How to make my own laundry detergent
A small-batch washing-soda powder for everyday cotton. No mystery slurry, no essential-oil dump.
- Time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Makes
- 1 jar powder
- Steps
- 6 steps
Updated Sep 5, 2026
Store jugs are surfactant plus perfume. A homemade powder will not clone Tide, and it should not try. It is a builder (washing soda) plus a little soap, used on cotton and linen — not on silk, wool, or a high-efficiency machine that hates suds.
If your water is very hard, this mix underperforms. Test one towel load before you commit a month of laundry.
What you need
Step by step
- 01
Confirm you have washing soda. Baking soda is a different salt and will not lift the same soil.
- 02
Grate the bar on the small holes until you have a packed cup. Let it sit 10 minutes so it is not damp.
- 03
Mix washing soda, grated soap, and borax if you are using it. Break clumps with a fork.
- 04
Store sealed and dry. Humidity turns this into a brick.
- 05
Top-loader: 1 tablespoon in the drum with the clothes, warm water for greasy loads. Front-loader / HE: 1 teaspoon, and only if the manual allows powdered soap. Too much foam is the failure mode.
- 06
Skip this mix on baby sleepwear with flame retardants, silk, and anything labelled dry-clean. Those are different chemistries.
Email me the checklist
Checklist email is coming soon — use Print / save PDF for now, or check the materials list above.
Notes
- Washing soda is alkaline. Gloves if your skin cracks. Keep it off marble and aluminium.
- This will not remove set-in oil the way a modern detergent does. Pretreat cuffs with a dab of dish soap.
- Do not pour leftover powder into a septic lecture — use modest doses.
Questions people ask
Helpful resources
Safety note: this is practical DIY guidance, not medical, chemical, or professional advice. Skip anything that feels unsafe for your setup.
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