Learn how to make 5 gallons of laundry soap for less than $2! It worksgreat and is so simple to make.
Making laundry soap is a great place to start when trying to get rid of conventional items from your home. It’s easy, works, and is extremely cost-effective.
It takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish to make 5 gallons of all-natural laundry soap. I have been using this soap for six years and it has saved me so much money. You can use your choice of essential oils to fit the scent you are looking for.
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HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP WITH ESSENTIAL OILS INGREDIENTS
5-gallon bucket with lid (I use one similar to this one)
Cheese grater ( I use one similar to this one. I keep this one in the laundry room and have a different one for the kitchen)
30-50 drops of essential oils of choice (I list my favorites below)
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP WITH ESSENTIAL OILS INSTRUCTIONS
Add 1/2 gallon of water to your bucket. Stir in borax and washing soda.
Shred your soap bar with the cheese grater—melt soap shreds in 1 cup of water over medium heat. Stir often.
Add melted soap to the bucket and stir well.
Add essential oils of choice.
Fill the bucket the rest of the way with water. Stir until all ingredients are well combined.
Let sit overnight and then shake the bucket really well.
NOTES: I like to pour the detergent in a 1/2 gallon jar for easier handling. You can also store it in old laundry soap containers. Shake well before each use. Use 1/2 cup of detergent per load.
BEST ESSENTIAL OILS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP
LAVENDER- Lavender is a very calming, relaxing essential oil with a lovely floral smell. This one is my favorite for laundry soap.
WILD ORANGE- Invigorating, uplifting, and cleansing; wild orange is perfect for your laundry soap. It adds a fresh scent to your clean clothes.
MELALEUCA- Melaleuca is a purifying and cleansing essential oil. If you ever forgot to put wet laundry straight in the dryer when it is done, add 2-3 drops to the wet clothes and add to the dryer.
PEPPERMINT- If you like a fresh, minty scent, then this will be your oil. Peppermint makes a wonderful scent for your homemade laundry soap.
EUCALYPTUS- Eucalyptus is a great oil to add to your laundry soap during times of sickness. The oil will freshen clothes and kill germs.
LEMONGRASS- This citrus oil has an earthy smell and makes a great scent, especially for men.
ROMAN CHAMOMILE- Another calming essential oil and great for kids. Roman chamomile adds a beautiful floral scent.
CEDARWOOD- Another one for the men in your life. Cedarwood has a woodsy scent that most men enjoy and it has cleansing properties making it great for your soap.
PATCHOULI- Either you love it or hate it. I am a patchouli lover and am obsessed with the scent. This is another favorite of mine for laundry.
JASMINE- If you want to smell like a bed of flowers all day, then add jasmine to your laundry soap. Jasmine is very calming and can help with stress and anxious feelings.
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP WITH ESSENTIAL OILS BLENDS
CITRUS BLISS
20 drops wild orange
15 drops lemon
10 drops lime
5 drops grapefruit
FLORAL SENSATION
20 drops lavender
15 drops jasmine
10 drops pachouli
5 drops clary sage
GENTLE FOR BABY
25 drops lavender
10 drops roman chamomile
ODOR CONTROL
20 drops eucalyptus
15 drops melaleuca
10 drops lemon
5 drops peppermint
HOMEMADE FABRIC SOFTENER
INGREDIENTS
1/2 gallon white vinegar
1 cup baking soda
10 drops clove essential oil
5 drops of lemon essential oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all the ingredients in a gallon-size container.
Shake until all ingredients are mixed well.
Add 1/4 cup to each load.
HOMEMADE ALL NATURAL BLEACH
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
10 drops of lemon essential oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix ingredients together and add to the bleach compartment of the washing machine.
DRYER BALLS
“GET YOURSELF SOME DRYER BALLS!”
Real-wool dryer balls are a non-toxic way to soften your fabrics.
