How To Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

If you're looking for fun ways to cut costs, you can make a giant bucket of slime that works incredibly well as laundry detergent at a cost of about three cents a load (see "Tips" below). For comparison’s sake, a jumbo container of Tide laundry detergent (a common North American detergent brand) costs USD$28.99 for 96 loads, or a cost of $0.30 a load. If you make six batches of the homemade stuff (three gallons per batch, Method 1) this comes up to a savings of over USD$70!

Method 1

1. Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it’s almost boiling.
2. While you’re waiting, pull out a knife and start shaving strips off of a bar of soap into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Alternatively, you can use a grater. 
3. Shave up the whole bar, then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water.
4. Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into a five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs' worth of water.
5. Then mix in the hot soapy water, stir it for a while, then add a cup of washing soda.
6. Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax if you are using borax.
7. Stir for another couple of minutes, then let this mixture sit overnight to cool.
8. In the morning, you’ll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that’s a paler shade of the soap that you used. One eight oz. measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry - and the ingredients are basically the same as laundry detergent.

Method 2

1. Add six cups of water to a large cooking pot, stir in one medium bar of grated soap, and heat over medium heat until the soap is melted.
2. Add one half cup of borax and one cup of washing soda, stirring frequently until everything is completely dissolved.
3. Add six cups of warm water and stir in the hot soap, mixing well with a whisk.
4. Add one gallon cool water and mix well.
5. Stir with the whisk every 30 minutes until the soap is completely cool (an hour or two).
6. Let it sit undisturbed for at least a few hours (preferably overnight) before using or dividing into separate containers.
7. Pour a smaller amount into a sports-type bottle or an old liquid detergent bottle and store the rest in a larger bucket. Before each use give the bottle a shake (it will separate as it sits) and then use 2 oz per small or light load or 4 oz for a larger or more heavily soiled load. After being shaken, the soap should have the consistency and feel of thin hair conditioner.

Tips

• Here's the cost breakdown for Method 1: Out of three gallons, you’ll get about 48 loads of laundry. If you do this six times, you’ll have used six bars of soap ($0.99 each), one box of washing soda ($2.49), and about half a box of borax ($2.49, so $1.25) and make 288 loads of laundry. This comes up to a cost of right around three cents a load. Compare that to 30 cents a load, and that's a difference of 27 cents. Multiply that by 288 loads, and you'll have saved $77.76. Depending on how much your ingredients cost, you may find that you have a different cost per load.
• Here are the potential savings with Method 2: If you bought five bars of Fels Naptha, one box of Borax and two boxes of washing soda, you would be able to make 14 batches of laundry soap (with minor amounts of leftovers). Your total average cost for everything would probably be less than $15 USD. Your 14 batches would produce 3,136 ounces by volume. Even if you use 4oz. per load that would wash 784 loads (more if you use less per load). If you washed two loads a day, you’d have enough soap to wash laundry for 392 days! That’s over a year for a little less than $15!
• The longer the Method 2 soap sits, the more it separates. When you need to refill your smaller bottle, you’ll have to stir the soap in the larger bucket well with a whisk before refilling.
• Method 2 creates a low-sudsing soap, but it works well.
• You may add essential oils for fragrance if you prefer.

Things You'll Need

• Method 1
  1 bar of soap (whatever kind you like)1 box of washing soda (look for it in the laundry detergent aisle at your local department store - it comes in an Arm & Hammer box and will contain enough for six batches of this stuff)1 box of borax (this is not necessary, but it can kick the cleaning up a notch - one box of borax will contain more than enough for tons of batches of this homemade detergent - if you decide to use this, be careful)A five gallon bucket with a lid (or a bucket that will hold more than 15 liters - ask around - these aren’t too tough to acquire)Three gallons of tap waterA big spoon to stir the mixture withA measuring cupA knife (or grater)
• Method 2
  3/4 cup Borax3/4 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda1/3 bar (or 1 cup) Fels Naptha or Zote soap, grated (you can use any soap but Fels Naptha cleans very well and has a nice fresh scent; if you use a smaller bar such as Ivory, use the whole bar)1 large pot and spoon2 gallon containerMeasuring cupLarge whiskFunnelStorage bucket or containerSmaller sports-type or other bottle

Warning

• keep in mind, these methods are NOT suitable for high efficiency washers (most front loading washers) if this method is used in high efficiency washers the detergent will sud profusely and damage the electronics over time.
• Super Washing Soda (as used in video) should not be used to wash wool or silk since it may damage your garment.