Money Saving Homemade Laundry Soap that Actually Works!

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Here’s a recipe for homemade laundry soap that actually works. If you’ve wondered how to easily make laundry soap to save money, this post is for you!
homemade laundry soap

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One of the ways I have saved money in the past was to use Charlie’s Laundry Soap instead of buying more expensive laundry detergent. I used Charlie’s Laundry Soap for 3 years until the end of May, 2011. When I ran out of Charlie’s Soap in May, I decided to try to make my own. I have read lots of blog posts about making your own soap, but this one encouraged me to try. Visit Hayley’s blog for the recipe.

Money Saving Homemade Laundry Soap that Actually Works!

It was super easy to make using child labor! 🙂

homemade laundry soap

Seriously easy. It took all of 10 minutes, and half of that was finding the ingredients! It smells nice and is so soft. We had a fun homeschooling lesson on making our own soap!

Here’s the dollars and cents:

  • Baking Soda – 2.16 (Should be Washing Soda, but that’s not what I found…)
  • Borax – 3.36
  • Ivory – free after coupon
  • Total : $5.90 after 7% tax

homemade laundry soap

My take:

I’ve been using it now since the end of May. That’s long enough to know it’s not much different from the Charlie’s Soap I was using before. It’s odor-free and tough enough to clean the dirty cloth diapers I use. I’m sold! For my $6 investment, I’ve got enough soap to last me a good 4 more months (and I do A TON OF LAUNDRY!) I’m convinced it’s cheaper than the Charlie’s Soap. And I like that! 🙂

Have you made your own homemade laundry soap? What did you like most about it?

Money Saving Homemade Laundry Soap that Actually Works!

About Michelle Marine

Michelle Marine is the author of How to Raise Chickens for Meat, a long-time green-living enthusiast, and rural Iowa mom of four. She empowers families to grow and eat seasonal, local foods; to reduce their ecological footprint; and to come together through impactful travel.

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15 Comments

  1. I haven’t hear of using regular Ivory soap to make your own laundry soap. I have heard of using Fels Naptha. I was going to try to get some of that. I was planning on making my own soon as soon as I run out of what I have. I have the FREE ivory soap too. I was planning on donating it. I might just have to keep it now.

    Stop by and link up any tips you may have.

  2. Gotta love child labor help!

    I used homemade laundry soap when my son was a baby and I thought his skin reacted to it so I stopped. You make me want to try it again now that he is older.

  3. I love this soap too! It’s amazing that something so inexpensive can work so well… there’s no going back!

    1. There’s a link to the recipe in the post. I didn’t include it because I got it from my friend’s blog, so you’ll have to go there to get it! 🙂

    1. Hi Vanessa, well the original recipe is at the blog I mention in the post. But I used 2 cups soda, 2 cups borax, 1 bar of soap per recipe. Since I triple the recipe every time I make it, I actually use: 6 cups soda, 6 cups borax, 3 bars soap! 🙂

  4. Is this safe to use with HE machines? If so how much do you normally put in? I’m new to going green I normally use Tide. Do the clothes get very clean, it is safe to use on all colors? I’m very excited to help my family live a healthier life.

    1. Hi Leslie! Yes, I use this in my HE washing machine. I use only 1 tbs for a load and it is safe on all colors. 🙂 I still spray SHOUT on my really dirty clothes, and in the summer if clothes get particularly stinky from BO, hanging them outside really helps them too. Good luck!