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Jan 10, 2011

Homemade Laundry Detergent

In honor of my NEW "old school" washing machine (more on that later), I just made another batch of laundry soap and am reposting my laundry detergent recipe for any of those interested, along with some updates from lessons learned!


Yesterday was our day to make laundry detergent, and I was lucky enough to have a helper on hand!  I started doing this November 2008 and haven't used store bought since!  It's quick (15 minutes!) easy, fun, and makes a ton each batch, so I only need to do it every 2-3 months or so.  There are many recipes available on the internet, but I will walk you through ours:

INGREDIENTS:  (update:  more stores stock these ingredients than when I first started, looks like people are starting to ask for it!)



-1/3 bar grated soap (I use Zote or Octagon, Zote is easier to grate) -can usually be found in  an ethnic grocery if you can't find it at your regular store
-1/2 cup washing soda (different than baking soda!)  got mine at WalMart
-1/2 cup Borax powder (available at most stores)
-Essential Oil optional (I use grapefruit!)
- 2 or 3 gallon bucket
- Pot for heating soap
- Funnel
- Empty Containers (I use recycled store bought laundry containers, empty H2O or clean milk   jugs work too...amount depends on how big your containers are!

Step One:
Set out your ingredients:  note the "Princess Bucket" my child picked out for me, it has "sparkles"!
Step Two:
Grab a helpful child, or maybe not so helpful...


Step Three:
Put your grated soap plus 6 cups hot water (I grate by hand since I mangled my food processor doing this last time:) in a pot and heat just until the soap melts (do not boil!).  Add the washing soda and Borax and stir until dissolved.  Remove from heat.

Step Four:  
Pour 4 cups hot tap water into your bucket.  Add melted soap mixture and stir.  This is a good time to add a couple drops of essential oil if you prefer a scented soap.
Next, add 1 Gallon plus 6 cups water and stir some more...this is a great chore for the "helpful child"!


Step Five:
Let the soap sit about 24 hours in the bucket and it should come to a thin egg white consistency.  (The reason for 24 hour wait is if it gels too much you can add more H20 and blend to right consistency - BEFORE it gels "too much" in your containers and won't come out!) If the remaining soap flakes visible bother you, just run an immersion blender through it before funneling into your containers.  Voila!  You have a ton of laundry detergent for just a cent or so per load!  Use about 1/2 cup per load ( I just use the cap from the bottle).  This is safe and actually beneficial for H.E. machines since it is low-sudsing.

**Tip:  If the next day your soap is gelled solid, just add some more H2O and use an immersion blender to thin.  I only offer this suggestion because I made this mistake the first time...I think I heated the soap too much on the stove, evaporating too much water!!!




Recipe makes about 2.5 gallons!  I just use recycled store bought containers, but milk or water jugs work just as well!  When done, I just store all my laundry making ingredients away in the bucket and it's easily accessible next time.

FABRIC SOFTENER:
I mix a few drops essential oil into a bottle of vinegar and add 1/2 cup to the rinse tray...soft clothes and cleans your machine at the same time!  Really great for those H.E. machine nasty seals!  Don't worry, your clothes will not come out smelling like vinegar, especially with essential oil added.  Happy Laundering...ok, well maybe "Cheaper Laundering" at least...!


**Note:  if you dry your clothes on the clothesline, you will find that the vinegar rinse does not do the same trick, I haven't yet found a homemade softener that works on line-dried clothes - if you know of one, please share!

23 comments:

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  9. I might have to give this a try when I use up the rest of my detergent. Sounds pretty easy!

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  10. I have been using this recipe for . . . how long now? Since the first time you posted it anyway. (Matter of fact, it's in a load of clothes in the washer as we speak.) But am I a lucky-ducky? I've never made it. Chicken Mama jumped on it, makes it and supplies me with what I need. This laundry detergent is such a HUGE savings! Even though I bought my soap and was happy with the super-duper giant sized containers (the most economical I could find), this is much, much cheaper and better for the environment. Thanks, Erin, m'dear! (And Chicken Mama, the little detergent maker in the family.)

