One of my most popular posts here on Saved By Grace has been my tutorial on how to make powdered laundry detergent. I promised a while back that I would follow up with a liquid laundry soap version and I finally was able to do it.
This recipe is for the concentrated version of liquid laundry soap. There are many recipes out there for liquid laundry soap, but most of them are not concentrates. I made this one because I don’t have room for a large tub in my home as I do not even have a washer and dryer set and must utilize the laundry mat. Besides, who wants to haul a huge tub with them every time they need to do laundry at the Mat?
I love the concentrate because you use less of it. Only 1/4 of a cup per load.
The savings? Just like with the powdered version, its just pennies per load. I made this for less than $1.00 and it will give me about 40 loads.
You will need the following to make liquid laundry soap concentrate:
- 1/2 cup Washing soda
- 1/2 cup Borax
- 10 cups of Water
- 1/4 bar Zote soap
All of these, besides the water obviously can be found in the laundry department. A word about Zote: I prefer it over Fels Naptha for this recipe because it melts better and faster and does not separate after it cools.
1. Start by simmering 6 cups of water in a pot.
2. Using a grater, grate a 1/4 of a bar of Zote soap.
3. Add the Zote to the simmering water and give it a stir until it melts.
4. Add the washing soda and borax and mix until dissolved. Remove from heat.
5. Add 4 cups hot water to your container. I use a 2.5 quart bottle from a bulk container of hand soap. It works great because this recipe fits perfectly and it has a pour spout.
6. Pour the Zote mixture into the container with water.
7. Allow to sit overnight, until cool. Use 1/4 cup per load.
Please note, you may not get a lot of sudsing with this and that is fine. It is still doing it’s job! Also, don’t worry if it looks strange the next day, just give it a shake or stir and it will be fine. Since this is a concentrate, I recommend adding it to the water before you put the clothes in so it can “melt”.
Do you plan on making this or the powdered version and giving it a try?
About Christine
how many gallons does this make….I know when I make homemade laundry soap I always make 5 gallon….I have used zote & fels naptha. was just woundering on gallons for this reciepe?
I am not sure. I made it in a large hand soap container. It was like the ones you would get if you buy it in bulk at Costco. I cannot remember the exact amount of ounces. 72? The reason I don’t make huge quantities is because I have to lug it to the laundry mat.
Hi! So I made this laundry soap and couple days ago and just went to go throw a load in the washer and the soap is one giant blob in the container. There is no liquid left in it at all! Can I still use it? What did I do wrong?
I am not sure what went wrong. Is it completely solid?
The soap will be a lot thicker than you are used to with liquid detergents, but it should not be completely solid.
you can put it in a blender and whip it up. i just made mine with a similar recipe. Just whip it up after you mix it together.
There seems to be a mistake in this post. You say at the top that there is 8 cups of water, you add 6 cups to the soap, borax, soda mix, and then add 4 at the end stage. That is 10 cups of water total. What am I missing?
Yes, I guess I missed putting in the extra I had added. I was experimenting with the recipe so much that I forgot to go back and fix the ingredient list. It is 10 cups total. Good catch and I have changed it! Thanks!
This is so awesome! I’m definitely going to be trying this.
Carissa recently posted..The Perfect Tres Leches Cake