DIY: Laundry Detergent

Several years ago I saw a Facebook post from a gal in my hometown (hi Shea!) and she had posted about her recipe for homemade laundry detergent. I had been tired of buying the standard Tide in the economy size orange container for quite some time. The bright blue liquid never did sit right with me. I'm of the belief that something that shade of blue isn't good for a lot of things, especially cleaning our clothes. Ara and I have been making our own bar soap for years so why not dive into laundry detergent as well!?

I procured all the ingredients she had used and embarked on my own batch of homemade laundry detergent and haven't gone back since. This easy solution to a cleaner batch of detergent usually lasts us a whole year. So even though I've been making it for several years, I've only had to make it three times. 

Here's the ingredient list and cost breakdown to show you how affordable and simple it is to make your own detergent!

Dr. Bronner's Castille Bar Soap - 3 for 12.87 (Vitacost)
Baking Soda - $1.99 (local store)
Washing Soda - $2.99 (local store) 
Borax - $2.49 (local store)
Oxi Clean 2 for $10.99 (local store)
Mrs. Meyer's Scent Booster - $7.28 (Vitacost)
Total: $38.61

I did a price comparison via Amazon--Tide Laundry Detergent, 170 oz. 110 loads is $43.99. I also looked up the ingredient list via the Tide website and it lists 34 ingredients in the liquid laundry detergent, many of which I can't pronounce.

I'm not entirely sure how many loads of laundry we do per year but I would say we average 3 loads per week for our 2 person household. That makes 156 loads per year that we make this batch of homemade laundry detergent last! It's a small thing in our house, but I feel happy about the cost-savings and the fact that I know what we are washing our clothes in.

Step 1

Purchase all ingredients for the laundry detergent. 3 bars of Dr. Bronner's castille bar soap, large box of baking soda,  box of washing soda, box of Borax, two tubs of Oxi Clean, and (optional) Mrs. Meyer's Scent Booster. I'm able to purchase most of the items from my local grocery store and supplement with a few items from Vitacost.

Step 2

Using a box grater, shred all the bar soap.

Step 3

Place a trash bag on your work surface and start emptying all the ingredients into the bag. Once all ingredients are in, use a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. This will get a little messy!

Step 4

Store all the detergent in containers--I use the previously emptied out Oxi Clean containers and a large glass container. Voila! Cheap, easy and "clean" detergent!