An Entire YEAR’S Worth of Homemade Laundry Detergent for Only $28!

Yes, you read that right. You can make a DIY laundry detergent to last you AN ENTIRE YEAR! And, even better, it’s CHEAP!

A year’s worth of laundry detergent for about $28!!

It doesn’t get much better than that! Now, ours didn’t last me an entire year (pretty dang close- 10 months), but that’s because I gave a lot of mine away. Christmas time was coming up when I made my first batch and I made cute little labels, put the detergent in little mason jars, and handed them out for gifts.

They were an amazing success!! I still have people telling me that, that’s what they want for Christmas this year (;

So, I thought since it was such a success in my home- and the home of my close friends and family- that I’d share it with you!

I know some may be thinking, “laundry detergent isn’t something you should really skimp on.” And I agree! I like my clothes not to fade, to smell wonderful, and BE CLEAN after I wash them. Thankfully, this detergent does all of that- AND MORE (have you already forgotten how much money it’ll save you?!).

Okay, let’s get started!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

You will need:

• 1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax– You can find this in the detergent aisle
• 1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda– Also found in the detergent aisle
• 1 (3 lb) Container of OxiClean– Found in the detergent aisle. Some say this is optional, but I would highly recommend using it
• 2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Zote Soap– Also, found in the detergent aisle. I could not find this at my local store, so I used Fels Naptha, either work fine
• 1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda– This is found in the cooking aisle
• 1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener– Found in the detergent aisle

I created the links for you to click on and see pictures of what the boxes actually look like so it’s easier when shopping. These links takes you to Amazon, which I did not pay those prices in my local store. Just an FYI (:

Directions:

Now that you have all the materials, it is time to start making your money saving detergent!

1.  Grating the soap- Now, this is easily the hardest part of the process. I do not have a food processor (which I hear works fabulous, but DO NOT try a blender. From what I gather it’s a complete mess!), so I used an old cheese grater that my Grandmother had. You will grate the soap into a large mixing bowl until it looks like grated cheese. Do not worry, the soap dissolves perfectly fine- even in cold water!
   

   —> I have also seen an alternative to grating the cheese by hand. You can microwave the soap and then it will literally just crumble into pieces. For this option, you will need to cut the soap into chunks. Place in the microwave for about a minute. The soap will expand, A LOT. Just let it dry and then start crumbling it into tiny bits into your mixing bowl! ((I have not tried this option yet, but you can bet I will for my next batch!))

2.  Once you have your cheese grated or crumbled, you can squeal with joy: the hardest part is now over! Grab a very large bucket, we use a 5 gallon bucket with a lid to mix and store it in. I also reuse the Purex bottles and fill those up with the detergent to keep above the washing machine and then keep the remaining in the bucket in our closet and fill up the Purex bottle as needed.
3.  Now onto the fun part: Mixing it all together! When you are mixing, it is easier to use a layering technique. Take a small amount of each ingredient and layer it on top of each other. Once you’ve created a layer of each ingredient, take a large spoon and mix them together. Then repeat the layering process until you have used all the ingredients.
4. After I am done mixing, I then fill up my two Purex bottles with the mixed detergent and place the bucket with the remaining detergent in the closet for easy access when I begin to run low.

That’s it!! You’re done!

**When using the detergent, you do not need to use a lot. A little goes a long way! You only need about 1-2 Tablespoons per load, depending on the size. Yes, you read that right- you only need 1-2 Tablespoons per load. Amazing, right? Well here’s something even better. If you use the Purex bottles, the cap that comes on the top has three measuring lines. If you measure out your detergent to the 2nd line, that’s about 2 Tablespoons. How SIMPLE is that?!?

For about $28, you have just created an amazing quality laundry detergent that can easily last you the entire year! 

I know a lot of people, majority of people actually, use high efficiency washing machines. So the question is, how does it work for those? Pretty well actually! It works so well because it doesn’t create any suds (which may take some people awhile to get use to). But no suds is actually better for your washer AND it is still getting your clothes amazingly clean!

Now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear from you! Any questions, comments, or concerns. Go out and make you a batch and let me know how it does for you. I am sure you’ll love it just as much as I do! (:

*This post contains affiliate links. By clicking on those links (bold & blue) you will be redirected to Amazon and I will receive a small commission on any purchase made.