I’m hardly the first person to try the homemade laundry detergent (I can easily be the last) but I recently put it to the test and found that it works great! The strong, nose-twisting scent of Fels-Naptha soaps overwhelmed me at first (okay, it’s not that bad), but I was happy to find that the smell goes away after a wash, leaving clothes with a clean and crisp feel.

I don’t know which site(s) to attribute the recipe to because everyone pretty much offers the same combination of washing soda, Borax, baking soda, and Fels-Naptha soaps, just in different amounts. Some adds color booster (like Oxy Clean) and fabric softener, but I just stuck with the basic.

Here’s my version of the ever-so-popular homemade laundry detergent!

Homemade Laundry Detergent
Makes 1 gallon

Ingredients:

4 Cups Borax
4 Cups Washing Soda
4 Cups Baking Soda
2 Fels-Naptha soaps

Instruction:

Grate Fels-Naptha soap bars with cheese grater (I ran them through food processor afterward for finer grate). Pour in Borax, Washing Soda, Baking Soda, and grated soaps in a jar (I used one gallon cracker jar) and mix well. Use 2-4 tablespoons per load.