How to Make Natural Laundry Soap | Simple DIY Recipes That Work

For the full breakdown, see our best Eco-Friendly Laundry Soap guide.

Making your own laundry soap is a practical way to control exactly what touches your family’s clothes and skin. Whether you’re after a simple liquid detergent for a front-loader or a powder that tackles tough stains, the basic ingredients cost pennies compared to store-bought options. Here’s how to mix up a batch in about fifteen minutes. If you’d rather skip the DIY and buy a tried-and-tested product instead, we’ve rounded up the best eco-friendly laundry soap options available today.

Why Make Your Own Natural Laundry Soap?

DIY laundry soap lets you skip the long ingredient lists of commercial detergents with their dyes, optical brighteners, and synthetic fragrances. Most recipes call for just two or three base ingredients you can find at any grocery store or natural foods co-op.

The trade-off is performance. These homemade blends are true soaps, not synthetic detergents, so they may struggle with heavy stains or hard water. If you have a high-efficiency washer, keep doses small — about a tablespoon for a regular load — since these recipes won’t suds up like commercial detergent.

Powder Laundry Soap Recipe

Powder is the easiest place to start, with no heating and no waiting for a gel to set.

• 1 cup washing soda
• 1 cup scented baking soda
• 1 cup soap flakes or finely grated pure bar soap

Grate the bar soap finely — the smaller the shreds, the faster they dissolve in cold water. Combine all three ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Transfer to a heavy plastic container with a lid and use roughly ½ cup per average load. Wear gloves or use a spoon when handling washing soda and borax; they can be drying or irritating to skin.

Liquid Natural Laundry Soap Recipes

Quick No-Cook Liquid Soap

This simple recipe comes together in minutes with ingredients you can whisk right in a jar:

• ¼ cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 tablespoon glycerin
• ¾ cup water
• 10–15 drops essential oil (optional)

Combine everything in a large container and shake gently. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load — any more and you risk residue in a high-efficiency machine. The vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener while the glycerin helps lift dirt.

Hot-Water Liquid Soap

For a larger batch that handles heavier loads, this cooked method works well:

• 7 liters hot water
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup liquid castile soap
• ⅓ cup coarse salt

Stir the baking soda and salt into the hot water until fully dissolved, then add the castile soap and mix. Spoon it into a lidded bucket and store at room temperature.

Soap-Granule Gel Recipe

This one sets into a gel as it cools, which makes it easy to scoop:

• 7 liters water
• 1 cup soap granules
• ½ cup baking soda
• ½ cup washing soda
• 10–20 drops essential oil (optional)

Dissolve the soap granules in hot water first, then add the dry ingredients and stir. Let the mixture cool overnight — it will thicken into a gel you can dose by the tablespoon. Stir gently while it’s warm; the David Suzuki Foundation’s earth-friendly laundry soap guide cautions that hot soap mixtures can bubble over if beaten too vigorously.

Tips for Using Your Homemade Laundry Soap

Whatever recipe you choose, a few habits keep your washer happy and your clothes clean:

• Start small. Use 1 tablespoon for a regular load and adjust upward only if clothes come out smelling less than fresh.
• Dissolve first. For powder, mix it with a cup of warm water before adding to the machine to prevent clumping on fabric.
• Test a swatch. If you add essential oils, spot-test on an inside seam first — some oils can stain light fabrics.
• Skip the borax if your skin is sensitive. Swap it for an extra ½ cup of washing soda instead.

The biggest adjustment is expectations: these DIY blends clean everyday dirt and odors, but they’re not stain-strippers. For heavily soiled work clothes or set-in spots, you may need to pre-treat or add a commercial detergent booster.

DIY recipes vary widely and none are officially standardized, so treat your first batch as a starting point. If homemade soap doesn’t measure up to your standards, a well-formulated eco-friendly option may suit your routine better — check out our roundup of recommended eco-friendly laundry soaps to compare what commercial brands offer.