How to make homemade laundry detergent

There are many different laundry detergent recipes on the internet. I'll tell you the two that work best for me.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

Supplies Needed:

6 Cups of Boiling Water
1 Bar of Soap (I mostly use Palmolive or Dial)
1 Cup of Borax
1 Cup of Washing Soda
5 Gallon Bucket with a Lid
Tap Water

1. Finely grate the bar of soap and add to the boiling water. Turn the water heat down to low and stir until all soap is dissolved.  Be careful to watch the soap because it can easily boil over. Set the melted soap aside.

2. Pour the borax and washing soda into the bucket. Fill the bucket half way with warm tap water. Stir until all the borax and washing soda are dissolved. Some people pour the borax and washing soda into the melted soap but I had a problem with the mixture foaming over.

3.  Pour the melted soap into the bucket. Add tap water until the bucket is close to full. Stir until well mixed.

4. Cover the pail and leave for 24 hours. When you come back you will find the detergent has gelled. I use 1/4 of a cup per load but you can use more for heavily soiled laundry.



Powdered Laundry Detergent


Supplies Needed

1 Bar of  Finely Grated Soap
1 Cup of Borax
1 Cup of Washing Soda

Mix all ingredients together. Store in an air tight container. Use 2 tablespoons per load.