Ok, here it comes. I’m already hearing the hippy jokes and the cheap skate jabs. But I’ll take them. Nay, I’ll embrace them. Because here I am completely hooked on homemade household cleaners.
It all started when I realized how easy homemade cleaners are when I made all your basic cleaners with just four ingredients.
Money savers and cleaning perfection.
I wanted more! But for less. Are you with me?! It’s what we all want.
I’ve moved onto a homemade laundry detergent. Why laundry detergent? Well it all came down to the simple fact that I was almost out. So I thought why not give it a shot?
As I started researching recipes I almost bailed. The goal here is to make cleaning easier, while still effective, and save some money along the way. However, when I repeatedly saw soap grating and slaving over stove to make it, I was out. Then I stumbled across this oh-so simple recipe on One Good Thing by Jillee.
It was only three ingredients (plus water), pennies a gallon, and no grating or cooking required.
No Grate Laundry Detergent
- 3 Tablespoons of Borax
- 3 Tablespoons of Washing Soda
- 2 Tablespoons Dawn Dishwashing Detergent
1) Pour the three ingredients into a gallon container (I used a thoroughly cleaned milk jug).
2) Pour 4 cups of boiling water into the container and swirl until dissolved.
3)Let cool and then fill container with cold water. Make sure to fill the container up to the top with water – not just suds. Let the suds run over while filling. You will still have plenty of soap inside.
A Glitter Precaution: Dawn is recommended since it cuts grease. However, it is such a cut-to-the core cleaner that I am choosing to not use this detergent on my fancy shirts with sequins or glitter in case it could strip it. It would probably be fine but I just have some blingy shirts that I love so much that I was wash them very carefully.
Use about 1/2 cup to 1 cup per wash. Yes, it seems like a lot but it is a thinner detergent. However, it uses so little ingredients and is so easy to make, I don’t find that to be a deal breaker. I will probably end up making a couple of gallons at a time just to be more efficient. Still, those boxes and bottle of ingredients I bought will probably last me years! Take that $8 store bought detergent.
The result is still super fresh clothes that are very clean. I can’t tell a difference whatsoever in my clothes cleaned with my homemade detergent opposed to a store bought detergent.
I’d love for you to try it and tell me what you think! Are you as hooked on these homemade cleaners as I am? Why didn’t I know it was so easy before!?
Amazon affiliate links are included in this post.
I’ve been toying with the idea of making homemade cleaners for economical reasons (definitely!), but I’ve been a little scared they wouldn’t get my clothes as clean. I like fresh laundry, like all of us! 🙂 Glad to know this one is effective . . . bookmarking for when I feel brave!
Go for it Meg! I bet you’ll never look back. I was so leery of any and all DIY cleaners. It just seemed like so much work and they probably weren’t going to clean well. But I eased into making them and I am hooked. They are easy, inexpensive, and I’m finding them even more effective than store bought ones. I’m a huge advocate right now! So think of me as your personal cheer squad encouraging you to make that detergent! 🙂
ive been making my own laundry detergent for 3-4 years it’s much better than what you can buy.
Also you can buy downy or any other softner. And put it in a bowl add some wTer a few sponges cut up squeeze them before throwing them in the dryer and your clothes will smell fresh every time. Or add a few drops at a time of essential oil of your choice to your laundry detergent.
That’s so awesome Nita! And I definitely want to try the sponges for the dryer! I’ve been waiting until I’ve used up my dryer sheets to give it a try. It sounds marvelous! Thanks for the great ideas!
Hey! I’ve been making my powder laundry soap for awhile now. But I think I’m gonna try the liquid next time. And I have used the sponges with fabric softner also. Just recently I used a box of dryer sheets and my clothes caught on fire! Actual full flame fire after bringing them home from laundry mat. All I seen was the dryer sheets so I read the box . Idk if it’s all dryer sheets. But read ur box for warnings . Mine said not intended for children’s clothing Bc it makes the non FLAMEABLE FLAMEABLE!!!! Really!!!! I was surprised. I’ll never use dryer sheets again
WHOA! Fire?!?! That’s terrible!! I’m so sorry to hear that! But I have really been wanting to try the sponges with fabric softener. I was going to start once I ran out of dryer sheets but maybe I will just throw them out. Yikes!
