Sage & Simple

food. travel. expat living.

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • Living in Denmark
  • About
    • Privacy Policy

Homemade Laundry Detergent

February 24, 2009 By Sage 6 Comments

In the interest of spending less on something boring and consumable, I started making my own laundry detergent.

At first I thought it sounded a little crazy, but now I can’t imagine handing over $10 in exchange for jug of soap. What a rip off! Especially when you can make your own for less than $.25/gallon :)

You will need:

1/2 – 1 bar of soap
1 cup washing soda (it’s in the laundry aisle)
1/2 cup borax
hot water
5 gallon bucket with a lid
stirring stick

Pretty much any bar of soap will work; I use Ivory, Fels Naptha, or Zote. Fels Naptha and Zote are bar laundry soaps found in the laundry aisle. I prefer Zote because it’s pink and the bars are giant so I can make 2 batches!


I’m super frugal, so I reused this cat litter bucket instead of buying one, and I raided the stirring stick from my husband’s scrap wood pile:

Here’s how you can save the money you were blindly handing over to Proctor & Gamble, for something a little more exciting…

Grate the soap (I use my food processor). You’ll need a full bar for each batch (half a bar if you’re using Zote).

In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water to a near boil. Add the grated soap and stir until it’s completely dissolved:

While the soap is dissolving, measure 48 cups of hot water into the bucket (if you have a milk jug handy, that’s about 3 gallons). I marked the water level on the bucket with a Sharpie so I don’t have to measure anymore.

Add the hot, soapy water to the bucket and stir it for a few minutes, then add the washing soda and stir for a few more minutes, then add the Borax and stir for a few more minutes (about 5-6 minutes total stirring time). When you’re done with all that stirring it should look something like this:

Put the lid on it, and let it cool overnight. The next morning, it should have congealed. Give it a good stir and it should look something like this:


Use 1/2 to 1 cup per load. This is a low sudsing soap and should be fine in HE machines.

Like it? Share it :)

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: diy, frugal living, green living, recipes

Comments

  1. Hi! I'm Traci says

    February 24, 2009 at 2:53 AM

    This is a great recipe…I use the grated up soap with the borax and arm & hammer dry, like a powdered detergent…..mostly cause I’m way too lazy to stir it all up and cook it on the stove!!!

    Either way, it works great!!

    Reply
  2. Joni says

    February 24, 2009 at 9:44 PM

    Hi there! I definitely have to try this. It’s eco-friendly, right?

    -joni

    Reply
  3. Sage & Simple says

    February 25, 2009 at 2:42 AM

    Joni,

    Borax and washing soda are commonly used in environmentally friendly cleaning.

    Washing soda is made out of salt and limestone. Borax is a natural product that’s made out of sodium and boron.

    The only eco-impact variable is in which soap you use. I’ve seen Zote and Fels Naptha mentioned on several green living sites, which is why I use them. Castile soap might be even more eco-friendly.

    And Traci is right :) You can make a powdered version which is easier. I make both, but prefer the liquid because I find it lasts longer.

    Reply
  4. Lannette says

    February 25, 2009 at 11:12 PM

    Thank you so much for the recipe. I’m trying to convert to all green cleaning and personal products and being to make my own is even better.

    Any ideas for making softners and/or antistatic products? I love in the frozen north of the country and the static is so bad it’ll glue a small piece of furniture to your leg if you don’t use a softner. I do use those little drier balls to shorten dry time and hang things out when the weather allows.

    Reply
  5. Sage & Simple says

    February 26, 2009 at 3:35 PM

    Hi Lannette,

    The only diy anti-static sprays that I’m aware of use commercial fabric softner (and sometimes ammonia), so they’re frugal, but not green.

    For fabric softener, I just add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the final rinse. If you have a Downey ball, you can fill it with vinegar instead of Downey. This seems to help with static cling, too.