And, you can throw a few drops of lavender or orange essential oil on them before you throw them in. Your family will thank you.
I use to add a few drops of lavender to a clean sock or washcloth and add it to the dryer. I thought it was doing the same thing as dryer balls until I actually got dryer balls.
Dryer balls have made my clothes softer and they dry faster than before.
Let’s talk laundry! If you have any more recipes, share them with me. I love to hear from you and bounce new ideas off each other.
I hope this post was helpful and you will find these recipes useful.
HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP WITH ESSENTIAL OILS PRINTABLE
Homemade Laundry Soap
Prep Time5 minutes
Additional Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup Borax
1/2 cup washing soda
5 ounces fels napa soap, 1 soap bar
50 drops essential oils
5 gallons of water
Instructions
Add 1/2 gallon of water to your bucket, stir in washing soda and borax.
Shred soap bar with a cheese grater.
Melt soap shreds in 1 cup of water over medium heat. Stir often.
Add melted soap to a 5-gallon bucket and stir well.
Add essential oils of choice.
Fill the bucket the rest of the way with water.
Let sit overnight and then shake well.
Notes
Shake well before each use. Use 1/4 cup per load.
CHECK OUT MY OTHER DIY RECIPES USING YOUR ESSENTIAL OILS
I am using your recipe for laundry liquid detergent recipe in a front loader. I put 1/2 c. Of laundry detergent in the cup drawer located on top outside of washer. I’m getting bleach spots on my sheets and dish rags. So far no clothes. Is there any of these ingredients that could cause my sheets and dish rags to appear as if there are bleached spots on them. I don’t have actual bleach around so I know its not bleach.
I am a mama of many kiddos. Big family = big loads in a large capacity washer. Wondering the load size you’re using 1/2cp with. Want to adjust my detergent amount appropriately. Also….seems like not enough cleaning agent for such a large bucket of water. You really only need that small amount of borax and ws??
Thanks in advance for answering back and for the great video!
You’re welcome! I use 1/3 cup for a regular size load, if you are doing a large load you could do 3/4 cup. And yes I know it seems crazy, but that is all you need! We have been using it for 7 years and I have 4 kids. So things get pretty dirty and it works great!
I have been looking into making a few of your laundry recipes. But a few questions I have are:
1. When you make the fabric softener with the baking soda and vinegar…will it foam quite a bit?
2. Is it ok to use the softener recipe, liquid laundry detergent, and homemade bleach all together?
Thank you.
Hi Laura ! Thank you very much for all the work you’re doing. I’ve discovered your blog and YouTube channel just a few days ago, watched and read almost everything, and you made me realize all the benefits of using simple, natural homemade products, for good. One question though, I live in France and here I can’t find Borax anywhere, in stores nor online (I think it is an only professional access product here). As you use Borax in some recipes I wish to make, do you have any suggestions for a replacement product ? Again thank you, you are doing very helpful and great work !
Thank you so much for following along with me! I am so glad you are enjoying my content! Are you able to order it online? Sometimes I get it on amazon when I can’t make it to the store!
Thank you for your answer ! I can only buy “Borax substitute” on Amazon, which is sodium sesquicarbonate. As true Borax is sodium tetraborate decahydrate, I wondered if it would work. I think I’m gonna swap with baking soda as it is almost the same composition as Borax substitute, and give it a try with a small batch. Do you think it’s a good idea ?
I haven’t tried it, but I bet it will work! Good idea making it in a small batch to test it first. I do have a powder laundry soap without borax you could try too! It is washing soda and baking soda.
Hello! I made your recipe and after letting it stand overnight, there is soap shreds on top, they almost look like sauerkraut. And when I stirred the whole big bucket again I could see that maybe not everything was dissolved. Would it be better to use hot water for everything…I didn’t see that it specified in the instructions. So now I have a 5 gallon bucket of like soapy water, and a big bowl of soapy shreds. Should I try to cook down the soap again or will it not work because it had already been mixed and gelled?
