I have been on the hunt for a liquid laundry detergent for our family. We are a family of 6 on a small farm. That means that there is never a shortage of laundry to be done. I have been looking for a simple, cost effective laundry detergent, that also smells great and actually cleans our clothes.
Benefits of a Homemade Laundry Detergent
Simple Ingredients
All of these ingredients are easy to find and will do exactly what you want them too. This homemade liquid laundry detergent brightens, removes dirt and tackles the toughest farm kid stains.
Saves You Money
I am sure you have noticed that money does not seem to get you very far these days. So anyway you can save money is great! Especially on a simple recipe for a household staple.
Quick & Easy
Making this recipe only takes me approximately 15 minutes with very minimal clean up!
Washing Soda or Baking Soda in your Laundry Detergent
Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is a stronger cleaner, more alkaline and more abrasive than baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Washing soda is often used for boosting laundry detergents, softening water and removing stubborn stains. Baking soda is slightly alkaline, has smaller granules making it less abrasive on fabrics and much less effective in a laundry detergent.
Castile Soap
Castile soap is an olive oil based hard soap made in a similar style to that originating in the Castile region of Spain. It is gentle, yet highly effective at tackling the most stubborn grime. Castile soap is even gentle enough to use on your skin.
Castile soap needs to be diluted, It comes in a concentrated form when you purchase a bottle.
It is a very versatile product to have in your home. It has many uses including body wash, shampoo, all purpose cleaners, laundry detergent, hand soap and more.
Castile soap can be purchased in numerous scents but also comes in an unscented version.
Where to Buy Ingredients for Laundry Detergent
Castile Soap has a large selection of scents and sizes. We use the Dr. Bronner’s Liquid Castile Soap. Scents included but not limited to are as follows:
The also have Variety Packs available if you like to try out different scents!
Washing Soda is more readily available. I can usually find a large bag at our local natural health and wellness stores. Here are some options of washing sodas I would consider for our home.
Borax can be found at most grocery and hardware stores in the laundry or cleaning aisle!
Glass dispensing jars for your laundry detergent
Glass Dispensing Jar with Handle
2.5 Gallon Glass Jar for a doubled recipe
Reusing Plastic Laundry Detergent Containers
You can definitely reuse your old plastic containers! Just make sure that your homemade laundry detergent has cooled to room temperature before you pour it into the plastic container.
Cloudy Laundry Detergent
After a few days, you may notice that your laundry detergent becomes slightly cloudy. This is totally normal. Gently swirl your detergent in the jar and that cloudiness will dissipate.
Chunky or Gelled Detergent
This may happen in cooler temperatures. Don’t be discouraged, it is completely usable! Just scoop it into your washer tub. To prevent this, you can add 2 to 3 more cups of water to make your detergent less concentrated.
No Suds? No Problem!
We have all be lead to believe that suds mean that your soaps or detergents are cleaning. That is not the case for many natural cleaners! This detergent is cleaning your clothes while not producing any suds!
How to Use Your Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
- Prior to each use, a give the jar a gentle swirl (you will notice a small amount of sediment on the bottom of our jar after it sat for a while).
- I add homemade detergent the exact same way I would use any store bought liquid laundry detergent. Add soap directly to your washer or laundry soap compartment.
- This soap is highly concentrated, so you can use less for each load.
- top loads are 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup
- for HE front loads i use 2 tbsp to 1/4 cup depending on the size of load and how heavily soiled.
Can I use this in an HE washer?
I can only speak from my own experience because I currently use it in my HE front load washer. I use 2tsp to 1/4 cup per load. If the detergent gels, I put the detergent straight into my washer on the clothes.
*****Always consult your machine’s user guide before using any laundry detergent to know if it is the right fit for your machine.****
How long does the recipe last?
Because this recipe is a natural cleaner and is stored on a shelf above my washing machine, I only expect to use each batch for 4 weeks at a time.
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Equipment
- 1 large sauce pan or Dutch oven
- 1 steel whisk
- 1 gallon sized glass jar
Ingredients
- 15 cups water separate into 6 cup and 9 cup portions
- 1 cup Borax freshens, deodorizes, lifts dirt and stains
- 1 cup washing soda freshens and deodorizes
- 1 cup liquid castile soap main cleaning agent
Instructions
- Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in your large sauce pan or Dutch oven. Once boiling, turn off burner.
- Add Borax and washing soda to hot water. Stir until completely dissolved.
- Then add the remaining water (9 cups of room temp water) to the hot water, Borax and washing soda. Stir.
- Then add the liquid Castile soap to the mixture while stirring.
- Allow detergent to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before pouring into your 1 gallon glass jar. If you do not have a glass jar, allow detergent to cool to room temperature before pouring into a plastic container.
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