I highly recommend the liquid detergent. I only wash my clothes in cold water so I have to use liquid since powder doesn’t dissolve as nicely in cold water.
Just be sure to squeeze the sponges out completely and do 1 part softener to 2-3 parts water. Otherwise it will leave stains on your clothes!
Great tip! Thank you!
I love this idea, especially since I can no longer grate my soap–however, can this be used in the HE front load washers?
I do not have a HE washer so I cannot speak from my own personal experience but from what I have read this detergent works well in HE front load washers. It is low suds and many people have had good experiences using it in their HE washers. I’d love for you share how it works for you if you try it in your HE washer!
Have you noticed if the color/quality of your clothing fabric is the same? My fear in making my own detergent is that it will fade my clothes or that it will make my clothes feel different. What about your delicates? I’m interested in trying this out, so thanks!!!
My clothing still looks great! Although I’ve never really had a problem with fading colors with any type of detergent (except blacks – they fade always). I would probably attest my clothes looking good for years and years is carefully taking care of them and honestly, only washing when they are dirty. That doesn’t mean I wash it after every wear.
My delicates are fine as well. The one thing I haven’t tried are shirts with a lot of adornments – like sequins, glitter, etc. I am very careful with those and didn’t want to chance washing them in it. I usually just hand wash a few things that I am particular about using bar soap.
I recommend giving it a shot! If you do let me know how it goes!
If you throw some vinegar in with your black clothing the first time you wash it, it’ll save it from fading. I work at a restaurant that wears all black, and this is what we do. 🙂
Nice! Thanks for that tip Janille! I’ll have to try it!
Also a little vinegar in regular laundry washes out sweat smells and stains! My Son in Law works in a kitchen and sweats badly and even after washing his clothes my daughter would complain that they still stank so I told her to put 1/2 cup white vinegar in the wash with her detergent and she said they smell like clothes again and not a gym bag!
I love the idea of adding vinegar. Thank you so much for the suggestion Kathy! I’m definitely going to give it a try.
It also works on urine smells!
Good to know! Thank you!
Also turn black clothing and sock inside out to wash . It does help with fading too!
Nice! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe for laundry detergent is so easy to make and I’m sure saves you tons of money in the long run. Once I use my stockpile of detergent, I’ll try it.
That’s exactly what I did Paula! I was almost out so I just took the plunge. My guess is that I may be able to save anywhere from $50 – $100 over the life span of the ingredients that I bought!
Do you think this is cloth diaper safe?
Being a child and diaper free home at this point in my life, I am no authority. However, in doing research it seems like quite a few people have used this recipe on their cloth diapers and it worked great. One even said sometimes she needed to strip diapers after a lot of usage and they recommend Dawn to do that. I also read a precaution that Borax may be too strong for PLU diaper covers. That’s the only bad review I’ve read.
I’d love for you to let me know if you try it on your cloth diapers and if it works!
I have two under 4 used cloth diapers and plan to do the same with our third on the way! dawn is a great degreaser but for delicate clothing such as cloth diapers and glitz n glam we use ivory soap it’s best for us. it degreases, smells great and is gentle enough to wash your pearl jewelry. also you never get any residue when using it.When stripping diapers just boil them in water after a good 1 cup per gallon of water peroxide soak over night as far as the p.u.l diapers if you use proper care and rinse right away there is little stripping to be done but if you have the liquid kind simply soak them over night under the sink once you wash they look good as new and never put them in the dryer it may not ruin the liner right away but every dry brakes it down until it cracks or separates. on pul diaper stripping you should use a 1/2 c to 1 gallon vinegar soak over night unless you have hard water then you should use either a softener or store bought distilled water once every 3 months for sufficient stripping is good it will clean all washing build up as well as strip all ammonia smell that lingers
Awesome! Thank you SO much for sharing this great information about cleaning with cloth diapers! I’ve had a lot of people ask but I have no babies here to test with! 🙂
Great idea, thanks for the recipe!
