5 Affordable Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipes

5 affordable homemade laundry detergent recipes that you can try today.

Have you ever stopped to think about how much money you spend every month on laundry detergent?

No matter how hard you try to get rid of it, laundry is just something that has to be done regularly. If you dare skip a laundry day or two you will quickly be greeted by a pile of laundry the size of Mount Everest and every member of your family will be down to their last pair of underwear.

Not good.

With each load of laundry that you do, you use a certain amount of laundry detergent, whether liquid or powder.

When you think about how many changes of clothes your kids go through on a daily basis, how many times in a day that you have to change from getting spit-up, dirt, flour, or some other substance on your clothes, and the fact that your husband most likely goes through a pair of work clothes and then changes into casual clothes when he gets home, it can come as no surprise how many loads of laundry you’re doing, and how much money is getting spent simply on laundry each month.

My husband works a physically demanding job and often comes home with clothes that are quite filthy, so I without much thought I would always wash our clothes in hot or warm water.

With the cost of paying for washing our clothes in hot water added on top of the cost of our laundry detergent, we ended up spending a lot of money every month on laundry.

After my husband and I decided to go frugal and cut costs, I started experimenting with washing our clothes in cold water.

I started with casual clothes that didn’t get that dirty, and after realizing that they came out just as clean as if I were to wash them in hot water, I decided to try washing my husband’s work clothes in the cold water, too.

And, it worked.

Even his work clothes came out clean, so I decided there was no use in wasting money washing out clothes in hot water unless we had some clothing that was extremely dirty.

That is one way my husband and I spend less money on laundry, and the second way is by making homemade laundry detergent.

I started experimenting with homemade laundry detergent after I went grocery shopping and realized we were out of laundry soap, so I was going to pick some up while I was out.

I saw the prices that the laundry detergent was going for and it nearly knocked me off my socks. Though I had been buying this same laundry detergent for a very long time, I guess the cost never registered in my mind.

The very fact that we were paying so much money just to clean our clothes then send it down the drain baffled me – so I went home empty handed and decided to look up cheaper alternatives to the typical laundry detergent.

That’s when I came across several different laundry detergent recipes that all looked awesome and were cheap, and I decided to try my hand at making my own detergent.

I have been making and using homemade laundry detergent now for a long time, and I can confidently say I never want to go back to store-bought detergent.

If you’re ready to start saving money on laundry – making homemade laundry detergent is your best bet.

In this article, I’ll show you some of my very favorite homemade laundry detergent recipes.

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5 AFFORDABLE HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT RECIPES

1. 2 INGREDIENT DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT

This is the homemade laundry detergent that I have been using for a very long time, and I love it. I mean, it only has two ingredients so it can’t get much easier to make than that.

I found this homemade laundry detergent recipe over at CarolineVencil.com and absolutely love how well it works.

Recipe:

1 part washing soda

1 part OxiClean

I’ll admit that I was skeptical at first. I didn’t think this ingredient mixed with this one could really do that well of a job cleaning clothes (even my husband’s dirty work clothes), but it proved me wrong.

One thing I have noticed over months of using it is if my husband’s work clothes are particularly dirty or stinky, this detergent won’t fully get the smell out – so I will just throw a cup of vinegar in the wash next time I wash his work clothes.

But, keep in mind that this doesn’t happen regularly. I have been using this detergent for over 6 months and I have only had to do this to his work clothes once.

This homemade laundry detergent doesn’t have much of a smell, so your clothes won’t necessarily come out of the wash smelling like a clean scent, but they will come out smelling fresh…and clean.

You can, of course, add some essential oils to your load of laundry to add a nice scent.

I threw my OxiClean and washing soda (NOT baking soda) together in an old ice cream pail with a lid, but you can really use any container that you have laying around, as long as it can seal so no liquid gets into the powder.

This is the easiest homemade laundry detergent recipe I have come across, and I just love it. With only two ingredients it is extremely affordable and lasts a LONG time (I use about 2 TBSP for a load of laundry). Place the powder laundry detergent INSIDE the washing barrel before you put your clothes in the washing machine.

2. AMAZING DIY LIQUID LAUNDRY DETERGENT

If powder detergent isn’t your thing and you would rather use liquid laundry detergent, this simple 4-ingredient homemade laundry detergent recipe from PrettyProvidence.com is the perfect one for you.

The recipe calls for boiling water, Fels-Naptha soap bar, Washing Soda, and Borax.

You can find the entire recipe and instructions here.

3. EASY DIY LAUNDRY DETERGENT THAT COSTS JUST PENNIES A LOAD

While we’re on the topic of saving money… this homemade powder laundry detergent that costs just pennies a load is perfect for the mom who is pinching pennies. I found this recipe on FrugalFamilyHome.com and can I just say WOW – I lost track of time while I was looking around this site, there’s so much good stuff here!

This is another powder laundry detergent, and I love the bright colors it has in it. This homemade laundry detergent recipe also calls for only 4 ingredients.

Borax, Washing Soda, Naptha soap bar, and Purex crystals or Downy Unstopables(for that awesome color burst!).

Click here to find the recipe and instructions.

4. CHEMICAL-FREE LIQUID LAUNDRY DETERGENT

This liquid laundry detergent recipe is found on DwellingInHappiness.com. While so many of our everyday cleaners and detergents are filled with chemicals, this homemade laundry detergent is completely chemical-free and is an awesome way to start living healthier.

The recipe calls for water, super washing soda, baking soda, castile soap, and your favorite essential oils.

Find the recipe and instructions here.

5. POWDERED LAUNDRY DETERGENT

While this homemade laundry detergent found on SixCleverSisters.com has both the ingredients that the first laundry detergent I mentioned has, it also has a few more and as far as I can tell the extra ingredients will add an incredible scent to this powdered detergent.

The recipe calls for Arm & Hammer baking soda, Arm & Hammer super soda, Borax, OxiClean, Zote soap or Fels-Naptha soap bars, and Arm & Hammer clean sensations in-wash freshness booster.

Grab the recipe and instructions here.

By switching to washing your laundry with cold water and trading your store-bought laundry detergent in for a homemade laundry detergent you will be able to drastically lower your cost of laundry.

I have realized that washing clothes in hot or warm water is a luxury that all too many people (myself included) mistake as a necessity.

—> Want more? Find 19 more homemade laundry detergent recipes on Tips Bulletin, here!

I’m always looking for new homemade laundry detergent recipes to give a try – what’s your favorite homemade laundry detergent? Have you been using homemade laundry detergent for years, or are you just now starting?

I’d love to hear from you!