Now that everything is slowing down in our life (family dog being bitten by a rattlesnake, Blog security is safe…) I am happy to be back to this series.
In my mission to save money, I have always been open minded. I think that as a frugal person–you really need to be. I’ve tried a couple of DIY Laundry Detergent recipes and I’ve found that this works the best for me. It is also HE compatible.
One misconception that people think about Laundry Detergent is that you should see bubbles to ensure that it is cleaning. This recipe will not bubble–so if you like that, you will be dissatisfied– but this stuff really works! My husband often comes home in his chef coats and they have tons of grease stains or smells (sometimes fishy because he works with fresh fish) and I have found that the Homemade recipe works much better for his coats– it eliminates the smell completely (compared to Tide, this stuff does a much better job. Sorry Tide lovers! 
)
This recipe takes about 10 minutes and I pay a total of $5 for everything you see. I make my detergent in small batches:
- 2 cups Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
- 2 Cups Borax
- 1 Cup grated Fels-Naptha
- –grate the Fels-Naptha and combine all ingredients.
I use about 2 tablespoons per load. You can also add Oyx Clean to your mix if you have extra messy kids in the house.
My Name is Josie and I live in sunny Southern California and I am a stay at home mom to three beautiful boys. We all know that living in California is a task of it's own and saving in California IS possible! I started this blog mainly to share all the awesome deals out there and show others how to save in any area of life. Even though you may make the commitment to be frugal and pinch your pennies doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice!
I add the Oxy and also Purex crystals and I mixed the whole packages so I have tons of laundry soap–and it works great!
Oh, and I put washing AND baking soda!
i made this soap for about a year when times were really bad and it worked GREAT!!
Is there any need to boil or melt any of the ingredients? I’ve never done this but I have heard some people do.
no need to melt
There are some recipes that do but this one does not
Thanks Josie!
I’ve never seen the washing soda. Where is it sold? TIA =)
If you have a Winco or Food4Less nearby, you can find it there
I saw it at the Wal-Mart in El Cajon on the 8, that one next to Alpine.
The only place I’ve found it near me is ACE Hardware.
how many loads does this recipe make? where do u find these ingredients?
I found all the ingredients at my local Winco. You can find them at Walmart or Target as well.
I love tide LOL!!! I gotta try this
I’ve been using this for over a year and love it. Some Walmarts have the supplies, but it was hard to find the washing soda. My local Ace Hardware ended up being the only place I could find it.
How well would you say this works for fading? I am always on the hunt for a product that doesn’t fade my clothes!
Josie, are you psychic???? I seriously was looking into a good DYI Laundry soap.
I just googled the Fels-Naptha (LOL! I never seen it before). Anywho, I see laundry bars at the dollar tree and 99 cent store all the time will they work in this recipe or it the Fels the best to use????
Fels Naptha is not much more expensive (usually a little over a dollar). If you go to the 99 cent store sometimes they have Zote laundry soap which works well too, plus it’s pink and looks cute.
I wouldn’t try a bath type bar soap, although I have read Ivory (I think) is the one variety you can use. HTH!
Thanks Sarah! Zote is the brand at both my Dollar tree and 99 cent store. I think I’ll grab the Zote as back up. (Always my luck that when I go back they no longer have the stuff.)
Sorry, another question for anyone who has used this laundry recipe… Does it rinse out well??? I usually only use liquid because the powder sometimes get stuck in the folds of the clothes or leaves a residue.
I’ve been making this for years! I love it! Only difference is I do boil it and I use Ivory.
Do you also use the 2T for a regular (not HE) washer or do you need a little more for that?
Alrighty…took notes. Is 2T what you will need for a large load?? Also, how does it smell?? Does it desolve in all water temps? Let me know.
I use 2 Tablespoons for my husbands chef coats and it works great. His stuff is usually pretty bad and it does dissolve in all water temps. hope that helps!
Recommended for white clothes only or also color? Because I am having a hard time with my clothes. The colors fade quick and the white clothes ends up turning yellow after a few washes, bleach don’t help the white stay white neither. I’ve never tried this before but I am tempted to try next time I got to the store.
Use one cup of vinegar in your color laundry loads. Vinegar preserves color (think Easter eggs). I use it for my kid’s school uniforms & it makes a big difference.
IF I MAKE A LOT OF IT DOES IT GO BAD OR THATS ANYTHING HAPPEND .
I WAS THINKING OF MAKING 4X THE RECEIPT
THANK YOU
no, it does not go bad.