With 3 simple ingredients and ten minutes, you can make your own homemade laundry soap. Nothing fancy, just simple ingredients that freshen, deodorize, fight stains, and remove dirt.
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring 6 cups of water to a slight boil. Once the water begins to boil, turn off the burner.
Add the Borax and washing soda. Stir to dissolve. Then add 9 cups of room-temperature water and 1 cup of liquid castile soap. Give the ingredients a stir to combine.
Allow the soap to cool for a few minutes before pouring into one large gallon-size jar or smaller containers, like quart-size jars. Make sure your jar(s) are heat-safe. If not, wait until the soap is cool, then spoon the soap into the jar(s).If you're reusing an old detergent bottle, make sure the soap is fully cool before adding to a plastic container.
Add an essential oil of choice (if using) to the soap (now in the jar) and stir to combine with the detergent. The essential oil will add a subtle fragrance, but shouldn't be added until the soap cools as heat will cause the essential oil to evaporate.
As the soap sits, the mixture may form into a gel and become chunky. There may also be liquid and gel separation, simply stir or shake. This is normal.
How to Use
For top loading washer machines, use 1/8-1/4 cup. For a front loader, use 1-2 tablespoons. Add the detergent to the liquid soap compartment of the washer.
Stain Treatment - Use a small amount of soap directly on the stain, scrub or rub the stain with a cloth. Repeat as needed, then wash the garment. Or use this stain remover spray.
A reader recently shared this tip, "I like the the detergent to be more gelatinous and I use my immersion blender for a few seconds after it is cool to whip it. It turns white and jelly."