Hi Lindsay! Before adding the soap shreds to the 5-gallon bucket you are supposed to melt them in water in a saucepan. Once they are completely melted you can add them to the larger bucket of water, borax, and washing soda. Let it sit overnight and the next day it is normal for it to separate. I then pour some into a half-gallon mason jar so I can shake it well before each use to make sure everything is well mixed.
Yes, that is true! Some plastics, like this bucket, are OK! It is a very thick plastic and the essential oils are very diluted in this mixture so it isn’t a problem.
What kind of container do you use for the fabric softener? The reaction between the soda and vinegar seems to be explosive;)
Do you have to stir/shake the fabric softener before using it? I noticed the baking soda settles.
Hi Laura
Just a question…I live in New Zealand and don’t have access to Fels Napa soap. I was wondering if something like a Dr Bronners bar of soap or a bar of sunlight soap would be a possible substitute in the recipe? Another product we have that sounds similar to the Fels is something called Sard Wondersoap which is a laundry soap in bar form which is fantastic at getting rid of stains.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Isn’t Fels-Napha toxic? I was doing some research and found that one of the ingredients (titanium dioxide) is a toxic carcinogen? I bought a 5 oz bar from Amazon for 0.95 cents but I ended up tossing it in the trash.
Hi. Thank you for your recipes. I want to use your fabric softener recipe. I’m currently using a laundry scent booster. Can I use the fabric softener and laundry scent booster(Epsom salt & baking soda)? Or am I suppose to only use one? Thank you
Hi loving all your recipes!! Wondering if I could substitute the soap bar with liquid Castile soap when making the laundry liquid? Or do it need to be the bar grated and melted?
Hello! I made this recently. My clothes seem to be clean and smell just fine. We live in East Texas so I’m anxious to see how it works in the summer with my husband’s work clothes! Fingers crossed that it continues to be a good fit for us! I have a few questions.
Do you use this on all your family’s clothes? I’m pregnant with my second and plan to cloth diaper after the first few months.
Also, does this detergent seem to create suds well for you? Mine hasn’t. It may just be in my mind from using conventional detergents forever, but I just wanted to check. TIA!
Hi Laura,
I was wondering if there is anything in particular that you can add to this recipe to save the color/life of the clothes? I have been using it, and maybe this is just in my head, but I am feeling like my black clothes aren’t staying that nice dark black color or my colorful clothes aren’t as bright.
I also was wondering if there is anything you can add, maybe to the dryer, to prevent static??
Thank you so much!!
I have never noticed that before. I have been using it for 10 years so maybe I am just immuned to it lol. I will have to research that! I use dryer balls for static or my homemade dryer sheets.
Hi! I’m so excited to try this out! I made a 2.5 gallon batch, melted down the soap and let it sit overnight. After 24 hrs went to shake and use it, and all the soap was separated at the top. Even after shaking it well there still seems to be hunks of soap… if this is kept in my basement where it is cooler does it tend to stay separated you think?! Still planning to use it up, but wondering if I did something wrong? Thanks!!
That is normal! It does sepetate. I pour some in a half-gallon mason jar and shake well before use. I have had readers say they use an immersion blend and that works too!
Hi! Was wondering around how much shredded soap you get from the 5oz bar? My local natural store only sells the pre shredded so wondering how much to use
Kim says
Is The homemade laundry soap compatible with front loaders?
lauraascher says
Yes it is! I have a front loader and have been using it for 7 years. I use 1/2 cup per load.
Melanie says
Hello Ms..OOH, I was wondering what is the shelf life for the DIY washing soap recipe?:)
Laura says
It is good for one year.
