DIY Natural Laundry Detergent You Can Make At Home: Easy, Non-Toxic, and only 4 Ingredients (NO bar soap)!

Are you looking for an easy and natural laundry detergent? If so, you’re in the right place! This DIY natural laundry detergent recipe is made with simple ingredients and ready to use in less than 5 minutes! All you need are 4 ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry or are inexpensive to buy. Add essential oils like lemon oil for a cleaning boost and whitening power!

Many household laundry detergents typically contain several ingredients that pose developmental and reproductive (hormone disrupting) toxicity, can cause respiratory issues and, of course, are incredibly harmful if a small child accidentally ingested them! 

Learn how to make an all-natural, environmentally friendly laundry detergent! It’s easy to use and as an added bonus, can save lots of money, too! Ours works out to about $.08 per load. The least expensive laundry detergent we found on the store shelves came to $.14/load, while most pods start at $.31/load.

Need help with cleaning? Check out The Sleep Deprived Mom’s Guide to Cleaning in Her Sleep

Why Make Natural Laundry Detergent At Home?

There are several reasons why making natural laundry detergent at home is a good idea. For one thing, you control what goes into your product. If you have kids or pets, that’s important because many commercial detergents contain toxic chemicals that can be harmful to humans and animals.

Making it yourself allows you to use safe ingredients like washing soda (sodium carbonate) instead of sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), which is classified as a moderate human health hazard.

Another reason to make your own laundry detergent at home is that doing so is often a much cheaper option. Breaking down the cost, our homemade natural laundry detergent comes in at half the cost of the LEAST expensive detergent we found on the store shelves and 1/4 the cost of laundry pods! That’s a big difference!

700 million plastic jugs of laundry detergent are consumed and thrown away each year in the United States. And about 70% of those end up in landfills, while the EPA estimates that only 30% are recycled.

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Simple and Safe Ingredients for Homemade Natural Laundry Powder

Use simple ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry! This recipe calls for Sea Salt, Baking Soda, Washing Soda (aka soda ash), and Epsom Salt. Avoid ingredients that are both toxic and/or expensive like premade detergents.

Baking Soda – Use 1.5 cups of baking soda as it is a natural softener.

Washing Soda (which is NOT baking soda) – Use 1.5 cups of washing soda. Here is a recipe for making washing soda out of baking soda, though I find it easier to just order it on Amazon!

Washing soda, aka sodium carbonate (or soda ash), is a natural cleaner and a powerful water softener. It’s very basic with a pH of 11. The Environmental Working Group gives it an “A” on their scale, so it passes with flying colors, making it safe and non-toxic.

nature’s nurture

Sea Salt – Use 1/4 C to soften.

Epsom Salt – Use 1/2 C to clean and freshen.

What Ingredients to AVOID in Natural Laundry Detergent

For one, most ingredients that you can’t pronounce should probably be avoided.

I highly recommend checking out the Environmental Working Group’s interactive database to check the safety of the household products you use and see how they rank! You may be surprised. In fact, a few of the typical ingredients used in homemade laundry detergents aren’t the safest!

Borax received a D. Though it is a naturally occurring ingredient, it received a D due to the high concern for developmental & reproductive toxicity.

Fels-Naptha, another very common ingredient in many DIY laundry detergents, received a C. This was mainly due to terpene hydrocarbons (can cause irritation, may cause cancer, and harm aquatic life). As well as tetrasodium etidronate (there’s evidence of biodegradation).

The ingredients we use – baking soda, washing soda, and Epsom salt – all earn an A!

Also make sure to save our DIY STREAK FREE Glass Cleaner & Stainless Steel Cleaner with Essential Oils recipe!

4) Add Essential Oils if Desired

Infuse homemade natural laundry detergent with essential oils for a natural boost to get clothes clean! And it adds a therapeutic scent. Lemon Oil is my favorite choice for its brightening power. But I don’t always stop there, many other oils work well too. Consider Eucalyptus Oil, Peppermint, Lavender, or even a mix of other citrus oils.

Another great essential oil option is Shield Oil, which contains Lemon Oil and a highly sanitizing mix of other essential oils for a purifying boost!

Again, you can choose whatever scent you want! Just add 25 drops of essential oils to your natural laundry detergent to keep clothes fresh!

Essential Oils Not Safe for Kids and Options Every Mom Needs to Know

3) The Soap