Homemade Laundry Liquid or Homemade Laundry Gloop

I made my first batch of this in 2009 after having used soapnuts for some previous years. I haven't bought laundry detergent or fabric softener in a long time (substitute a cup of white vinegar for fabric conditioner) so it now amounts to a saving of several £s per week for this household, an extra £150+ into the savings pot over the year, or else used for other things.



 Frugal Laundry Detergent 



1 Bar of soap, grated (or 8 tblsp soap flakes)

1 cup of washing soda

5 litres water (up to 7 can be used)

A few drops of essential oil

I don't have any essential oils to hand but I added a good squirt of lemon juice. I would normally use a natural extracts soap that contained lavender and tea tree oil but for this simple batch, I'm just using supermarket fragrance free, which cost £1.20 for four bars.

Grate the soap. Boil some water in a big stock pot, or similar, dissolve the soda crystals and grated soap in it and keep stirring until it resembles wallpaper paste consistency. Add your essential oil of choice, if needed, then dilute your hot mix to at least 5 litres, stirring the mix over the heat. (I make mine up to 7 litres.) It takes a bit of time to fully dissolve the soap and washing soda, but make sure it's all gone before you dilute, cool and decant the liquid. Make sure you use a wide top storage container. I store mine in a large lidded bucket so it can be scooped out and thinned down if necessary. I use a ladel to fill a plastic laundry ball and then that goes in the machine but it is equally alright to add it into the machine drawer.

As with all washing machines, you'll still need to give your machine a boil wash cycle every few months to ensure all the hoses stay clear of soap residue.

This homemade laundry cleaner works equally well as a hand wash for you ultra frugalites who live without the modern convenience of an automatic washing machine or a twin tub. I have used it often in a hand or foot operated washer.

I used to make 2 lots of detergent at a time, one with a few drops of blue dye in it to help 'whiten' whites but no longer wear white - working outdoors in all weathers with animals doesn't invite white.

That's it - homemade Laundry liquid is simple to make, inexpensive and has no added nasties. You can even thin the gloop down further and add extra lemon juice to make your own washing up liquid or dish soap. It's frugally versatile.

One important thing to remember - just because it has been made in your largest soup pan and stirred with a wooden spoon does not mean you should taste it. Trust me when I say that this is an easy mistake to make!