soap. Thank You!
-Shelby
Hello Heather!
I’ve just made my first soap ever – your Laundry Soap (1% superfat) with the aim of making Laundry detergent as the next step.
Your recipe for the latter says “Three bars of 4.5 – 5 ounce soap, finely grated (One made with coconut oil works best…). Does that mean a TOTAL of 4.5-5 oz? Or three bars each of 4.5-5 oz?
Three bars each 🙂
I am a DIY lover and frequently try to create homemade solutions. I am definitely going to give this homemade natural laundry detergent a try. Thank you for sharing a great recipe.
Hello, I have been doing some search lately about how to do my own laundry detergent since I’m trying to get rid of unecessary chemicals in my house. I came across your recipe on a group on Facebook and I was really excited about trying this recipe until I read an article from butter believer blog on ”why you should stop using home made laundry detergent”. She states on her blog that using home made laundry detergent will ruin your clothes by creating buildup and accumulation of dirt and bacteria over time. There is even some pictures showing all the residue and dirtness home made laundry leaves behind after stripping your clothes. But interesting that in one of her articles recommends DIY non-toxic cleaning recipes which is linking to your e-book site that includes diy laundry recipe. What are your thoughts about these? Does homemade laundry detergent (which I understand is really soap laundry)really builds up in your clothes over time?
I haven’t have a problem with buildup, and if you scroll up in the comments on this post you’ll find some rave reviews from people who say this recipe has worked better than store-bought options. Also, several non-toxic store-bought options use many of the same ingredients and are very popular and well-rated. That said, maybe results vary based on how hard/soft the water is in different areas. 🙂
Hi! The link for the tallow soap flakes comes up as 2 different products on Amazon. Is Pure in the name of the product? The one I purchased from one of your links (Amazon could have easily changed it), does not have a nice smell!
Curious which product is correct.
Thank you and for all the long hours you must research for all of us!
Wow. and all this time – I thought spending the big bucks on Tide detergent was the only way I was going to be able to do my laundry.
I am making this detergent for a project that I am presenting at a fair on my college. I made the detergent, but I didn’t see anywhere for the estimated amount of uses. My guestimate was 56? Does that sound about right? A big way I am trying to sell the idea of DIY laundry detergent is that it is in the end cheaper than buying detergent.
Also I think this DIY detergent is so cool. I have read on another website that you can add ebsom salt as a fabric softener
Dear Heather,
Could you please indicate if it’s alright to use 6 cups of baking soda instead of washing soda?
Thank you!
I wouldn’t recommend that because it doesn’t have the same cleaning power. You can convert baking soda to washing soda though.
Do you use these appliances for preparing food afterwards or are they designated just for DIY making (which is not food?)?
Yes, I use them for preparing food after I wash them out. The ingredients in this laundry soap are just that – soap and washing soda, which I use to actually wash dishes. After I wash them out I just consider them super clean 🙂
Do you happen to have a liquid laundry detergent recipe? I am not able to use powdered detergents with our water and pipes.
I am definitely interested in trying out your recipe! I’ve never been a DIY kind of mom, but with a growing family on a single income I’m looking to be more thrifty. I don’t see the estimated loads, if using 3 tbl per load how many loads does this do?
I would also like to know how much this cost per load. I love the detergent. My clothes don’t necessarily smell like the scent I add but they smell very fresh and clean. Haven’t had a problem with anything. I do not use anything for softener except the wool balls. I spray hydrogen peroxide on stains before putting in wash. Sometimes they come out and sometimes not. But that’s ok. Thank you for this recipe. I look for to making this for many years.
This is cool. I usually use a lot of detergent for washing our clothes. I could try this one to see for myself how effective and cost-efficient the DIY detergent is.
But the Bar Soap contains Lye ( Caustic Soda) and it is not an Eco friendly material , right?\
As I mention in this post on soapmaking myths, lye is a naturally occurring substance that has been used for thousands of years. When our great-grandmothers made soap, they got their lye by burning hardwood ashes. Unfortunately each batch was a little different, so it was hard to know exactly how much to mix into a recipe. If too much lye is used, some would be left over in the final product, which could burn skin. If too little lye is used the “soap” would be mostly oil.
These days soapmakers buy lye from the store, which is exactly the same each time. Using store bought lye ensures that recipes work out right.
Hi! I’m going to try the molly did laundry powder as you suggested. I was just wondering if I can put some essential oils on it for an extra smell? As I don’t like the peppermint option and they only have the unscented as alternative. Thank you for your great posts.
Yes, definitely! I sometimes use tea tree or a little lemongrass.
Hi! This may have already been answered but would orange essential oil work in place of the lemon? Or lemongrass by chance? I don’t know much about essential oils but I am excited to try some of your recipes!
TIA
I have used lemongrass and it worked beautifully. Orange essential oil might work, too.
Thanks! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks so much for this post! I was reading through and noticed you use this for your cloth diapers. I have been having so many issues with cloth diapers so I am going to switch to this. I was wondering how much soap do you use for diapers? What is your washing routine for diapers?
Thanks so much!
I always use Ivory bar soap. I microwave it to create a large airy mass and then put into a food
processor to create a fine granule. Is Ivory a good choice?
I have a front load HE washing machine that has a separate detergent compartment. Do you know if the powdered laundry detergent will work if put in there? Or do you have any other tips?
Hi, what is this recipe like in hard water? I live in a very hard water area and soap is well known for not cooperating. Thanks
I love all your recipes thank you for sharing them!
Do you think it’s possible to add the washing soda to the soap while making the hot process bar soap?
I hope my question makes sense.
Can you use this laundry detergent recipe for front loading machines or does it suds too much?
Barbara
I use it for my front loader, no suds.
