How to Make Laundry Soap (Liquid or Powder Recipe)

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Liquid or Powder Natural Laundry Detergent
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Making your own natural, homemade laundry detergent is one of the easiest parts of a transition to natural living. This natural laundry soap recipe a great way to save money on laundry detergent and is incredibly easy to make. This homemade laundry detergent post is an updated version of this recipe that addresses high efficiency washers and borax safety.

Why Switch to Natural Laundry Soap?

Conventional laundry detergent is loaded with chemicals like sulfates, fragrances, phenols and more. Many brands contain things like petroleum distillates, which are linked to cancer and lung disease. Fragrances in these detergents are made of a mix of harmful chemicals. (This is also why I make my own linen spray.)

Luckily, making your own laundry soap is an easy and fast process! You only need three basic ingredients to make either a powdered or liquid laundry soap:

DIY Laundry Soap Ingredients

  • Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer Brand available at most stores)Borax Powder
  • Borax (20 Mule Team Borax available at most grocery stores)
  • Bar Soap (Dr. Bronner’s,  Ivory, or other natural, unscented bar soap)

Washing Soda and Borax should be available at your local grocery store on the laundry aisle. Natural bar soaps are in the health, beauty, or organic sections of the store, or online. You can also add a couple tablespoons of baking soda to help freshen clothes.

Wonder What’s in These Ingredients?

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral made up of sodium, boron, oxygen, and water. It is an ingredient in most of the natural soaps available now (Seventh Generation, etc.) but it is much more inexpensive to make yourself. There are some concerns about the safety of Borax, but here’s why I feel comfortable using it, especially for laundry.

Washing Soda

Washing Soda, sometimes called sodium carbonate or soda ash, is made from common salt and limestone or found as natural deposits. If you can’t find this locally, you can make your own from plain baking soda with this tutorial. Here are some other great household uses for washing soda.

Dr. Bronner’s soaps are fair trade and made with vegetable castile soap and pure organic oils.

Liquid or Powder Natural Laundry Detergent
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4.10 from 66 votes

Natural Laundry Soap Recipe

This homemade laundry detergent recipe is easy and very inexpensive to make, plus you avoid the chemicals of conventional detergents.
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Yield: 2.5 cups
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

  • 1 bar soap (such as Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Bar Soap or homemade coconut oil soap)
  • 1 cup washing soda
  • 1 cup borax

Instructions

  • Grate the bar of soap or chop it in a food processor until finely ground.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the grated soap, washing soda, and borax.
  • Store in a sealed container.
  • To use: add 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of soap per load of laundry.

Notes

See below for instructions on making a liquid version of this laundry soap.
Homemade liquid laundry soap recipe

How to Make Liquid Laundry Soap

  1. Grate one bar of soap with cheese grater or food processor.
  2. Put grated soap in pan with 2 quarts water and gradually heat, stirring constantly until soap is completely dissolved.
  3. Put 4.5 gallons of really hot tap water in a 5-gallon bucket (available for free in bakeries at grocery stores, just ask them) and stir in 2 cups of borax and 2 cups of Washing Soda until completely dissolved.
  4. Pour soap mixture from pan into 5-gallon bucket. Stir well.
  5. Cover and leave overnight.
  6. Shake or stir until smooth and pour into gallon jugs or other containers.
  7. Use 1/2 to 1 cup per load.

These recipes are also a great way to save money on laundry. By my calculations, I am saving over half on my laundry bill by switching

A Note About Soap vs. Detergent

All Natural Laundry Soap Recipes - two ways

As mentioned above, there is chemically a difference between soap and detergent. The advantage of conventional laundry detergents is that they are formulated to work specifically in washing machine environments. Many soaps are designed for skin and are not as strong. Some sources suggest that over time, natural soaps can leave buildup in washers.

I’ve found that while this recipe works well for me, it isn’t suitable for all water types and washer types. If you’ve used natural laundry soap and experienced clothes getting dingy, this may be the reason.

I’ve found one natural detergent that works brilliantly and can be used alone or in combination with homemade laundry soaps like this one. I often add 2-3 Tablespoons of Dr. Bronners Sal Suds per load as a natural detergent. Sal Suds gets out tough stains and odors and is still a natural product (though technically a detergent/surfactant and not a soap).

Don’t Want to Make it?

Homemade Natural Effective Laundry Soap Recipe

We usually make our own detergent, but for times when we are traveling or I haven’t had time to make it, I’ve found a few good brands of eco friendly laundry detergent that actually work (all received an “A” by the Environmental Working Group):

  • My Green Fills Laundry Detergent – Just a warning… after you try this laundry soap, you may be ruined for DIY forever. This is the best smelling non-toxic laundry detergent I’ve tried and it works well on tough stains and dirt. Similar to my favorite all-purpose cleaner, a huge bonus is their eco-friendly approach. The detergent comes concentrated in a small refill packet (hence the name) which you add to warm water in the provided bottle. Super smart!
  • 2 tablespoons Sal Suds + 1/4 cup Baking Soda or Washing Soda (highly effective and super simple!)
  • Ecover Zero Laundry Detergent– Works well, relatively cost effective and low/no risk of developmental or reproductive toxicity and cancer according to the EWG.
  • Emma Eco Me Detergent – Also rated well by the EWG and cleans up to 64  loads for $12. Good scents.
  • Planet Natural Detergent –  Relatively eco-friendly and cost effective at $9 for 32 loads.

Obviously, the most frugal option is to make your own, but these natural alternatives are a good choice if you aren’t able to make your own or don’t want to.

Have you tried making your own laundry detergent? What ingredients did you use?