Blessings,
Cindy
Thanks Cindy!
Can any type of dawn dish soap be used? I don’t have the blue on hand.
You can definitely try another. I’ve only used the blue Dawn and love how it works. However, it could change how effective it is. I just bought a small blue Dawn bottle for $1 and it will last a long time since you only use 2 T. Let me know how it works if you try another detergent!
If you are concerned about using this on cloth diapers use 1/2 cup vinegar to rinse them… Works wonders!
Thanks Karen! I don’t have kids so I couldn’t comment on this question. I appreciate you letting us know!
I have been wanting to try making my own household & also cosmetics products. I am going to try this. I also had a concern about my whites getting cleanl & my colors not fading. Did not realize it could be so easy. Thank you!!
I’m so glad that this is something you are going to try! I’m in love with making my own detergent! Making cosmetics sounds interesting too!
I’m going to try this as I am almost out of detergent myself – thank you so much for posting it!
I’m so glad Cheryl! I was almost out too the first time I made this – that’s what brought me to making mine too!
I’ve made this laundry soap for a couple of years and love it! I wait to add the Dawn after the two powders have dissolved and all the water has been added — that way your container doesn’t overflow with suds. I also make it double strength and use 1/4 to 1/2 cup instead of 1/2 to 1 cup per load.
Hi Bev! That’s awesome to hear! I also love your idea about making it more concentrated and adding the Dawn at the end. Thanks!
Does it matter if you use the concentrated Dawn or the regular?
Nope. I would think either would work.
Can you use this homemade detergent in a cold water wash? Thanks
You sure can Jan! I only wash my clothes in cold water.
Been using this a month now and love it!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that!
Hi, I have a 10 yr old boy who seems to constantly be covered in greasy stains. How does this work on those types of stains?
Hmmm, I haven’t really tried it with grease before so I can’t really tell you. Maybe you can try it and if it doesn’t get it all out try a booster like OxyClean?
I use a more natural soap in the detergent due to personal preference. It’s not great on grease. I keep a small bottle of original blue Dawn, not concentrate, and put a dot on any grease. It takes care of it.
Great to know! Thank you Molly!
Blue dawn works great on grease stains
I agree! That’s definitely why I use it in this recipe!
Could you add OxyClean to the mix too? One of the “grate” methods used Oxyclean, borax, Washing soda… Oxyclean has Hydrogen peroxide, which acts as a bleach and a disinfectant.
Yep! I’ve heard of many people who use OxyClean with it Jan. I am actually going out to buy some OxyClean this week before my white shorts turned yellow when I was wearing them at an amusement park the other day. I’m hoping they turn white again!
OxyClean is only effective when freshly hydrated. That’s why they tell you to only mix up the amount you need. I just add a scoop of Oxy to my kiddos laundry. It does dissolve in warm water best but works in a cold wash. I dissolve it in a cup of warm water for cold washes.
Good information. Thank you Molly!
I have used this recipe for about a year. I love it but I do add a couple tablespoons of dr bronners peppermint soap as well because it smells great!
That’s such a good idea Amanda! That sounds like it smells delicious!
Can this be used in front loaded HE machines?
It sure can Christina! I don’t have an HE but many people have used this successfully. It is low sudsing, which I hear is key.
I’ve been making my own laundry soap and fabric softener for about 2 yrs. I found a recipe that includes Purex Crystals fabric softener that has great frangrances to choose from. I’m going to try this recipe and add the Purex Crystals to it. I think it will work out great! All in one product!
