Making your own laundry soap is a great way to save money and make the switch to natural products. This homemade powder laundry soap only requires 3 ingredients, and it works great!
When I first started my blog, my homemade laundry soap was one of the first things I shared. I have been using that exact recipe for over 7 years, and I love that I can make 5 gallons for less than $2.
Talk about a money saver! After multiple requests, I now have a homemade powder laundry soap recipe. Â
This recipe uses similar ingredients to the liquid soap, making it very cost-effective too!
It is sensitive enough to be used with baby clothes, delicates, and even cloth diapers! You only need a couple of tablespoons per load.
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HOMEMADE POWDER LAUNDRY SOAP
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HOW TO MAKE POWDER LAUNDRY SOAP
INGREDIENTS
- 1 bar castile soap (or Fels Naptha soap bar)
- 2 cups washing soda
- 2 cups baking soda
- 30 drops lavender essential oil (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Finely grate the soap bar using a cheese grater.
- Add the shredded soap bar, washing soda, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir until well combined
- Add in essential oils.
- Store in an airtight container.
Use 2 tablespoons per load. This soap is safe to use in high-efficiency washers.
I store mine in a half-gallon glass mason jar, and I keep a tablespoon measuring spoon in the container to make it easy to measure.
A LITTLE ON THE INGREDIENTS
CASTILE SOAP BAR
If you have been around my blog long, you know my obsession with castile soap. I use it in my foaming hand soap, baby wash, shampoo, and cleaning products.
Castile soap is a very concentrated, vegetable-based soap. It is typically made out of olive oil or coconut oil. It has natural antibacterial properties that can help kill infections and germs.
Castile soap is a gentle soap making it safe on sensitive skin and babies. You can buy scented or unscented castile soap, I prefer unscented, so I can scent it how I want with my essential oils.
You can also use a Homemade Laundry Soap Bar, Fels Naptha soap bar or any other natural soap bar.
WASHING SODA
Washing soda is sodium carbonate that is dissolved in water for washing and cleaning. It is a natural cleaner and can be used to soften water. Washing soda is also neutralizing and eliminates odors.
Adding washing soda to your laundry can help remove stains and brighten clothes.
BAKING SODA
Baking soda has been used in laundry for many, many years. Â Adding it to your soap will help to soften clothes, reducing the chance for wrinkles and bringing clothes out whiter and brighter.Â
Baking soda is also very effective at eliminating odors.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Adding in essential oils is optional, but I highly recommend it. Essential oils in the powder laundry soap will have a scent that will linger in your laundry. You can use a single oil or make a blend.
I love adding in lavender or wild orange.
I share some of my favorite blends for laundry HERE.
WHY SWITCH TO HOMEMADE NATURAL LAUNDRY SOAP?
- First off, it saves a whole bunch of money. We have a large family, and just to keep up, I do at least one load of laundry per day. That doesn’t include towels, sheets, blankets, or kids playing in mud puddles.
- When I was a nanny, I remember the parents bought special soap for the kids’ clothes. When it was on the list, and I had to pick some up from the store, I couldn’t believe how expensive it was. This laundry soap is made with ingredients safe enough for babies and those with sensitive skin.
- Leading brands’ laundry soaps contain harmful ingredients that can cause skin rashes and other issues when inhaled. I love that this powder soap is made with all-natural ingredients.
BEST ESSENTIAL OILS FOR HOMEMADE POWDER 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 smell, 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.
Get your essential oils HERE.
MORE NATURAL DIY LAUNDRY POSTS
- DIY Dryer Sheets
- Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
- Natural Fabric Softener
- How to Clean a Mildewy-Smelling Washer
Making homemade laundry products is a great way to cut down on the toxins in your home and save money. Using these products is better for your skin, clothes, and they work great! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this homemade powder laundry soap with essential oils recipe.
Have you ever made your own soap? Did you add in essential oils? Tell me your favorite blends you use!
PIN IT FOR LATER
Powder Laundry Soap
Save money with this 3 ingredient laundry soap recipe made with natural ingredients.
