Homemade Natural Laundry Detergent | How To Clean Your Clothes Naturally

Learn how to make a gallon of natural homemade laundry detergent for less than $4. This laundry detergent is completely natural, non-toxic, safe and most importantly, it’s effective. This recipe will allow for 50-64 loads per batch, so the cost is less than 8 cents per load!

When I first opened the door to the world of natural living, my first experiment with DIY natural products was laundry detergent. That was I believe in 2012, maybe earlier! Back then, non-toxic products were a lot harder to come by, so you had to get resourceful. If you found them they were expensive, usually not very effective, and often not as natural as the package claimed them to be. Hello, green washing. Hence diving into DIY natural products was sort of necessary.

Over the years I have tried plenty of natural laundry detergent recipes, and they often left me disappointed. Many call for borax, which has been questioned when it comes to safety. Others left a film in my washing machine and on my clothes. Several other recipes called for grating a bar of castile soap, and while I have tried that, I honestly just don’t have the patience to do so. We wash most of our laundry on cold, so I also found sometimes the grated soap particles (when using a DIY laundry powder) wouldn’t fully melt, and then would leave little bits of dried soap on the laundry I was trying to clean. I also found that several recipes made massive batches, 5+ gallons, and that might be worthwhile if you have a large family, but we really don’t need that much.

This laundry detergent is thinner in consistency than your typical detergent. If you prefer your detergent a little thicker, you can use grated castile soap in place of the liquid soap, and I’ve included instructions in the recipe for how to do so.

Laundry Detergent vs Laundry Soap

I call this recipe my homemade laundry detergent because that term is what we use for store bought options, but technically this is a laundry soap. Laundry soap and laundry detergent are not the same thing. A soap is a mix of fat or oils with an alkali. Detergents are typically synthetic, and they are a water soluble cleansing agent that help remove impurities by combining with them to make them more soluble.

Any homemade “laundry detergent” recipe I have seen is actually a laundry soap.

How Does Homemade Natural Laundry Detergent Work?

This recipe for natural laundry detergent uses just a few carefully selected ingredients, each chosen with a purpose. Washing soda is a natural solvent, meaning it works to dissolve other substances. Because of this it is great for boosting the power of the laundry detergent in removing stains. Baking soda is also powerful at removing stains, plus it helps to absorb and remove any odors. Castile soap is super concentrated, so a little goes a long way when it comes to cleaning clothes! The chloride in salt helps to keep laundry looking bright, and it also acts as a natural softener! I also use it in my DIY Fabric Softener & Scent Booster. Essential oils are not necessary, but I love to add them for a natural, toxin free, fragrance.

For many, many years, 6 or 7 to be exact, I had a recipe that was my go-to. It works great, however I often added a little bit of washing soda to the drum of our washing machine, because of how effective it is at removing stains. It made sense for me to play around with homemade natural laundry detergent of my own that included washing soda. I also just like to change things up from time to time, so this recipe was born!

I share about many of these ingredients in this post.

Ingredients For Natural Laundry Detergent

Liquid Castile Soap

Washing Soda

Baking Soda

Coarse Salt

Can I Substitute The Ingredients?

If you need to substitute ingredients in this recipe, you do have some options.

• If you can’t find washing soda, you can make it yourself with baking soda! Simply spread baking soda on a baking sheet, and cook for an hour at 400 F. This will change baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, to washing soda, sodium carbonate!
• Instead of coarse salt, use table salt or epsom salt – both work!
• Substitute half a bar of grated castile soap for the liquid castile soap. You will want to fully melt the soap in the hot water before mixing in the other ingredients.

Why Is There No Borax In Homemade Laundry Detergent?

There are a couple reasons why I choose to leave borax out of my homemade laundry detergent. Firstly, it can be a skin irritant, and as someone with sensitive skin it’s best for me to leave it out.

The safety of borax has also been questioned. In 2010, the EU banned borax because of potential harm to reproductive health and it is not available to purchase for household use. This is based on a study of mice and rats after ingesting high amounts. While I am sure there are much worse ingredients out there, I would much rather play it safe. It is known for being effective in removing stains, however I find washing soda does the trick all on its own.

How Much Natural Laundry Detergent Do You Need Per Load?

We have a high efficiency washing machine and I typically use about 1/4 cup of my homemade laundry detergent for a regular sized load, or 1/3 cup for a larger load. This works great for us! I just keep a 4 oz mason jar in my laundry room to use to measure my detergent whenever I am doing a load of laundry.

For a standard washing machine, I would use a bit more as they use more water. I would use about 1/3 cup for a regular load, or 1/2 cup for a larger load.

Is Homemade Laundry Detergent Safe for HE Washing Machines

I can share that I have used homemade laundry detergent in my HE washing machine for many years without any issues, and so have many readers. My understanding is that with an HE machine, a low suds detergent is recommended and this laundry soap recipe is low suds. To play it safe, you can check the instruction manual of your machine.

Why Does My Laundry Detergent Separate?

You may notice that your homemade laundry detergent separates after it cools, as pictured below. There are a few things I do to try and prevent it, but sometimes it happens. It’s totally fine if it does! Just give it a shake and use as is.

Using boiling water and making sure that the baking soda, washing soda and salt has fully dissolved will help to prevent separation. I also like to stir the detergent a few times over the first 24 hours to disperse the ingredients as it begins to thicken. Leaving out the baking soda is also an option, and by doing so you should be able to avoid separation in your detergent. I prefer to leave it in for the extra boost it gives.

Yield: 50

Natural Laundry Detergent | How To Clean Your Clothes Naturally

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Learn how to make a gallon of natural homemade laundry detergent for less than $4. This laundry detergent is completely natural, non-toxic, safe and effective. This recipe will allow for 50-64 loads per batch, making the cost less than 8 cents per load.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup liquid castile soap
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup washing soda
• 1/4 cup coarse salt
• 30 drops essential oil
• 14 cups water
• gallon sized container

Instructions

1. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Add baking soda, salt, washing soda, castile soap and essential oils to a gallon sized jar.
3. Add water to jar and stir very well until all ingredients are dissolved.
4. Top off with cold water, and mix well.
5. Mixture will thicken slightly over 24 hours.
6. Use 1/4-1/3 cup per load, depending on the size for an HE machine. Use 1/3-1/2 cup per load, depending on the size for a standard machine.

Notes

A bar of castile soap can be used in this recipe in place of the liquid castile soap. I grate about 1/2 a bar (2.5 oz) of Dr Bronner's castile soap. This will yield a slightly thicker laundry soap. Heat the water and add the grated soap and stir until fully dissolved.

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