Ooo Kim that sounds like a great idea! I’ll have to check out those crystals!
That was my question. .. how do you make it smell REALLY good. I’m a huge fan of nicely scented laundry/towels etc…. the crystals sound great I already use them with the laundry detergent I buy. They are a bit pricey, but if my clothes don’t smell good I feel I haven’t done my job cleaning them. Lol. One word of warning with crystals. If you’re using them separately from this soap recipe…DISSOLVE WELL IN MACHINE BEFORE CLOTHES GO IN. I have had items ruined by staining/bleaching marks. Otherwise LOVE the stuff !!!
Great tip on the crystals! Definitely don’t want any staining! I’m definitely going to have to check these out. Thanks Kim!
the best way to get clothes to smell nice is by adding essential oils to your powder mix then add all. Tea tree oil, lavender, sage, rose, whatever sent you like, but make sure it is %100 essential oil not the synthetic from walmart.
I hope this helps.
Great idea! I will have to give it a try. Thank you!
[…] Will very little effort whatsoever you can make a batch of highly potent laundry soap that will last you a whole year for as little as $10. This recipe is now very famous and I’d urge you to try it. You can find the full recipe right HERE. […]
[…] Will very little effort whatsoever you can make a batch of highly potent laundry soap that will last you a whole year for as little as $10. This recipe is now very famous and I’d urge you to try it. You can find the full recipe right HERE. […]
Should the detergent foam up in the washer like regular detergent does?
It does not because you eliminate the foaming when you put the Dawn in and then fill the gallon container. However, you can put the Dawn in after you fill the container with water and you will get foam. Since I don’t have a high efficiency washer I do this now since foam doesn’t hurt my top loader.
Thank you, I used Dr Bronners rose scented soap to keep it more natural and I used it for all my laundry all weekend so far so good! Thank you for sharing. Do you have a homemade dishwasher recipie?
So good to know about Dr. Bronners. I definitely think I’m going to try this. I’m glad you’re liking it!
I don’t have a dishwasher recipe … but I’m working on it. It seems to be a little trickier to make dishwasher detergent for some reason. If I find a good one I’ll keep you posted!
FYI I dont think the Dr Bronners is as effective as the dawn as my whites did not come out clean and still had stains so next time I will try the dawn and see if it works better. Its a shame I would have liked the all natural version! Still very easy and cost effective thanks
Thanks for the feedback Emma. That’s good to know!
So if I choose to use dr bronners soap I do not have to use the Dawn?
Yup! That would be the substitution!
Yup! You would be substituting Dr. Bronners for Dawn!
I wonder if you didn’t fill the container with the cool water and maybe doubled the recipe you could get a more concentrated liquid and would not use as much in each load. I am thinking it would be more like a concentrated Era detergent. What do you think?
I definitely think that is a possibility Marsha. I have to make more soon and I was going to add double the ingredients but still add the water to them. I think you’re definitely on to something!
I have very sensitive skin. I cannot use fragrance or dyes. Do you think the dawn would irritate me? Or maybe it is diluted enough since not a lot goes in. Just wondering.
I’m not sure Marissa. I would think you would be fine if you can wash dishes with it and not be irritated. But I also think that you could substitute a dish detergent that you know doesn’t bother your skin. I don’t think it would change the effectiveness of the recipe.
I use ivory dish detergent for my dishes. I wonder if that would work instead of dawn?
I definitely think so! I say go for it Marissa!
I am allergic to Ivory dish detergent, and when we used to use Dawn I was allergic to that, too. I had to either get someone else to wash the dishes, or, if I washed them myself I mixed baking soda and vinegar, and washed very quickly. This was both tedious and also hard on my skin. Is there any UNSCENTED dishsoap that would work as well?
Oh man, I’m so sorry to hear about your allergies. I would just pick a dish detergent that you know you aren’t allergic to. I know some people have suggested Dr. Bronners. Or Method perhaps?
