Make your own homemade laundry washing powder

Make your own eco-friendly laundry washing powder at home with this easy and cost-effective recipe. By using just a handful of affordable, natural ingredients that you can find at your local supermarket, you’ll have a powerful, chemical-free alternative to commercial detergents.

This DIY laundry detergent not only produces a large batch, saving you money in the long run, but it also works just as effectively as store-bought options.

Plus, it’s gentle on sensitive skin, reduces plastic waste and helps minimise harmful chemicals entering the environment – making it a great choice for both your household and the planet.

What kitchen utensils do I need for homemade washing powder?

Grater: Your regular kitchen grater will do the job just fine – it will be used to grate soap bars. You can chop up the soap bars and whizz them in a food processor if you prefer.

Measuring cup: 250ml one cup measure.

Large bowl: for mixing your ingredients.

Wooden spoon: for combining your ingredients.

Sieve/strainer: sometimes this is helpful to remove any lumps that have formed in the bicarb powder – simply push any lumps through the strainer with a spoon.

Storage container: A large clear glass or plastic airtight container will be needed to store your freshly made laundry powder.

Scoop: save the scoop from your previous store-bought washing powder and use it when measuring out powder for your washing machine.

Any of the above utensils can be placed in the dishwasher or hand washed so they’re good to use in your kitchen again.

What supplies do I need to make laundry powder?

Laundry soap bars: Any basic laundry soap bar will work – eg. Sunlight soap. You can use castile soap bars which are typically vege-based. If possible, dry out your soap bars a little as it makes them easier to grate.

Washing soda: You can usually find this in the cleaning/laundry aisle of your supermarket – it’s also known as sodium carbonate. It allows the soap to properly clean your laundry and also helps with removing any stains.

Borax: Sodium tetraborate has fantastic cleaning powers – acting as a cleaner, water softener and a disinfectant. This is a harmful substance when inhaled, so you may want to wear a face mask when preparing your homemade laundry powder.

Bicarbonate of soda: Its purpose is to help remove any odours or bad smells + it acts as a water softener.

Tea tree oil: This essential oil smells amazing and has natural antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. If you don’t like tea tree oil, other alternatives to use are lavender oil, peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil.

Recipe: homemade laundry washing powder

Makes: approx 1.5-2kg
Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 x bars pure laundry soap (approx 200g)
2 x cups bicarb of soda
1 x cup washing soda
1 x cup borax
30 x drops 100% essential tea tree oil (or alternative essential oil)

Instructions

1. Grate the pure laundry soap into a fine powder. You will get a much finer powder if the soap is old/dry. Alternatively, instead of using a grater you can cut the soap into small pieces and whizz in a food processor.
2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. It’s a good idea to wear a mask to avoid inhaling any airborne dust as the borax can be harmful.
3. Run the mixture through a sieve/strainer if necessary to remove any lumps and smooth out the mixture.
4. Add 30 x drops of essential oil and mix through.
5. Transfer laundry powder to a storage container.

Notes

• Use 1 x scoop per regular load (approx. ⅓ cup). If your load is extra soiled, you may wish to use more.
• Keep away from children and pets – this powder can be harmful if ingested or inhaled.
• Keep powder dry in an airtight container to avoid clumping.
• To prevent a build up of soap in your washing machine, run a hot wash every week.