Materials
Tools
Instructions
- Shred the soap bar using the fine grate of the box grater.
- Next, add the shredded soap, washing soda, and baking soda to a large mixing bowl, and stir the ingredients well.
- Finally, stir in the lavender essential oil.
- Transfer powder laundry soap to a 1-quart mason jar for storage.
Notes
Use 2 tablespoons of the powder laundry detergent per load.
Beverly says
Can’t wait to try this ! I am new to essential oils and I am in awe at all the ways you can use them. Thank you for sharing your creativity and knowledge.
lauraascher says
You’re welcome! I am glad you are starting to use essential oils and natural products. I am happy to share!
Christine says
Hi! I was using 1/2 cup per load, and knew somehow i missed something so went back and reread. Oopth! Hard to believe only a couple TBSP ! Thank you
Tammy says
Hi! Your videos are great! Short, sweet and to the point:) ~ recipes are the same way…thanks for sharing them! I *do* have one question about the powder laundry soap: does it ever solidify on you? I’ve made similar powder recipes (for toilet bowl cleaning and dishwasher too) and they end up becoming a slid brick! It got to the point where I just tossed them because I couldn’t get it out of the jar! So how does this one compare? Any problems? Thanks so much!
lauraascher says
Thank you so much! Glad you are enjoying my content and videos. So far I have not had any issues with my powder soap. Maybe it has something to do with weather change or the temperature in your home?
Tammy says
Thanks for responding Laura! Maybe it does…I live in New England the recipes I tried were all during this past winter, so I’m not sure. I could certainly see it happening now, in spring, or when it gets humid. I’ll try your recipe and see what happens! Thanks again!
lauraascher says
You’re welcome!! I hope it works for you! I have mine sitting in my laundry room and my house gets pretty hot during the day, 80-ish. It is still powdery.
Debra says
Hi! I love your blog, videos and DIY recipes. I always look into any product I am not familiar with. I looked up Fels Napa soap bar. The articles I read said it contains titanium Dioxide which is a carcinogen. Obviously, we don’t want to use that on our bodies but it also is known to contaminate the ocean and lakes and harm wildlife. I am just surprised you would use and recommend it. Just thought I would bring it up in case you were not aware since you use it for the kiddos. Source: https://www.livestrong.com/article/176905-information-on-fels-naptha-soap
lauraascher says
I have researched the product and found it to be safe. Thank you for the article! I will look into it further. 🙂
Mrs. says
Yes, I have read other articles as well about Fels Naptha soap containing toxins. I use a bar soap made with goat milk specifically for making your own laundry detergent! Goat Milk Stuff dot com
Mary Yeager says
Thank you for this!! I appreciate the article 🙂
Beverly says
I bought my ingredients yesterday and can’t wait to make my own laundry detergent ! I follow your page and am enjoying learning about all the benefits of essential oils. I even used your body mist recipe and had the children at church make small bottles for the mom’s on mother’s day. Thank you for sharing with us.
lauraascher says
Thank you so much for your sweet comment! I am so glad you are enjoying my content! Making those for Mother’s day was a fabulous idea.
Sandra R says
I just love your channel, website, blog etc. You never fail to impress me with your simple recipes and knowledge of oils. About the laundry powder is it ok to add borax or is it totally not necessary. I think I’m brainwashed ftom the old timey recipes😊😊
Laura says
Awww thank you so much! I don’t and it works great! I do use borax in my liquid soap. I like both!
Margaret says
Hi! I have a high efficiency washer. Is your soap recipe ok for HE washers? Thank you
Laura says
Yes!
Cortny says
I am about the worst person on the planet at math. I am trying to figure out what the powdered detergent breaks down to cost wise… I paid the same price you did for all 3 ingredients.
Alison says
Hello! I’m curious, which recipe do you personally prefer to use, liquid soap or powder soap? I’m anxious to make my own but I usually use liquid detergent. However, the powder recipe seems easier to do for a beginner 🙂
Laura says
Honestly, I use the liquid one most often and love it! It works really well!
