How to Make Your Own Homemade Laundry Detergent

homemade laundry detergent

​The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 20 - 45 mins
  • Total Time: 20 - 45 mins
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $15

It is simple to make homemade laundry detergent, and DIY laundry detergent surprisingly cleans laundry while saving you money. All it takes is a few simple ingredients—borax, washing soda, soap flakes—commonly found in commercial laundry detergents.

One of the benefits of homemade laundry detergent is that you can control the amount of fragrance you add and there are no dyes that can often irritate sensitive skin. Homemade laundry detergent can safely used in both standard and high-efficiency washing machines.

Follow these simple steps to make your own homemade laundry detergent.

How Often to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

Your homemade detergent production will depend on how often you do laundry. Each batch will produce about five cups of detergent: 80 loads in a high-efficiency washer or 27 loads in a standard washer. It is best to make small batches stored in an airtight container to prevent clumping.

Does Homemade Laundry Detergent Work on Stains?

While homemade laundry detergent is effective in removing everyday soil from a load of laundry, it is not always the best stain remover. There are no active enzymes to break apart specific types of stains so they can be flushed from fabric fibers.

It's a good idea to keep an all-purpose stain remover handy and pretreat stains before tossing the item in the washer.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • 1 box grater
  • 1 set measuring cups
  • 1 rubber gloves
  • 1 sealable container (glass or plastic)
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 measuring spoons

Materials

  • 1 box Borax
  • 1 box washing soda (sodium carbonate)
  • 1 bar or box pure bar soap/castile soap or soap flakes
  • 1 label

Instructions

How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

ingredients to make laundry detergent
The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  1. Grate the Bar Soap

    If you are using pure bar soap like Zote or Castile soap, grate the bar into 1 cup of flakes with a box grater. You can also use pre-made soap flakes like Zote Flakes or Ivory Snow.

    Select a Scent You Love

    If you like scented laundry detergent, you can use a soap bar that has your preferred fragrance to make soap flakes. Select one that does not contain added skin conditioners.

    grating a bar of soap
    ​The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska 
  2. Measure and Mix the Ingredients

    Combine 2 cups of borax, 2 cups of washing soda, and 1 cup of soap flakes in a container that has a tightly fitted lid. Mix well with a wooden spoon and promptly seal the container.

    Choose a glass or plastic container that is slightly larger than five cups so there is room for mixing. Plus, be sure to wear rubber gloves when mixing your laundry detergent ingredients.

    mixing ingedients together for homemade detergent
    ​The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska
  3. Label the Detergent

    A label should be placed on the container to indicate what it is and include directions on how to use the detergent. We recommend one to three tablespoons per wash load.

    detergent in an airtight container

    ​The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska

  4. Store Properly

    Keep the laundry detergent in an airtight container to prevent clumping and out of the reach of children and pets.

How to Use Homemade Laundry Detergent

Add the detergent directly to the washer drum before loading the dirty laundry. Do not use it in an automatic dispenser because the soap flakes may cause clumping that clogs the dispenser.

For Standard Top-Load Washers

  • Small Load: 2 tablespoons or less of homemade detergent
  • Medium Load: 3 tablespoons of homemade detergent
  • Large Load: 1/4 cup of homemade detergent

For Front Load and Top Load High-Efficiency Washers

  • Small and Medium Loads: 1 tablespoon
  • Large and Extra Large Loads: 2-3 tablespoons

For Handwashing Clothes

Add one tablespoon of homemade laundry detergent to one cup of hot water to help the mixture dissolve. Then add the water/detergent solution to a sink of warm or cool water before adding the dirty clothes.

Homemade Laundry Detergent Tips

  • The powdered laundry detergent generally will not expire or lose its effectiveness unless it is exposed to excess moisture.
  • If the detergent becomes hard or develops clumps due to moisture, discard it. It will not dissolve well in the washer and can leave soap residue on your clothes.
  • Borax (sodium tetraborate), washing soda, soap flakes, or laundry soap bars can be found in the laundry aisle of most grocery and mass market stores.
  • To increase the cleaning power of your homemade laundry detergent, you can add one cup of baking soda to the recipe.
Originally written by
Erin Huffstetler

Erin Huffstetler is a frugal living expert who has been writing for over 10 years about easy ways to save money at home.

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  1. Textile Contact Dermatitis: How Fabrics Can Induce Dermatitis. Current Treatment Options in Allergy.

  2. Sodium Carbonate. National Library Of Medicine.