Inflation Busters: Laundry Soap

The average American household does up to 300 loads of laundry per year. With regular store-bought detergent, each load can cost up to .30 cents, equaling $90 per year. That doesn’t seem like a lot, until you make your own laundry detergent for just .03 cents per load at a whopping $9 per year. Greta shared her money-saving laundry soap recipe in this week’s Greta’s Goodies Inflation Busters.

Quality Ingredients Matter

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, store-bought, scented liquid laundry detergent can emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs). When you make your own detergent, you can skip the nasty chemicals. That’s especially helpful if anyone in your family has allergies or sensitive skin.

How to Make Laundry Soap


• Here’s what you’ll need and how to make quality laundry soap for pennies.
• 4 cups of water
• (2) 16-oz canning jars
• 8 oz Borax detergent booster
• 8 oz. Arm & Hammer household cleaner and laundry booster
• 5 oz. Purex Fels-Naptha laundry bar and stain remover (you’ll find it in the laundry section at your nearby Walmart)
• Essential oils (optional)

Grate the Fels-Naptha into a bowl and set it aside.

Add the water to a stockpot, turn on the heat, and bring it to a boil.

Take the pot off the heat and add the grated Fels-Naptha. Stir until dissolved.

Add your Borax and Arm & Hammer to the mixture.

Stir it together until well mixed. It should now have a consistent look and feel.

Now, pour your mixture into your quart jars and add hot water until you have about 1-inch of headspace in the jar. Once filled, seal each jar. Then, turn them upside down and allow them to sit for five hours. Turning the jars upside down will make blending the detergent a lot easier.

Using an immersion blender, mix the detergent in the jar. You’ll see the laundry detergent fluff up right before your eyes.

Coastal tip: Want to add some scent to your laundry detergent? Use 20 to 40 drops of your favorite essential oil per jar.

You’re all done. For each load of laundry, you’ll only need one tablespoon of your laundry soap. Between the two jars, you should get 100 loads.

Coastal is Here to Help You Save Money


Stop by your West coast-owned and operated Coastal where you’ll find everything a hard-working family needs to stretch budgets and enjoy the American dream. That includes canning supplies, barbecue accessories, clothing for the whole family, as well as tools and equipment to get your chores done.