I can’t wait to make this! I tried the one with grated soap and hated it years ago. Where do you get Dr. Bronners?
You’re brave Susan! I couldn’t even think about doing the grated version. It sounds like way too much work. I think Dr. Bronners can be found at local places like Target in the cleaning section. You can get it on Amazon too.
The place woth the beet price and fragrances I found is Sprouts although i found it not to be effective on whites.
Interesting! Thank you!
I found Dr Bronner’s at the local grocery store…Hannaford’s. My bf of 12 yrs is allergic to many soaps and other scented things,(as am i)…laundry soap included, but the Dawn dish soap and Dr Bronner’s don’t seem to bother him…thankfully. I think the dawn dish soap works best for laundry applications because it breaks down the greasy stains far better than any other liquid soap i’ve ever tried. Heck, if they can use it to clean oil spill affected wildlife as well as their commercials show,i’d think it would clean up any oily stain my farrier/blacksmith boyfriend or my grand kids can get into,lol I also find that adding vinegar to the rinse water works wonders for getting all the residue out of the clothing,including any extra soap if you happen to use too much….and it makes bath,dish & hand towelsmuch more absorbent.
Kim, I’m so glad to hear how well this is working for you! I definitely think the Dawn works best too. But I love the idea of adding vinegar! Thanks for sharing your results!
I’ll have to give this a try though with Palmolive (that’s all we use) we have been using a dry recipe we found and due to my wanting to get the biggest bang for my buck we ended up making enough that batch that at a year and a half later we still have enough for 2 and a half more years I think lol. This gives us the ability to toy with other ideas j the mean time lol.
Wow! That must have been quite the recipe for the dry recipe! It definitely sounds like you got bang for you buck on that one. Hope you enjoy this one too!
How much do you put in the washer ?
I usually use about one cup per wash. I use up to two cups if it is really tough load or a really big load.
I just have one questions, wouldn’t the boiling water melt the milk container?
Nope! It definitely gets warm and bendy but not melty. However, the water only needs to be warm enough to dissolve the powder. So I usually let it cool down a little bit and don’t pour it straight off the stove.
Just read this post yesterday, had just ran out of detergent, so I went to Kroger and bought the ingredients, cost $9.00 altogether,.I already have the Dawn. I’m going to try it later today,let you know how it goes.
Awesome!! I’m so glad to hear this! Hope it works well for you!
I have tried this recipe and it works great. I find the clothes very soft, fresh smelling and clean. One small change in directions that I do is: boil the water in a pan, add the Borax and Washing Soda,stir to dissolve, then pour it into the container. I do use this in my HE front loading washer with no problems. I have also used the recipe with the grated Fels and liked it, but had to make sure there were no clumps(shook it a lot) before I added the soap to my washer.
I’m so glad to hear this Judy! I also love your boiling idea. Definitely something to do if you are worried the boiling water might melt your container. You can boil it on the stove, let it cool, and then pour it in your container.
I am still trying this, but so far impressed. I used it on some clothes that is really smelly and it cleaned it. I used the new Dawn that is sulfate free and Hypoallergenic since my husband has a Latex Food Protein Allergy I have to keep away from most of the fruit scents so this is working so far for my purposes. Thank you for the recipe. I was not wanting to grate a bar of soap.
I’m so glad it is working for you Christine. I will definitely get the sulfate free and hypoallergenic Dawn next time! Great find!
I am so allergic to soaps and cleaners. The only dishwashing soap I can use is Lemon Joy – not any of the other flavors. So far, I can use Arm & Hammer for sensitive skin and no commercial “softeners” at all. So, after reading all this good info, I am going to try this with my Lemon Joy and do I add vinegar into the washer separately, like in the “softener” slot. (I must use commercial, coin machines.)
