How to Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

Making Liquid Laundry Soap with Soap Nuts

Combine the soap nuts and water. Transfer the soap nuts to a large saucepan. Pour the water over the nuts and put a lid on the saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a boil. Soap nuts, which are also called soap berries, are the fruit from the Sapindus shrub, a plant in the lychee family that’s native to parts of India and Nepal. Soapnut shells naturally contain saponin, which is a surfactant, making these berries an ideal biodegradable alternative to commercial laundry detergent. Soap nuts can be purchased in health food stores, alternative grocers, and online.

Boil the mixture for 30 minutes. When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium-low and continue simmering for half an hour. This will give the soap nuts time to release their saponins into the water. Watch the mixture carefully as it boils, as soap nut water is prone to boiling over in a sudsy mess.

Remove the lid and boil for another 30 minutes. When the mixture has boiled for 30 minutes, remove the lid and keep simmering for another half hour. As the soap nuts boil, mash the shells gently with the back of a fork a few times to help them release more saponins. As the mixture boils with the lid off, the water will reduce and create a more concentrated detergent.

Strain and cool the liquid. Once the water has simmered and reduced, remove the pot from the heat. Position a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the liquid into the strainer to remove the soap nuts. Set the liquid aside to cool to room temperature, about an hour. Leave the soap nuts in the strainer to cool as well. This quantity of water and soap nuts will yield about 3¾ cups (881 ml) of detergent.

Transfer the liquid to an easy-pour container. As soon as the liquid is cool enough to handle, insert a funnel into a clean glass or plastic bottle. Pour the liquid into the bottle through the funnel. Remove the funnel and screw the lid onto the container. It’s best to use a container with an airtight lid, as this will help preserve the detergent longer.

Store the soap nuts. When the soap nuts have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer until it’s time to make more detergent. Soap nuts can be reused in this way about three times, or until there are no saponins left in the shells.

Store the mixture in the refrigerator. Soap nut liquid will go bad within a few days if it’s left in the heat, so be sure to store the detergent in the refrigerator. The mixture will last for up to two weeks as long as you keep it chilled. For even longer lasting detergent, fill a clean ice cube tray with the soap nut liquid. When the liquid is frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag for storage.

Use a couple of tablespoons per load of laundry. When it’s time to do laundry, add 2 tablespoons of soap nut detergent to the drum or detergent compartment of your washing machine. You can use this detergent with regular and high-efficiency machines. Run your cycle as usual.

Making Soap-Based Powdered Detergent

Grate the bar soap. Use a cheese grater to grate the soap into small flakes. For easier cleanup, hold the cheese grater over a bowl and grate the soap right into the bowl. Grating will make the soap easier to process into a powder-like substance. 10 ounces (283 g) of bar soap is roughly equivalent to two bars of soap. Ideal soaps for this recipe include castile soap, Zote laundry soap, and Fels-Naptha. Because the soap may permanently flavor your cheese grater, you may want to use a separate grater for detergent making.

Pulse the soap in a food processor. Transfer the soak flakes to a food processor. Pulse the soap for one to two minutes, until the flakes have been reduced to a coarse powder. The soap may flavor your food processor as well, so you may want to use a separate one for detergent versus food. If you don’t have a food processor, you can add the soap flakes to the detergent as is. Don’t process the washing soda and borax in the food processor, as the dust can irritate your lungs.

Combine all the ingredients. Transfer the powdered soap to a large mixing bowl. Add the washing soda, borax, and essential oil (such as lavender or lemon). Whisk the mixture together to incorporate all the ingredients. You want a uniform powder so that each scoop will contain the same quantity of the different ingredients. Other cleaning and washing ingredients you can add to this mixture include 14 ounces (397 g) of Epsom salt, or 1 pound (454 g) of OxiClean powder. Washing soda, or sodium carbonate, is chemically similar to baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), but washing soda is an inedible alkaline powder that’s used for cutting grease and cleaning.

Transfer the mixture to an airtight jar. When you have finished mixing the detergent, pour the powder into a container with an airtight lid. Good containers include mason jars, clean bottles, or sealable plastic cereal containers.

Use a small amount of detergent for each load of laundry. When it’s time to do a load of laundry, add 1 tablespoon of powder to a high-efficiency washer, or 2 tablespoons to a regular washer. Because the powder contains grated bar soap, it will work best with warm and hot washes.

Making Soap-Based Liquid Detergent

Combine the borax, washing soda, and liquid soap. Whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl. Remove as many lumps as you can, as the liquid soap will likely cause clumps to form in the powder. Soaps you can use for this recipe include liquid castile soap and a mild liquid dish soap.

Boil the water. Transfer 4 cups (940 ml) of water to a saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil, and then turn off the heat and remove the pan from the element. You can also boil the water in a kettle.

Add the water to the other ingredients. When the water has boiled, pour it into the bowl with the other detergent ingredients. Whisk the mixture to combine all the ingredients and dissolve the powders in the hot water. Set the mixture aside to cool to room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Transfer the soap to a large container and add cold water. When the mixture has cooled, pour it into a clean 1-gallon (3.8-L) juice jug or other similar container. Then, fill the jug the rest of the way with cold water, which will require an additional 10 cups (2.35 L) or so.

Shake before each use. Some of the ingredients will settle to the bottom of the mixture over time, so make sure you give the jug a good shake before adding the liquid to the washing machine. For each load of laundry, use ⅓ cup (78 ml) of this liquid soap.