Thanks to lots of inspiration from One Good Thing By Jillee and DIY Naturals, I have gained some great inside on how to DIY all the products in my laundry room! The recipes I have found could not be easier and work better than store bought. Have I mentioned how much money I’m saving???
DIY Laundry Detergent Recipe
- 2 cups Super Washing Soap
- 2 Cups Borax
- 1 bar Fels Naptha soap
UPDATE: 8 years later and I’m sorry to say that I did not continue making my old laundry detergent. The only reason I quit is because it ruined my food processor. The Fels Naptha soap is tough to grind. You could shred it by hand though.
DIY Fabric Softener Recipe
- 1 quart of vinegar
- 1 tsp. alcohol
- 25 drops Lavender essential oils(optional)
DIY Bleach Alternative
- 3 quarts of water
- 1 cup of Hydrogen Peroxide
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
DIY Bleach Pen
- 1 cup water
- 2 TBSP cornstarch
- 5 TBSP bleach
- In a small pot add cornstarch to the water.
- Mix it until the cornstarch has dissolved.
- Turn on the stove and stir until it begins to boil.
- Once it boils, turn off the stove and let it COMPLETELY cool.
- Add 5 TBSP of bleach and mix.
- Add to a condiment bottle.
*FYI* My mix was a little thick so I added tiny amounts of water until I got the consistency I wanted.
As you can tell-I really like to make things pretty. A clean organized cabinet with my homemade goodies that have cute labels just makes me happy. It gives my life order, but that’s just me.
If you want to create your own pretty labels I have a tip-I buy labels from Avery on Amazon. I’ve tried out their waterproof labels and they are OK but they don’t hold up for long. I put a strip of clear packing tape over all my labels that sit by the sink or could potentially get wet. It works great! You can also design your own labels and create great quality water-proof labels at Sticker You.
So, let’s recap-this is an easy conversion-you are going to be so happy with yourself because you will be free of toxins and have more money to spend on fun stuff at the grocery store!
Grocery List:
This is all probably under $20 and will last quite while!
- Borax
- Fels Naptha Bar Soap (you can buy 4 bars and make 4-5 batches of detergent with just one box of Borax and 1 box of Super Washing Soda!-at 1 TBSP. a load this will last ages!)
- Super Washing Soda
- Vinegar-1 gallon jug is under $3 and you can add the alcohol and lavender right in the jug!
- Alcohol
- Lemon Juice
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Cornstarch
- Bleach-get the smallest container you can, cause this is the only TOXIC ingredient in all these recipes!
Have you recreated your laundry products? I’d love to hear your experience! Comment below!
xx, Jenni
Is this all safe for HE washer and driers?
Yes it is! Mine are high efficiency and the detergent works great because HE machines use less water and this recipe doesn’t suds as much as store bought detergent so it’s actually better! I gathered a lot of info. making sure these recipes were safe and found nothing that concerned me in the least. Thanks!
Can you use lime juice instead of lemon juice for the alternative bleach??
Instead of cutting the soap into pieces, I use a cheese grater. Then I put it in my food processor and it comes out great. I’ve tried it not ways. The cheese greater just makes finer pieces to put in the processor.
Tried it both ways. Auto correct typo.
This was the liquid recipe I used before I found the dry version here. It works just as good but definitely more work. I now use the dry version.
4 cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
– Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.
-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.
-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)
-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.
-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)
*Arm & Hammer “Super Washing Soda” – in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent – It must be sodium carbonate!!
•Works well in traditional or HE machines.
•Low sudsing. It is the ingredients in the soap, not the suds, that does the cleaning.
•Clumping and geling of the detergent is normal. Stir before putting in dispenser, and shake before each use.
•For stains, consider using an inexpensive spray-on stain remover before washing. (Zout, Spray ‘n’ Wash, Oxyclean)
Martha-Thanks so much for sharing!!
I have a similar recipe that I use Nellie’s Washing Powder, in place of the A&H and Borax. We found that because of our hard water and using mainly cold to wash in, the A&H and Borax was fading our black garments. Has anyone found this, using A&H and Borax? We were making sure they were totally dissolved before adding clothes, but it still didn’t help.
Tom, I haven’t found this, but I don’t wear a lot of black so I’m not a good judge. These home detergents are very hit or miss. Seems like they work for some and not for others. I wonder if there is an ingredient to protect colors that would be natural-I’ll have to research that! Thanks for visiting!
Hello- has anyone run into the bar soap dulling their blades on their food processor or cheese grater? It seems like it’d be hard on the blades, but I am also not very experienced with kitchen tools! Thanks!
Hey Jennifer, Your article on transforming laundry room with 4 easy diy projects inspired me very much. I can’t wait to give it a try for my laundry room. You told that you bought some waterproof labels from a company but they didn’t last long. I can suggest you a company that can provide you long lasting waterproof labels ..you can have a look at them https://www.ablt.com/speciality-materials-waterproof-and-weatherproof-labels/
Thanks
Michelle