If your family is like mine, with kids that play in the mud or husbands that work in construction… You know how frustrating it is to buy super expensive laundry detergents from the store. And just to know that there is a good chance you’ll have clothes coming out needing a rewash. And besides, do you really want some of those unpronounceable chemical ingredients on your clothes? I didn’t think so.
Starting Off With Liquid
Back in 2006 we had our first son. His sensitive skin broke out with any store bought laundry soap, and any store bought bath soap, I about lost my mind. I took things into my own hands and figured out a way to make my own laundry liquid. And it worked!
By 2009 our second son arrived, and he too had sensitive little baby skin. That’s when I took a deep dive into making natural cold process bar soaps. By 2010, I started my own little online soap shop selling those soaps.
As time went on, I knew that my liquid laundry soap, tho worked well, was getting in my way. Not only taking time to set up, but at the time my tiny laundry closet just wasn’t big enough for a 5 gallon bucket of liquid laundry soap.
Switching To Powder
Hand grating multiple felz naptha bars, stirring to dissolve the powders, standing over the giant pot and burner in the garage to heat it all. It was a lot of work. I’m talking hours. And after that, we had to wait 24 hours for it all to set up and thicken into more of a gel consistency. Then, lugging around a 5 gallon bucket of liquid was no easy task when in a small space, and cutting the recipe would mean I’d have to go through the process more often.
I was feeling like by making liquid, I was making things more complicated than it should have been. So I started experimenting with batches of laundry powder soap.
Works Great For Cloth Diapering
A couple more years had passed, and we welcomed our first daughter. By this time I was full swing into cloth diapering, and I loved how this soap cleaned the diapers… not gonna lie, I did try commercial soap a few times here and there, just because I was growing tired of making more batches. But I realized that I could do better. My babies didn’t have a ton of harsh chemicals in their laundry, they weren’t having skin issues, and diy laundry soap just cleans better…. And the biggest positive- it’s much cheaper.
Now, two more kids later, I finally settled on a recipe that I liked for a powdered version. I’ve been making this version for about 8 years now… when we go on vacation, I just scoop some into a zipper bag and take with. It‘s easy to make and it works on our muddy farm clothes. It doesn’t smell and it doesn’t leave any toxic residue on our clothes. And again, for all of you frugal mommas and dads….. it’s cost effective.
How I Make DIY Laundry Powder
There are some things you’ll have to order ahead, and you’ll need a clean 5 gallon bucket. If you desire to have one of those cute glass jars for your laundry room, that’s great. But this will be in your closet for your refills.
Ingredients:
- 3 – 55 ounce boxes of Washing Soda
- 3 – 4 pound boxes of Borax
- 1 – 15 pound bag or 3 boxes Baking Soda
- 10 pounds of Oxy Clean Versatile (free and clear)
- Soap flakes, which comes in bulk, but you can use for many batches
This recipe really only takes a few minutes to put together. My youngest daughter and I rotate with layering. After each layer of powder, we just give it a quick mix, and then move on to the next layer. This helps prevent getting scoops of just one type of powder in the future.
Another thing that I like to do on occasion, you can also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the powder dispenser. This will make your laundry smell nice. It really only takes about 5 minutes to put it together. I really couldn’t ask for it to be easier.
Using white vinegar helps keep the static out of laundry, it’s also an excellent deodorizer.
What About Fabric Softener?
Well, truth is that I don’t use fabric softener, at all. The commercial liquid fabric softeners are full of chemicals that I surely don’t want in my clothes. And the fabric softener sheets tend to gum up the lint tray.
So how do I keep the static cling away? White vinegar. Just fill the softener dispenser with white vinegar and it does a great job. And no, our clothes don’t smell like vinegar. It rinses out nice and clean.
Happy cleaning!
DIY Laundry Powder That ACTUALLY Works!
Equipment
- 1 5 Gallon Bucket make sure it is clean and with a lid
- 1 large wooden or metal spoon for mixing
Instructions
- 3 -55oz box Washing Soda
- 3 -4lb box Borax
- 1 - 15 pound bag Baking Soda
- 10 pounds Oxiclean Versatile stain remover (free & clear)
- 1 Cup Laundry Soap Flakes - divided
- In a large bucket, evenly layer a few scoops of each powder and a spoonful of laundry soap flakes, and blend well with large spoon.
- Repeat with layering and mixing until all the powder is combined fully.
- Use 1-3 Tablespoons per load depending on soil level.
Notes
