Homemade Laundry Detergent and Wash Jar DIY
I finally tried it: Homemade Laundry Detergent! And it does work. I’m not great at math so I won’t do the calculations of my costs per load… but I do know the costs are less. Because I made my own laundry detergent I need a place to store it. I found a large glass jar at the local thrift store and painted “WASH” onto it. It looks great in my laundry room.
Homemade laundry detergent is simple to make. Here's how I made mine:
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of Borax (a natural laundry booster)
- 1.5 cups Arm & Hammer’s Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
- 1 bar of Castille soap (I used Dr. Bronner’s peppermint bar)
Directions:
- Use a cheese grater to grate up your Castille soap.
- In a food processor, blend your grated up soap and a 1/2 cup of Borax and a 1/2 cup of Washing Soda until blended (you want those shreds of soap to be small).
- Pour the blended soap into a bowl with the remaining Borax and Washing Soda. Stir until it’s all blended well.
- Pour into a jar that has a seal (keep it fresh).
- When washing your clothes: Use two tablespoons to 1/4 cups of your homemade powder per load (sprinkled onto your clothes in the wash). We usually prefer to wash in cold water, and it’s been working!
- Enjoy all that money you’re saving.
You'll need somewhere to store your homemade laundry detergent. Why not transform a plain jar into your WASH jar? With a bit of glass paint, tracing paper, and my free "WASH" printable you can make this for your home.
Head over to my blog to get the full details for making this WASH jar: https://thepapermama.com/2013/03/homemade-laundry-detergent-and-wash-jar/
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Georgi Mortensen on Mar 11, 2019
I also tried a home made soap mix and it cannot be put in the cups of HE front loaders. Has to go in with the clothes. My clothes started to look dull and drab. So not a real fan anymore.
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Beth on Apr 05, 2019
Actually, you put this laundry detergent into the dispenser just like you would the store-bought stuff with all the additives that you don't need. Perhaps with the brand of HE you have, and your putting the detergent into the washer itself on top of your clothes is what's caused them to be dull and drab. http://solarhomestead.com/homemade-liquid-he-laundry-detergent/ or http://solarhomestead.com/he-homemade-laundry-detergent/ are from someone who has an HE machine and makes and uses either of these detergents all the time. Hope this helps.
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Castile soap is made from vegetable oil. I know people use if for hair and skin. Why would you want oil based soap in you clothing?
Is it safe for colored clothes?
Can you use this homemade soap in todays front loading machines?