Homemade Oatmeal Laundry Soap
Homemade Laundry Soap.
Laundry soap is an item that I will no longer pay for. I stumbled upon a homemade laundry soap recipe from Soule Mama awhile back and I am now hooked on making this item myself. With a few slight modifications, I believe I have the best natural laundry soap in town.
It also meets my 3 natural product requirements. This laundry soap is:
- Inexpensive
- Effective
- Simple (oh so simple!)
DIY Oatmeal Laundry Soap Recipe
Ingredients
1 Cup Natural Oatmeal Soap (or any other bar soap), Finely Grated
1/2 Cup Borax
3/4 Cup Washing Soda (recipe here)
1/2 Cup Baking Soda
First thing’s first – add the grated soap to a large mixing bowl. I use a natural oatmeal soap, but any bar of soap will work. I have a little one with eczema and a newborn, and I love how gentle the oatmeal soap is on the skin.
Tip: Approximately 3/4 of a typical bar of soap is one cup.
Approximate cost per batch: $1 (much less if you use non-oatmeal bar soap)
Best Price I’ve found: Bulk Barn or Michaels (for natural oatmeal)
Step 1: Add 1/2 cup Borax to the mixing bowl.
Borax is a naturally occurring substance that will help to remove stains from clothing.
Approximate cost per batch: $0.50
Best price I’ve found: Walmart
Step 2: Add 3/4 cup washing soda to the mixing bowl.
Penny shares how easily baking soda can be made into washing soda – simply bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until it becomes grainy.
Washing soda helps get out odours, so it’s necessary in this homemade laundry soap recipe.
Approximate cost per batch: $0.60 (if cooking baking soda)
Best price I’ve found: Bulk Barn
Step 3: Add 1/4 cup baking soda to the mixing bowl.
Baking soda acts as a clothes softener and whitener. Honestly – what can’t baking soda do?
Approximate cost per batch: $0.20
Best price I’ve found: Bulk Barn
Step 4: Mix all ingredients very well and store in an air-tight container.
To use: Add 2 tablespoons per load of Laundry. I also add in a splash of vinegar with each load to help with stains – and I promise your clothing will not smell like vinegar!
When you transfer your clothes to the dryer, consider using a balled up piece of aluminum foil (about the size of a ping-pong ball) instead of static cling sheets. Change the foil weekly for best results. I have had great success with this tip!
Total cost for 20 loads worth of laundry soap: Approximately $2.30 (only $0.12 per load)
Comments
I wouldl love to try this laundry soap! I do at least one load, maybe two a day with my big household 🙂
I do a load a day at least, with 5 people we seem to go through way to many clothes lol
What a great DIY! Can’t wait to try it!
Love Love this Idea. Having problems with sensitive skin. Thanks So very much for this !!!!!!
I do laundry at least once a day minimum. My boyfriend works in a warehouse and his clothes get really dirty. So I feel like I am constantly doing laundry. Plus I have ezcema (think I spelled that wrong) so I am allergic to pretty much every kind of laundry soap out there 🙁 I get really bad hives..this sounds like it would be awesome.
I have four boys so we do laundry at least once a day….I’d love to win!
I do laundry about 4 times a week. Would love to try home made laundry soap!!!
Is it HE compatible?
Yes! I have an HE front load washer. I put the soap right in the drum with the clothes and start it up
With 3 little girls and a rigger husband, my washer is always on. Would love to try this
I would love to win! I have a 7 month old son in cloth diapers & my husband is a police officer – I am literally ALWAYS doing laundry! I feel like I do it in my sleep haha…
I am a mom of four, a thirteen year old girl and three boys aged 11,5 and 17months. I also have a husband that is in the plumbing business. So as you can see we have a busy household. I do at least 4 loads during the day and my husbands stinky clothes at night. So winning this would be so perfect! I love trying new things! Thank you.
omg what a great idear!!!!!!. im so gonna try this. 😉 thanx so much for the DIY……
Our son has a skin condition that requires us to be very careful to what he comes in contact with. This DIY project looks simple and I am going to give it a try.