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  11. This looks worth a try for many reasons. You said the soap mangled your food processor? Can you give me a bit more info? I got a new FP for Christmas, and my old one really wants to be put to good use....? But, I don't want to intentionally destroy it. ya know?

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  12. Melissa, I would try only softer soaps like Zote in the old one, but the harder soaps literally will burn out the motor! I grate mine whenever I have time and just keep it in a sealed container, then when I go to make it, that part is already done.

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  13. I've made this type of laundry soap before but with Fels Naptha soap. I wonder if that's why my whites dulled so much. I'll have to give it a try with a different type of grated soap. Is there a reason you use the type of bar soap that you do? I've never seen any of those kinds here. We don't have any ethnic stores just Safeway and Extra Foods and WalMart.

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  14. Sparkless, I have the opposite issue, I've never tried the Fels Naptha since I can't find it here. I use what I can find, my favorite so far is Zote. One note I should have included - but if dulling is an issue, I would add Oxi-Clean to the mix! I've done that into my powdered mix and I don't see why you couldn't add it into the liquid as well with the other dry ingredients.

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  15. This is wonderful Erin! Thanks so much for sharing.

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  16. I keep saying that I want to try a homemade detergent. Add that to my bookmarks of things to do!!

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  17. Erin I can't find the Fels Naptha soap here either. I ordered it online. LOL! I'm thinking that I'll just buy a cheap bar of Sunlight soap and try this recipe again. Even if it only works great for my colors I'd still save money.

    Adding the Oxi-clean is a great idea. I'll give that a try.

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  18. Awesome, thanks for posting the recipe. Can you use this detergent for the H.E. washing machines?

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  19. I have the same question as memmsnyc... I use a very similar recipe for my homemade soap... we're considering buying a high efficiency front loading washer and I don't want to give up my squeaky clean biodegradable cheap laundry soap!!

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  20. meems & Gelfing, this is safe for H.E. machines, I've used it in mine for 4 years, the really good thing is that a vinegar rinse is just like cleaner for those seals. Gelfing, that's one of the downsides to HE machines, the seals are always really nasty and need cleaning!

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  21. I use the same recipe, just on a bit of a larger scale, I make 5 gallons at a time, we do TONS of laundry. I prefer Fels Nefta soap, just like the smell better. As for the whites dulling, sounds like a water problem, not laundry soap brand. We have that problem and I have used the A&H regular liquid detergent with Oxy Clean, added it to the recipe when done, with 1 full container (the one it came in) of water. We bring our drinking water in, so laundry detergent is also made with brought in water (we go to my Father in Laws with 3 gallon jugs and 3 4 gallon jugs once a week).

    I too messed up my FP, the plastic around the blade wore down the plastic around the "stick" you slid it on, the one that made it turn, so I now grate by hand too. I do run the grated soap in the FP with the bottom blade on for a finer chop, let it sit out for 24 hours, run it again, let it sit, and run it one more time for my "powdered" pre-wash recipe.
    As for outside laundry softener, I use 1 part fabric softener to 3 parts vinegar. I mix up a bunch using 3 C vinegar and 1 c softener. For towels and blankets, I use that mix to "dampen" a rag (I will be making re-usable sheets soon) and toss it into the dryer, soft as a baby chick and NO static.
    Also to clean your washer, just use a scoop of Oxy Clean, and a cup of vinegar, and run a rinse cycle, if needed add 1/2 of baking soda, that will clean the lines too!

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  22. I've made this once, and need to make it again. I really like it! Where do you get your essential oil? Is there a place to get a small portion of many different scents, since I don't really know which ones I like? Thanks, too, for giving the recipe for a rinse. :)
    ~~Lori

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  23. Dirt Lover, I get mine at a local health food/herbal store, half the store is dedicated to natural healing and full of oils, check around for anywhere that sells that type of stuff... do a search for naturopath supplies or the like

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