    I have seen recipes for homemade fabric softener, but have not tried them because I’m happy with the vinegar. The smell dissipates when the clothes dry.

    Sage

    P.S. Thanks for the plug on your blog :)

    Reply
  6. Lannette says

    February 27, 2009 at 11:00 PM

    Thanks Sage,

    I’ll try the vinegar. Our humidity here is so low that it will be a miracle if it keeps the static out but it’s worth a try. I love vinegar and use it for all kinds of cleaning tasks.

    You’re welcome for the plug. When I find something good I like to share. :)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

logo
Food Advertisements by

Once upon a time, I had the chance to move to the happiest country in the world!

My restless Aries spirit liked that idea, so I did what any girl in my position would do… I grabbed my cat, booked a one-way ticket to Denmark, and became an expat!

Read more…

Archives

Never miss a post :)

logo

Food Advertisements by

Categories

aarhus a doomed love story baking denmark diy england food france frugal living green living home italy moving other recipes simple living small space living thailand thrift shopping travel vegan vegetarian wedding
2020 has been... interesting. But I'm ending it be 2020 has been... interesting. But I'm ending it better than I started 💞 and with a clawfoot bathtub 🛀 in my bedroom! Happy new year! Let's get this show on the road🥂🎉 #newyear #newyearseve #clawfoottub #bath #bathinbedroom #bye2020 #happynewyear #happynewyear2021 #adios2020 #bathingbeauty #redwine #mermaid #expatlife #childfree #vintagehome #bohemiandecor #bohemianliving #bohemianlife #bohemianhome #boholiving #bohodecor #fairylights #bubblebath #bubblebaths #bubbles #bathtime #bathtimefun #glamour #glamorous
No tree? No problem.💃#peacockchair #cornersofmy No tree? No problem.💃#peacockchair #cornersofmyhome #bohostyle #boholiving #bohovibes #bohodecor #bohemian #bohosoul #bohemianliving #bohemiandecor #christmaslights #christmas #xmas #xmas2020 #xmaslights #christmastime #christmastime🎄 #wicker #bohemianhome #bohemianinterior
A dreamy Christmas stroll with my guy 🎄 ⛄#Chr A dreamy Christmas stroll with my guy 🎄 ⛄#Christmaslights #christmas #godjul #jul #jule2020 #julehygge #tivoli #tivolifriheden #xmas #xmas2020 #xmastime #christmastime #christmastime🎄 #christmasishere #santa #juletid #jule #julen2020 #julelys #xmaslights #winterwonderland #winter #dreamy #dreamscape #denmark #aarhus #danmark
My Love brought me 4 dozen of my favorite roses, s My Love brought me 4 dozen of my favorite roses, so I'm drying these 💗#roses #roses🌹#love #loved #flowers #cottagecore #flowersinframe_ #flowersinstagram #cottagecoreaesthetic #driedflowers #spoiled #color #colorful #colorfulliving #boholiving #bohodecor #boho
A sign of the times 😔 #christmas #covidchristma A sign of the times 😔 #christmas #covidchristmas #christmas2020 #maskup #denmark #scandinavia #aarhus #aarhuslife #jul #jul2020 #wearyourmask #xmas #xmas2020 #myhood
New-to-me thrifted oil painting! Sacre Coeur? 50 k New-to-me thrifted oil painting! Sacre Coeur? 50 kr. (about $8) 💃 Now I just need my kæreste to come over and hang it for me 💕 #thriftshopping #secondhand #frugalliving #thriftstorefind #thriftingfinds #thrifting #thrifted #bohodecor #bohodecoration #boholiving #bohostyle #denmark #cornersofmyhome #bohemianliving #bohemiandecor #bohemianinterior #scandinavianhome #bohemian #art #bohodecoration #thrifteddecor #bohohome #bohosoul #genbrug #genbrugsguld #genbrugsfund #genbrugshjem
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.

logo
Food Advertisements by

© 2009 - 2020 · Sage Autumn Media

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.