If your household is like mine, you are constantly in battle with loads of laundry. All of that washing of the laundry gets pricey. The slow and steady increase in the price of laundry detergent doesn’t help the issue either.

Many laundry detergents have harsh chemicals in them. Cleaning agents (anionic and nonionic surfactants), buffering agent, stabilizer, brightening agent, and fragrance. These ingredients make laundry soap expensive, and are not truly needed to make our clothes clean.

Just how much are we paying per load? Tide Plus Bleach Alternative ($8, amazon.com; 41 cents per load). Fragrance-free Ecover Laundry Powder Zero ($11.84, amazon.com; $1.52 per load). Gain Original($7, amazon.com; 29 cents per load). 

Over the past year, I finally decided to check into making my own laundry soap. Here is the breakdown of costs… Fels Naptha soap, $1.49 a bar. Borax, $3.27 for a 76-ounce box. Washing Soda, $4.79 for a 55-ounce box.  Per batch of laundry soap, this is $0.17  for Borax,  $0.35 for Washing Soda, and $0.50 for Fels Naptha. That is $1.02 per batch of laundry soap. PER BATCH. 

Each batch makes two gallons.  Each load of laundry uses ¼ cup. That works out to 128 loads of laundry get clean for $1.02.  that is 4/5 of ONE CENT  per load. PER LOAD, y’all. Even with the cheaper store bought detergents, I was saving  $36.00 per batch. I have many other uses for that $36.00, and I am sure that you do as well.

Once I discovered that, I was sold on the idea. The entire process took me less than ten minutes, over the course of two days.

Annie’s Homemade Laundry Soap

Grab the Fels Naptha and a grater. (I picked up one at the dollar store for $1.00.)

Grate 1/3 of the Fels Naptha bar into a saucepan.        

Add 6 cups of water and heat, stirring occasionally, until Fels Naptha is melted.

Add ½ cup (4 oz.) of Washing Soda.

Add ½ cup (4 oz.) of Borax.

Stir until dissolved.

Pour 4 cups of hot water in bucket. (I use a five gallon bucket because I am messy, but you can use a 2-gallon bucket as well.)

Pour in soap solution. Stir.

Add 22 cups (1 gallon and 6 cups) of water. Stir.

Set mixture aside for at least 24 hours.

Next day…

Grab the bucket of soap, large spoon, ladle, funnel, and old laundry soap bottles that you have scavenged from your friends and family. (or you can use any container your little heart desires.)

Waltz out to your picnic table. What’s that? You don’t have a picnic table? Then just be very careful when you are distributing the soap. I tend to get it all over the place and have to hose down the picnic table when I am finished. Because I am talented that way.

Place funnel in container.

Give the mixture a good stir. (it will settle overnight.)

Ladle mixture into containers, using funnel.

Wash out bucket and funnel.

Look proudly at what you have done. Take pictures. Dream of all money you have just saved your family. Wait for the accolades from your family for being so frugal and earth friendly at the same time. (FYI: I am still waiting on that last one.)

Note: always give your bottle of soap a good shake before using it. Since there is no stabilizing agent, it will separate as it sits. This does not take away from the cleansing power of the soap. Actually, it gives you a chance to work out any frustrations you might have, while at the same time giving you extra exercise. Also make sure to have the cap FIRMLY on container. That mistake has only happened to me once. Let’s just say that my washer and dryer got to be extra clean that day. ;)

I have found that my family loves when I make them laundry soap. My sweet mama and the boys always turn in their empty bottles for full ones. 

Placed in a quart sized Mason jar, this soap makes a lovely, inexpensive gift for a bridal or baby shower, a birthday, hostess gift or any occasion. It is gentle enough for a newborn’s clothes as well. 

I hope y’all find this recipe to be helpful and useful. As E. B. White said, "We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry."

May you always find joy in the little things.

~Annie