Homemade Laundry Detergent – $23.89 for 5 gallon bucket full!

This is a super inexpensive way to make your own homemade laundry detergent. It only cost me $23.89 to make a huge 5 gallon bucket full of detergent. I got the recipe over at Farmhouseonboone.com. Best of all, these ingredients will make several five gallon buckets worth of detergent and you’ll only need to buy more bars of soap (.88 ea.), so you are really saving a lot of money in the long run!

First, purchase a five gallon bucket with lid. I got mine at Tractor Supply store. The bucket was $4.79 and the lid was $2.49.

Fill the bucket half full with water.

Grate one bar of Fels-Naptha soap ($ .88)

Melt the soap in a sauce pan along with 2 cups of water on medium heat, stirring constantly.

Once melted, pour the melted soap into the bucket of water.

(Try to make sure all the lumps are melted before moving on. This takes a bit, but you don’t want clumps if you’re using a dispenser – idea below.)

Add 1 cup Borax ($4.97 at Dollar General) into the bucket.

Then, add 1/2 cup Laundry soda ($4.17) into the bucket.

Add 30 drops of essential oil. I went with Farmhouseonboone’s suggestion and used Wild Orange essential oil ($6.59).

Stir! Put the lid on and let it sit overnight. The next day, it will be thick and slimy. Stir it well! I just used a long wooden spoon and stirred for a while.