Gaye says
I am using your recipe for laundry liquid detergent recipe in a front loader. I put 1/2 c. Of laundry detergent in the cup drawer located on top outside of washer. I’m getting bleach spots on my sheets and dish rags. So far no clothes. Is there any of these ingredients that could cause my sheets and dish rags to appear as if there are bleached spots on them. I don’t have actual bleach around so I know its not bleach.
lauraascher says
I have never had that issue before and I have been using this recipe for 7 years so I am not sure why that would be happening.
Sarah says
How do I get the ebook you talked about?
Laura says
Get access to my online resource library here for all my free printable labels and ebooks in one place: https://ouroilyhouse.ck.page/member-resource-library.
Rebecca says
I am a mama of many kiddos. Big family = big loads in a large capacity washer. Wondering the load size you’re using 1/2cp with. Want to adjust my detergent amount appropriately. Also….seems like not enough cleaning agent for such a large bucket of water. You really only need that small amount of borax and ws??
Thanks in advance for answering back and for the great video!
Laura says
You’re welcome! I use 1/3 cup for a regular size load, if you are doing a large load you could do 3/4 cup. And yes I know it seems crazy, but that is all you need! We have been using it for 7 years and I have 4 kids. So things get pretty dirty and it works great!
Aeyla says
I have been looking into making a few of your laundry recipes. But a few questions I have are:
1. When you make the fabric softener with the baking soda and vinegar…will it foam quite a bit?
2. Is it ok to use the softener recipe, liquid laundry detergent, and homemade bleach all together?
Thank you.
Laura says
Yes, I use them together when needed. It will foam when you make it.
Aeyla says
Is ok to use the scent booster recipe with these as well?
Laura says
Yes!
Muriel says
Hi Laura ! Thank you very much for all the work you’re doing. I’ve discovered your blog and YouTube channel just a few days ago, watched and read almost everything, and you made me realize all the benefits of using simple, natural homemade products, for good. One question though, I live in France and here I can’t find Borax anywhere, in stores nor online (I think it is an only professional access product here). As you use Borax in some recipes I wish to make, do you have any suggestions for a replacement product ? Again thank you, you are doing very helpful and great work !
Laura says
Thank you so much for following along with me! I am so glad you are enjoying my content! Are you able to order it online? Sometimes I get it on amazon when I can’t make it to the store!
Muriel says
Thank you for your answer ! I can only buy “Borax substitute” on Amazon, which is sodium sesquicarbonate. As true Borax is sodium tetraborate decahydrate, I wondered if it would work. I think I’m gonna swap with baking soda as it is almost the same composition as Borax substitute, and give it a try with a small batch. Do you think it’s a good idea ?
Laura says
I haven’t tried it, but I bet it will work! Good idea making it in a small batch to test it first. I do have a powder laundry soap without borax you could try too! It is washing soda and baking soda.
Muriel says
I’ll try for sure ! Thank you so much !
Aeyla says
Oh….and the scent booster along with the laundry detergent, bleach and fabric softener
Iduna says
I would never recommend the use of borax as it has some potential health risks.
lindsay says
Hello! I made your recipe and after letting it stand overnight, there is soap shreds on top, they almost look like sauerkraut. And when I stirred the whole big bucket again I could see that maybe not everything was dissolved. Would it be better to use hot water for everything…I didn’t see that it specified in the instructions. So now I have a 5 gallon bucket of like soapy water, and a big bowl of soapy shreds. Should I try to cook down the soap again or will it not work because it had already been mixed and gelled?
Laura says
Hi Lindsay! Before adding the soap shreds to the 5-gallon bucket you are supposed to melt them in water in a saucepan. Once they are completely melted you can add them to the larger bucket of water, borax, and washing soda. Let it sit overnight and the next day it is normal for it to separate. I then pour some into a half-gallon mason jar so I can shake it well before each use to make sure everything is well mixed.
Rachel says
Just wondering if it normal for it to be a bit jelly-like when it is finished.
Laura says
Yes! I just pour some into a half gallon mason jar so I can give it a good shake before each use!
Linda says
Laura, can I use regular tap water when making the laundry soap or do I need to use distilled water? We have hard water.
