Homemade Laundry Detergent

If you are looking to save money and remove harmful chemicals from your home, then you should definitely consider making your own laundry detergent. Not only is it super simple to do, it is also much safer than traditional laundry detergents you buy at the store. Some online toxin-free detergents claim to be less expensive, but in my experience, they can be pretty pricey. After finding out that you can make your own laundry detergent at home for a fraction of the price and with only a few simple ingredients, I decided to give it a try. 

After seeing some posts about homemade laundry detergent on Instagram, I realized that there are A LOT of recipes for laundry detergent. I wanted a simple recipe with minimal ingredients, but I was also curious about what each ingredient actually did so I could decide which recipe would work best for me. Here is what I found:

Epsom salt: softens fabrics, brightens whites, removes stains, reduces odors, extends clothing lifespan

Fine salt: keeps colors from bleeding, keeps colors vibrant and removes yellowing

Washing soda: removes stains, softens water, keeps dirt and grime in the water so it can be carried out

Baking soda: fights odor, softens fabric, controls suds, whitens and brightens, removes stains

Borax: whitens and brightens clothes, gets rid of odors, and softens hard water to reduce mineral deposits left behind on fabrics

Essential oils: provides fragrance and other uses depending on the oil (ie. antibacterial)

Castile soap: attracts dirt and allows the machine to rinse it away

As you can tell, a lot of these ingredients have overlapping purposes when it comes to laundry detergent. It’s important to take note of the ones that are most important to you. For instance, I know that we have hard water in our home so I knew I wanted to utilize washing soda or Borax. If you have young or messy children, you may want to consider epsom salt to help remove stains. If you prefer a scent in your laundry detergent, you could add essential oils. Ultimately, I wanted to stick to a simple recipe so I decided to go with a combination of washing soda and baking soda. I plan to experiment with other ingredients as well to see if I can tell a difference. Here is the recipe I am currently using:

2 cups baking soda

2 cup washing soda

1 cup Borax

Use about ¼ cup in each load

Vinegar (separate in the softener compartment) 

Let me know if you try this recipe!