I want to teach you how to make homemade laundry soap! It always smells delightfully fresh and clean! I leave the lid off the container to inhale the wonderful fragrance whenever I walk through the laundry room. Every time I make a batch, I feel thrifty and virtuous! Each batch lasts a long time, works great, and is super economical to make! It makes enough for about 300 loads of wash! That's what I call a win-win-win!
Our laundry comes out soft and fragrant without any additives or fabric softener. The mixture is highly concentrated, so I only need two tablespoons to do an entire load of laundry. But if I ever have stains and need to pretreat, I have another concoction I mix up! I'll share that recipe with you, too!
Here are the ingredients you need to make a giant batch of homemade laundry detergent. You will need a very large bowl or bucket to mix all the ingredients and a big spoon! I use my food processor to pulverize the soap bars, but you can also use a grater. The soap dissolves rapidly in the washing machine.
Homemade laundry soap has become more popular, and at times, I have to shop in more than one place to round up all the ingredients. The day I made this batch, I could only get an extra-large container of Oxi Clean, so I will use what's left over to presoak white socks! Zote bar soap, either the pink or white bar, also works well. They are bigger, so you may only need 2 bars instead of three.
Begin by grating or pulverizing the soap bars. Sometimes, the soap bars are quite fresh and soft, and other times, they will be drier and harder. It depends on how long they have been on the grocer's shelves. I cut each soap bar into cubes and put them in the food processor with the blade.
That day, the soap was soft, and I found it pulverized more completely when I added some dry ingredients to the cubes. I pulverize one bar at a time. When I finished, the soap looked like this.
Now dump all the ingredients into a big bowl or bucket and be amazed at the fragrance!
Now, take that big old spoon and mix everything thoroughly! This step takes a while because there is a large volume of product to blend! Even distribution is important, so take your time!
All that's left to do is put your wonderful homemade laundry soap into containers. Two big ice cream buckets that hold at least a gallon work very well.
However, I am so crazy about how it looks and smells that I bought a pretty gallon jar I leave open on the laundry room counter so I can enjoy the fragrance every time I walk through the room!
Our daughter keeps the whole batch in a huge open decorative bowl in their laundry room. The great smell is a whiff of "welcome home" every time they walk in from the garage! ❤
Don't be tempted to think more is more when you do laundry. Two tablespoons are enough for a load!
Great-smelling homemade powdered laundry soap that costs pennies a load. Very easy to make.
If you need to pretreat stains, combine an equal amount of hydrogen peroxide, Dawn dish soap, and baking soda in a dish or shake together in a squeeze bottle. Put some on the stain and use an old toothbrush to scrub it in lightly.
This mixture can even sit on your clothes in the hamper for a while. It works on blood, grass, grease, makeup, and even tomato stains.
All the ingredients are safe and pure, and this stuff really works!
GB spends a lot of time in the laundry room and the kitchen! I sure hope you try this homemade laundry soap and the stain remover as well! I have had great results from both, and I'd love to hear from you! If you have any laundry hints, please pass them along!
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This is the best idea! I use a lot of those products individually but have never heard of the Fels Naptha. My husband is an avid athlete and I am always looking for help with his clothes. Time to get out the food processor!!
Can you make the laundry soap without the scent booster. I have a problem with scents
Hi Sylvis,
I emailed you because I was at work. I checked to be sure, but you can also get Oxyclean in fragrance and dye-free. The scent boosters are 100% optional. Leave them out, and you will also save money. Happy news!
Is this recipe good for HE washers?
Wow. I made this stuff for years with Oxyclean, Borax and Fels Naptha bar. Used Ivory soap once too. Never used any of the other stuff you mentioned. Loved it. No one else seemed to care till the boy went off to college and developed a need for softener smells. LOL
I've used it for years with great results and our laundry smells SO good! Our daughter uses it too! The stain remover hint at the bottom of the post works really great! Thanks ever so much for taking time to comment!!💜
I have an HE washing machine. Can I use this in in my machine?
In a word, yes! Here's a very informative article from one of my most trusted resources.https://www.thespruce.com/is-homemade-detergent-he-washer-safe-2145711#:~:text=Homemade%20laundry%20detergent%20can%20be,in%20a%20high%2Defficiency%20washer. Just copy and paste that link into your search bar for lots of good info!
I can’t use the scent stuff we where thinking could i add lemon oil or just nothing
you can use any essential oil like lavender or lemon for sure; just mix it in with the powdered ingredients.
I've been making my own laundry soap with a variation of this recipe for 15 years now. I do not add scent booster (we add it per load if desired). I used to microwave the fels naphtha to make it fluffy, and boy was it a long job! My husband hated seeing the struggle, and dealing with the soap smell in the microwave for days after. He suggested using a meat grinder. I ended up buying a super old meat grinder at a thrift shop for a few dollars and it is a complete game changer! Laundry soap making went from a few hours to 45 minutes (I double the recipe, so I have to grind 6 bars and it takes a while).
What a smart solution!! I'll have to get mine out next time I made a batch! Thank you so much for sharing that tip!!
It is amazing when you start making your own laundry soap. I make a streamlined version which has worked wonders for me. I use ZOTE instead of Fels-Naptha laundry bar (cheaper and less ingredients). ZOTE also has a mild citronella scent which is quite nice. I also use washing soda and borax. Just three ingredients.
Thanks for taking time to share!! 🤩 I use Zote, too, sometimes, or a combination and I think it's great. ZOTE is better at removing some stains. I keep a bar of each handy to pretreat stubborn stains and our grown
kids still bring me tough stains to help with!