Homemade Laundry Detergent

June 15th 2008
A cheap and frugal way to make homemade laundry detergent.
laundry_detergent_ingrediants.jpg
I was amazed at how easy this is. What a bargain also, you get 10 litres of goo for under $1 I would say. I still have plenty of ingredient left over to make more.
It is very effective too.
After searching the web there didn't seem to be many variations on the method I followed below.
What you will need is:
Soap flakes (lux or grate up a bar of soap like sunlight)
Borax
Washing Soda.
In the above photo I first dissolved 1 cup of soap flakes in 1 and 1/2 litres of water over medium heat.
laundry_detergent_mix.jpg
Next I added 1/2 a cup of Borax and 1/2 cup of washing soda.
I mixed it, until it was all dissolved and thickened a bit. It will thicken a lot more later.
I then poured it into my 10 litre bucket and filled the bucket with hot tap water.
At this stage you can add essential oils. I didnt on this try.
homemade_laundry_detergent_portion.jpg
I then left this overnight and this is the goo I was met with.
It has a wonderful consistency and very exciting to see the change.
I then add a scoop like shown to the washing machine. I start the load off with some hot water to dissolve this then add the clothes and the rest of the load on cold.
I also add a little vinegar as a substitue for fabric softener.
The vinegar also cleans the machine of soapy residue.

The clothes come out clean, no manufactured fragrance. Bit of sun and you're good to go. Some eucalyptus oil every so often deals with stubborn odours.

Other suggestions on the web was to substitute part of your grated soap for sard wondersoap. Also every so often to give your whites a napisan soak if your not happy with the results.
homemade_laundry_detergent_mixer.jpg
Update:
We now mix the goo with hot water before the wash. Scoop the goo into a bottle. Add hot water. Shake. Add dissolved mix to cold water wash.
We are still impressed with the results. The vinegar and sunshine are working well. This mixing was just a refinement that improves the process.

Update, 10th August 2008:
Made our second batch today, I added some eucalyptus oil after mixing everything in the 10L bucket today.
So lets say a kilo of shop bought powder costs $2.50 and does 20 washes. Thats about 12.5 cents a wash.
Now for the goo, the approximate costs are:
Borax: 0.70 (1/5 $3.50)
Washing soda: 0.33 (1/6 $2.00)
Soap Flakes: 0.25 (4 soap cakes for $0.99)
Total - $1.28 for 10 litres of gel.
Our first batch did us from the 15th June to yesterday. Thats 56 days. We have a new buby, we wash every day. So lets say 50 washes. Thats comes out at about 2.5 cents a wash. A nice saving, great results in the wash and the satisfaction of hand made.
DanielleJune 21st 2008 19:43
I have been using this recipe for about 6 months now and love it. I was paying through the nose for fragrance free- garden friendly washing powder and this has saved me heaps of money.
darlsAugust 17th 2008 01:06
Thanks for that - I love pictures so it explains alot. Luckily I have all the ingredients in laundry, so will do try and make a batch when I run out of my last bottle.

What containers do you think would work best for this? I originally thought of recycling those bottles but looks like the goo's bit too thick to pour out of bottle?

Cheers!
Comfortable HippyAugust 17th 2008 11:30
Hey darls,

We leave it in the bucket and just cover it. Scoop it into the jam jar to mix. You are right, it doesn't really pour.
nataschiaOctober 4th 2008 19:06
Hi, we store it in one of those 18 Lt lidded containers from over-flow or the shopping centre 5-10 $ - so theres no risk of spills or insects falling in, we dont use the borax or washing soda, might try it, my daughter and i have eczema so we just use 1 neem soap bar and some eucalyptus,tea-tree and lavender oils, and it makes just under 18 Lt's, and the vinegar in the final rinse.
elizabethNovember 7th 2008 09:01
Where do you buy your borax from? Will this suit a front loader?