A question about urine smells, does this get rid of them? Bleach hasn’t worked, nor has baking soda. My husband is bed-ridden and this is a constant battle. I’m hoping the vinegar will work.
I’m not sure about urine but I would think that the vinegar would help that!
Let me know how Lemon Joy and/or Arm & Hammer work. I’m sure they will be fine. Hmm… I would experiment with the vinegar. Maybe on one load add it to the water with the detergent and the other in the softener slot. Good luck!
You could maybe try it on your sheets and if you like the way they turned out then use it on your towels etc….then if you don’t like it you could always wash your bathroom and kitchen rugs, dust rags etc.
Great thought! That’s what I did at first too. Then I fell in love with it and use it for everything! I even make 4 gallons at a time!
I just finished using my first jug of this and it has worked great! I washed several loads of cloth diapers, with good results; the diapers got cleaner than they did with the Arm and Hammer detergent I had been using! Thanks for sharing these instructions.
Awesome! I am so happy to hear this Sara!! So many people have asked if they work with diapers but since I have no children in the house I haven’t been able to answer. Thanks so much for sharing!
Can’t wait to try this, I’m exactly the same, I love homemade cleaning products & would like to make laundry detergent but it all looked too hard & didn’t look like it was much cheaper. I make a miracle cleaner, which is like an all purpose cleaner, I also use it as a pre-wash spray. A window cleaner which is better than the commercial ones in my opinion. I also use Enjo cleaning clothes & mop heads which are excellent & you only need to use water with them.
Wow! Your homemade cleaning products sounds awesome! I definitely want to try those Enjo cleaning cloths too. Hope you like this recipe as much as the others you make!
Wow, I am excited to try this. seems like I wash daily, just for
the “2 of us”.
Thanks bunches,
PAM
Awesome!! I hope you love it and it saves you some money!
Hi Megan, I lives in UK. I didn’t found same product on Amazon UK site. There are any another name or option so I can buy from Amazon UK. Thanks in advance.
Hi Megan, I have been using your recipe for laundry detergent for over 6 months or more now. I just don’t remember when I first started, but it’s been a while. I love it!!! On my shirts/blouses I use between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of detergent, as they don’t need more. All other clothes I use 1/2 cup. The clothes feel nice, smell good, and are clean. I won’t go back to store bought ever haha. I do add a little baking soda to it while it’s agitating for softening, otherwise, it’s all your recipe. Thank you so much, it is saving me lots of money, which is always such a blessing 🙂 Linda
Hi Linda! Thank you so much for your comment and getting back to me as to how you like the detergent! That’s awesome to hear! I love the baking soda idea too. Happy washing! 🙂
I have found a more concentrated recipe on Pinterest with the same ingredients, I love it! Only takes 1/4 cup per load!
Awesome! I’ve actually doubled the recipe before to make it more concentrated and use about 1/2 a cup per load! Works great!
Love that red tea kettle!!
Me too! 🙂
I just tried the home made dryer sponges (I think was yours also) can’t wait to try this out! I’m so over grating soap lol.
Awesome! I am so glad you like the dryer sponges! I think you will love this soap recipe. I will never go back. I make it once every 6 months maybe? So 30 minutes to make twice a year and under $10 a year. Winning!
Love all the feedback. Am almost out of the store brand and have a milk jug almost empty will get the ingredients this week. Can’t wait to try it.
Alright! I think you will really like it!!
Can you tell me how much essential oil you would suggest adding to add to the mix? My daughter and I have been using Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Lavender laundry detergent for the family. We love it because it smells so wonderful and performs pretty darn well. HOWEVER, it is expensive and we would just as soon make your recipe and add lavender essential oil to make it smell delightful and clean! Many thanks!
I’ve never actually done it myself but I would think just a few drops. I would do a couple of drops at a time and just scent it to your preference!
Swell! Thanks for your reply! We will give it a try! Just love your blog!
Yay!! Thanks so much for commenting!! Hope it works well for you!