Making homemade laundry detergent with four simple ingredients is an easy way to transition your family to a more natural and clean lifestyle…plus it saves money!
Little by little, I’ve been making changes in our home to keep things simple and natural. One of those includes a homemade laundry detergent that we’ve been using for over a year. By making my own, I have saved money…and I know exactly what ingredients are being used to wash our clothing.
For us, a family of five, I go through two batches every month. Typically, one 2.5 gallon jar lasts us two weeks. That includes all of our weekly clothing, sheets, and towel loads.
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HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT INGREDIENTS
Makes 2.5 gallons:
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT SUPPLIES
Glass jar {I prefer to make a large batch and use THIS 2.5 gallon jar.}
Hot Water (and then any temperature water)
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT DIRECTIONS
Place 1/2 cup of washing soda into your container.
Add a few cups of hot water and mix well. The reason for doing this is because the hot water will dissolve the washing soda. If you use cold or room temperature water, the washing soda will simply clump up and not mix in with all the ingredients.
Fill the jar 3/4 of the way with any temperature water once the washing soda is thoroughly mixed.
Add 1/2 cup baking soda. For me, I typically pick up a cheap no-name brand baking soda for this homemade laundry detergent.
Add 1 cup castile soap. I prefer the scent-free option, but you could easily change that out for a scented one.
Add the 4 capfuls of Thieves concentrate. {I purchase mine through a friend or at a local health food store for a better price than it is online.}
Stir all of these ingredients together.
STEP-BY-STEP TO MAKE THIS DETERGENT
HOW TO USE HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT
Place your container in a convenient location to your washing machine. Mine sits on top of our dryer, so I can easily scoop and pour the laundry detergent into our washer. I use 2 ladle scoops per large load.
Depending upon how many days your detergent sits and the temperature of the room, you may notice that it separates some. That is totally normal. Simply use the ladle and give it a quick stir before scooping any out for a new load of laundry.
{GARBAGE-PICKED LAUNDRY BASKET MAKEOVER}
LAUNDRY ROOM
This laundry room/half bath is on our main floor. It was one of the first projects we worked on in our home. You can see the full makeover HERE.
{HOW TO CONVERT A DRESSER INTO A BATHROOM VANITY}
{LAUNDRY ROOM MAKEOVER: BEFORE AND AFTER}
It did take me a little while to get into the routine of making homemade laundry detergent. But a year later and I am so glad I made the switch. The simplicity of making it and knowing the ingredients was worth the learning curve of creating this recipe.
FREE RECIPE PRINTABLE
Click HERE for this free laundry detergent recipe printable to keep with your ingredients.
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Thank you so much for this recipe! I used to make my own detergent but noticed some of the more difficult spots weren’t coming out as well so I wanted a new recipe. I will definitely be trying this one out!
What can be used in place of the Thieves?