As another part of our quest to live more simply, I’ve decided to make our own cleaning products. It’s a way to live healthier and I’ve discovered that producing our own cleaning supplies is not only cheaper, but we know (and can pronounce) each ingredient we put in them.

Laundry detergent was the first do-it-yourself product in the realm of home cleaning supplies I attempted. I’ve only done a handful of washes with our new detergent, but so far, I am happy with the results.

five minutes and a few ingredients = fresh laundry detergent (borax-free)!

Here’s what you’ll need (makes one gallon):

  • 4 cups very hot water
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 cup liquid scented or unscented Castile soap
  • water
  • gallon jar (we used two glass growlers in our effort to go plastic-free. Post coming soon)

Here’s what to do:

Mix hot water and baking soda together. Stir until baking soda has dissolved. Add salt and stir until dissolved. Next, add your choice of liquid Castile soap. We used Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap in Lavender. It is my favorite. Slowly combine with soda and salt mixture. Pour mixture into jar of choice. Top jar with tap water until full. Give your jar a shake when ready to use. Easy, right?

homemade lavender detergent in festive growlers.

Cost Comparison:

We were purchasing our laundry detergent at Costco. For a 1.6 gallon jug of detergent, we were spending about $20. All of the ingredients listed above cost us approximately $22. With this recipe, we will make about four gallons of detergent to Costco’s 1.6 gallons. Not only do we get an all-natural detergent in our scent of choice, it’s also  a bit cheaper; easy to make too. Another bonus, we’re reusing those darling glass growlers for each batch. No plastic here, folks!