Tina Huggins says
First off, I love all your post. How does this laundry powder work with cold washes? Does is devolve well?
Laura says
Thank you so much! Yes it works fine for cold or hot cycles. 🙂
Aggy says
Hi, are soap flakes a good substitute for the castile soap?
Laura says
You can use either one.
Annna says
How many ounces does this recipe make?
Laura says
I am not really sure. I always measure it in cups.
Eeee says
Hi there!
Is it safe for black clothes? Or the colour would fade out?
Thanks! 🙂
Laura says
I use it on all my clothing and have never had any issues with that. 🙂
Megan Kirkpatrick says
Trying your laundry soap recipe out today. Can’t wait to see how it works. Tried homemade laundry detergent in the past and never seemed to love the result. loving how I can incorporate essential oils into every area of life.
Laura says
Thank you!
Diane says
I have found that if I take the fels naphtha bar and put it in the microwave it will “grow” until it is a soft crumbly foam. Then I just crumble it in my hands to make the detergent. MUCH easier than grating the bar. It’s been awhile since I made mine, so I don’t remember how long in the microwave, but I think it was only a minute or two.
Laura says
I never thought of that! Good idea!
ANGELA says
Hi Laura , thank you for this recipe. you said Use 2 tablespoons per load. will that amount of detergent clean the clothes well for a large size load? Thank you
regards
Angela
Laura says
Yes, you only need a small amount!
Allie says
I have a front load washing machine. Do I put the detergent directly on the clothes or in the dispenser?
Laura says
I sprinkle it directly on the clothes.
Lori says
Wanting to make our own laundry detergent, hand soap and more.
Laura says
Awesome, I have recipes for all that on the blog!
Becky says
Do you find the powder laundry soap or the liquid to work better with dirty clothes? My husband is a contractor and we have a bigger property to take care of so the kids get dirty!
Laura says
I personally use the liquid soap most often.
Kay says
Would love to try your laundry detergent recipe but cannot read it because of the ads covering it!
Laura says
The recipe card is at the bottom of the post. 🙂 Sorry about the ads but it is the way I can offer so much free content to my followers.
Hayley Andersen says
Hi there! Does this recipe work with liquid castille soap also?
Laura says
This is a powder soap so I would not use the liquid soap. I have a liquid laundry soap if you want to try that instead.
Kiersten says
Hi Laura!
Could this recipe be used for hand washing clothes?
Laura says
Yes
Helen Holmes says
Hi,
I make all my own soaps but use a mixture of Coconut Oil, shea butter, olive oil, Sunflower Oil and Castor Oil. I have a surplus of bars that I cannot use to felt or otherwise – will that mix of oils and butters work in this recipie instead of the pure castille soap or will it be too oily?
Laura says
I have made my own bars for laundry soap and I used a coconut oil bar. It also works great for stains! I have the recipe on my blog, search “laundry soap bar.”
Jenny says
Do you know if this works well if you have hard water? We have our own water well and other soaps I’ve made didn’t work so good. Thanks, I’m loving all your diy recipes for natural cleaning & health and beauty products!
Laura says
We haven’t had any issues after 10 yrs of hard water!
Emily says
Have you ever had issues with the oil drops staining clothes? I’ve tried powder recipes in the past (w/o the bar soap) and would get oil stains if I used essential oils.
Laura says
Essential oils don’t stain clothing as vegetable based oils do.
Abigail says
Which of your homemade laundry detergents (powder vs. liquid) do you personally prefer to use, and do you notice any differences in the cleanliness between the two? Also, are both of these recipes safe for cloth diapering?
Laura says
I almost exclusively use the liquid detergent. Both work quite well, though!
Abby says
Thank you for all sharing all your recipes with us! I’m working on switching things in my home. Just wondering if you ever used this recipe with cloth diapers? Was it safe to use? Is it safe for avoiding detergent build up? Thanks 🙂