I wasn’t happy with the recipes for homemade liquid laundry detergent I was finding so I played around a little with the measurements & made my own. I’ve been using this for several years & have converted many of my friends too. 5 gallons cost you less than $2, & you just can’t beat that.
For a little extra cleaning power, you can add OxiClean to the wash with it – and for Tide fans, please check out this version!
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For extra scent, you can mix in a bottle of one of the many laundry scent boosters on the market (or add it individually to each load, that’s what I do actually). You can also use a few drops of your favorite essential oils to the rinse load of your wash load.
Make sure you check out my Homemade Fabric Softener & my Homemade Dryer Sheets!
Buying laundry detergent can put a big dent in any budget, and making my own is one way where I save the bucks.
If you bought 5 gallons worth in the store, you’d be paying around $100!! Maybe even more than that depending on the brand. But, when you make your own – you can make 5 gallons for less than $2!!
When I buy all the ingredients for the first load – it comes out to $6.95 – but there is still lots of borax & washing soda left, so all that I need to buy for the next few batches is the Fels Naptha soap (which is really cheap!).
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That makes 20 gallons for under $10!
Making your own detergent accounts for some enormous savings!
I buy my ingredients at WalMart, which I’ve found to be the cheapest place to buy them at. Let me break down my costs for you (in Central NC – stores in your area may be different)
- Borax: $2.99
- Washing Soda: $2.99
- Fels Naptha: $0.97
You can also purchase the ingredients on Amazon, but I’ve found that they are more expensive this way for the borax & washing soda. However, the Fels Naptha price isn’t bad on there.
You can also use essential oil for scent, but that’s completely optional. The essential oil adds nothing to the cleaning power, but does give it a nice smell if you’d like to have it. If you do want the added scent, I really like using orange essential oil because of the clean smell that it has. Plus, it’s also the one that I recommend for using in my homemade carpet powder. If you purchase it on Amazon (which has a great price on it), it runs about $5.00 for 4 ounces. You only need 1/2oz to 1oz for a 5 gallon batch (depending on how much scent you want) so it lasts for a good while, and doesn’t add much to the final cost. Still way cheaper than store bought.
If you’re a Tide detergent lover – click here for the version which includes the power of Tide!
So, are you ready to make your own laundry detergent & rack up the savings? I’ll walk you through how I make mine.
Here’s what you need: (printable version of this recipe at the very bottom of the post)
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Add the soap shreds to a pot with 4 cups of hot water. Put the heat on medium-high, and stir until completely melted – about 10 minutes.
Fill up a 5 gallon bucket halfway with hot water. Pour in the melted soap mixture.
Then, stir in 1 cup of borax & 1 cup of washing soda.
If you’re using the essential oil, now is the time to add it. You add in 1/2oz to 1oz, depending on how scented you want it. Although, I never really measure it anymore – I just shake in enough drops to where I feel satisfied, and stir.
Now, fill up the bucket with warm water all the way to the top – and stir again. If you don’t have a utensil long enough to reach the bottom, just put on a pair of rubber dish gloves beforehand.
Snap on a lid, and let it sit for 24 hours to gel up.
Want to get some more recipes for making your own store-bought products? Click here to see the Mrs’s other make-your-own recipes! Interested in more ways to stretch your dollars? Then make sure you take a look at the Frugal Living category as well!
Homemade Laundry Detergent
Here’s some more make-your-own recipes that you may enjoy!
- Homemade Febreeze
- Homemade Shaving Cream
- 3 Ingredient Lotion Bars
- DIY Spider Repellant
- Make Your Own Anti Aging Face Oil
- Homemade Boo-Boo Salve
- DIY Deep Conditioner & Hot Oil Treatment
- Homemade Dryer Sheets
- Fabric Softener
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Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Recipe
