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Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Are you tired of feeling like you’re spending a fortune on laundry detergent? Well, we have good news for you! You can save money and get great results by making your own liquid laundry detergent at home.

This DIY recipe is not only cost effective, but it also works great! You’ll love the fresh smell of your clothes and the way they feel after being washed with this homemade laundry detergent. Plus, it’s gentle enough to use on cloth diapers and other delicate items.

Making your own liquid laundry detergent is easy! Just follow the simple instructions below to get started. In just a few minutes, you’ll have a 10-gallon batch of concentrated detergent that will last you for months. Simply dilute with water when you’re ready to use it.

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Looking for a way to make your clothes smell fresh and look whiter? Add distilled white vinegar or baking soda to your laundry detergent! This recipe is designed for top-loading washers, but it has been reported to work with front-loaders as well. Give it a try today!

Add ½ cup of distilled white vinegar to your washing machine’s fabric softener dispenser – it’ll help the clothes rinse clean and smell fresh.

Alternatively, add ½ cup of baking soda to your laundry when you add the detergent to take the dinginess out of your clothes. Either way, you can wave goodbye to those harsh chemicals and enjoy naturally clean clothes.

You can also whiten your laundry by hanging it on a clothesline to dry.

Looking for a borax-free recipe? Try my powdered laundry detergent recipe.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

4 c. hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 c. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
1/2 c. Borax
10-15 drops of Essential Oil per 2 gallons of detergent

1. Using the large grate holes on your food processor, grate the bar of Fels Naptha soap. Add the grated soap to a medium saucepan with water. Bring the water to a low simmer. Stir continually over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves and is melted.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent - The Not So Modern Housewife

2. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda, and Borax. Stir well until all of the powder is dissolved.

3. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir the detergent until it is well mixed. Place the cover on the bucket, and let it sit overnight to thicken.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent - The Not So Modern Housewife

4. Stir the gelled solution. Use a kitchen funnel to fill a used, clean laundry soap dispenser half full with your homemade laundry soap, and then fill the dispenser the rest of the way with water. Add essential oils if you’re using them. Shake or stir the container before each use.

Yields 10 gallons of liquid laundry detergent

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” – Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent – It must be sodium carbonate!!

Get everything you need (minus the essential oils) in one handy kit:

Desiree

Saturday 7th of February 2015

What is the shelf life? Does it not go bad?

Andrea

Saturday 8th of November 2014

How can you scale down this recipe to fit in quart mason jars instead? I have four quart jars.

Bonnie

Friday 5th of December 2014

I haven't tried it, so it may take some trail and error. Basically, you would need to take 1/10 of the recipe to make 1 gallon (4 qt jars). The hardest part would be figuring out exactly how much Fels-Naptha to use, but it shouldn't really hurt it if you use a little more or less soap.

Nicole Busher

Wednesday 2nd of October 2013

Is this safe to use in HE machines?

The Not So Modern Housewife

Monday 7th of October 2013

I don't have an HE machine, but I've had readers tell me they've used it in their HE machines safely.

Tamee

Thursday 29th of August 2013

I recently read a blog on here from a women who is married to a chemist and you can make your own Washing soda. Its simple take soda pour it into a baking pan put it in the oven at 400 degrees and stir it occasionally so it will dry thoroughly. It get shinny then it get dry and gritty. Then it is washing soda.

The Not So Modern Housewife

Monday 9th of September 2013

I have seen that tip before. Thank you for bringing it up. I've been fortunate enough to find Washing Soda locally, but it can be made from Baking Soda if it's not available where you live.