54 Reviews of Laundry Detergent Powder

From: luvmybge

On Dec 28, 2003

I like this dry powder better than all the mess of the liquid that I used to make. This saves space, too. You can find SUPER WASHING SODA in the laundry aisle of your supermarket. (look down low on the shelf as they really don't want you to find it.. they'd rather have you spend tons of money on the name brand stuff). I also read where you should not substitute baking soda for the washing soda... but you use your own judgement. I've been mixing 1 cup of grated Fels Naptha soap (grated in my food processor) and then I add one cup of Borax and one cup of Super Washing Soda and blend them all together in the food processor. I've made many batches and have given them to friends along with a 1-tablespoon coffee scoop with the directions to use 2 tablespoons per load. I find that one tablespoon isn't enough for my wash.. so I use 2. Thanks for the idea of the money saver and space saver of a recipe.

From: Kookaburra

On Feb 8, 2007

Updated Review: We've been using this for 3 years now and prefer it to any commercial powder. I use 2 bars of pure soap, and 750g (1 1/2 lbs) each of borax and washing soda. (Lately, I've been able to buy the washing soda in powdered granules rather than as crystals which makes things easier.) Be careful grating the soap in the food processor - you might break the bowl (as I did the first time). Now, I slice the soap into shards with a knife, then grate the shards. To make it finer, I process the grated soap with the chopping blade. If you've bought washing soda crystals, you'll need to whizz these in the food processor or blender as well. Then, just mix the lot together in a large mixing bowl, and decant into jars. The quantities above make two large jars full. We use about 2 tablespoons per load and it works on even muddy jeans and leaves everything crisp, clean and smelling sweet.

From: ebechan

On Jan 12, 2006

Just wanted to inform the extra frugel out there that you can get washing soda in bulk and very cheaply at the pool suply stores. Just ask for sodium carbonate! You can get a 5 gl bucket for less then 10$. You can even increase the ratio of washing soda to borax to save more. For fabric softener, try vinegar. Yes, I am serious. It will soften your clolthes, rinse them cleaner, and help with static. Don't worry, there will not be a vinegar smell left on your clothes. Vinegar is a natural deoderizer. It will dry oder free. I just fill up my downy ball with vinegar and throw it in the wash cycle.

From: deniseiv

On Jun 1, 2004

I use this all the time with Dove Unscented soap since my daughter has eczema. I use the small holes on the grater, and grating the soap is the only bummer about this recipe. I use 1 c. grated soap to 1/2 c. each Borax and Washing Soda. I start the washer with a little warm water and let the soap dissolve, then switch to cold if I'm doing darks, and add the clothes.

From: Tampa Red

On Sep 3, 2004

Excellent and inexpensive. The acid test was my black clothing (I have a lot of it) which came out black black. Sometimes detergents cause it to look greyish. Not so with this recipe! I added lavender oil to the mix as I processed the powdered Fels Naptha with the other ingredients. I used my food processor with the cheese shredding device to chip the soap, then switched to the chopping blade to really pulverize it and mix it with the washing powder and the Borax. I have bought lots of washing powder and Borax for their other many uses. You really can economize and help the environment here at the same time. The natural brand detergents in the store discourage bargain seekers from doing the right thing. You will be happy you make this soap when you don't have to lug great bottles of Tide in from the car when it is icy and snowing. This also means less to have to recycle. The recipe is the BEST!

From: Kim D.

On Jun 14, 2004

This detergent works great! I used Fels Naptha Soap, which is a laundry bar soap (sold near the pre-made detergents), and it smelt wonderful! One bar of Fels Naptha Soap will make two batches of detergent. I used my Pampered Chef Cheese Grater to grate the soap and I mixed it up in about 5 minutes! It was so easy to make and my clothes look and smell wonderful!

From: Sully7

On Jan 15, 2004

I too have been making a liquid soap for my wash. This seems much easier! And less time consuming! As for washing soda, search it out it will make all the difference in how clean your clothes get. I have to travel to a grocery store 30 min away to get it, my local ones don't carry it. So I buy 2 or 3 boxes! Also search for the Fels Naptha soap it is awesome and smells great!

From: Marty B

On Sep 27, 2004

Great stuff! Works great on grass, blood, and spaghetti stains even though I passed on the Fels Naptha and used plain Ivory soap. "Caution: Skin irritant" kind of scared me away from the Fels Naptha. It works, it's cheap, it's easy to make, and it's better for the environment than commercial laundry detergents... what more could we want? :o)

From: kyrandia

On Jun 8, 2007

I just took my first load off of the line, this washing powder is amazing.... it has removed stains from my daughters clothes that even the best stain remover and washing powder from the supermarket couldnt shift... just take a tiny bit from the tablespoon you would use in your wash and rub it into the stain adding a couple of drops of water so its a paste..... leave for 10 minutes then wash as usual... amazing, bye bye spaghetti stains ... the rest of the wash came out bright and clean and while not highly perfumed like commercial products, it did smell clean , thankyou jellyqueen, this will become my washing powder of choice from now on

From: ~Bekah~

On Jan 24, 2004

Works like a charm. Even on my sons nasty icky clothes. I used the recommended Fels Naptha soap (which smells great) which I grated in my food processor. I honestly will be using this from now on. And the cost is so incredibly low compared to the premade brands! Why would anyone buy laundry soap? Thanks for sharing.