thanks
Comfortable HippyNovember 7th 2008 09:07
Hi elizabeth,

Borax is in the laundry aisle near the draino. Some people dont even use it. It should work for a front loader, it ends up just a soapy liquid, quantities might change. Do a search for home made front loader or something, plenty of frugal hippys out there.
WeylandMay 13th 2009 18:31
Hi,

If you have hard water or are using a gray water system you do not want to use borax in the mix. You can substitute baking soda in place of the borax. Use the same amount of baking soda, instead of borax, in the recipe. The baking soda will act as a water softener, and borax will kill any plants if you're using a gray water system.
JoJune 18th 2009 17:21
Be careful with the front loader. I tried the laundry gel which was too thick it blocked the soap hole and my Asko was leaking! I had to squish it down the pipe to allow the water to get thru. Next time I will dilute the gel with hot water or maybe throw it in with the clothes to prevent the blockage.
Other than that the clothes came out perfect!
SharynFebruary 4th 2010 14:26
Hey Lan, I have just made my first batch of "goo". I will let you know how it goes but I can't wait for the savings !!!
SharynFebruary 5th 2010 11:04
My "goo" is not "goo", it's a liquid - is this a problem ??? Is it still OK to use ??? And what do you think I may have done wrong ???
Comfortable HippyFebruary 5th 2010 11:10
Hi Sharyn,All the key ingredients are still in it, so see how it works. We left ours overnight and it got a goo consistency you see in the photos. Over time it developed a liquid layer on top we just mixed in with the jam jar. I don't know what would have caused it. Most of these things are trial and error. There are hundreds of homemade laundry recipes on the web, try a couple and you can perfect one that suits you. This recipe worked for us *shrug*
SharynFebruary 4th 2010 21:09
Yeah - I will try it tonight. I made our batch last night and it's still no where near goo - a very runny liquid detergent - may work better as I won't have to mix it with water first !!! LOL Thanks for sharing your recipe with us.
March 24th 2010 10:23
Hi_When i made this i thought to make it so you can pour it, when it was cooled i used a slender blender to make it a smooth liquid! So much easier!
Rabi Ruth IsahMarch 25th 2010 01:43
Hello, I appreciate your effort on soap making and want to be a member. please, i need your advice, steps and ingredents on how to make deterget soap, toilet saop,packaging and label it.
ShazApril 12th 2010 17:06
Hi Interesting, thanks for sharing. I have a front loader, how much of this should I add?
Comfortable HippyApril 12th 2010 17:12
Hi Shaz, I would do a search for home made front loader detergent or something, plenty of frugal hippys out there. This recipe should work, front loaders tend to use less detergent don't they? Trial and error, good luck. :)
ShazApril 12th 2010 19:09
Cool thanks for that, yes they do I have soaped it up before lol. I will research some more
ChristineJune 28th 2010 22:48
Hi there. loved reading this. Are you able to add eucalyptus oil to the batch ? If yes - how much do you add ?
Comfortable HippyJune 29th 2010 08:01
Hi Christine, You can add essential oils/eucalytus after you fill the bucket with hot water. I have not tried this so I don't know how much would work. Try and see, you can perfect your own family recipe. :)
StarsieJuly 5th 2010 08:31
http://www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au/laundrypowder.html Thats a link to another recipe which we use and love Its a dry mix but still needs a dissolve in hot water a little first , thats the time to also adda drop or 4 of your fave oils. Also no borax.
TaniaJuly 14th 2010 14:45
Hi great info! I have been using soap nuts over the last month or so and my views on them are a bit of hit and miss. I have been looking/researching homemade anything a lot lately as I want our family to become more self sufficient in our environment(2 adults, 2 kids - 12 & 14 yrs). In reference to the people asking about using this mix in a front loader I don't see a problem with it as long as it is halved in quantity as they don't need as much detergent as other machines. Plus make sure it is well mixed before you add it to the 'barrel' of your machine and not in the dispenser. Hope this helps. Plus if you are using a grey water system exchange the borax for baking soda as borax will kill plants.
Comfortable Hippies
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