Easy DIY Powder Laundry Detergent
As a mother of four and a wife of a man that seems to change clothes three times every day, it is my reality that laundry is NEVER done. It seems I am always separating, switching, folding, or putting away. Along with our heaping hampers comes massive amounts of needed laundry detergent. I feel like I am constantly on the hunt for a detergent that destroys stains, leaves our clothes smelling clean and fresh, and doesn’t break the bank. While I have been happy with how a few perform, I have never been happy with the price. For that reason, I have made my own Easy DIY Powder Laundry Detergent.
After researching many other homemade laundry detergents out there, I created my own combination that is compatible with high efficiency (HE) washers, and I immediately fell in love with it! I have been using it for the last six weeks and haven’t been disappointed yet. Our laundry comes out clean and smelling awesome! Just a couple weeks ago, my sister-in-law walked in as I was folding clothes and quickly asked what the great smell was. She was blown away when she found out the detergent was homemade.
She was even more shocked when I told her the cost. I was able to buy all the ingredients for just $26, and I will do about 280 loads. Yes…that is under $.10 per load. I can now proclaim that I will NEVER buy laundry detergent from a store again!
Now it is your turn to be amazed! Follow my simple instructions below and begin cleaning that laundry without cleaning out your wallet.
Ingredients Needed:
– OxiClean with Odor Blasters (3 pounds)
– 1 box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (55 ounces)
– 1 box of Borax (76 ounces)
– 1 box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda (4 pounds)
– 3 bars of Fels-Naptha Soap
– 1 container of Downy Unstopables – scent of your choice (19.5 ounces)
Supplies Needed:
– 5-gallon bucket with lid
– OxiClean container and scoop (I use this to store the perfect amount of detergent next to my washer.)
Step 1: Grate Fels-Naptha with a cheese grater. (My daughter had a blast with this, until I caught her trying to convince our three-year-old that it was cheese and he should eat it.)
Step 2: Pour all ingredients into a 5-gallon bucket. I randomly alternate them to help the mixing process. Once everything is in the bucket, seal the lid and start shaking.
It is that simple. This Easy DIY Powder Laundry Detergent is both affordable and effective. I store my access detergent in the sealed 5-gallon bucket and have used the OxiClean container to house a smaller portion that I keep close to my washer. The OxiClean scoop is also the perfect amount to use for one large load of laundry.
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This is SO smart! I can’t wait to try it myself!! Thanks for sharing!
Sara @ Bitz & Giggles recently posted…DIY Jewelry Cleaner
Thanks Sara! I thought about doing it for a long time, and I’m so glad I finally did! I hope you enjoy!
This is great! I have a tip for you too: I microwave the fels-naptha one bar at a time, wait a few minutes, then it crumbles easily!!
What a great tip! I will definitely be trying that next time!
How long do you microwave the bar for? What size (wattage) microwave are you using? Thanks!
I actually do not microwave my Fels-Naptha, I grate mine with a cheese grater. Happy washing!
They sell zote soap flakes
When I made this recipe a year ago, the soap left stains (like little grease marks) on the clothes :/ We ended up throwing it in the food processor to grind it down to dust, and then no more stains. Hopefully that doesn’t happen to you…ruined a lot of clothes for us 🙁
I am so sorry that happened to you! No fun at all! Luckily, I haven’t had that happen to me with my particular recipe. I love your creative way of solving the problem though! Great thinking!
It is not the soap it is the unstoppables.
I use a similar recipe but with zote soap. Have you tried this? I’m struggling with BO and sweat stains I’m wondering how yours compares to mine with zote.
I know a lot of other people that use Zote Soap, and I have heard good things. I have just always used Fels-Naptha and have had great results. I have not noticed any issues with sweat stains.
I made this tonight and LOVE the way it smells! I was wondering if you could tell me how much you actually use per load? My oxy scoop looks a lot bigger than yours. Thanks!
I use about a 1/4 cup per load. I hope this helps! Happy washing!
I too have discovered stains or grease spots on my clothing. I bought some of the Snuggle fragrance pods to throw in my washer. Didn’t realize until I took out a few light color tops that there were stains. It has taken quite a bit of effort and determination to get the stains out. Wondering if there would be a substitute to the Downy Unstoppables? I believe it is from the oil that they use in the outer shell.
I am sorry to hear that you have experienced that. I have not had any problems at all, so I really don’t know what suggestions to give you. Please let me know if you find something to substitute with. I would love to share it with other readers that have had similar questions.
I use white vinegar and essential oils, a half a cup per load. must check essential oil first place a drop on paper over night if it leaves a oil stain do not use if it dries like the paper use half a bottle to one gallon vinegar.
This is a nice post you sharing. Thank you for your good experience shared with us.Most important one is your story was dramatic.
Can you use this with high efficiency washers? If so where do I put it? In the drawer or washer?
Yes you can! I have a high efficiency washer and I put it in the detergent drawer.
I want to make this but several of the items needed, I don’t have full containers of. If I wanted to make 1/3rd of this, how much of each item would I need? Please let me know. Thanks!
I am sorry that I do not have exact measurements. Most of these items are not sold in smaller containers. I really hope this helps!
– 1/3 container OxiClean with Odor Blasters (3 pound container)
– 1/3 box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (55 ounce box)
– 1/3 box of Borax (76 ounce box)
– 1/3 box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda (4 pound box)
– 1 bars of Fels-Naptha Soap
– 1/3 container of Downy Unstopables – scent of your choice (19.5 ounce container)
I use my Keurig to get a cup of hot water, add the detergent and mix. I then pour it into my washing machine as it is filling. This helps it dissolve easier and leaves no residue on my laundry. Love this recipe, thank you
Genius! I love hearing these awesome tips! Thanks for sharing!
I cant find 76 oz box of borax but I can find 65oz where did you find the 76 oz box?
Thanks so much for the question. I started using this laundry soap a couple years ago and remember buying the Borax from our local hardware store. Since then, I have gotten it at other grocery stores and have also only been able to find the 65-ounce boxes. I am going to edit my post and recipe to reflect that. I hope you enjoy this detergent as much as I do!
I plan to make this but was wondering if I still use softener as usual or does this laundry powder do the job softener does?
To be completely honest, I love my fabric softener, so I have always used it. I can’t say how the detergent would act without it because I’ve never tried it. I’d love to know your findings if you do give it a shot! Thanks so much for stopping by InspirationalMomma.com!
I use a similar recipe and my clothes are very soft without fabric softener!! Sometimes, I add distilled white vinegar to the loads which also helps with softening!
I’ve been using this recipe for 2 years now and love it! With the shortness of things in the world I’m having the hardest time finding the arm and hammer laundry booster. Do you think it would be okay without that Ingredient or is that like the main one?
Sadly, I do believe it is one of the essential acting ingredients. I have also been so frustrated lately, not being able to find “normal” items. Hope you have luck soon.
Have you had any problems washing dark clothes in this recipe? I’m getting what looks like bleach spots on my dark clothes and not sure why. Nothing in this recipe seems to be a bleaching agent…
I have not had any issues with that. As you said, none of the ingredients should be causing it to happen.