How to Make Homemade Laundry Detergent that Actually Works

Rachel BroughamRachel BroughamUpdated: Feb. 23, 2023

Making homemade laundry detergent can help save you money, not to mention you can eliminate harmful ingredients that can hurt the environment and cause skin irritation. Plus, once you have the ingredients on hand, it’s easy to make.

homemade laundry detergent iva/Shutterstock

Making homemade laundry detergent can help save you money, not to mention you can eliminate harmful ingredients that can hurt the environment and cause skin irritation. Plus, once you have the ingredients on hand, it’s easy to make.

Dr. Josh Axe, a certified doctor of natural medicine, is founder of the natural health website DrAxe.com. The website focuses on natural medicine and healthy lifestyles and includes a group of credentialed editors, writers and a Medical Review Board. Dr. Axe offers up this simple recipe for homemade laundry detergent.

Ingredients

Directions

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Use 1/4 cup per large load. Just adjust accordingly, especially for high-efficiency washers. You’ll get about 12 to 15 loads per recipe.

Why this Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe Works

Castile soap is made of plant oils and is gentle on skin, yet strong enough to thoroughly clean clothes.

Washing soda or sodium carbonate, is a highly effective natural cleaning agent that is a tough stain fighter.

Baking soda is inexpensive and is an effective non-toxic cleaning agent that is safe on skin and also if ingested.

Lavender essential oil (optional) adds a light fragrance to homemade laundry detergent. Just make sure it’s high quality, 100 percent pure lavender oil. Lavender oil also has antimicrobial properties so it works well as an addition to homemade laundry detergent.

Peppermint essential oil (optional) goes well with lavender and also has natural antimicrobial properties. As with lavender oil, make sure it’s a high quality oil.

Popular Videos

ⓘ
Originally Published: March 20, 2019

Rachel Brougham
Rachel Brougham
Rachel Brougham lived through a major home renovation in 2019, knows the ups and downs of home improvement, and loves sharing tips with readers. A veteran journalist of both print and television, she’s won several awards for her writing and has covered everything from the environment and education to health care, politics and food. She’s written for several publications beyond newspapers including Bob Vila, Taste of Home and Minnesota Parent, and she currently writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column. Her memoir, Widowland, about the sudden loss of her husband, was published in 2022. She specializes in everything from home decor and design to lawn and garden, product reviews and pet care. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her tending to her garden (both vegetables and native plants), playing with her dog, watching sports with her family or getting some exercise. A native of Michigan, she currently lives in Minneapolis. An avid user of Instagram, you can follow her @RachBrougham.