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DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent

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DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent

DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent
How many of you feel like you can never catch up on your laundry! I do a load Every Single Day! I go through a lot of laundry detergent as well! My kids have sensitive skin, and I like knowing what’s going on their skin and that’s including the laundry detergent and softeners, etc. I started making my detergent a while back and I now noticed my kid’s skin aren’t irritated and there aren’t harsh chemicals in this recipe either! It’s so very easy to make and this recipe last a long time for just Pennies a load! 4 Cents to be exact!


I will share with you the easy steps to making your DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent! This recipe can be used for HE washers, Front or Top Loaders and you only need 1/4 cup maybe a 1/3 cup if it’s a HEAVY dirty load! Here is what you will need to make the detergent!

 

DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent supplies:
  • 5 Gallon Bucket – Which you can order on Amazon or go to your local home improvement store! Just make sure it comes with a lid!
  • 1 bar of Fels Naptha – Again you can order here on Amazon or most grocery stores like walmart has them. About $1.
  • Box of 20 MULE TEAM Borax About $4, but this can make 9, 5-gallon buckets from this One box!
  • Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda Detergent Booster **(NOT BAKING SODA)** – This can be purchased at Walmart or other grocery stores. About $4, but again you can use this same box to make 30 gallons of detergent
  • Mudslinger Mixer– less than $5 and free shipping! Mudslinger – This tool will make it SO much easier especially if you will continue making your own detergent or plan on making a few batches at a time! But you just attach this to a drill and it will save you so much time and energy! If you don’t plan on using this, then grab a long pair of gloves and a whisk!
  • Cheese grater
  • Funnel (if you plan on transferring the detergent to Gallon jugs or old laundry detergent container
  • Gallon jugs (5) or Empty laundry detergent jugs
  • Essential Oils – A lot of people like scented detergent so you can choose from many scents, here is where I buy my oils! This is also another great starter kit!

DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent 2

Here are the steps you need to make your DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent- 
  1. Grate the entire bar of Fels Naptha into a bowl
  2. Fill a pot with 4 cups of Hot Water and add the grated Fels Naptha to the pot
  3. Turn on Medium-High and stir slowly and wait for the Fels Naptha to melt completely, just don’t go far because it can bowl quickly and make a mess if it bowls over. So just be ready to move the pot and take it off the heat once it is melted. It normally takes about 10 minutes.
  4. Fill your 5 Gallon bucket Half Way with HOT water from your sink.
  5. Add your Hot Fels Naptha mixture into your 5 Gallon Bucket.
  6. Then Slowly add in 1 cup of the Borax and 1 cup of the Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda and mix well.
  7. If you want to add in Essential Oils now is the time to do that! I will add in about 1/2 oz to 1 oz of essential oils depending on how strong I want it!
  8. Fill the rest of your 5-gallon bucket with warm water and Stir Well! This is when that Mudslinger Mixer comes in handy. We use it to mix paint too! So much easier!
  9. Close the lid after mixing and let it sit for 24 hours! This will allow everything to settle and gel up! That’s right it will gel up! This is also why I like having gallon jugs around the house! I always save them! After 24 hours I will take my mixer again and give it a good whisk! Then I will use my funnel and transfer the detergent into gallon jugs or old laundry detergent containers! That way before I use the detergent I can give it a quick shake if need be and pour easily!**Now it will separate after a while so before using the next jugs or if it’s been a few days if you do laundry once a week give a quick shake before using. The soaps will separate and same with the oils! This is Normal!**
You can use 1/4 cup to a 1/3 cup depending on how dirty or heavy your load is! HE front loaders I have heard could use up to a 1/2 for a very heavy load!
You can still wash in cold water and you can still use bleach if need be or Oxi boosters if you prefer but even with grass stains, baby cloth diapers, this recipe does the trick and it will save you so much money!
After breaking down the cost for a 5 Gallon bucket with three ingredients it only cost $2.33! 
Shelf life is as long as you own this! If you are single, it will take you a while go through this 5-gallon bucket so if you see near the very end its getting dry just add a little hot warm and mix well! Good as new! But for us and I do a load every day it last about 6 months!!!
This also makes a GREAT baby gift! What mom would not love to get a detergent that won’t hurt or bother the skin of a baby! Or even a bridal shower gift!
If you want to learn more about DIY laundry recipes, check these out…

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7 Comments

  1. Gina
    March 24, 2016 @ 5:28 pm

    Awesome. I love that you can choose your scent from essentials oils.

  2. amee
    March 24, 2016 @ 5:37 pm

    I love this laundry soap

  3. Angie
    March 25, 2016 @ 11:45 am

    So excited to make this this weekend and not to have to clip coupons for detergent anymore!

  4. Barbara Montag
    May 28, 2016 @ 4:47 am

    I have made liquid laundry soap before.
    I like how this is done more so will be making it.
    Great savings!

  5. Anne Marie Carter
    June 4, 2016 @ 4:11 am

    Wonderful Green/DIY recipe for laundry soap. I have been planning on using Essential Oils with the lint balls that I knit to use in the dryer. I’ve decided not to use dryer sheets any longer.

  6. Michele Brosius
    June 27, 2016 @ 1:49 am

    $2.33 a gallon. This DIY recipe would definitely save me money. I can’t wait to try it!

  7. Pamela
    February 22, 2020 @ 9:56 am

    A lot of these DIY cleaners have essential oils. I have cats, and essential oils can be toxic to them.