As I was looking for yet more ways to save money, I came across a laundry detergent recipe on Pinterest that sounded a bit different than others I’d seen. I headed over to the website it originated at, and decided to try it out. You can find the recipe at How Does She.
I did not put in the fabric softener crystals as I worried they might leave a residue in the washing machine that could get on my cloth diapers. (fabric softener is a huge no-no when using cloth!) I want to note that if you choose to use Fels-Naptha instead of Zote that you need to buy 4 of the smaller bars of soap as they do not come in 14.1 oz bars. I realized this when I went to make my detergent and was rather disappointed that I had to head back to the store… Also note, it’s not very fun on the hands to grate 4 bars of soap all at once so you might want to split it up a bit.
I layered the ingredients in a cooler (strange, but effective- it was the only container large enough that I had on hand) but you’ll want to use a bucket if you have one. Stir well with a wooden spoon and store the detergent however you prefer. I’ve got mine in gallon bags since that’s what I had on hand that could seal. You only need to use 1-2 tablespoons per load.
Does it work? I found it works pretty well for our laundry. We have hard water and a rather large capacity washing machine so I’ve had to play around with how much detergent I need to put in. I do like that my clothes don’t smell at all once they’re dry. Seriously, they don’t have any smell other than clean. I do miss the Tide smell just a bit as I’ve always used Tide detergent for my clothes, but this stuff is considerably cheaper. It cost around $30 or so and should last us well over a year. Yay! One less thing to worry about.
Oh! I’ve been using that recipe I think. It’s wonderful! I have two rabbits, and sometimes their bunny smell on get my clothes if I love on them too much. (Since my male isn’t neutered, so he has a musk of sorts) This stiff got the bunny smell out with no issue. Thanks for sharing!
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In January, I spent $17 and got basically the same supplies. The washing soda, the baking soda, Sun Oxi Cleaner, and the FelsNaptha. We made 6 months of laundry soap of the one batch that I made (Which might have been a double batch now that I think of it). 6 months worth of laundry for 7 people. I think we average around 14 loads a week and use a tablespoon for each load. It’s OBSCENE the amount of money that I have saved with this! DH is OCD about the laundry. He does it all. And he said in all his years of experience, the homemade soap is better than any store bought soap that he has ever used. I love it too! It’s simple to make and I don’t even grate my soap, I have my kids do it, then we put it into the food processor to make it super small before mixing it
Wow! Nice job getting all the supplies for so cheap! The amount you made sounds similar – it’s supposed to last a year based on 6 loads per week. We only usually do 4 loads so I think it’ll last longer.
Wow, I’ve heard of making your laundry detergent at home, but I’ve always been nervous to try in my HD washer & dryer. Do you know if this will work in them? Oh, that would be so nice to save so much money, I spend a ton on Tide detergent.
Thanks for sharing!
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What a cool idea to make your own laundry detergent. I never thought of that.
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