Original Post Published February 15, 2017 – Updated May 18, 2020
Original Post:
There are days when I feel crafty and others I just need super easy solutions. I was feeling a little crafty so I tackled a DIY project for my mom & me to make our own DIY laundry detergent.
Mike and I are currently renovating our house so we are staying with my parents. We are so lucky and blessed because we get to eat dinner with our family every night. My mom is baking Mike muffins every time he finishes a batch and they are spoiling our dogs. They may or may not be getting treats to lure them inside if they are causing a ruckus!
If you’re here you may be looking for more “green cleaning” products to incorporate into your life. Or you are intentional with your spending. Here are 2 recipes you can try if you want to make your own DIY laundry detergent.
Laundry Detergent Recipe #1
- 1/2 cup of Borax (Canadian Amazon Link or US Amazon Link)
- 1/2 cup of Baking Soda (Canadian Amazon Link or US Amazon Link)
- 2 Caps of dōTERRA OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate (Canadian Warehouse or US Warehouse)
- 10 – 15 Drops Each of dōTERRA Lemon & OnGuard Essential Oils (Canadian Warehouse or US Warehouse)
- Top with Water
Instructions: Mix Borax & Baking Soda Together. I divided half of this mix into my empty OnGuard Laundry Detergent container. And then an empty container my mother had of similar size. I added the 2 caps of cleaner concentrate & then water to the top. From there I added 10 – 15 drops of each essential oil to the container. Shake and Done.
Laundry Detergent Recipe #2
- 1/2 cup of Borax (Canadian Amazon Link or US Amazon Link)
- 1/2 cup of Dr. Brooner’s Castile Soap (Canadian Amazon Link or US Amazon Link)
- 2 Caps of dōTERRA OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate (Canadian Warehouse or US Warehouse)
- 10 – 15 Drops Each of dōTERRA Lemon & OnGuard Essential Oils (Canadian Warehouse or US Warehouse)
- Top with Water
Instructions: Add the Borax, Castile Soap & 2 caps of cleaner concentrate to the empty container. Fill with water and add the 10 – 15 drops of each essential oil to the container. Shake and Done.
If you just don’t have the time to be crafty you could purchase the pre-made dōTERRA OnGuard Laundry Detergent (Canadian Warehouse or US Warehouse). It lasted us about a month using it for 2-3 loads a weekend.
One of the reasons why I became interested in making my own laundry detergent is because I’ve always had issues with mainstream store-bought products. And while there are great options out there with less toxic ingredients they are quite pricey!
Switching over to cleaner products made the world of a difference in my health. Gone are the days of itchy skin from the standard detergents on the market. And now I’m able to save money by making my own!
Updated Post:
It’s been several years since I published this last post and since then I’ve experimented with ingredients. Here is my new and refined DIY laundry detergent that I’ve been using for a few years now.
We just moved from Ottawa to Port Alberni, so I had to start over with many of my DIY projects. I purchased 2 big bottles of the Eco Max Lavender Laundry Wash (Canadian Amazon Link). This product was readily available at our local grocery store. It also has a list of clean ingredients according to the Think Dirty app. I use this app to gauge the toxin level of store-bought products. Once I finished both bottles I can easily whip up the DIY recipe to put in these empty containers.
New & Improved Laundry Detergent Recipe:
- 1 Cup of Washing Soda (Canadian Amazon Link or US Amazon Link)
- 1/2 Cup of Borax (Canadian Amazon Link or US Amazon Link)
- 2 Caps of dōTERRA OnGuard Cleaner Concentrate (Canadian Warehouse or US Warehouse)
- 10-15 Drops of Lemon & Wild Orange Essential Oil (Canadian Warehouse or US Warehouse)
- Top with Water
It took me less than 2 minutes to whip this up while I made coffee in the morning. While DIY projects can seem daunting this is an easy one to incorporate into everyday life.
If you’re curious about how to purchase any of the dōTERRA products that I’ve linked throughout this post at 25% off normal retail prices you can check out how to get started with your own wholesale shopping account here.
2 caps of the concentrate for 64 oz doesn’t seem like enough, what about 1/2 cup?
Hey it is a concentrate and I’ve had great success with 2 caps. You can always up the amount it’s up to you 🙂
How much do you use per load? 1/2 cup? 2 ounces? Thanks!
I use a cap full on the container that I fill it with 🙂
Thank you! I’m going to give this a try. Do you have to shake it every time you use it (do the ingredients settle or does it stay pretty well mixed)?
They stay fairly well mixed, I shake it a little bit every time just to make sure.
Hi. Can Borax be substituted for anything else?
You could probably just use the washing soda
How much does this recipe make? One container? How many ounces?
I fill 2 3L containers with this
Hi Robyn😁
I’m loving the sound of your new and improved washing liquid
Just a question. I am using empty doterra laundry containers I have about 12 lol
So how do I go about making it. Do I split the recipe as per directions in your recipe #1. Sorry I just not sure if I do that as you mentioned you bought 2 3 L containers and were going to use them when you had used it’s contents. If you could please let me know that would be great. Thanks so mych
Hey, you’ll have to do some trial and errors with the recipe as I’ve only made it for larger containers.
I used the first recipe and I got a lot of clumbs. It didn’t desolve. Is that normal?