Homemade Laundry Detergent: Budget-Friendly 6-Month Supply
Have you ever wondered how laundry detergent companies create their products? Basically all they are doing is mixing ingredients together to make their own laundry detergent soap mixture to sell.
I am just wondering why it took us this long to figure this out? We can make our own homemade detergent and save so much money by not buying those commercial detergents.
I mean why can’t we mix our own homemade laundry detergent at our house?
Well, we can and that is exactly what we did! I was shocked how well it worked the first time we washed our first couple loads of laundry. Not only did it give us really clean clothes, they also came out of the dryer smelling amazing. It really did an amazing job cleaning our clothes and not just covering up stink with a good smell.
As a personal preference we didn’t add any fabric softener, which isn’t great for clothes anyway. I also have sensitive skin so I can’t use fabric softeners even if I wanted to.
But that’s not all…
We managed to create a 6-month supply for just $60, and we’ve got the receipts to prove it! Imagine spending $60 and less than 20 minutes of your time to make it. Then you have laundry soap for the next half-year.
Keep in mind this 6 month supply will vary in how long it lasts you and whether you do a lot of laundry or not. This is dependent on your house hold size for sure. We are a 3 person household. My husband, our toddler daughter and myself just to give you an idea.
You don’t have to imagine anymore. We’re here to show you exactly how we did it with only 6 simple ingredients. The best thing about this is it will take you less than 20 minutes to mix up!
This laundry detergent can be used in any load of laundry using cold water, warm water or hot water. It’s an overall great way to save money on store-bought detergent.
Let’s get started on making some laundry detergent!
Homemade Laundry Detergent Ingredients
We found all the dry ingredients supplies at our local grocery store Walmart Supercenter in the laundry aisle! You can also find them all on Amazon, but it will be a little more expensive there.
If you can’t find at your local Walmart it wouldn’t hurt to check your other local grocery stores.
Shopping List:
- FOCA 176oz bag
- Gain with Downy 89 loads powder box
- Ariel (purple) 3.25lb bag
- ROMA laundry detergent (1lg 176oz bag or 10 small 17oz bags)
- Oxi Clean 5lb purple tub
- Arm & Hammer laundry booster 3lb (yellow box)
- 2 – 5 gallon buckets with lids or giant tub
Amazon sells all the items but they are more expensive. You can expect to spend closer to $90 for all the supplies. But, amazon will ship it right to your door which is nice and sometimes worth not having to brave the crowds.
Walmart you can go buy all of this off the shelf and it will cost you about $60 total! Truly the best option is if you want the convenience of it coming to your home and the amazing Walmart price. Walmart+ would make that possible for you! We love using Walmart+ all the time for so many everyday things we need delivered!
The full Walmart Shopping List
If you opt for the giant tub, ensure it’s big enough to fit two 5-gallon buckets’ worth of ingredients.
Make sure to keep your scoops that come with your Oxi Clean and Gain. You will use one of those to scoop your cups of detergent into the washing machine.
How To Make Your Homemade Laundry Detergent
First thing, before you start…I recommend you mix this up on our front porch because the soap dust does make a bit of a mess. Plus, it makes the front porch smell good for a bit!
You can also mix it inside your home. Just be prepared to do some clean up after because that soap dust does get everywhere.
It leaves this slimy thick feeling on your skin and everywhere it lands. Trying to wipe it up with a wet rag is not the way to go. You are better off just vacuuming it up dry to get rid of it. Wetting it will just make your mess even bigger.
Don’t ask me how I know this, haha oops!
Giant Tub Mixing Instructions:
- Open all your soaps and pour about half of each soap into the bucket.
- Mix with a giant spoon or broomstick until well combined.
- Add the remaining soap and mix again until thoroughly combined.
- Scoop out a small amount into a bucket for everyday use.
- Use an airtight container to store the remainder of the detergent long-term.
👇This is my preferred way of doing it.👇 Choose the way you want to mix it based on the way you want to store it!👇
5-Gallon Buckets Mixing Instructions:
- Open all your soaps and pour about half of each soap into each bucket.
- Put on the lids tightly and roll the buckets on their side back and forth to combine.
- Open the buckets to ensure they’re thoroughly combined.
- Scoop out a small amount into a bucket for everyday use.
- Use your airtight container Buckets to store the remainder of your detergent long-term.
How to Store Your Homemade Laundry Detergent
A good idea to keep in mind when choosing your mixing container. The mixing container will also serve as your long-term storage container. Keep in mind the size and shape of your container and where you will need to store it. In your laundry room or possibly somewhere else?
Ensure the lid is airtight and securely on to keep moisture out for a long time. Keeping it dry inside the container is key for long-term storage.
I like to keep smaller batches of it, like, a gallon jar size max in the cabinet above our washing machine for daily use. Simply refill the small container as needed!
Save your scoops that came with the laundry detergents you mix to use as your everyday scooper. Whether you are doing a small load or large load you can adjust the amount you scoop to fit your load size needs.
Before you go…
The savings from using our DIY Laundry Detergent Recipe are incredible!
We did the math and realized we were spending at least $600 a year on laundry soap. I’m sorry, what? THAT IS $50 minimum a month we were spending on laundry soap. Basically a tank of gas which just seems crazy to me to spend on SOAP.
The cost of everything is going up and it is not ok. Especially for necessities like this that you have to buy regularly.
Another reason why we wanted to find an alternative to save money not only for us but to help you too! We would rather you save that money making your own detergent and use that money on something else way more fun.
Guess how much we spend on laundry detergent now every year? Now, we spend a maximum of only $120 a year!
And the convenience of not having to worry about running out of soap all the time is an added bonus. No more late-night or early-morning runs to the grocery store just for laundry soap.
What would you do with that extra $500-ish dollars a year now that you’re not spending it on soap?!
Good news, you can 100% save that $500 now and start planning what else you are going to spend that on! I seriously can’t tell you how grateful I am you found this post and I truly hope it helps you so much!
Hopefully you tell all of your friends and family how you made your own laundry soap. I don’t know about you but I am ok with showing these big companies they aren’t the only way anymore.
You and all your loved ones are going to save so much money! This seriously makes me so freaking excited for you!
If or when you do this DIY, I’d love for you to tag us on Instagram so I can see what you create!
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