Learn how to make homemade orange scented laundry soap with all natural ingredients for under 5 dollars.
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My Sister Laura’s Recipe
Hey friends!
I want to reintroduce you to my sister Laura from Our Oily House.
She shared with us a few weeks ago a tutorial for how to make All Natural Organic Cocoa Lip Balm.
Today she is back with another DIY recipe that you can use to keep your clothes clean, without all the junk.
I will let Laura take over, as she shares how to make homemade laundry soap.
Homemade Laundry Soap is Inexpensive
I try to make most of my household products, mostly to cut down on toxins entering the body.
The other bonus is it saves us lots of money!
Making laundry soap is super easy, and very inexpensive!
I make a 5 gallon bucket that lasts my family five months (I do a load everyday) and it cost under $5!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure HERE.
Homemade Orange Scented Laundry Soap Ingredients and Supplies
water
30 drops essential oil of choice (I like lavender or anything citrus)
Homemade Orange Scented Laundry Soap Instructions
1. Shred a 5 ounce bar of Fels Naptha Soap with a cheese grater.
2. Put the soap in a saucepan with 2 cups of water, over medium heat, and stir constantly, until the soap is all melted.
3. Fill the five gallon bucket 1/2 way with water. Add 1/2 cup Washing Soda, 1 cup Borax, and your melted soap water mixture.
4. Give it a stir, and fill the rest of the bucket with water.
5. Add essential oils for scent.
My favorite is Wild Orange!
I do 25-30 drops for a 5 gallon bucket.
6. Let it sit overnight with the lid on.
In the morning give it a good shake, or stir to mix well. Stirring it with a drill paint mixer attachment, or an immersion blender, really helps to get the clumps out!
That’s it!
I use 1/2 cup per load in my HE washer, so it lasts a VERY long time.
Making laundry soap is quick and easy!
You can feel good about using this soap, as it is made out of all natural ingredients, and works very well.
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Mandy Gibson
Hi! Love your blog and your sisters. Just to verify a 14 oz bar of Fels Naptha is 3 bars? I made it with 3 bars which is 15 oz and is super thick and doesn’t look as liquid as yours. Only one bar is 5 oz. Please let me know, thank you
Shari
How many bars of Fels Naptha is in this recipe for a 5 gallon bucket???
Lisa
Just one 14 ounce bar for a five gallon bucket. 🙂
MaryAnn
Hi Lisa
You inspired me to try this again! Has been awhile since I did! In the recipe you said 5 oz soap but here you said 14 oz. Which one is correct?
Thanks!
Pete
Hi Lisa
Is it a 14oz bar or 5oz bar per 5 gallon bucket? I don’t want to get overloaded with soap bubbles!!!
Lisa
5 ounce bar. So sorry that was a typo!
Diane
Thinking of trying this! Do you put it in a glass jar with spigot, as pictured, and then leave the remainder in the 5-gal bucket for refills as needed?
Sofia
I am also interested in this question.
Thanks
Sofia
Chasity Gehlhausen
I did (I thought) everything as directed but ended up with the grated bar soap being chunky in the mixture.. what can I do to avoid this? Thanks!
Lisa
You could try using a stick blender to incorporate it better. 🙂
Grace
How much soap would you use for a regular washer vs an HE? The 1/2 cup is for an HE washer? So, 5 oz fels naptha, 1/2 C washing soda, 1 cup borax, 25-30 drops essential oils with 5 gallons of water? It’s a lower soap to water ratio than I have used previously. Thanks!
Charles Johnson
Thank you for your helpful feedback
Ewelina
HI Lisa, would any other soap do? I have grated soap (palm kernels) and wonder if I can use it here?
Ari O'Hara
Lisa, can you use a Dr. Bronner’s castille soap bar for this as well? They’re also 5 oz bars.
Lisa
Yes, you sure can!
Shannon
Is this soap baby friendly? If not how could I adjust it to be?
THANKS!
Lisa
Yes! It is baby friendly. 🙂
Pamela
Is this the liquid detergent that you use for your cloth diapers too? I am going to make this very soon and I need to prep my newly purchased prefolds and inserts soon.
Stephanie
Hi Lisa,
Just wondering how you felt about the mixed reviews on borax being bad for you? I haven’t had time to do a ton of research but really love all your info and trust it!
Thanks!
Lisa
I haven’t done a ton of research on it, but I do think this article from Wellness Mama makes a lot of sense: https://wellnessmama.com/26407/borax-safe/
Peggy Sue Johnson
Please be careful with Borax… it can be harmful to children or person’s w/ chemical sensitivities…
Dawn
Can you use Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap instead of grating a bar?
If so, how much liquid soap would you use to replace the 5 oz. bar?
Little Miss Homemaker
The Fels Naptha bar soap gets a C on EWG standards. This isn’t all natural, it uses chemical color dyes.
https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/441-FelsNapthaHeavyDutyLaundryBarSoap
Linn
Can I use liquid castile soap instead of the soap bar ?
Lisa
I think that would work just fine.
Janay
I have made a powdered laundry soap in the past and our clothes never smelled like they were clean. Does the essential oil in it help with that? Have been wanting to make my own soap again but afraid of our clothes not smelling clean.
Christi
IM wondering about the dispenser. Apparently, my soap is too thick and i need a different dispenser. Hoping to find out your brand.
Amber
Where did you purchase your dispenser at? I would love to get one similar
Phoebe
My little one is very sensitive to borax.. Any suggestions for an alternative in this recipe?? If you mentioned one I totally missed it!
Gina
hiya,
how much of the detergent would you put in a (3 days worth) cloth diaper load HE? I feel like the ratio of Borax and washing soda is very low, considering you are supposed to put 1/2 cup of each in a regular load.
devan paul
could i use Zote instead? Also, do you think this would be ok to use on my cotton flat diapers?
Merrylou
I have made this three times, and all three times I used an immersion blender and all three times the detergent separates after an hour or so. What am I doing wrong?
Sharon
Hi, with which brand or type of product can i replace the Fels Naphtha? Amazon don’t deliver it to my country. Thank you!