Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

A clean 5 gallon bucket with a lid (I purchased mine at a large chain home improvement store)

A large mixing instrument (old broom handle, long piece of wood...anything that allows you to stir all the way into the bottom of the 5 gal. bucket)

1 bar laundry soap, such as Fels-Naptha
Borax
Washing Soda

***Do not confuse washing soda with baking soda. They are NOT the same and cannot be used interchangeably. They have different chemical properties and you will not have the same results if you use baking soda.

***You can find all of these products at the grocery store or online. Another good source for Fels-Naptha soap is the hardware store.

Fels Naptha Bar $0.98
Washing Soda $2.99
Borax $2.97

For this recipe, I am using approximately 16.8 oz washing soda, at a cost of $0.9133084, 14 oz. borax at a cost of $0.5471046, and the full bar of soap at a cost of $0.98.

I am making 5 gallons of detergent. The entire recipe costs $2.440413. For my HE machine, using 1/4 cup per load, this is 320 loads of laundry, at a cost of $0.0076 per load. That's right! This is less than 1 cent per load of laundry. If you have a traditional machine and use 1/2 cup per load, this translates to 160 loads per recipe, at a whopping $0.0152 per load or 1.5 cents per load.

At 1 load of laundry per day, my 10 minutes of preparing the detergent every 9 months or so is definitely worth it. Calculating it exactly based on 1 load per day, this 5 gallons is good for 45.71 weeks.

I looked up the price of the detergent I used about 4 years ago. I used to purchase a name brand detergent at about $17 for the big jug, but then I switched to the wholesale club brand which was considerably less. For comparison purposes, I am using the cheaper, wholesale club brand's price.

Their detergent is $10.68 for a bottle that does 110 loads. Seems pretty cheap, right? Unless you look at my costs for making it. The wholesale club detergent will run you $0.097 per load or 9.7 cents for one load of laundry. That is a huge difference! Based on my 1 load a day calculations the bottle will last you 15.71 weeks.

Get your soap bar broken down into small pieces. You can accomplish this by either finely grating it or cutting it into chunks and putting it in your food processor. I have done both and I have to say it works much, much better if you put it in the food processor.

Next, put the soap into a pot and add about 1 cup of water. Heat the soap on your stovetop just enough to melt it down into the water.

Measure out 2 cups of Borax and 2 cups of Washing Soda and put them into your bucket.

Add your melted soap mixture and stir it around a little.

Fill your 5 gallon bucket the rest of the way with hot water, mixing with your stick as you fill it. The soap DOES clump up a bit and seem to be a bit messy. It's ok, that's supposed to happen. Just mix it.

Allow the mixture to cool and it's ready to use. I've even used it warm, right after mixing. After the mixture cools it will separate. You will need to mix it up a bit. Remember, you are not a manufacturing plant able to process the ingredients in the same way major brands do, so be patient and allow for a few differences between your detergent and store bought detergent.

-I have an HE machine and use 1/4 cup per load. If clothes are extra soiled, I use 1/2 cup.

-For a traditional machine, use 1/2 cup.

-For spot treatment, use a little of the detergent or grab an extra bar of soap and keep it by the washer to use in pre-treating.

-Use white vinegar in your fabric softener compartment to save even more. Believe me, your clothes will not smell like vinegar when the wash is done.

-I still do use an oxygen cleaner to keep my whites bright. I did this with store bought detergent also. I have started purchasing oxygen cleaner at the local dollar store, and it works just as well as the name brand and costs 75% less.

-The soap will separate as it sits. This is normal. Mix it every time you use it. I use a 4 cup container to store mine in, refilling from the bucket as needed. This is much more manageable to mix on a regular basis. You can also use an old store-bought detergent bottle to store it in a smaller, more accessible and useable container. Just mix and refill from your bucket as needed.