Yesterday was one of those days. I was out of laundry detergent, so I decided to try and make some myself. I was tired of paying an arm and a leg for it at the store and I had heard that you could make it yourself at home. I had also heard that laundry detergent made at home was more natural, better for both you and the environment and ...Yipeeee...you could choose your own scent(s)...or choose to leave it unscented...If you make it yourself, not only to you save a bundle of money, but you also don't have any of the chemicals or harsh ingredients that are usually found in store bought laundry detergent. Good enough reasons for me...so I decided to give it a shot.
I was a little apprehensive at first, because I thought if it was anything like making lye soap, I was going to be in for a big learning curve. But, this was surprisingly easy to make-MUCH, much easier than making lye soap and I was very happy with the results. I doubt if I will ever buy store bought laundry detergent again.
This is how I made my homemade laundry detergent.
First, let me mention that there are so many recipes for homemade laundry detergent on the Internet, I am hesitant to add one here. I will give you the link where I got mine from and say, that, while I was very happy with the results, I think this recipe was a little hard to understand and follow...I have since seen others on the Internet that seem much easier to follow...Here is the link where I got my recipe...and it works fine...Homemade Laundry Detergent
Most of the recipes out there all list basically the same ingredients. Just decide if you want to make one gallon, two gallons or just a quart and look for a recipe for that...the recipe I used made about 1 1/2 gallons.
You will need:
washing soda (not baking soda) usually found in the laundry section of your grocery store
borax
a bar of soap
water
a large pot to "cook" it in
a large container to store the finished product in
a spoon to stir with
a grater to grate the soap with
fragrances, essential oils (if desired)
Simple enough, right?
The type of soap that is often recommended is a laundry bar soap called Zote or another soap called Fels Naptha. This is not set in stone, though...You can experiment with this...I used a bar of cold-process soap that I had made previously. I have also heard that you can use Ivory soap.
Whatever type of soap you use, you are going to grate it. This is so it will melt easier. Some recipes call for using 1/3 bar, 1/2 bar or even the whole bar of soap. I used 1/2 bar and the next time I make it, I think I will try using the whole bar.
It is a good idea to assemble all of the ingredients that you will need ahead of time.
Get the borax and measure it into a dish.
Get the washing soda and measure that, as well.
Select the type of soap you will be using and grate it.
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| Pink Dog soap |
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| Grated Soap |
If I didn't want to use my own soap, I would have looked at the grocery store for Zote or Fels Naptha, as recommended.I would have used Ivory soap, as a last resort, if I couldn't have found the others.
Also, get your essential oils or fragrances together, if you are going to use them...For my recipe, I used 1/2 oz. orange essential oil and 1/2 oz lavender essential oil.
Also, get the required water ready.
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| Pre-measured Water |
Ok, so some of the recipes vary a bit here, but basically you put some of the water (read the recipe) in a pot on the stove, heat it and add the grated soap.
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| Add Grated Soap to Water |
Stir the mixture until the soap melts.
Remove it from the heat and add the washing soda and borax.
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| Mix well |
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| Add Fragrance or Essential Oil |
At this point, you may add essential oils or fragrance if you want your detergent scented. I added orange essential oil because I read that it helped cut grease, and I also added some lavender essential oil...just because...
I do notice that sometimes the essential oils separate a bit from the rest of the mixture, so I just shake or stir it before each use. To me, this is no biggie...
After you have added any fragrances, you cover the pot and allow the mixture to sit overnight. Sometimes the mixtures "gels" and sometimes it stays watery. It works fine either way. It may depend on the soap you are using and/or your water type.
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This is where some research will come in handy. There are some recipes that say that you may need to play around with the ingredients a bit depending on your water. If your water is hard, for example, you may find that you may need to increase the borax or the washing soda. My water is hard and it seemed to work fine, but you may have to experiment with this.
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| Finished Product |
Just for the record, though, the next time I make the laundry detergent, I will probably try another recipe and use a different soap...just to be different...and just to see if I can get one to "gel" even though I know it doesn't really matter...but just because...you know...gel is...kinda cool...
This a how my homemade laundry detergent looked when it was finished. The recipe I used made about a gallon and a half. I put some in a little jar so I could take a picture of it...closeup...but I haven't done that yet.
Now that I have finished making this batch, I have stumbled upon another recipe that I will probably try next time. This recipe is from a blog called The Simple Dollar. I think this one is much easier to follow and this guy got brownie points with me because he tested the homemade laundry detergent against the commercial stuff. He actually had a control and got two shirts, squirted mustard on them, tried both the commercial and his homemade laundry detergent and....well, you have to read it yourself... It is here. Don't hate me after you read his instructions because his are so much clearer and easier to follow...but I guess it's a little too late to tell you that now...:/
Thanks for reading...Hope you try making your own laundry detergent soon!