This homemade laundry detergent recipe is easy and very inexpensive to make, plus you avoid the chemicals of conventional detergents.
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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

906 responses to “How to Make Laundry Soap (Liquid or Powder Recipe)”

  1. Sue Avatar

    Hi Katie!

    I am such a big fan! My name is Sue and I am opening a new Quaker school in Bellevue WA. As we start with early childhood then grow to 8th grade, I am committed to the children making much of what we use/reuse every week in our studio. I did a lot of this at my last school with the children making organic good, paper, body butters, shampoos etc.

    I would love to know if the kiddos can measure out the Borax Acid? I want them to be as hands on as possible with the production of everything, with all proceeds going to other not for profits.

    Thanks Katie…keep it coming, you are such a consultant/inspiration/giver.

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      Hi Sue! Thanks so much for the great question 🙂 I would say it depends on the situation: how old the kids are, how many of them there are, etc. They would definitely need to be gloved and highly supervised. If you have a good ratio of adults to children it might work, but I would likely err on the side of caution in this case.

  2. Sarah Avatar

    I made this recipe and it is super watery…is it suppose to be? Not sure if it turned out right or not.

  3. Chris Avatar

    I’m new to the Wellness Mama website and thought I would try making the liquid laundry detergent. I’m in the process of making my first batch and something doesn’t seem right. I followed the instructions making sure the bar soap melted, using Dr. Bronner’s. I made sure the tap water was very not and that the powders had dissolved. When I put the lid on, it was clear everything dissolved and melted. This morning when I took the lid off the bar soap seems to have separated. even though it had melted completely. No matter how much stirring it just wouldn’t blend and shaking just created lots of subs. I went ahead and bottled it and it looks like the bar soap is separating from the bottom up. How can this be since it was completely melted? I think I need help. It seemed like such an easy recipe…….I’m sure it’s more of a statement on my ability. Has anyone experienced any issues when making this and if so can you give me some guidance? Is what I have so far salvageable. I hope so…..it’s smells wonderful!!

  4. Dawn Avatar

    I’m too lazy to grate the soap. Did you ever try using Dr Bronner’s liquid castille soap?

  5. Candia Avatar

    Hi Katie, this is my first attempt at making my laundry soap..what went wrong? My soap is lumpy,soft lumps, I can’t get it broke up no matter how hard I shake it. I followed the recipe exactly for amounts but used a Zote bar instead of Dr Bronners..the store I was at didn’t have it. Any suggestions?? Thank you. Keep the great recipes comming!

    Candia

  6. Debbie Avatar

    Just made a new double batch today! Would like to share what I’ve found to make it easier – use an old oxyclean tub with lid (or similar item). I wrote the recipe on top so I don’t have to search for it. I always do a double batch since I only have to clean up once and the container holds plenty. If you wanted to do more, you’d likely have to make separate batches in food processor (my next tip). I use the fine grater on the FP to grate the 2 bars first, then dump that in the container so I can switch to the s-blade and chop the soap more before adding 2 cups each of the soda and borax. Mix to blend – BE CAREFUL when removing lid and when dumping not to breathe it in because it’s very powdery. Then you just have to rinse the soap off the FP and you’re good to go! I always have to add this to some hot water in the washer first to start dissolving the bits of soap, but no big deal.

  7. Kate Avatar

    Hi. Can I use borax substitute instead of borax in the laundry soap recipe? Thanks

  8. Kerry Avatar

    Can I use pure glycerine soap in this recipe instead of castille soap?

  9. Sherri Avatar

    I was wondering if I could use the liquid Dr. Bronner’s soap instead of a soap bar for this recipe?

  10. Kerri Avatar

    I’m sure this is a very ignorant question, but I’m going to ask anyway 🙂 Can detergent-free (or regular) melt & pour soap be used in place of the bar soap in the recipe above? Thanks!

  11. Ashley Avatar

    I just wanted to say, I made this laundry soap and it is wonderful! My first load of laundry I used it on were my musty smelling kitchen towels. I knew if it got throse clean then I could trust it with the rest of my family’s clothes. It left them spotless and smelling super fresh. Not to mention, very absorbent! I love this! Never thought making my own could be this easy! Thank You, for sharing! ?

  12. Susan Avatar

    Thanks, Wellness Mama!

    First, I wanted to mention that I used the cheese grater blade of my food processor on the Dr. Bronners soap. This gave me a large, fluffy quantity of soap strips, but they were too large and fluffy. So, I took the soap strips and put them through again, but used the regular blade this time. This two-step process gave me great soap flakes of just the right size for the laundry detergent.

    I found your recipe when I went searching for a way to make laundry soap myself. I was on the website solveeczema.org where a family discovered that their son’s eczema was due to detergents, which are different chemically than soap. Your recipe is soap-based. Apparently laundry detergent (not laundry soap) puts a film on your clothes that is hard to get off. I’ve been reacting to all laundry detergents, even seventh generation and some other very natural brands. I made your soap, and finally have a load of clothes I don’t react to.

  13. Serenity Avatar
    Serenity

    Can someone please recommend the least toxic laundry detergent in the market. I don’t have the time /energy to make detergent

  14. Violet Sewell Avatar
    Violet Sewell

    I would like to know if you have a tip for getting candle wax off of carpets. The usual trick that I know of is to put brown paper over it and use the iron. If you have a synthetic carpet what then? Do I risk burning a hole in it or singeing it?

  15. Alexandra Avatar
    Alexandra

    Just read and appreciated this entry about making your own detergent. I’m a mama to an 8 month old, am living in Hawai’i and appreciate how you broke down the cost just by making your own detergent. Since most things are shipped here most household items are more expensive. Here is a healthy and frugal alternative. Mahalo!

4.10 from 66 votes (62 ratings without comment)

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