Simple, Natural Homemade: Laundry Detergent Recipe

Be ready for laundry day with this natural homemade laundry detergent. Made with just 3 ingredients and ready in under 5 minutes, this fragrance-free detergent really couldn’t be simpler.

We've been making our own homemade laundry products for over a decade, and it still amazes me just how easy it is.

With simple household ingredients – and only a few of them! – you can replace everything in your laundry room with a homemade alternative that is eco-friendly and affordable.

We've made a few different laundry detergent recipes over the years, but this is our simplest one yet. Just 3 ingredients mixed into water is all it takes for a fragrance-free laundry detergent that works.

If you want to keep ingredients to a minimum and reduce the time commitment of making your own detergent, you will absolutely love this recipe!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easiest laundry detergent: Many liquid laundry soaps require you to dissolve a grated soap bar in warm water. If that feels like too much for you, this is your recipe! We are skipping that step and opting for liquid castile soap instead. This recipe really couldn’t be easier.
Simple ingredients: Who knew you could effectively wash laundry with just three simple ingredients?! You don’t need anything fancy, hard to find, or potentially harmful to make this DIY laundry detergent.
Borax-free: We have researched the topic extensively and we am comfortable using borax in our laundry products. However, many people prefer to avoid it or are unable to find it in their area. This homemade laundry detergent is an excellent borax-free option that works just as well.
Save money: We can’t tell you how much money we've saved over the years by making our own laundry detergent! With extremely affordable ingredients (one of which is water!), it costs pennies on the dollar to make your own laundry soap compared to purchasing it.

Materials Needed

Homemade laundry detergent ingredients on a wooden table.

Water: Be sure to use warm water so the other ingredients dissolve.
Washing soda: Sodium carbonate, also called washing soda or soda ash, is a natural cleaning agent that softens water and helps the soap lift the dirt from fabrics. It can be found in the laundry aisle of many grocery stores, hardware stores, and online.
Baking soda: Regular old baking soda from your pantry is all you need!
Castile soap: Any liquid castile soap you have on hand will work. We used unscented soap, but you can use your favorite scented castile soap if you prefer.
Storage container: A half-gallon mason jar, plastic bucket, or even a drink dispenser will work for storing your homemade laundry detergent.

How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent

Step 1: Pour half of the warm water into the glass jar or storage container.

Pouring baking soda into the glass jar with water.

Step 2: Add the baking soda and washing soda and stir until dissolved. Add the castile soap and the remaining water and stir again.

How to Use Homemade Laundry Detergent

We like to keep one of each measuring cup in our laundry room to measure with. Using DIY laundry detergent is just like using store-bought! All you need to do is add 1/4 cup of detergent to your regular washing machine or 2 tbsp of detergent for HE washers.

This laundry detergent works wonderfully with warm and cold loads, so you can keep it simple with just one container of laundry detergent for every need.

Pouring homemade laundry detergent into the soap tray of a washing machine.

Helpful Tips

Be sure to use warm water when making your DIY laundry detergent so the baking soda and washing soda dissolve properly.
If you can’t find washing soda, you can make your own! Simply bake a tray of baking soda in the oven at 400 degrees F for 1-2 hours, until it’s dull, coarse, and has a yellowish tint. Baking will release any water and carbon dioxide in the baking soda, turning it into washing soda.
This recipe is for an ultra-simple, fragrance-free laundry detergent. If you prefer scented soap, try our homemade laundry soap with essential oils. Or, you can add essential oils to this recipe.
For particularly stinky clothes, try some of the tips we share in our post on how to get the smell out of workout clothes.

A jar of homemade laundry detergent with a measuring cup and dried lavender.

Recipe FAQs

How long does homemade laundry detergent last?

If you have a big family like me, feel free to double or triple the recipe so it lasts longer! This recipe makes about 64 ounces of laundry detergent, which equals 32 loads. If you wash a load a day, that’s about a month’s worth of laundry detergent. Of course, how long it lasts depends on how much laundry you wash each week.

Can we add fragrance to our homemade laundry detergent?

You sure can. This is a fantastic fragrance-free recipe for those wishing to avoid any scented laundry soap. If you wish to add fragrance, you can add your favorite essential oils or try our scented liquid laundry soap recipe or our powder laundry soap recipe.

Can we use this detergent in our high-efficiency (HE) machine?

Yes, this DIY laundry detergent is suitable for any type of washing machine, including front loaders, top loaders, and HE machines.

More Natural Laundry Recipes

If you tried this Homemade Laundry Detergent or any other tutorial on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

5 from 8 votes

Homemade Laundry Detergent

By the studio Ascher Prep: 5 minutes minsActive: 5 minutes minsTotal: 10 minutes mins Yield: 32 loads A mason jar with homemade laundry detergent next to dried lavender and a measuring cup.

SaveSaved Pin Print Be ready for laundry day with this natural homemade laundry detergent. Made with just 3 ingredients and ready in under 5 minutes, this fragrance-free detergent really couldn't be simpler.

Equipment

1/2 gallon glass jar or bucket

Ingredients

½ gallon warm water, divided
¼ cup washing soda
¼ cup baking soda
½ cup liquid castile soap

US Customary – Metric Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Fill a bucket or jar with 1 quart of warm water.
Add the baking soda and washing soda and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve.
Add the remaining water (another quart) and the liquid castile soap and mix until well combined.
Transfer the detergent to a storage container.
Use 1/4 cup of laundry detergent per load.

Video

Notes

- Use 1/4 cup per load for regular washing machines or 2 tbsp per load for HE washers.
- It is natural for the ingredients to separate. Shake well before each use.
- Be sure to use warm water when making your DIY laundry detergent so the baking soda and washing soda dissolve properly.
- If you can’t find washing soda, you can make your own! Simply bake a tray of baking soda in the oven at 400 degrees F for 1-2 hours, until it’s dull, coarse, and has a yellowish tint. Baking will release any water and carbon dioxide in the baking soda, turning it into washing soda.
- This recipe is for an ultra-simple, fragrance-free laundry detergent. If you prefer scented soap, try our homemade laundry soap with essential oils. Or, you can add essential oils to this recipe.
- For particularly smelly clothes, try some of the tips we share in our post on how to get the smell out of workout clothes.

Tried this recipe?Mention @our_oily_house or tag #ouroilyhouse! This recipe is for your own viewing pleasure and is not meant for healing purposes. Readers must perform their own research and tests before making any recipe.