Store-bought detergent drains the budget fast, especially when you wash everything from work clothes to towels to mystery-stained kid laundry. This homemade liquid laundry detergent keeps the process simple, costs less per batch, and skips the endless parade of fancy marketing claims on the bottle (because your socks do not need a lifestyle brand).
A comparable bottle of Great Value Free & Clear liquid laundry detergent sells in the 100-fluid-ounce range at Walmart, while this recipe stretches a small amount of soap, washing soda, and borax into a full 2-gallon bucket of detergent. Making it yourself also lets you control exactly what goes into the mix and keeps the formula plain, without added fragrance boosters or colorants you may not want.
You only need 4 materials for the detergent itself, plus water, and the finished batch is mixed in a 2-gallon bucket. Gather a grater, a pot, and something sturdy for stirring before you start so you can move straight from melting the soap to mixing the full batch.
- 🧰 Materials You'll Need
- 🔧 Tools/Equipment
- 🛠️ How to Make Liquid Laundry Detergent
- 🛠️ How to Use It
- 🛡️ Safety Information
- 📦 Storage
- 💸 Estimated Cost
- 🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
- ❓ Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
- 📌 Love this Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent? Pin it!
- 🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Materials You’ll Need
- 3 pints water
- 1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
- 1/2 cup washing soda
- 1/2 cup borax
- 1 quart hot water
- Cold water, enough to fill the bucket
Tools/Equipment
- 2-gallon bucket
- Grater
- Pot
- Stirring spoon or utensil
How to Make Liquid Laundry Detergent
- Dissolve the grated Fels Naptha soap in 3 pints of water over low heat.
- Add the washing soda and borax, then stir until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the soap mixture from the heat.
- Add 1 quart hot water to a 2-gallon bucket.
- Pour in the soap mixture and mix well.
- Fill the bucket with cold water and mix well again.
- Set the mixture aside for 24 hours, or until it thickens.
How to Use It
Use 1/2 cup of detergent per load. If you wash in especially challenging water, you may also want to compare this batch with Hard Water Laundry Detergent or browse more options in Make Your Own Laundry Detergents, Stain Removers, Pre-Wash Sprays and More!.
Safety Information
Label the bucket clearly and store the detergent where children and pets can’t reach it. Laundry products should stay closed and stored up high and out of sight and reach of children, which matches the prevention guidance from Poison Help. Avoid contact with eyes, and don’t transfer the detergent into a drink bottle or food container.
Storage
Keep the finished detergent in the covered 2-gallon bucket or transfer it to a clearly labeled laundry-only container with a tight-fitting lid. Give it a quick stir before use if it settles or thickens further after standing.
Estimated Cost
This 2-gallon batch is inexpensive to make because it uses only 1/3 bar Fels Naptha, 1/2 cup washing soda, and 1/2 cup borax, plus water. Using recent Walmart pricing for Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar & Stain Remover 5 oz at $1.87, ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda 55 oz at $5.38, and 20 Mule Team Borax 65 oz at $6.98, the consumable cost for one batch comes to about $1.59, or roughly 12 cents per load if you get about 13 half-cup loads from 2 gallons.
🛍️ Need Help Finding Everything?
- Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar & Stain Remover, 5 oz
- ARM & HAMMER Super Washing Soda, 55 oz
- 20 Mule Team Borax, 65 oz
- 2-gallon bucket with lid
- Liss Favorite Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe
- Super Laundry Sauce for Dummies 7-minute Detergent 3¢ a Load
Frequently Asked Questions about Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
No. This recipe needs to sit for 24 hours, or until the mixture thickens. That standing time is part of the method, so don’t skip it if you want the texture the recipe is meant to have.
Use 1/2 cup per load. That’s the measured amount given for this batch, so start there before you tinker with anything.
That’s normal for this recipe. The soap mixture thickens as it rests, which is why the instructions tell you to let it stand for 24 hours before using it.
Yes. The recipe specifically uses 1/3 bar of grated Fels Naptha so it can dissolve into the heated water more evenly.
Yes, as long as the container is clearly labeled and used only for laundry products. A tight-fitting lid helps, and you should keep it out of reach of children and pets.
Give it a quick stir before use. This kind of homemade mixture can settle or change texture after standing, and a stir usually brings it back together well enough for laundry duty.
You can, if you keep the same proportions for every ingredient and water amount. The original method makes a full bucket, so a half batch works best when you want less on hand at one time.
It’s part of the mixing method. You add 1 quart of hot water to the 2-gallon bucket, then mix in the soap base and fill the rest with cold water.
The recipe calls for dissolving the grated soap in 3 pints of water over low heat, not a hard boil. Low heat gives the soap time to melt into the water without making a needless mess.
📌 Love this Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent? Pin it!
Did you try this laundry detergent? Tell us how it mixed up for you, or what changed the most in your laundry routine after you switched.
🖨️ Print-Friendly How-To: Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
Equipment
Materials
- 3 pints water
- ⅓ bar Fels Naptha soap grated
- ½ cup washing soda
- ½ cup borax
- 1 quart hot water
- Cold water enough to fill the bucket
Instructions
- Dissolve the grated Fels Naptha soap in 3 pints of water over low heat.
- Add the washing soda and borax.
- Stir until the mixture thickens.
- Remove the mixture from the heat.
- Add 1 quart hot water to a 2-gallon bucket.
- Add the soap mixture, and mix well.
- Fill the bucket with cold water, and mix well.
- Set aside for 24 hours, or until the mixture thickens.
- Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load.
- https://www.budget101.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/homemade-liquid-laundry-detergent-recipe.jpg
- Estimated cost is based on recent Walmart pricing for the consumable materials only. Water and reusable tools are not included.
- Label the finished detergent clearly and store it out of reach of children and pets.
- Avoid contact with eyes.
- Do not store the detergent in drink bottles or food containers.
you can make you own lye soap if you want to. it cleans really well and cuts grease like you wouldn’t believe! i have made some of the soap, but haven’t tried to make the laundry soap yet.
but i plan on it soon!:celebrate1:
i read some where that you can add purex crystals to the mixture does anyone know how much to use? i am excited to try this recipe. please let me know..
thanks:dontknow:
That recipe is here:
Budget101.com – – Liss Favorite Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe | Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipes
i finally made my own laundry soap and i’m so excited about it! i’ve had a few issues with it to start with, but i think i’ve got it figured out. unfortunately, we have not-so-dependable internet service in the rural area we recently relocated to.
so, i did the best i could off of mushy memory. this led to my laundry soap not quite ‘gelling’ as i expected. instead, the powder rose to the top and hardened.
it broke up easily enough in the liquid underneath leaving large chuncks in the mix. i decided to scoop up as much of the broken up chunks out of the bucket as i could so i could melt them over low heat on my stove. once i did that, i re-added that to my soap mixture and stirred it up really well.
as of this morning, i saw the gel-like consistency i expected in the first place. since i currently do not have dependable access to the internet at home, i wasn’t able to really follow the steps necessary to make it right the first time. but, now that i have a brief moment at work, i’ll jot them down so i’ll have them for next time.
hopefully we’ll get hooked up with a more dependable company soon!
Love this stuff. The last batch I made was the best. Took my time on the stove and stirred and let everything dissolve completely before adding to the bucket. My hubby bought a paint stirring paddle thingy that attaches to a drill, and it reaches all the way down in a 6 gallon bucket.
Stir again the next day after it has gelled, fill my detergent bottles, and of course I shake the bottles to blend well when doing laundrey,. When I refill my bottles I stir in the bucket again in case things have separated, but after 3 months it still looked plenty blended. It cleans really well and has saved us sooooo much money!