Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

Someone I worked with told me how she made her own homemade laundry detergent. This idea immediately appealed to me as I was sick of all the packaging from the laundry soap I was buying. I also was spending $10 a week since I had cloth diapers to wash and at least a load of baby clothes every other day.

I adjusted the original recipe a bit to suit my families needs and you can do the same! You can do the same, just test a new batch out on some old towels. These ingredients are available at the grocery store just a block from my house. Just check the laundry soap aisle, if you can't find it, ask a manager. They may even start carrying it! You can also buy any of these ingredients on the Internet.

Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe:

1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 bar Fels Naptha (grated)
A couple drops of your essential oil of choice (optional)

Mix the ingredients. Store in a plastic container. Use 1-2 Tbsp per load. Example: I use 1 Tbsp on my clothes, 2 Tbsp on cloth diapers. Try it out on a load of old towels, to make sure you like it. It is really that easy!

Ideas for making homemade laundry soap a homemade Christmas or anytime gift:

A jar of homemade laundry soap would make a great gift.  For Christmas you could add peppermint essential oil, and put in a jar (any jar really).  Just paint the lid with some spray paint if you are using an old jar with the label on the lid, or you can use a mason jar with a two piece lid.  You could also add a bit of fabric in between the lid pieces. 

A set of clothespins mod podged with some scrap book paper would be a great accompaniment to this gift!

Make sure to include instructions for how to use the laundry soap as well.  I chose to write in permanent marker on the lid so there would be no confusion about the contents of the jar later if the tag falls off.  If you want to dress up the top of your mason jar lid, head over to According to Kelly for these super cute free printable mason jar Christmas labels (whoa that's a mouth full!).