I’ve been wanting to make my own laundry soap for almost a year now, but I had quite a few store-bought detergents to use up first. Well I finally ran out and got to make some today! This should last me a long time and it’s way cheaper than store-bought. Here’s the recipe that I used:
Homemade Laundry Soap
2 parts grated soap (Fels-Naptha, Zote, or Ivory)
1 part baking soda or washing soda
1 part borax
Mix and store in air tight container.
Use 1-2 tbsp per load.
It was kinda messy and a lot of work to grate the soap. I might try to find soap flakes next time. I’ve finished one load of sheets and they turned out fine. The true test will be Mike’s work clothes. 🙂 Do you make your own detergent? Whats your experience been with it?
*Update: I used this recipe for 2+ years and it always seemed to work great! I’m using store-bought detergent now because I was getting random spots on my son’s clothes all of a sudden, but I don’t think it was from my homemade detergent because it continued after I switched to store-bought.
Yes ut is septic safe. There are no harsh chemicals in either borax or soap flakes or baking soda. Also as a bonus whatever does seep onto ground either purposely or acciidental pesky ceatures such as ants are done away with
People have commented on other blogs that using baking soda can cause a discoloration of some sort. When I make the laundry detergent I use washing soda and not baking soda. I add the powder directly to the tub of my he washer and have never had issues. I think homemade cleans better than store bought detergent. Sometimes I may add oxygen clean with the purple lid to the wash for a boost. Clothes look and smell clean!
I have used the same powdered laundry recipe for years.. I sometimes add a small jar of generic oxi clean from the dollar tree. I chill the zote bars before grating ( live in texas) .It makes grating easier. I run everything thru the blender a cup and a half at a time for 5-6 seconds to truly make a fine powder. My daughter likes to add a splash of vinegar to her loads of laundry but I dont bother.
I’ve made it several times using nafta. Tried the zote and after I grated a whole bar I decided not to use it. It was terribly waxy and stuck to everything. Thought it almost ruined my grater and food processor. It’s mostly tallow. Threw it out. Gave the other bars I had away. Noticed clothes starting to fade using nafta. Not worth it when you have to buy new clothes.
Hi Missy. You can buy Zote soap flakes at amazon. I used Zote flakes and it was much easier than grating. My detergent lasted quite awhile and It was just great.
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