Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
Ingredients Needed
This recipe, made with simple ingredients, makes 1 gallon of homemade soap.
1 cup borax (freshens, deodorizes, and lifts dirt and stains)
1 cup washing soda (freshens and deodorizes)
1 cup liquid castile soap or Sal Suds (the main cleaning agent, lifts dirt and cleans)
50 drops essential oil (optional for a scent)
15 cups water (distilled water, found in any grocery store, is best as it doesn’t contain containments found in tap or filtered water)
Step 1: Boil 6 Cups of Water
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring 6 cups of water to a slight boil. Once the water begins to boil, turn off the burner.
Step 2: Add Borax, Washing Soda, More Water, and Castile Soap
Add the Borax and washing soda. Stir to dissolve. Then add 9 cups of room-temperature water and 1 cup of liquid castile soap. Give the ingredients a stir to combine.
Step 3: Cool for 5-10 Minutes
Allow the soap to cool for a few minutes before pouring into one large gallon-size jar or smaller containers, like quart-size jars. Make sure your jar(s) are heat-safe. If not, wait until the soap is cool, then spoon the soap into the jar(s).
If you’re reusing an old detergent bottle, make sure the soap is fully cool before adding to a plastic container.
Step 4: Add Essential Oil For Scent
Add an essential oil of choice (if using) to the soap (now in the jar) and stir to combine with the detergent.
The essential oil will add a subtle fragrance, but shouldn’t be added until the soap cools as heat will cause the essential oil to evaporate.