This looks interesting – wondering if it is HE compatible as well? I do at least 15-20 loads of laundry a week.
Yes it is 🙂
It is definitely HE friendly…. this type of laundry soap is very low sudsing – which is all HE detergent really is. You just don’t want all the extra suds that regular detergent makes.
Love these natural alternatives for doing laundry. Please keep sharing new idea with all of us!!
I am a mother of 3 kids and am doing laundary 2-3 times a day. I would love to try this laundary soup out as I love natural things
it will be great to try this new soap, thanks for the opportunity to win..
I make a very similar recipe to this… and it works great!! 🙂
I do probably 4-8 loads a week, depending on what needs to be washed – like bedding, coats, towels…. seems I do more in winter, because it takes more room in the washer to wash the bigger/bulkier winter items.
Thank you, would love the opportunity to win a free sample.
I do laundry 8-9 times a week and would love to try out this natural laundry soap! Thank you!!
I do about 7 – 8 loads per week, sometimes more. I’ve got a bar of Bulk Barn oatmeal soap on hand so I’m going to pick up the rest of the ingredients when I shop this week and give this a try. Thanks!
May I just say it’s refreshing to see a prize on a blog available to residents of Canada only? 😉 I was quite intrigued by the twist of using oatmeal. I have only ever used Sunlight bar soap. We probably go through about 6-8 loads a week.
I have 4 children ages 7 and under and run a household of 9 (6 people and 3 cats). Laundry is my nemesis! At least 2 loads a day between clothes, blankets, sheets, pillows, rugs, towels… it NEVER ends!
Hi, I do laundry three to four times a week and would love to try your home made natural laundry soap.
I do laundry about twice a week. I can’t wait to try this recipe, I have so many allergies this will finally work.
Cool recipe. Never seen oats in homemade detergent recipes before. I should do laundry everyday (having four kids and doing cloth diapers) but I often go a few days without doing it, which means catching up means having my washer and dryer humming away all day long. Thanks for the cool recipe and the chance to win.
naslyyadid at gmail dot com
We do a load a day. Can this be used in front-load washers??
Yes, I have a front load washer too. I just pop the soap right in the drum with the clothes and turn it on.
That’s great, thanks!
This laundry soap sound great. Oatmeal is a new twist on things. I do about 4-5 loads of laundry a week, but with outdoor season coming up soon, at least 2 more loads can be added to the weekly.
Does this soap work okay in cold water? I mostly wash in cold water and if I had to switch to hot water for everything then I don’t know how cost effective it would be for me. Thanks.
I have not tried – but will pop in a load on cold now just for you 🙂
Thank you! I’ll anxiously wait to hear the results.
Well Susan! You have saved me a pretty penny! I had assumed it would not work – just from thinking about it logically and assuming the soap would need warm water. But, the load I just did in cold water seems great! Still in the dryer but smelled and looked clean coming out of the washing machine! Thank you!
Thanks so much for doing the cold water test. I had assumed that the soap would not dissolve properly but now I’ll definitely be making some this weekend.
I would like to try the Oatmeal laundry soap. I do laundry once a week.
I would love to win a jar of this, but whether I do or not I will be more likely to make it now. I’ve actually made this before but could not find washing soda anywhere so I put it on the back burner. So thank you very much for sharing how to make your own washing soda!! Can’t wait to try making my own detergent again!
The laundry detergent sounds interesting, and if it works well in cold water, I would love to give it a try. The foil ball hint is not a bad idea, but if there are any delicate fabrics I would worry about the foil rubbing against them. I use an old, washed, but well worn tennis ball in the dryer for the same reason and it not only seems to help speed drying, especially heavier loads like towels, but it won’t harm ones delicates, and there is no more static cling!
