Saving with Homemade Laundry Soap

Making frugal laundry soap is one smart, easy way to steward our resources purposefully. I spend no more than ten dollars per year on laundry products, total.

The original recipe was given to me at one of my bridal showers along with a ready-made five-gallon bucket full of the laundry soap (a genius gift, by the way!). We used that original bucket of soap for the first four months of our marriage before I finally got to make my own batch. Each bucket full since then has lasted the two of us about four months, and each costs me less than $3.00 to make.


We love how this laundry soap cleans and the way it smells! I've simplified the original recipe that was given to me, just a tad.

Without further ado...

1 bar Fels-Naptha laundry soap, grated
1 ½ cups Borax
1 ½ cups Washing Soda

In a large pot, heat 12 cups water. Pour grated Fels-Naptha into it and melt.
Once melted smooth, add Borax and Washing Soda until well mixed.
Pour mixture into 5-gallon bucket. Add hot water to bucket until full, stirring to keep well-mixed.

Use ½ cup - 1 cup per load.

That's it! I use a long scrap of wood to stir this large amount of detergent; something like a sturdy yardstick would work well. It's okay if the detergent separates a bit and becomes lumpy. I usually just give it a quick stir before I start using it.

Although the soap smells lovely on its own, sometimes I add a few drops of essential oil. I personally like a combo of patchouli and lavender oils.

Another tip: I've found it extraordinarily easier to put the Fels-Naptha bar into my mini food processor rather than grating it by hand. The smaller the particles of soap, the smoother and easier it will melt.