Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

I found this wonderful recipe online at This blog, I can teach my child and I've used it twice now and LOVE the soap. While it calls for Fels-Naptha soap, I use Dove for sensitive skin. It is what we use in the shower and the kids can use it. They have sensitive skin and eczema, so we have to be careful about laundry soap. Also, we have an old house so we have to use liquid soap to be sure we don't cause problems with the pipes under the house.




Here are the ingredients you’ll need to pick up:

• Borax ($2.99 at Walmart or Target–in the laundry aisle)
• Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT Baking Soda–$2.99 at local grocery store in laundry aisle)
• Fels-Naptha Soap Bar ($1.56 at local grocery store in laundry aisle)
• 5-gallon bucket with lid (around $4 at Home Depot)
• 10 gallon milk jugs (or other containers) that have been cleaned and rinsed (the concentrate will disperse more evenly if you go ahead and divide it up.
• OPTIONAL:  Essential Oil Drops for fragrance (we did not add this, so I am not sure how much it costs)

1.  Grate the entire bar of the Fels-Naptha soap.
2.  Put in a pot with 4 cups of hot water.  Stir continuously over medium-low heat until all of the soap flakes have dissolved and melted (about 10 minutes).
 It should be slightly foamy with no “chunks” or flakes to be found.
3.  Fill a 5-gallon bucket half-full of hot water.
4.  Pour in the soap mixture.  Add 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and 1/2 cup Borax.  Stir.
5.  Fill the rest of the 5-gallon bucket with water until it is full.  Stir again.
6.  Cover and let it sit overnight.
7.  When you open the top up the next day, it should have gelled and thickened slightly.  Stir again.
8.  Use a funnel to fill a clean laundry detergent container (or gallon-size milk jug) and fill it HALF way with the soap mixture.  Fill the other half with water and shake.

 Here is a picture of my first stash of homemade soap. I shared with family and friends so it didn't last as long as I wanted it to. BUT I didn't have to pay anything this time to start making it. I already had all the ingredients.