Hi Barbara, this soap is low-sudsing, so theoretically it should be fine for HE washers. A very similar recipe found on the Kirk’s Castile Soap website is said to be safe and offers the following information and tips:
“This powered recipe is great for High Efficiency washers because it is very low sudsing.
It is important that you grate the bar soap very finely for HE washers.”[i]
With that said, be sure to check your owner’s manual, because some manufacturers will void your warranty if you don’t use detergent made specifically for HE washers.
Keep in mind that just like with other products, it is suggested that you cut the amount used in half for HE machines. For references you can scroll up to the Frequently Asked Questions section of the article.
For the recipe above, how much of the Pure Sodium Percarbonate would you add?
Heather, if you had a donate button, I would donate to you. I use your recipes, especially the soap and laundry detergent, and I appreciate your research that verifies all your procedures/ingredients. Thank you.
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Hello, Heather~
Thank you so much for all the great information and instructions on your sight. Do you know have instructions for making homemade tallow flakes (for use in the homemade laundry detergent)? I have rendered much grass-fed beef tallow (wet rendered) and would like to use it in laundry soap. I remember my grandmother using grated tallow in her wash, but do not know if it was simply grated tallow or if she combined it with something else. If you have a recipe for homemade tallow flakes ( to be used in the homemade laundry soap) I would greatly appreciate seeing it. I am guessing that lye must be involved in the process of making the tallow flakes?
Thanks so much and God bless you!
Laurel
THIS ITEM IN YOUR LIST:
Pure Tallow Soap Flakes (Best): There is NO TALLOW in this product, it is completely vegan and comes from tree nuts according to the container.
Ingredients: Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, water, glycerin, sodium chloride, pentasodium pentetate.
“Earthborn Elements Soap Flakes are unscented and completely plant based”
The information was good but I felt a bit discouraged when the author of the article said that Ivory soap had 1/4 moisturizer in it. That is not Ivory soap, that is DOVE soap that advertises that. Ivory soap can actually work very well as a laundry detergent.
Hi there. I’m so glad I found this article as I’ve just found out I’m allergic to palm oil and am struggling with the costs of everything to keep up with all the changes. I have a question about borax though and why your recipe is borax free. The coconut soap based laundry detergent I’m buying online has both b soda and w soda plus borax. I’ve not only found like I said the cost hard to keep up with but I’m needing to add oxy bleach because of build up. So my thought was is this why your not using borax? Does it maybe cancel out one from doing its job because you mention how coconut oil soap is a better choice. I don’t have build up kind of water. Our tub for example doesn’t get a lot of build up or scale from the same soap from the same company that makes the laundry soap. I’m basically cleaning the tub because of the hair and water drop on chrome but it’s relatively scumless lol after even weeks maybe a light scrub but I’m riddled with arthritis so I know I don’t have scum. I use hot water for the washing every time because I have allergies. So back to that question, why borax free. Because I plan to make this recipe and if for whatever reason I still get that build up on my clothes I was going to try adding borax instead of the oxy bleach as it’s a bit cheaper per load. Also my skin has been mad at me so I’m wondering about the oxyclean even though I found the scent free. I’m not happy about it but my body is telling me something lol. Anyway, Thank you so much for all your information given here including the science behind the washing and baking soda. I too have a hard time finding washing soda.
Kendra illingworth
Thank you for the recipes!!
Question! First, I LOVE all your helpful information. I am new to making my own laundry detergent. I washed my first two loads this week, which prompts my question. I dissolve the soap in hot water first and then add my clothes to the machine. I also put in the vinegar “downy” ball. My clothes come out smelling “clean”— which is “no odor” (which I believe is a good thing” but am noticing that after I fun the machine for a short bit with the soap on hot water setting, before adding the clothes, there are NO suds…….so am I using enough? I thought my washer, which is top load, was an HE washer, however, it doesn’t say it on the machine anywhere, so only put in 1 1/2 Tbsp for the load. Thank you so much again!
It doesn’t necessarily need to have visible suds in order to be effective. 🙂 If it were me I’d check my manual to see if it is an HE or not. If not, I’d increase to 3 tbsp.
Will this work in very hard water? I have tried homemade detergents and they dont work in very hard water.
I have used it with hard water with good results but I don’t know what the pH was compared to where you are. Could be worth giving a try, though.
Hi! Just wondering why you chose not to use Borax? I’m need to non toxic and trying to find a good recipe for diy laundry detergent and I’m seeing a lot have borax in them.
Greetings to you!
Once you start using your food processor to make laundry soap, should you only use that food processor for making soap only? It seemed to me that the powder was extremely hard to get off the blade. Do you wear a mask when you make this?
Thank you for your insights and your answers. I just adore and your wisdom, I made the recipe that doesn’t use the bar soap. It’s wonderful.
How are your butterflies doing?
Hi Laura, I use the same food processor for making laundry soap and food recipes. Since it’s soap, I just wash it with hot water when I’m done making the laundry formula. The powder dissolves just like it does in the washing machine, and it’s essentially like using dish soap in my container.
I don’t wear a mask while making it. My food processor is fully sealed so I just wait a little after mixing to let it settle before removing the lid.
We released the butterflies. 🙂
If I use the soap flakes, will I still need to put in food processor?
It depends on the size of the soap flakes. If they are finely ground it’s probably not necessary.
Hi, I am very interested in the recipe. I use Aleva stain in laundry bar and Super washing soda. The Aleva laundry bars are 7.76 oz each. The washing soda is 55 oz per box which is a little over 6 cups.
Can I use just use 2 of the Aleva Bars because of the size and a full box of the Super washing soda?
Would that be off or the same as your recipe?
That sounds like it would work to me.