Cleaning
Green Cleaning
By
Mary Marlowe Leverette
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Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.
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Updated on 03/15/24
Reviewed by
Rhea Mehta
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Reviewed byRhea Mehta
Rhea Mehta, PhD, is an award-winning toxicologist who has worked to empower people to lead healthier lives, starting in their homes, for over a decade. Rhea holds a PhD in Toxicology, with over 15 scientific publications, and a certificate in integrative health coaching.
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Fact checked by
Emily Estep
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Fact checked byEmily Estep
Emily Estep is a plant biologist and journalist who has worked for a variety of online news and media outlets, writing about and editing topics including environmental science and houseplants.
Learn more about The Spruce'sEditorial Process
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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
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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.
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.
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.
Store Properly
Keep the laundry detergent in an airtight container to prevent clumping and out of the reach of children and pets.
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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.
How to Do Laundry in 10 Easy Steps
The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Textile Contact Dermatitis: How Fabrics Can Induce Dermatitis.Current Treatment Options in Allergy.
Sodium Carbonate.National Library Of Medicine.
