DIY Laundry Soap

I started making my own laundry detergent back in September of 2018. I was skeptical at the beginning but I totally love this stuff! We have some skin allergies in our family. Felicity and Sam have had issues with every detergent I have used with the exception of Tide original. For many years that is what we used. However, Tide is a bit pricey in my opinion. I read the book "Slaying the Debt Dragon" back last summer/fall and learned making your own detergent is a money saving strategy. We were not drowning in debt, but being frugal and saving money has always been a pet peeve of mine!

I used a bar of Zote, a bar of Fels-Naptha, Borax and Washing Soda.  I purchased these all at WalMart.  You can find it all on the laundry isle.  This cost me almost exactly the same as buying tide, however, it will last 3x's longer! 

You do have to grate the bars of soap.  I'm a weirdo and actually enjoy it. ha  I use our cheese grater and the buckets we use to wash the car. Then I combine all the ingredients into a different bucket.  I add one cup of each (grated soap, borax and washing soda) until I run out of soap and washing soda.   I wish I could tell you how many cups it ends up being, but I forget to count.  I always have a little Borax left over. I save it for the next batch.  I put some in a jar (pictured below) and the rest in a bucket with a lid.  This jar sits on my dryer and the bucket is up in the cabinet. 

I add a tablespoon to reg. laundry and 2 tbls to heavily soiled laundry and my load of towels/washcloths.

I also use Cleaning Vinegar and Lemon Ess. oil for the softener. I add about 10 drops of Lemon Oil to the jug of Vinegar.  My washing machine has a place for softener, I fill it up to the bottom line.  Im guessing it's about 1/4 of a cup.   

Our laundry smells fresh. It does not have a strong laundry soap smell, just a clean fresh scent. Also, I have had no problems with stains.

I love making and using this detergent. It's a win win for us. No allergies and we save money!

Happy Cleaning!