Laura says
I use tap water and we have hard water too!
Sherry says
Is the plastic bucket safe with oils? I’ve always heard DONT use oils in plastic due to they will pull toxins out of the plastic.
Laura says
Yes, that is true! Some plastics, like this bucket, are OK! It is a very thick plastic and the essential oils are very diluted in this mixture so it isn’t a problem.
Rachel says
What kind of container do you use for the fabric softener? The reaction between the soda and vinegar seems to be explosive;)
Do you have to stir/shake the fabric softener before using it? I noticed the baking soda settles.
Thank you!
Laura says
I use a mason jar.
Rachelle Winter says
Hi Laura
Just a question…I live in New Zealand and don’t have access to Fels Napa soap. I was wondering if something like a Dr Bronners bar of soap or a bar of sunlight soap would be a possible substitute in the recipe? Another product we have that sounds similar to the Fels is something called Sard Wondersoap which is a laundry soap in bar form which is fantastic at getting rid of stains.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Laura says
I would use the laundry soap bar you have access too! I am sure it is similar.
Mena says
Hello…
Isn’t Fels-Napha toxic? I was doing some research and found that one of the ingredients (titanium dioxide) is a toxic carcinogen? I bought a 5 oz bar from Amazon for 0.95 cents but I ended up tossing it in the trash.
Thank you! I love your DIY’s and your recipes!
Xoxoxo
Mena
Laura says
With my research I find it to be safe. 🙂
Liz says
Hi. Thank you for your recipes. I want to use your fabric softener recipe. I’m currently using a laundry scent booster. Can I use the fabric softener and laundry scent booster(Epsom salt & baking soda)? Or am I suppose to only use one? Thank you
Laura says
You can use both. 🙂
Belinda says
Hi loving all your recipes!! Wondering if I could substitute the soap bar with liquid Castile soap when making the laundry liquid? Or do it need to be the bar grated and melted?
Thanks 😊
Laura says
I have not tried it with liquid castile so I am not sure.
Carlie says
Hello! I made this recently. My clothes seem to be clean and smell just fine. We live in East Texas so I’m anxious to see how it works in the summer with my husband’s work clothes! Fingers crossed that it continues to be a good fit for us! I have a few questions.
Do you use this on all your family’s clothes? I’m pregnant with my second and plan to cloth diaper after the first few months.
Also, does this detergent seem to create suds well for you? Mine hasn’t. It may just be in my mind from using conventional detergents forever, but I just wanted to check. TIA!
Laura says
I am so glad you like it! I use it for my whole family. When I am cloth diapering I use my powder laundry soap for those.
Jill says
Hi Laura,
I was wondering if there is anything in particular that you can add to this recipe to save the color/life of the clothes? I have been using it, and maybe this is just in my head, but I am feeling like my black clothes aren’t staying that nice dark black color or my colorful clothes aren’t as bright.
I also was wondering if there is anything you can add, maybe to the dryer, to prevent static??
Thank you so much!!
Laura says
I have never noticed that before. I have been using it for 10 years so maybe I am just immuned to it lol. I will have to research that! I use dryer balls for static or my homemade dryer sheets.
Hayley Godwin says
Hi! I’m so excited to try this out! I made a 2.5 gallon batch, melted down the soap and let it sit overnight. After 24 hrs went to shake and use it, and all the soap was separated at the top. Even after shaking it well there still seems to be hunks of soap… if this is kept in my basement where it is cooler does it tend to stay separated you think?! Still planning to use it up, but wondering if I did something wrong? Thanks!!
Laura says
That is normal! It does sepetate. I pour some in a half-gallon mason jar and shake well before use. I have had readers say they use an immersion blend and that works too!
Keisi says
Hi! Was wondering around how much shredded soap you get from the 5oz bar? My local natural store only sells the pre shredded so wondering how much to use
Thank you