How to Make Money-Saving Homemade Laundry Powder

This homemade laundry powder recipe will save you money & reduce household waste in your home!

One of my favorite pastimes is figuring out how I can effectively cut costs in my home while maintaining our quaity of life…maybe that is a lame pastime, but our home and bank account love it!

Here are a few ways that we save money:

• meal planning
• using rebate apps
• utilizing a cash envelope system
• budgeting every penny that comes into our account
• second-hand shopping
• cutting expenses like cable
• gardening
• and the list goes on.

One additional way that I am able to save a few dollars is by making my own household cleaning supplies. Homemade Laundry Powder is one of the supplies that like to make on my own when I need to cut our budget down. It is a very simple and customizable process that can save you a ton of money over time.

Making your own laundry powder is also a great way to detoxify your home. If you are making your own products then you know what you are putting into your home and onto your family member’s bodies and you can avoid ingredients that irritate your family or harm the environment.

Homemade Laundry Powder Recipe  

Homemade Laundry Powder is a highly debated topic in the homemaking world. Some people love it and other people hate it. I have never had issues using this recipe and I enjoy using it… You can try it for yourself to decide if it will work for your family or not.

Ingredient List:

• 1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

Super Washing Soda acts as a detergent booster as well as a stain fighter.

• 1 cup Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

Baking Soda deodorizes, balances pH, and fights stains.

• 1/2 Bar Soap

Soap works to cleanse and remove stains from your clothing.

I have been using Fels Naptha bar soap this time because I had some left over from another project, but you could use Castile, Zote, Ivory, or a homemade soap. I have heard the best reviews about Castile soap and Ivory soap, but I haven’t personally used those in my recipes yet.

• 10 Drops of Essential Oil

I like to use Lemon and Tea Tree Essential Oils to deodorize and to act as antibacterial & anti fungal agents. Sometimes I also add Lavender for a floral scent. (5 drops each)

• *1 cup of OxiClean

OxiClean is a great stain remover, but this ingredient is an optional one.

It can be added for stain treatment if you wish, but I usually leave that out. I keep a little SunOxy (a generic OxiClean) for loads that are very heavily soiled. You can even make your own Oxygen booster by putting equal parts of peroxide and washing soda directly on stains to pretreat.

• *Borax and Kosher Salt

Borax increases the stain-fighting power of your laundry powder. Kosher salt can break down hard water deposits and soften your clothing. Do not use Epsom salts because they will make your water harder. I do not typically use either of these, but they can be added to your homemade laundry powder if you choose to use them.

Directions:

Step 1: Measure the Ingredients

Measure the baking soda and washing soda out and place them into your container. I like to use a large glass jar to hold my homemade laundry powder. Choose a container that has a wide mouth so you can easily scoop your powder out.

Step 2: Grate the Soap

Grate the 1/2 bar of soap finely so that it will dissolve well when you add it to the wash. You can use a Grater or a Mandoline for this step.

Step 3: Add the Essential Oils

Now you can add the essential oils into the powder mix. I suggest using Tea Tree oil mixed with any other oil that has a scent you fancy. As I mentioned earlier, I use Tea Tre, Lavender, and Lemon Essential Oils.

Step 4: Mix it all up

Use a Stick Blenders or a Food Processor to mix all of the ingredients until they are combined well and the soap pieces are almost powdered.

Step 5: Add to Laundry

You only need to use 2 TBSP of this homemade laundry powder per load of laundry! I usually only use 1 TBSP for lightly soiled loads and 2 TBSP for a heavily soiled load.

You can also add 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar in the rinse compartment to help lift salt deposits and soften your clothing if you chose to forgo the kosher salt. Wool dryer balls with a couple drops of essential oil are also a great option for softening fabric..

These Fair Trade Wool Dryer Balls are so stinkin’ precious and since they are Fair Trade, you can feel good about where they come from.

Homemade Laundry Powder Price Breakdown:

• Washing Soda– One box costs $3.81 and that is enough for seven batches. That comes out to $0.54/batch for the washing soda.
• Baking soda– One box of baking soda is $2.35 and you can get eight batches out of that. So that cost is $0.29/batch.
• Soap– One bar of soap is about $1 depending on the brand so 1/2 a bar would be $0.50.
• Essential oil– about $0.15/10 drops

TOTAL= $1.48/batch

This recipe makes enough powder for 16 loads so $1.48/16= about $0.09/load!!!

Compare that to $0.20/load with Tide HE Turbo Powder!

If you would like to view the video tutorial, just click the play button below!

>>More Homemade Cleaning Supplies<<

• How to Make Homemade Hand Sanitizer with Aloe Vera
• Homemade Dish Detergent Cubes
• How to Make a 4-Ingredient Homemade All-Purpose Spray

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