All natural, non-sudsing laundry soap that is quick to make in GIANT batches, smells amazing, and WORKS. Bright whites, good-smelling laundry, and inexpensive recipe. Best of all, you can customize the ingredients to your favorites!
Check out homemade wood floor cleaner for another all-natural cleaning solution!
About homemade laundry soap:
- Laundry soap is not a detergent and can produce a bit of a build-up on your absorbent materials (like towels) over years of use. This is because the bar soap added to the recipe has oils added in to them that aren’t rinsed cleanly away. The answer to this problem is to use a vinegar rinse, use detergent once in a while, or replace your towels as needed.
Frankly, it takes quite some time for this to happen (years!) and we find it to be worth it.
—> for this reason we recommend running a washing machine cleaner through your machine every so often. - Baking soda is sometimes skipped in homemade laundry soap but IS necessary, we think. It acts as a buffer against the hasher cleansers of Borax and OxyClean and helps the soap work with all types of fabrics.
- OxyClean is the secret to helping your whites stay white and your colors stay bright. OxyClean IS environmentally friendly and non-toxic! Use it in your soap for brighter, whiter clothes.
- Borax should be used carefully and with restraint! Although Borax is made from a naturally occuring mineral, it can be irritating for the skin and lungs. Avoid breathing it in and getting it on your skin while you are making the soap.
Borax’s use in homemade laundry soap is to help control hard water and clean clothes more thoroughly.
–> if you don’t have hard water or are concerned about the use of Borax you can simply eliminate it. I would recommend using vinegar as a final rinse, when possible, to help with a complete cleaning. - Fels Naptha or Zote bar soap is recommended for this purpose and is the traditional ingredient. However, castile soap can be used if you prefer. Or any bar soap. However, be aware that many body soaps have moisturizers added to them which will increase the residue that may be left behind (again, use of a vinegar rinse will help that).
What are the cost of the ingredients?
This recipe runs $22.94 for a little over 2 gallons of soap.
How much does this recipe make?
This recipe makes a little over 2 gallons and you’ll easily get 300 loads (using 2 tablespoons a load) out of it. Do the math and that makes 640 tablespoons (at least) for this recipe.
.07 cents a load using 2 tablespoons per load with this recipe.
–> many recipes suggest using only 1 tablespoon per load. Try that and see what you think, if you like. We prefer the 2 tablespoons.
Can I use this on my HE washer?
Yes, this soap does not suds and can be used on your HE washer. Do NOT place the soap in your automatic dispenser. And, if you have clumpy soap it might be wise to dissolve it in warm water first.
Check out this post for more info about Homemade Laundry Soap and HE washers.…https://www.thespruce.com/is-homemade-detergent-he-washer-safe-2145711
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 2 lbs baking soda
- 4 lbs Borax
- 3 lbs Washing Soda
- 3 5-oz Fels Naptha Bars
- 3.5 lbs OxyClean
- 12 oz In wash Scent Booster Arm & Hammer, optional
Instructions
- Put Fels Naptha in the fridge for overnight prior to making the recipe.
- Add 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 bar of Fels Naptha to the food processor, process until the Fels Naptha is crumbly. Add to your bucket and repeat for all 3 bars of Fels Naptha (be sure to add another 1/2 cup baking soda each time).
- Mix all remaining baking soda and other ingredients in a large bucket or plastic bag (be sure to use a face mask or avoid breathing in the powder particles).
- Optional: Instead of scent booster you can use baking soda mixed with drops of essential oil (the oil will cause the baking soda to clump).
- Add 2 tablespoons to the drum of your washing machine prior to adding in your clothes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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So glad to hear it!! Thanks for coming back to comment!
I’ve used this recipe for 2 years now. Great money saver and cleans very well. Nice scent.
Great question! Oxi-clean is more of a laundry “booster” than a soap. Its job is to boost the power of whatever cleaning agent is being used. The laundry soap we are using is old-school..without all the chemicals and stuff that is in the new-fangled laundry detergents. The combo of the old-school laundry soap and oxi-clean give us a great clean for the white whites and colored colors without all the chemicals in detergent. Plus it smells good :)
Hi Janel. I’m curious about this laundry recipe. Why mix all these ingredients to get a different kind of soap when you have a box of laundry soap in the ingredients? Is oxy-clean not a good detergent on it’s own? I’ve never used it.