Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Making homemade liquid laundry detergent can save you a lot of money.  It’s also really great if you have any sensitivities to Sodium Laurel Sulfate, dyes or fragrances.  Plus, it’s really easy to make.

What you need:

• 1 Bar of Soap (You can use any kind.  Fels-naptha is the kind typically used, but you can choose any kind based on fragrance, color, etc)
• 1 Cup Borax*
• 1 Cup Washing Soda*
• 2 1-Gallon Containers (empty milk jugs work well)

*Both Washing Soda and Borax can be found in the laundry detergent aisle.  Do not use baking soda, make sure it’s washing soda.

Directions:

Grate bar soap.

Bring to a boil, 6 cups of water.  Add grated soap.

Return to a boil. Boil one minute, or until grated soap is disolved.

Remove from heat. Add one cup borax, and one cup washing soda. 

Stir while returning to a boil.

Remove from heat.

Add 4 cups cold water (so the hot liquid doesn’t melt the containers).

Pour approximately 5 cups of the mixture into each container.

Pour cold water into the containers until they are almost full.  Leave about 1-2 inches at the top (this is really important, since you’ll want to be able to shake the container to mix up the ingredients after it’s been sitting).

Shake to mix well, and use 1/2 cup of the detergent per laundry load. 

Makes approximately 64 loads of laundry detergent. 

Cost:

I paid less $3.17 for the washing soda and $3.97 for the borax.  The Fels-naptha is around $1 per bar ($0.97), but Jergen’s is usually about $0.50.   Assuming your prices are similar to mine, and using Fels-naptha, these 64 loads of laundry cost about $2 to make! I think that’s pretty fabulous!

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This post is part of our Outside the Box Mondays series.  For more awesome money saving and made from scratch ideas, click on the box!

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