Easy, effective, and healthy, this is the homemade laundry powder you’ve been looking for! It’s made with simple, cheap ingredients, and does a fantastic job cleaning everything from dirty towels to work clothes to baby items.
Using non-toxic household products can be tricky on a budget, which is why I do my best to make everything I can myself. Not only do I know exactly what’s in it, but it’s so much cheaper than buying an equally non-toxic product instead.
This laundry powder is one of my favorite clean living DIYs! It’s so quick to make and I’ve found it to be extremely effective to clean all of our dirty laundry from musty towels, to my husband’s work clothes, to delicate baby items. (Though when it comes to washing cloth diapers, I use a special formula for homemade cloth diaper detergent.)
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this DIY
- How Much Money Does It Save?
- How to Use
- FAQs
- Tools You May Need
- Ingredients
- Step-By-Step Instructions
- More Natural Living DIYs
Why You’ll Love this DIY
Clean ingredients – This detergent is made with only 4 simple, clean ingredients, you can feel good about using.
Affordable – Clean laundry detergents often cost so much, but this DIY is a fraction of the price!
Effective – It does a wonderful job cleaning all types of laundry.
Easy DIY – This only takes a few minutes to put together.
How Much Money Does It Save?
The price of laundry powder ingredients and store-bought laundry detergents are always fluctuating, so it’s impossible to give an exact price comparison that will be relevant for you.
At the time of writing this post, if you leave out the tea tree oil, this detergent costs almost the exact same price as standard detergent brands such as Tide or All. However, it’s made with much cleaner ingredients.
If you buy a more expensive, clean laundry detergent, this will save a significant amount of money.
How to Use
Place the laundry in your washing machine and sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of powder (depending on the load size) over it and wash as usual.
I have personally found that the soap particles dissolve even when washing in cold water. However, if you’re concerned, before running a load, you can mix the laundry powder with hot water in a small jar and shake to dissolve before pouring over your laundry.
FAQs
There is a lot of debate on the safety of borax, however, when washing laundry I don’t see any problem using it. It doesn’t come close to food, and it’s rinsed off completely in the washer.
Yes, this detergent is low-sudsing, so it will work in an HE machine.
Yes, it is typically cheaper to make your own laundry washing powder when compared with store bought detergents made with the same type of healthy ingredients.
Tips for Success
Purchase ingredients in bulk – You’ll be able to save a lot more money than if you just buy enough for a batch or two.
Mix in a well-ventilated area – Even though these ingredients are considered “clean,” the powder can still irritate your lungs if inhaled.
Tools You May Need
This post contains affiliate links which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Ingredients
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: First, cut the bar soap into small chunks, and place it in your food processor. Grind it until it becomes a very fine powder.
Step 2: Then place the powdered soap, borax, washing soda, Oxiclean Free, and tea tree oil (if you’re using) in a large bowl and stir until well mixed.
Step 3: Finally, scoop the laundry powder into a jar or container to store.
Step 4: To wash laundry, use 2-3 tablespoons of powder per load, and wash as usual.
If you try this DIY, let me know in the comments! Tag me on Instagram @violet_rightathome
Homemade Laundry Powder
Easy, effective, and healthy, this homemade laundry powder is made with simple ingredients and does a fantastic job cleaning laundry!
Materials
- 1/2 large 8.8 ounce Castile bar soap (or 1 smaller bar)
- 2 cups Oxiclean Free
- 2 cups borax
- 2 cups washing soda
- 3 teaspoons tea tree oil (optional)
Tools
- Measuring cup and spoon
- Food processor
- Mixing bowl
- Mixing spoon
- 1/2 gallon mason jar for storing
Instructions
- Cut the bar soap into small chunks, and place it in your food processor.
- Grind it until it becomes a very fine powder.
- Place the powdered soap, borax, washing soda, Oxiclean Free, and tea tree oil (if you're using) in a large bowl and stir until well mixed.
- Scoop the laundry powder into a jar or container to store.
Notes
Using tea tree oil approximately doubles the cost of this laundry powder, however, I love its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
How to Use:
- To wash laundry, use 2-3 tablespoons of powder per load, and wash as usual.
- I have personally found that the soap particles dissolve even when washing in cold water. However, if you're concerned, before running a load, you can mix the laundry powder with hot water in a small jar and shake to dissolve before pouring over your laundry.
If you love this laundry powder, please make sure to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you!
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