I use warm water – haven’t tried cold. Great tip with the tennis ball!! I will give that a try – Thank you!
Would love to try this. Is this okay to use in a frontload washer? Does the amount used per load differ at all? Thanks for the great tip on washing soda.
Yes – front load compatible 🙂 I always do a big load with 2 tbsp. if you were doing a small load you could certainly use less soap. And when I say a big load of laundry I mean huge – I dislike laundry and make it worth my while !
This looks interesting to try. Not sure if i missed the answer, can it be used in front load washers?
I will try to tin foil for sure. Thanks for the tips.
Yes 🙂 Just pop in with your clothes and turn it on
I do laundry at least once per week.
I do aproxx 2 loads per night for my family of 6
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I do 2 to 3 loads a day! There is five of us!
Wow have been looking for something like this. Gonna try this weekend , I hope that I can use in my front loader!
With 4 little ones and a husband, I do laundry about every other day. If not, it piles up too much and is too much work to do all at once. This homemade recipe really sounds great. I would like to try it.
i plan to give this a try. With tide on sale for $9.99, ugh, I am looking for a good alternative.
I have some Fell’s Naptha soap, from Target in the US. It works so great on stains, my mother in law told me about it. It is a yellow bar soap, sort of like the Sunlight bar soap they used to sell. I am going to use my Fell’s naphtha. This article gave me the nudge I needed.
OhYeah, I do laundry at least twice a week, with three big loads each time with 5 fully grown bodies around here.
I do laundry every other day on average. I have a HE, front load washer. Is homemade detergent suitable for that? I know I can’t use regular detergent in my high energy washer…
Yes – it is a wonderful low to no suds soap – perfect for HE washers
I do wash once a week – usually just two or three loads. My husband and son do their own laundry now; what a difference from when my children were babies and I did laundry every day or two!.
I do laundry atleast once a week..great recipe and I am thinking it may be great for my skin sensitive children!!
I do at least 2 loads of laundry every day(just household stuff) and on wednesday and saturday i do clothes which is another 5-6 loads those days, then on fridays i do bedding(another 3 loads) then 3x a week i wash diapers as well 🙂
I do laundry at least twice a week or more if necessary!
With a family of 6 and cloth diapering I tend to do at least 1-2 loads a day. [email protected] 🙂
I do laundry once a week. There is only two of us.
we do laundry once a week! of course we separate the loads but doing it once is more convenient for us. thanks so much for the great contest!
I do laundry a couple of times a week. At least!
2-3 loads a week for a family of three, but that’ll change when baby is born in September!
Saturdays. Three loads: darks, whites & brights.
I have a family of 4 I try to do a load or two of laundry every night so I am not doing it all on the weekend.
I would love to save money on laundry soap. This recipe sounds great! I do laundry every couple of days. There are 5 in our family.
I try to do at least 1 load every couple of days, but usually get stuck doing the majority of the laundry on the weekends, we are a family of 5 and seem to have bottomless hampers:(. I would love to try a more natural washing soap.
I do a load of laundry a day! I have an 8 month old on solids so after every meal it’s a new change of clothes! I have been looking for a homemade laundry soap that works well and is good for my sensitive babies skin!
With two youngs teens both into sports, at least one load a day. My daughter loves to try all sorts of new and natural things! She will love making this with me! How fantastic it sounds! Thank you! Dana 🙂
To keep up, I should be doing at least 2 loads per day, but I tend to do 4 or so loads on some days and none on others.
I do laundry 3x a week and I love this idea!
I have a 20 month old son with terrible itchy skin I would love to try this
I do laundry every day! Sometimes it’s only 1 load, sometimes it’s 2 or more. With a family of 5, one being a 7 yr. old boy who loves to get dirty and splash in puddles! Would love to give this home made laundry detergent a try!
Thanks!
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I do at least 1 or 2 loads of laundry a day! With 2 adults and 4 children under the age of 7 it piles up very quickly!!
