Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

homemade laundry powder

(5 ratings)
Recipe by
Donna Brown
West TN, TN

I've been using this laundry powder for quite some time now and I'm very pleased with it. It gets your laundry clean, it smells fresh, it's environmentally safe, I'm not paying for commercial advertising and overpriced products and it works, even in the newer type washing machines.

(5 ratings)
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For homemade laundry powder

  • 1 bar
    soap (i use fels-naptha as it is a solid laundry soap used for years by our grandmothers. another solid laundry soap is zote, however, you can use ivory soap, too)
  • 1 c
    arm & hammer super washing soda (about $3.99 per box - for a 32 ounce box. i found some at wal-mart for $2.89)
  • 1 c
    20 mule team borax (76 ounce box also found at wal-mart - about $4.99 a box - this can also be used as a good cleaner for other things)
  • items needed to make:
  • measuring cup, wooden spoon, grater
  • also, have an airtight container to store your detergent in.

How To Make homemade laundry powder

  • 1
    Shave your soap on the medium-size part of your grater. Place in your storage container. Add 1 cup Borax and 1 cup Washing Soda. You don't have to, but I add about 1/2 cup of regular soda. Stir well with your wooden spoon. Then I seal the container and shake for a few minutes to distribute ingredients evenly. You can make as much as you'd like but be sure and keep within the measurements - i.e. 2 batches - 2 bars soap, 2 cups Borax, 2 cups Washing Soda. Use 1 -2 tablespoons per laundry load, depending on how dirty your clothes are. This is a very low sudsing detergent and is safe for the new front load washing machines. When using Fels-Naptha, it has a clean, citrusy smell. I also add a bit of white vinegar to the rinse cycle, however, you can use your favorite fabric softner. These ingredients used to be difficult to find, but many people are making their own laundry detergent now and they are more readily available. I know one lady who makes it for other people and I now make it for my daughter, too. If you'd like a different aroma, you can add your favorite essential oil while making it. NOTE: I was told yesterday that if you want your ingredients even finer than the grating, that after you grate it, to put it in the blender for a few pulses. It will disolve either way, it's just personal preference.

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