This stuff is amazing. It gets out almost any stain, you only need one tablespoon per load–and, as the title suggests, it only takes five minutes to make, with no cooking involved! Plus, the ingredients are dirt cheap. It equals out to just a few cents per load of laundry. We, as a family of 6, use it daily for everything from clothes to cloth diapers, and it does the job well every time. Make it yourself via the DIY tutorial below, and roll over any of the images to see the Pin It button & save for later!
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 Mason Jars (Quart size)
1 5oz bar Fels Naptha soap
1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax Powder
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (Not Baking Soda)
Boiling Water
Essential Oils (Optional–we use tea tree and lavender sometimes, but it smells just great without)
You can find Fels Naptha, Borax and Super Washing Soda in the detergent aisle at almost any grocery store, and essential oils at any Whole Foods or similar place. You will also need an Osterizer or similar blender that has a detachable head on the blending jar–if you don’t have one of these, though, there is a workaround included. :) The recipe here is for 2 Mason Jars worth of laundry detergent (though I was making a much larger batch in the photos). This will last most families 1-2 months, maybe longer.
1. Chop the bar of Fels Naptha soap into approximately 1″ cubes. Divide this in half and distribute between the two mason jars.
2. Add 1-1/2 cups of boiling water to each jar (we used purified water, but it will also work fine with plain tap water).
3. Cover jars loosely with caps and let sit overnight to gel.
4. Using a butter knife, make a criss-cross pattern in the gelled Fels Naptha. Make sure you cut all the way down to the bottom of the jar.
5. Add 1/2 cup Borax and 1/2 cup Super Washing Soda to each jar.
6. Fill each jar to the shoulders with boiling water.
7. Attach the blender head only of an Osterizer or similar blender directly to each jar, and blend until smooth. The mixture should be about the consistency of mayonnaise.
Workaround for those without this type of blender–dump contents of jar into any blender, blend, then scrape back into jar for storage. If you only have a mixer with whisk attachment, this will work too but may take a bit longer. Just make sure you clean whatever you use REALLY well afterward before you use it with food.
Isn’t that gorgeous?! It will solidify a bit, but you can still scoop it out quite easily with a spoon or other utensil.
Use a tablespoon with each load of laundry. If you have a front-loading washer, put the detergent directly in with the clothes (not in the detergent tray)–it will begin to dissolve as soon as water enters the load.
The original recipe for this 5-Minute Laundry Detergent was from Budget101.com. They have lots of other great tutorials and resources, too!
Did you find this post helpful? You might also like our series on Extreme Saving and Modern Cloth Diapering!
I’ve been wanting to make my own detergent, thanks so much for sharing this! I just need to pick up the Fels Naptha soap. Pinning this!
Isn’t the Fels Naptha soap known as a harsh soap? Have u used this on fine delicates, with what results? Maybe it’s just me being paranoid, but when I read the word “Naptha” I had visions of my delicates falling to pieces! :-(
From my understanding, Fels Naptha is normal strength laundry soap–some people even use it by itself to wash clothes :) we’ve never had any problems with it destroying things, but maybe just to be safe, do a test with a delicate you aren’t too concerned about first.
I have used a very similar recipe for several years on everything (cloth diapers, curtains, unmentionables) and haven’t had any issues with things being degraded by the soap, even over time! Plus, it gets the grease stains and everything else out of my hubby’s clothes and the grass and chocolate and ketchup out of the kids. I also work at a vet’s office and it has taken all the stains out of my scrubs, including blood. This stuff is AMAZING!!
hello, I have been using a dry recipe similar to this but with more ingredients. I love it but this seems much more simple. How much boiling water do you add?
you say that you need 2 mason jars do you cut the recipe in two or you put the full amount of the recipe in each jar..thankz:)
Thanks for the recipe, I so have to get back into the habit of making my own again. :)
Hi, Is this gentle enough for newborn baby clothes? And can I add oxy clean to the recipe?
If you really want to neutralize your baby clothes or any dishes of soap, rinse with vinegar then water. Vinegar will cut the detergent.
I can’t use Borax. Is there a substitution I could make?
how much boiling water do you use/need?
I don’t see the tutorial or actually how to make this???
Hi Gail,
Just click “5-Minute Laundry Detergent {Step 1}” at the bottom of the post. :)
Can something else be use for Botox.have sensitive skin
can you use this in a front loading HE machine?
I just made four jars of this. It was very easy! I use my immersion blender instead of a regular blender since I didn’t have the kind you mentioned. It worked great. Thanks
This is my FAVORITE recipe for laundry soap!!!!! I have tried a fewand now i have found that THIS IS THE ONE!!! Thank you so much for posting this!!! My hubby clothes needed some extra umph so I make a special batch for him with his own smell and one for my daughter and I! I also wanted to say that zote has a great smell without using anything else instead of the fels naptha. I have mixed them as well in the same batch and ITS AWSOME!!!
ooops I forgot- I make it in used ice cream containers and the water on the third steo is about 1/4 of a cup I believe. It is a little messier but i have broken a few jars doing laundry :(
Hi, I have a high energy washer, is this DIY detergent safe for he washers?
Is this safe for a front load HE washer?
She posted in the remarks if you have a HE washer A K a front loader to put a tablespoon of detergent with the clothes in clothes compartment. Also it does mention about how much water do you use, just click next page.
Thanks for this! I have been thinking I should make my own! How long does this last? I mean if I wanted to make up a big batch at once? I guess I could make it up and then give some away as gifts! Now to find all these ingredients in Canada…
Thank you for posting this! Our machine is a HE top loader that performs/operates like a front loader so I put the detergent right in the barrel along with the laundry. However when the load was done, the scoop of soap wasn’t dissolved at all and stuck to the inside of the machine. I also noticed only about half of the clothes smelled like the detergent. Should I make sure to put the scoop at the BOTTOM of the load first…meaning put the scoop in and put the clothes on top?
I just started cloth disappearing (on our third, expecting the 4th in October. Better late than never, right?). I’ve used a homemade powder recipe in the past and felt like the clothes faded faster. I’m excited to give this a try! PS I’m on a mobile device and your Keep Reading/Next Page/Ads are a little out of control!
My mixture didn’t jell enough I guess so it was very lumpy. I tried heating it back up and will try to mix it again. I don’t have a hand mixer so I used a stand mixer. How well do I need to wash the item I used? I washed them with hot water and soap and then ran them through the dish washer.
Hi There,
Thanks so much for sharing. Looking forward to the results! Question: When you use essential oils for fragrance, at what point do you add them in, and how much per jar?
Love this detergent but I wouldn’t consider it a five-minute recipe when you have to leave it sit overnight to gel. Is there any way to speed up that process?
Can i use any bar of soap i prefer and will it still be he safe?
When you add the Borax , wash soda & final boiling water do you have to let it cool s bit before you blend it ?
Followed the directions to the T and the bottom of my mason jar broke off anyone else have this problem ???? I have another jar to do going to use just hot water 🙄
Say a little prayer for me
If you add hot liquid to a cold jar or cold liquid to a hot jar, it can cause it to break. Try warming the jar a little before adding the hot mixture and see if it makes a difference.