Currently I do all loads of laundry on Sundays – however we have a little one on the way, due in 8 weeks – so my once a week laundry schedule will be gone!! I would love to give this homemade laundry detergent a try, and then try it for myself.
Thanks
Amanda
We do 6 or 7 loads on the weekend- the Ontario Peaksaver program prevents us from doing more!
I do 2 or 3 loads of laundry every 2 days, if not more! I would love this!
I do laundry ever weekend! About 6 loads!
I do laundry 1-2 times per week. [email protected]
thank you for the recipe.
so gentle on my family and the environment!
Thank you for the recipe! We do laundry at least 7 times a week (use to do 10 when we were cloth diapering!) Thank for for the nice recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Oups! We do laundry 7 times a week, [email protected]!
i do laundry whenever i have/need to….i have lots of towels, sheets, panties, etc. so it never is a rush to do laundry.
I do about 3 loads of laundry a week my fiance is in the military and has many uniforms to wash, he also has a skin condition and its hard to find a good all natural soap these days, would love to try this.
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I do 6 loads of laundry a week, I try to do it during the nights after work when the kids sleep.
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i love to try the laundry soap..
jessielynchanyahoo.ca
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I do laundry every day! I’m curious, whereabouts would one buy Borax? I’ve never even heard of it before (naive I know) but I’d love to try this recipe out.
Good question! It is found usually in the laundry aisle of any grocery or department store. I have found it in lots of stores – I don’t think you’ll have trouble finding it 🙂
You’ll find it in the laundry section aisle. I finally came across it about a month ago and have since been using it successfully. Bought mine at Food Basics for $4.50 a large box.
We do about 7 loads a week
We do about 8 loads a week.
Twice a week ;P
I do 4 or 5 loads a week. Buying laundry soap kills me every time. Also not a fan on what lingers on our clothing afterwards.
about 6 loads a week…our laundry has doubled since we had our daughter…crazy how much clothes a baby goes through!!
I have a large front load washer and I fill it up with 4 loads per week for a family of 4 adults.
Around x4 week with 2 adults, 2yo and will expect more with another little one on the way in a couple months. This recipe sounds great! Question – do you use the homemade soap in a HE washer? If yes, do you put it directly on the clothes or in the drawer for powder detergent?
Yes and right in the drum on the clothes 🙂
I do it once a week but a family of five it takes a while. I did teach my 2 teenagers to do their own laundry when they turned 13 so that helps. however, if I win this detergent would be just for me.. 🙂
I do laundry about 2-3x per week (1-2 loads each) for clothes with 2 adults and a 6 month old. Just recently switched to cloth diapering so another 2-3x per week for that. Lots of laundry here.
I pretty much do a load of laundry ever day! I get overwhelmed if I leave it too long so I try to keep up with it. This would be great to try out!
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I used to do it every other day until the new baby. We have 6 people in the house now and we do laundry every day. My hubby gets it going in the morning and I usually fold and put away. Great teamwork!
I should do laundry everyday but its 2 or 3 days a week.
I try to do at least one load a day or else it just gets out of hand!
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I try to do at least one load a day or it gets out of hand!
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I am assuming so but can this soap be used in any temperature of water
I asked the same question and she tested it for me in cold water and said it worked fine. I made a batch myself and have been using it and my clothes are clean and look brighter than they normally do so it seems to work fine. Just dissolve it in a bit of hot water before adding it to your machine.
You quoted $0.50 from Bulk Barn or Michaels for natural oatmeal. Does this mean you make your own oatmeal soap?
Just wanted to leave a comment to say that I tried the recipe and this laundry soap works great. The clothes are clean and bright although I’m still trying to get used to the fact that they don’t have a “perfumey” smell like when you use regular detergent. I worried about the soap not dissolving in the cold water that I use for laundry, but I solved that problem by mixing it with a bit of hot water first before adding it to the machine. Thanks for the recipe!