Make Your Own Laundry Detergent for Only $.08 per Load!

One of the ways we save money on groceries and household items is making our own laundry detergent. There are SO many variations, but I want to show you our recipe that we just modified recently and I love it! It smells amazing, and it’s so cheap to make.

The original recipe is from The Eco Friendly Family, but I tweaked it a couple times to get it to where I want it. Here’s what we use: (Affiliate links below)

1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1/2 cup Oxi Clean Free or Baby
1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap
1/2 cup of Bounce scent booster crystals (Or whatever brand scent booster, this one was cheapest)

First, place the Fels Naptha soap in a food processor and set it on shred. Shred the entire bar of soap.

Place the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and shred them until everything forms a fine powder.

This is what it will look like when it’s done! The scent booster crystals won’t be totally ground up, but that’s fine.

Let’s break down the cost and amount of loads you’ll get from this.

• Recipe yields: 32 ounces
• 1 tablespoon per load, 6 loads per week: 64 loads, lasts 10 weeks
• Cost of ingredients for individual recipe: $5.66, or 8 cents per load. Compare to Tide at 17 cents per load.

With the exception of the soap, you’ll have enough ingredients left over for almost SEVEN more batches, which will last you a whole YEAR! You’ll just need to buy more Fels Naptha soap each time unless you buy it in bulk, like below (Affiliate link).

Can you imagine doing laundry for 2 and a half months for only $5.66? This is a HUGE way for us to save money on essentials! And it’s fairly customizable; instead of using the scent-booster crystals, you can use essential oils. I found that I can’t smell it very well though; maybe I never used enough. But with the Bounce crystals, my laundry smells SO much better than with my old recipe.

Now for those of you with cloth diapers, you can also make your own diaper detergent! All you need is the washing soda, borax, and OxiClean, the same amounts listed above. You can add some essential oil for a pleasant scent if you’d like, but I wouldn’t use the scent booster crystals in case it does damage to the diapers’ absorbancy. It works beautifully! I use about 3 tablespoons for a full load of diapers.

Do you make your own laundry detergent? Is it different from above? Share with us below!

(Linked up on: Living Well, Spending Less , Shaken Together Life , Little Miss Celebration , A Fresh Start on a Budget , Stone Gable Blog , Life is Sweeter By Design )

Jaime Bacon

Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.

Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.

See full bio here