Health Fitness
4 amazing homemade detergents that work great and save money

4 amazing homemade detergents that work great and save money

Whether you want to save some money, love DIY projects, or just want a detergent you can understand, I’ve got you covered! I have been making my own detergents for several years and have been surprised to discover how few people know that it can be done. And these aren’t just for “older” model washers, they’re safe for HE washers too!

I’ve divided this article into 4 sections, so feel free to skip ahead if you want to learn about a specific type of detergent. Otherwise, enjoy it!

Homemade liquid detergent

Liquid detergents can be a bit easier to dose and tend to make less of a mess. Plus, it’s a piece of cake to do! Here’s my quick guide to making liquid laundry detergent:

– Grate a bar of your favorite soap using a food processor or cheese grater. You want it to be decently thin, so try to avoid going thick.

– In an old saucepan, gradually heat 2 quarts (that’s 8 cups) of water with your grated soap. You will want to stir it constantly until the soap dissolves completely.

– Get yourself a 5 gallon container. Paint buckets can be great for this! Put in 4 1/2 gallons of super hot water, 2 cups of baking soda, and 2 cups of borax. Stir until everything dissolves completely.

– Add the soap mixture in your bucket and, again, stir well.

– Cover the mixture well and let it rest overnight.

– Stir (or shake!) until mixture is smooth, then pour into separate gallon containers.

You now have 5 gallons of homemade liquid laundry detergent! This will also last you quite a while, as you only need to use 1/2 to 1 cup for each load of laundry.

it’s important to have on mind that depending on your washing machine and the type of water you use in your home, it may start to build up in the machine. If that happens, there are MANY ways to get rid of it.

You should also keep in mind that using soap instead of detergent will give you variable results. Depending on the type of soap you use, your clothes may not be as clean as they should be. Play around with the soaps to find out what works best for you and your clothes.

Homemade powder detergent

These can be as simple as pulverizing your favorite bar of soap in a blender and adding essential oils to it, or they can involve mixing a few common household items together to make a powerful laundry detergent. In my experience, the latter works better than the former, although I am partial to adding essential oils for a custom scent.

Mix together one 3lb 7oz box of A&H Baking Soda (similar to baking soda), one 3lb box of OxyClean, one Zote x2 bar soap, and one 4lb box of A&H Baking Soda. If you like, Scentsy Washer Whiffs are all the rage these days to add a nice fragrance to your clothes. However, you can always skip that and add your favorite oils for scent, or skip adding fragrance altogether!

Grate the bars of soap until fine, then mix everything together in a large bowl. Yep! You’re done!

You will only need to use 2-4 tablespoons of this mix per load of laundry, making it quite efficient in terms of price.

homemade natural detergent

I had a hard time deciding on this one. There are many great homemade natural detergents, but I had to choose a recipe. I decided to go with a blend of essential oils with a bit of baking soda to remove stains and lift dirt.

– Tea Tree, Eucalyptus and Sage can be combined to make a super effective detergent. It will have an astringent, but leafy scent. It can be a bit overwhelming for some. 1 – 2 drops of each of these oils and 1/2 – 1 cup of baking soda will remove odors and stains from your clothes, leaving them clean and smelling fresh.

– Orange, grapefruit, and cinnamon oils will give your clothes a deep clean, as well as a spicy citrus scent that will leave you energized (and maybe a little hungry!) throughout the day. Again, add just 1 to 2 drops of each oil and 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda to your laundry load.

– Cedarwood, rosemary, and lime oils will give your clothes a unique, sweet yet earthy scent that is sure to please. 1 – 2 drops of each of these and 1/2 – 1 cup of baking soda will leave your clothes smelling wonderful and looking fantastic!

– As a bonus, I’ll include my “nighttime recipe” which I love to use for my kids nap time and bedtime clothes and bedding. Lavender oil can be used on its own, but I like to combine it with chamomile and ylang-ylang oils for a sweet meadow smell that helps my kids sleep. Use just 1 drop of each of these oils and add, you guessed it, 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda.

DIY on a Penny Detergent

This is undoubtedly one of the best. It doesn’t cost much and is very easy to use. It doesn’t even involve any premixing. It can also be a lifesaver if you are short on money or time. Chances are you already have these ingredients!

– After you have added the clothes to the washing machine, add about a half cup of baking soda. Depending on your washing machine, there will be a place for dry detergents or you can just place it on top of your clothes. Make sure to use it accordingly!

– Add about 1/2 – 1 cup of distilled white vinegar on top.

– Start your washing machine!

It really is that simple. Get your clothes super clean, as the baking soda will remove stains from clothes and the vinegar will remove odors. And don’t worry, your clothes no smells like vinegar! In fact, they really shouldn’t smell too much.

If you want to take this recipe up a notch, you can add your favorite essential oil or oil blends to add a nice scent to your clothes.

So there you have it! My favorite recipes for 4 different DIY laundry detergents. I hope you find them as useful as I do. They have saved me and my family countless money and given us a better understanding of what goes into doing our laundry. (Plus, our kids love helping pick out the scents!)

Have you ever made your own laundry detergent? What is your favorite recipe? Let me know below in the comments!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *