Hey Doug,

Liquid Castile soap seems possible as I’m trying to make one with peppermint liquid castile soap and peppermint essential oil.

Peppermint oil can help to remove odors from the clothes and deodorize sweaty workout clothes.

I’m not sure about using liquid soap, Doug. I’m not sure of the amount you’d need to use. Can you get it in a bar?

Hmm.. no, I haven’t had that happen here, and we wear a lot of black. I do use vinegar instead of fabric softener though, and it’s great for removing residue in clothing, in your machine and in your pipes.

Wow! 2 years. That’s fantastic. Think of all the $$ you saved, Cortny!

I haven’t seen the other recipe, Diane, but I’ve never had a problem with this recipe not getting my clothes clean. 🙂

Another recipe I’ve used has the same amount of ingredients with FelsNaptha but it only calls for a total of five gallons of water. Love these recipes but would yours be too light on the products?
Thank you.

2019 WOO!!!

Just wanted to say thanks for posting this. Came across your blog when looking to change to a Thrifty lifestyle & doing research about it.

This homemade soap detergent is my first step into the realm of thirfty + efficiency. Really exited to make it.

She meant Woolworths in Australia. They are definitely open there.

Yes, it’s white vinegar that you’ll need, Katherine.

i use ACV … should i go buy the white vinegar instead ?

Hi Diane! Wow, so that’s the same recipe as mine, but in powder form. Is your washer a top-loading machine? Because front loaders use much less water than top loaders, I worry about the powder not dissolving as the barrel doesn’t really fill with water. Also, I wash in cold water for some of my loads, and I’m not sure the powders would dissolve. In a warm or hot load in a top loader, I imagine it wouldn’t be an issue.

I use the dry powder as well. I never have trouble with it dissolving so I wonder what the advantage would be to making the liquid form. The solubility of washing soda and borax is quite high so the small amount used would easily dissolve in the wash and of course the soap will dissolve. I use one cup each of soda and borax and a personal size bar of Ivory. I grate it with my microplane and run the mixture through the food processor to get a nice, uniform powder.

If you’re in the US, a lot of people use Fels Naptha. Here in Canada, I’ve heard people say they’ve used any mild soap that doesn’t contain lotion i.e. aloe.

That sounds interesting, Lisa! I might have to make a batch!

I’ve always diluted it, Sheri. It probably would work if you didn’t but I’m not sure if it would work as well. I think diluting it, and then giving it a shake first, helps to break up the lumps that form in the bottle, and it will make for a better distribution of the detergent in the washing machine.

But it’s already laundry soap. I suppose you could use it in the recipe, but the point of using bar soap is that it’s a very inexpensive alternative to store-bought laundry detergent. Using store-bought laundry detergent in this recipe would defeat the purpose of making it to save money. If $avings isn’t the motivator for you though, sure, give it a try!

I’m not sure, Joanie. I only use the bar soap. Would you even want to use the powdered Ivory? It’s already in laundry soap form, correct? The reason we’re adding borax and Washing soda with the bar soap is to turn bath/face soap into laundry soap.

Hmm… Sorry, I can’t comment on the powder form. I’ve only ever made it in liquid. If you follow my recipe, you shouldn’t have a problem. I use vinegar when I line dry AND when I use the dryer. Our clothes never smell like vinegar. Vinegar’s odour disappears once dry.

I know! It’s crazy how expensive it is, and how the price is always increasing!

Glad you tried it, Fifa!

Girl, I wouldn’t be singing its praises and sharing it with you if it didn’t. 😉

We have no ivory brand here, but we do have the sunlight laundry soap, the yellow one, will that work also?

I use Ivory because it’s mild and “pure” (as far as soaps go), and I like the scent. In the US, they often use Fels Naphtha. Any laundry bar soap (do you have SUNLIGHT brand?) should work. I’ve also heard people say they use Castile’s brand. You want a mild, pure soap, or one designed for laundry purposes so there’s no residue. Also, you wouldn’t want to use one with aloe or lotion in it, as that maybe oily.

Many have said that they do, but some have said that you can’t. I personally can’t say one way or the other, as I’ve never tried, Chelsie. Sorry!

You’re so welcome!

I’ve never had any problems in all the years I’ve been using it, Celeste, and I’ve heard from 100’s of followers, both here on my blog, and on my fb page who have used it for years, and love it as well.

I think so. The soda and soap would be fine. Borax is a mild irritant, but it’s diluted in a lot of water with this recipe.

Thanks again!

The 90 gram is smaller than the usual bath soaps. I found another size (113 grams) online. I guess I’ll just have to grate more than 1 bar until my weighing scale says 113g 🙂

I’m not sure how large a 90 gram bar would be compared to mine, Rachelle. Is it not the size of a regular bar of soap?

You may be thinking of boric acid, Kris, which is indeed toxic. Borax is a mild irritant, so keep out of eyes and airways, but some people actually ingest a small amount daily as a dietary supplement.

Yes! I have a post about the expanding Ivory experiment on my blog, Kelli! We LOVE doing that! Isn’t it amazing? It doesn’t matter how time we watch that bar of soap expand – it impresses me every time!

If you don’t want to grate the ivory cut it in quarter size pierce and put it in the microwave! It’s expands and turns in to crumbs after you play with it! My kids love it!

Oh good! I’m so glad you got to the bottom of it! Hooray! 🙂

That did it! I was probably using about a cup before so i cut that way back. and instead of using an extra rinse i just didn’t seal the downy ball completely so it opened sooner in the cycle. Thanks for trouble shooting with me! Love your blog btw!

I wouldn’t recommend putting any other brand of soap into the microwave. You can do it with Ivory because of the high air content, but other brands could burn and potentially ruin your microwave, or worse yet, catch on fire.

Good to know. Thanks so much! 😀 I’m a little OCD. Haha

Yes, I use one of my cooking pots to make the detergent in.

The Australian Woolworths is a separate company to the Woolworths that Americans would be familiar with. It opened in the twenties and is still one of the (two) largest supermarket chains in Australia. I believe that they were originally called Wallworths Bazaar, but deliberately took on the ‘Woolworths’ name to cash in on the existing popularity of the overseas chain. Just in case you were interested… 🙂

Yes, you still cut it half and half with water, Patricia. 🙂

I mention in the article that the consistency of my detergent is different every time I make it, Patricia. Sometimes, it’s really watery. As long as you have all of the essential ingredients in there, the actual mixture is the same regardless of the consistency. It will be fine. 🙂

That is so bizarre. I’ve heard from a lot of people who use vinegar as their rinse agent, but never from anyone who’s clothes smell of vinegar afterwards. Try the extra rinse for sure. And how much are you using? I probably use about a 1/4 cup or less.

Ok I’m definitely doing something wrong then. My whites smell like vinegar for almost a week after they are washed and dried in an electric dryer. I’ll try an extra rinse cycle

I would definitely mind if my clothes smelled like vinegar. There should not be any trace of vinegar odour when you take them out of the washing machine, Dawnelle. Is your machine old? I’m wondering if it’s not rinsing your clothes thoroughly. Regardless, vinegar doesn’t smell once it’s evaporated, so when your clothes are dry, there shouldn’t be any noticeable smell.

What is your dry version?

I have hear that oxyclean is very bad for people with allergies and eczema whichmy son has vboth!

You can probably find recipes on the net for homemade detergents without Borax, Sonija. I’m not in the loop about those though. A google search should turn something up.

Not at all. The only time I get any static is when I throw something acrylic in the dryer, which doesn’t happen often.

This is from awhile back so I doubt you need the info anymore, but in case someone is like me and browses the comments and has the same question I will pipe chime in. I don’t -KNOW- exactly as I have not made this as a powder (I dislike powders) but I have seen a TON of other recipes, all pretty much the same, I also use a laundry “sauce” recipe I found online that can be used as a powder. Pretty much everything i have read said that 1 Tablespoon of the powder (or sauce) works. I can personally say that 1 TBSP of the sauce is enough so I would assume the TBSP would at least be close 😀 You can always adjust if need be!

It’s different every time, Tracy. As I mention in the post, sometimes it’s very liquid-y for me, and other times, it’s quite thick.

Yes, you can use bleach along with this recipe, Lucy.

Yep! We do that too sometimes, Julie. The hooligans love watching it grow in the microwave!

Thank you Sharon. I will give it a try.

Warming oils should work as well as essential oils, as that appears to be their base as well. Remember the purpose of essential oils in the laundry is the great smell, so any good smelling oils should work. Only a few drops would be required though. Sounds like it might be time to experiment! 🙂

I’m not sure, Shazia, as I’m unfamiliar with what warming oil is. I actually have never used essential oils with my detergent, although I know others have commented saying they like to add some for the scent. Hopefully someone will pop in and let you know how much they’d recommend.

Great suggestion, Cheryl! I never know what to do with those bars of soap!

As long as you used all the ingredients listed, it will be fine, Anna. Mine turns out different every time. Sometimes, it’s quite clear and pulpy, other times it’s thick and white. I think it depends on how long you cook the soap for and how long it takes to cool. No matter how it turns out, if all the ingredients are in there, it will work the same.

Our colours are as bright as they always were, Lyann. None of the ingredients contain any bleach, and I’ve never heard anyone suggest that their clothes fade with the detergent.

It’s actually a liquid, Sharon. Sometimes it’s a thick liquid, and sometimes it’s very liquid with gel-like blobs in it. I just give it a stir (with a whisk if it’s a thick batch), and pour it through a funnel into the jug.

I use a powdered version of this recipe on my modern cloth nappies with no ill effect. I also don’t have to strip wash as often as friends that use commercially prepared powders.

Super to know! Thanks for the tip, Lynne!

Yes, I’ve done that before, Karin. The cleaning properties didn’t appear to be affected in any way. After microwaving, it will crumble easily – no need to grate it at all. 🙂

I found this thread through your article about microwaving Ivory soap for kids. Can I microwave my Ivory soap and crumble it instead of grating a solid bar? Will it grate more easily after it’s microwaved? Will its cleaning properties be retained after microwaving?

I’ve never added any myself, Phaedra, so I’m not really sure. I think I’d be more likely to add a few drops to the jug though, rather than the big bucket.

Thanks for your reply

For those in the UK as i am, you can buy Dri-Pak Soda Crystals for around 75p – £1, Tesco’s sell them, Borax is no longer available in the UK but Dri-Pak Borax Substitute is available from most hardware stores for around £1.75 and so far i have used Doctor Bronner’s soap bar available from most health shops, i also used the Dri-Pak Laundry Boost 1/2 scoop with my whites which is around £1.75.

Thanks again for the great recipe, next is to have a go at making some make-up :D!

I think it would be easiest to transfer it into a 5 gallon pail, and top up to the 5 gallon mark with water. Then you’d fill a laundry jug with half of that detergent and half water.

I should add, that the biggest culprits when it comes to dingey whites are chlorine bleach in your wash and using an electric dryer. Both will quickly affect the whiteness of your clothing.

The detergent alone won’t brighten your whites, but Arm and Hammer washing soda is known to brighten and whiten, so you can add an extra half cup to your white load to help. If I find my whites are looking less white than usual, I add an extra 1/2 cup of the washing soda and an extra 1/2 of borax to my white load, a little eco-friendly bleach, and I line-dry the load on a sunny day. There’s nothing like the power of the sun to bleach out your whites. I generally do this once or twice a year to give my whites a boost.

Thanks for details but have not had a chance to make it yet, sick husband pensioners in older age bracket.

Hi Kristy, I’m sorry, but the liquid detergent is the only recipe that I have. I know there are powder recipes out there though if you do some googling.

Yep! It’s a minute and a half. We often do that experiment here, Amanda. I’ve used the results to make my detergent that way too!

Sunlight would likely be a great bar soap to try, Barbara. And as long as you have the Borax and Washing Soda, even if they’re different brands, it sounds like you’re good to go.

I’ve heard it can be, Cierra.

I don’t use oxy-clean, Catherine. My recipe is just borax and washing soda along with the Ivory soap and water. I’m only familiar with the liquid recipe. I’ve never used a homemade powder recipe, but I’m sure if you google it, you’ll be able to find powder recipes which tell you how much to use.

How much oxy clean do you add to your powdered mix? And how much of the powder do you put in each load (I have a front loader). I though I was being space saving by making it powdered then realized I don’t know how to use it that way!

Thanks. I found both from safe way. Detergent is really good.

Good question, Fay. I think the build up occurs more in the tubing that leads away from the machine – the drum of the machine is probably quite clean. Think about your kitchen or bathroom sink. The sink itself stays clean because of all the action it gets – friction, agitation, cloths wiping it etc. But the pipes leading away from the sink develop that gunky build up because there’s no friction or agitation in there – just the water running through. That’s my thought anyway – not sure if I’m right or wrong. lol

There are lots of online conversion sites, Kathryn. You’ll find them if you do some googling. Then you can enter exactly he amount and type of measurement you’re looking to convert.

Well, I did it and it really worked well. Thanks for sharing these things. Still missing the bubbles from the old detergent but certainly is a ‘mental’ thing, this home madre detergentes really works. Thanks a lot.

Woolworths in Victoria was known as Safeway up until a few years ago. Maybe that is where the confusion lays? Sadly we have a duopoly over here in Australia in relation to supermarkets. Aldi has made some impact, but not as much as we would like. But I digress.
Thankyou Sue, I was wondering about using the Sard. I will try to get everything for this this week while I am shopping and create some to use when I have finished up my current lot of powder

Thanks for your kind response. Will wait till tomorrow to try my first homemade laundry detergent, I’ll let you know how it went. Thanks.

Thanks for your quick response – love you site!

I’m not sure that it would work with Ivory liquid, Alfonso. I think that would cause much more sudsing than the bar soap. I personally would only recommend using the bar soap.

Yes, I wash mostly in cold, JLM.

Not necessarily, Alfonso. I mention in the post that the consistency is different for me every time I make it. Sometimes it’s thick, sometimes it’s watery. As long as all the ingredients are in there, it will work just the same.

I’m a fan of your blog and expected you to accept my point. But instead you feel like you need to be snarky and justify your decision. Where I live in the UK it’s taught to never decant ANYTHING to a container which a child might confuse for a soft drink etc. As I say, I am a fan and I expected you to be more responsible in your reply.

For the record, the tropicana jug was for photo purposes. The state of my old, used laundry detergent container is less than desirable for a blog post. I’m not sure how a detergent bottle would be any safer though. They’re not child-safe. And, as you can see, Alex, your comment was not deleted. It was simply waiting in moderation for me to approve it. I’ve been out to yoga and the soccer field, and have come home to a number of comments to approve and publish. 🙂

The clothes dryer is often the culprit when it comes to yellowing, Cindy. It’s the high heat. Chlorine bleach will also yellow your whites over time. I suppose there might be something in a commercial detergent that offsets this? Probably a blueing agent. Blueing agents add a tinge of blue to your whites, which offsets yellowing. And when you think about it, laundry detergent that you get in the store is almost always blue, so that’s my guess. Because I line-dry 3 seasons of the year, it hasn’t been an issue here. Sunlight bleaches them bright white, but if you could always use a non-chlorine bleach, don’t use the hottest setting of your dryer (heat=yellowing), and if need be, you could toss in an extra 1/2 cup of the washing soda from time to time, Cindy. It’s a whitener. If you can line-dry outdoors that’s the best for getting your whites the whitest, but that may not be an option for you. Glad you’re loving my blog! x

I have but can’t figure it out. I’d hate to waste it. Mine is lumpy though annd very watery. I gear people say there’s is gel like.

I’ve never heard of this happening, Jen. I’ve never used Fels Naptha, but I’ve heard from dozens of people who love the recipe, and dozens who use feels naphtha instead of the Ivory. I’m sorry that I can’t offer any explanation, but in 3+ years, I’ve honestly never had a single problem with my homemade detergent. Did you try googling your issue to see if it might be related to something else?

Thanks!!

Usually in grocery stores, in the laundry aisle, Shazia. I just saw some at our Metro store yesterday. I also buy it at No Frills and Independent Grocer (both owned by Lowblaws). Walmart and Canadian Tire, and possibly even Home Hardware may carry it as well.

I should add that you’ll just want to stir it well every time you refill your laundry jug. 🙂

Yes! I’ve done that before, Leslie. 🙂

Thanks!!!!!

It doesn’t really matter, Chantal because you’re just filling that jug to be a convenient working supply, so whatever container you have on hand is fine. I use an old laundry jug or vinegar jug or juice jug – whatever I have. The main supply of the detergent is kept in a 5 gallon pail, but I just fill the jug 50% of that detergent in the pail and 50% water to have a working supply handy at beside my washing machine.

Thank you:)

I think it will, Marlena. I’m fairly certain others have used that as a substitute.

I use distilled white vinegar, Teri.

Interesting, Erin. I’ve been making mine with Ivory, which is a bath bar, for 3 years now, and it’s never left a film on any of our clothing.

Actually, Fels naptha and soaps that are specifically made to use on clothing are the only bar soaps that should be used when making homemade detergent. Other bar soaps leave a film on clothing. Bath soap won’t work.

Nope. Not sure where you saw Woolworth’s mentioned. I haven’t seen one of those stores in several decades. I remember thinking they were pretty cool when I was a kid.

You still have a Woolworths?! I thought they closed down all their stores all over.

I have used a similar recipe for awhile and I love it. Though as a geologist I’d like to address something…remember that arsenic is also a naturally occuring substance. Natural does not always mean safe and chemical does not always mean dangerous (even water is a chemical…don’t knock the wonderful science of chemistry! It’s not all doom and gloom!). And now…I’m off to have my morning coffee and make a new batch of laundry detergent! Cheers! 🙂

You can use Sunlight bar soap or Fels Naptha, Regina. I believe you can use any mild soap actually.

You would want to check with your municipality about that, SLB. Sorry I can’t help, but I’m not on a system like that.

Thanks for the tip about diluting the vinegar, Lisa. I use it full strength. I’ve never thought to dilute it. Tomorrow is laundry day, so I’ll give it a try!

It’s a liquid, Barb, so wherever you’d normally add your liquid detergent – likely in the dispenser that you mention.

I have hard water…well water and I have made my own laundry soap for several years. It works wonderfully!

Interesting. Like I said – this is a concern that I’ve not heard before. When you say “dirt” do you mean mud and actual dirt? Or are you talking about food stains? Paint and marker stains? How “dirty” are the clothes to begin with. If they’re very soiled, you might add an extra half cup of the washing soda as a laundry booster. I do that from time to time if I have something that’s quite soiled i.e. someone spills spaghetti or coffee on a shirt, but quite honestly, when it comes to regular laundry, I’ve never had a problem getting my clothes clean with this detergent. Hopefully it all works out for you. 🙂

Hmmm, what’s making it “feel” like your clothes aren’t coming clean, Stacy? Do they *look* clean? If you scroll through the comment thread, you’ll see that yours is not a concern I’ve heard before. I’m not really sure what to suggest. If your clothes look clean and smell clean, it’s hard to determine what might be causing you to feel that they’re actually not. I’ve never used Fels Naptha as we can’t get it here, but many people love using that. I’ve also hear that you can use Sunlight bar soap instead of the Ivory.

(Side note, I think the laundry comes out with this really light fresh clean smell, and it is wonderful– I also use vinegar as a softener and not smell additives, so it’s all from this recipe mix. =) )

I’ve heard those that say yes, and those that say now, Sarah. I can’t say one way or the other, as I’ve never used it for diapers.

Unless your baby has a sensitivity to any of the three ingredients, yes, it’s much safer as there are no chemicals in this detergent like there are in commercial brands.

Yay! Doesn’t it go a long way?! So glad you were happy with it, Debbie! Major savings, right?

one side note, I did use my immersion blender on the concentrated batch to make it a little more consistent in texture.

No, you cannot, but there’s a link in the post which takes you to a site that shows you how you can turn baking soda into washing soda.

Thank you, Sue! This is very helpful! Now I can direct anyone who asks, here to your comment. x

Stopping by from the Hip Homeschool Hop! 🙂

Danielle
TheHandcraftedHomestead.com

I did also hear it said (read it somewhere on the BrambleBerry – a soapmaking supply store – website) that the studies that supposedly link Borax to cancer are from Borax that was directly applied…not just exposed…to the skin. Because this is laundry soap and is never directly applied I would have to see some concrete proof of the harm of a naturally occuring mineral before I stopped using it. Just my opinion!

Hi Monica, sorry, are you asking “what” can you add to get the scent natually? You can use essential oils (citrus, herb, fruit etc). They’re available in most health food stores.

Hi Linda. White vinegar – the same as you’d use for cooking or cleaning, and I just fill my rinse compartment to the “fill” line. It’s probably about 1/4 cup.

Go for it, Shirin! Nice to hear from you by the way. 🙂

No, there are a lot of recipes out there that suggest adding essential oils to homemade detergents.

You’d want to do some digging and researching. Here’s an article from Crunchy Betty to get you started. http://www.crunchybetty.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-borax-is-it-safe-or-not. I do not believe it to be harmful. Schools are permitted to use it in science experiments, while many are not allowed to use shaving cream for play. One thing I do know for sure, is that I trust Borax (which, on a side note, is not the same as boric acid) a naturally occurring mineral, to be much safer than most of the chemicals found in commercial detergent and softeners. That’s just my personal opinion though.