Easy Homemade Laundry Detergent

If you want to make your own easy homemade laundry detergent, then here are some recipes to try! 

There seem to be hundreds of versions of this on the net – but the consensus is this one!

I love making my own laundry powder and liquid as it is gentle on the skin. My boys have very sensitive skin and this version seems to stop the ‘itch’.

How Much Money Can You Save?

I compared the cost of making homemade laundry detergent to leading Supermarket brands such as Omo (which is fantastic but one of the most expensive laundry detergents on the market).

When you break it down to cost per wash – here were the findings:

• Omo cost per wash: From 45c – 50c per wash
• Homemade Laundry Detergent: 5c – 15c per wash

That is a huge saving – especially when you add up the cost over a year if you are a frequent washer (ie people with little kids that are washing constantly!).

More Reading:

How to Make Homemade Laundry Powder

• 1 box of Lux flakes (or 700 grams of grated soap)
• 1 cup of Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
• A couple of drops of eucalyptus or tea tree oil

Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix the ingredients until they are really fine. Store the mix in a sealed air-tight container.

To wash, dissolve a teaspoon in a 1/2 cup of boiling water and add it to the laundry section of your washing machine.

Note: I use this mix in my front loader and have no worries.

How to Make the Borax Version of Laundry Powder

• 1 bar of grated soap (or Lux flakes)
• 1 cup washing soda (Lectic Soda)
• 1/2 cup Borax

Mix together and store in an air-tight container.  Use 3 teaspoons of mixture for a top loader, and one teaspoon for a front loader.

How to Make Homemade Laundry Liquid

Now this recipe makes a whooping 25 litres of laundry liquid – and will last you an entire year!

• 1 box of Lux flakes (700 grams of grated soap)
• 1 cup of Bicarbonate of soda (Baking Soda)
• A couple of drops of eucalyptus or tea tree oil
• boiling water

Put the Lux Flakes, Bicarb and essential oils into a large bucket (preferably a 25 litre). Add a litre of boiling water and using a bamix (or similar), blend the mix really well and let stand overnight. The mixture should go very gloopy and thick. The next day. two litres of boiling water, blend and sit. Keep adding water until the bucket is full.

Use a tablespoon of the gloopy mix per wash. It is suitable for both top loaders and front loaders.

How to Make Fabric Softener (Non-Borax Version)

• 1 cup grated soap (Lux is a good standby)
• 1 cup lectic soda (washing soda)
• 1/4 cup citric acid

It might go hard (absorb water), but once you give it a good mix again, it’s fine.

For a fabric softener, add about 1/2 cup of white vinegar (the really cheap stuff) to the final rinse of washing. Once the washing is dry, you don’t smell the vinegar.

For homemade laundry detergent, you need to be a little organised. It’s a bit of a pain trying to put on a load of washing at 6am before work, only to remember you have to grate a bar of soap first!

Have you tried these recipes?