Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe
30 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Recipes Tags: laundry, soap, wash
In an effort to be nice to the environment, be good to my skin and save a little (or a LOT of) money in the process, I went on the hunt for a laundry soap recipe. What I found was something that was so EASY to make that even my 6 year old can help me and it just costs pennies per load!
I found the original recipe at The Simple Dollar. It’s a great tutorial, and according to his figures, a batch of this stuff washes 52 loads and costs 2.5 cents per load. He uses 1 cup detergent per load. I use 1/2 cup, so according to my figures, that would be 104 loads at 1.25 cents per load (you can check my math on that…it’s not my strong suit!) 
Cha ching! Compare that with a commercial brand (that is full of toxic chemicals) which costs about 20 cents per load. I don’t know about your laundry needs, but we have three boys and that really adds up!
My husband is an auto mechanic and comes home in greasy jeans and t-shirts. This detergent gets his clothes every bit as clean as the EXPENSIVE soap that I bought specifically FOR greasy clothes. (I had to use two different products). Now, it doesn’t get the grease stains out, but neither did the other. But it does get the clothes clean. I didn’t tell him when I changed over to this homemade detergent and he didn’t even notice the difference.
This is a low sudsing detergent and I know people who have also used this recipe in front loading washing machines as well as top loaders. As a disclaimer, I suppose I should say that this is the kind of soap that I use and it works in my machine. If you have any questions, you may want to contact the manufacturer of your particular washing machine to make sure it is OK.
Now, if I could just get the kids to wash, fold and put away their own clothes. 
Ingredients:
1 cup washing soda (not baking soda)
1/2 cup borax
1 bar soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s)
Approximately 3 gallons of water
Things that will make your life easier:
Cheese grater
5 gallon bucket
Instructions:
Put approximately 4 cups of water in a stock pot on high until boiling.
While it’s heating up, grate up your bar of soap.* When the water is boiling, start throwing in the soap a little at a time (or else it will all melt together and take a longer time to melt). Stir the soapy water until all of the soap is dissolved. (You now have “soap soup!”
Grated Soap
Soap Soup
Next, add 3 gallons of hot tap water to your 5 gallon bucket. To this water add 1/2 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda and the “soap soup” from your stock pot on the stove. Stir until dissolved.
At this point, it doesn’t look like much. Now, cover your bucket and let it sit for about 24 hours. It is during this resting phase that it will “gel.”
Adding Dry Ingredients
Ready to Rest
Covered Bucket
Ready to Use
This is what my finished product looks like. It is white with little globs of soap floating around. Yours may look different if you use a different kind of bar soap. That’s OK. The main thing is if it gets your clothes clean. I pour mine into a pitcher type container so it is easier to use, but you could just ladle it into your washer as well.
Happy washing!
*This is where recipes will differ in the end. I originally used Dr. Bronner’s citrus bar soap because it is a healthy soap. I have since learned that it also gives the laundry detergent a nice consistency. Others have used different brands of soap only to have the soap form a hard glob in the bottom of the container. Experiment with this part. If you have a favorite bar soap, try it. If you like the consistency of the detergent, great. If not, try another brand.
