Does the Duggar Family Homemade Laundry Detergent Really Work? A Soap Recipe Review
92Is Homemade Laundry Detergent As Good as the Commercial Brands?
With two small children in the house and laundry creating piles the size of Mt. Whitney, we go through a lot of laundry detergent. I decided to try the Duggar family laundry detergent recipe to see if it was as effective as the name-brand detergent we normally purchase.
The Duggar Laundry Detergent Recipe
- 4 cups hot tap water
- 1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
- 1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
- 1/2 cup Borax
- Add 4 cups hot water to a small saucepan. Grate the Fels Naptha soap and add it to the saucepan. Heat over low heat until the soap is melted. Stir the melted soap and water to mix the solution.
- Fill a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 way with hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax, and Washing Soda. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Let sit overnight to thicken.
- Stir, and dispense thickened soap into cleaned laundry soap dispensers (use empty containers from commercial brand laundry detergent): fill each bottle 1/2 way, then top the container off with water. Shake before use.
This liquid laundry soap recipe yields 10 gallons. For HE machines, use 1/4 cup per load. For top-loading machines, use 1/2 cup per load.
Does Homemade Laundry Detergent Work?
I made the laundry soap recipe according to the Duggar Family Website, and let it sit overnight to cool and thicken. I was concerned when I saw little gelatinous lumps floating in the bucket. I stirred the laundry soap, filled an empty laundry container 1/2 way with the soap, and topped it off with water.
I ran the first load of muddy, stinky little boy jeans, and the pants came out of the washer smelling fresh and clean. All traces of mud were gone! In addition, my kitchen towels came out cleaner than the commercial laundry detergent load.
Since that point in time, I have not bought one gallon of commercial laundry detergent. The homemade laundry detergent version works just as well (or better)!
Homemade Laundry Soap: Time Required
Many people are concerned about the time required to make a batch of homemade laundry detergent. The entire process takes very little time: the longest process is grating and melting the bar soap in the heated water. Ivory soap melts much faster than Fels Naptha. If melting Fels Naptha bar soap, the melting portion may take up to 20-30 minutes. Ivory soap will melt within 10-15 minutes.
The rest of the homemade laundry soap comes together in seconds: simply dump in the melted bar soap, borax, and washing soda: fill to the top with hot water, and stir. It is extremely simple, and the large quantity of cheap laundry detergent more than justifies the half hour spent melting soap!
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The Benefits of Homemade Laundry Soap
Better for the Environment
The materials in homemade laundry soap have no phosphates. Borax and Washing Soda are naturally occurring compounds. The laundry soap uses recycled dispensers, and for every 5 gallons you make, you save 10 plastic containers from going to the landfill.
It is Much, Much, Cheaper
The estimated cost of homemade laundry detergent is approximately $0.01 per load. There is no commercial laundry detergent that can compare to the cost of the homemade version. A reader of this article suggests going to your local grocery store and asking for buckets from their bakery department. The icing arrives in 5 gallon buckets, and the grocery store will sell the buckets at a deep discount.
Safer for Sensitive Skin
I have substituted Ivory soap for the Fels Naptha, because my boys have eczema. The homemade laundry soap is fragrance free, and is gentle on their sensitive skin.
Customizable
The bar soap portion of the recipe can be changed to Zote (pink), Ivory, or Fels Naptha. If desired, 10 drops of essential oil can be added per 2 gallons of laundry soap. Essential oils come in a variety of wonderful scents, so you can pick your own (and vary it by the season)!
To save money and get a great-scented homemade laundry detergent, Irish Spring soap may be grated and added to the detergent. Add a bar of grated Irish Spring soap and reduce the amount of Fels-Naptha to about 1/3 of a bar. Alternately, 2 bars of Irish Spring soap may be used (do not add Fels Naptha if Irish Spring will be used). Other "bath" soaps have met with success, including Dial and Ivory soaps. Take care, however, as some bath soap products contain oils which may stain clothing: avoid the "moisturizing" bath soaps!
Duggar Detergent Problems and Solutions
Problem
| Solution
| Comments
|
|---|---|---|
Detergent turns into solid gel
| Use less Fels Naptha or add more hot water. You can also re-mix the solution with vigorous stirring.
| I immediately decant my detergent into containers and dilute with water to prevent the gelling problem.
|
Detergent is runny and "gloppy"
| None
| Good job! This is the way it is supposed to look.
|
I can't find Fels Naptha
| Look in the laundry section or buy online
| This bar soap is located in the laundry section of most department stores.
|
I used bath soap and my clothes have oily stains
| Only use Ivory, Zote, or Fels Naptha bar soap
| Many "bath" soaps contain oils and perfumes that will stain clothes
|
I have hard water and my clothes are still dirty.
| Add vinegar to the rinse cycle, or use oxyclean
| Hard water can build up in machines and cause inefficient cleaning.
|
I am getting a rash from the laundry soap
| Try substituting Ivory for the Fels Naptha or use Baking Soda instead of Washing Soda.
| Ivory and Baking Soda are less irritating to skin than Fels Naptha and Washing Soda.
|
Natural Chemicals to Clean Clothes
Can I Use Baking Soda Instead of Washing Soda?
Baking soda and washing soda are different chemicals (sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate, respectively). Baking soda is slightly less effective at removing oily stains from clothing, but many people use it in homemade laundry detergent. Baking soda is slightly less irritating to the skin, so using it in laundry detergent destined for cloth diapers is a good idea.
I have always made the laundry detergent according to the Duggar recipe (which uses washing soda) and am pleased with the results. If you have members of the family with sensitive skin and don't have heavily soiled clothing, baking soda might be worth a try.
Laundry Detergent: Your Opinion
What Type of Laundry Detergent Do You Use?
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It is totally safe in HE machines: you use 1/4 cup of the detergent instead of 1/2 cup.
I tried the recipe and am currently waiting for my commercial detergent to run out! I like the slight fragrance the Ivory soap lends, but may add some essential oils. Can't wait to give it a shot!
Great report here. Thanks much.
I really prefer the Ivory soap to the Fels Naptha. I think the Fels Naptha is a little harder on dark fabrics, and the Ivory definitely has a nicer smell!
Great hub. Thank you. I love it when we stop sending packaging to the landfills.
The best thing about this laundry soap is that you use recycled commercial laundry detergent bottles as dispensers, and it is made and stored in the same 5 gallon bucket. Want not, waste not!
I love this idea. When we lived in Florida I always used soap nuts with some drops of lavender oil added to the water. My friends always laughed at me and told me I was completely British as I used to hang out my washing on a washing line instead of using the dryer. Duh! When you live somewhere like that, where there is so much sunshine, it's a no-brainer.
I really fancy trying this out though when we return to Europe. I don't think I could get the Borax or Washing Soda here in Thailand though.
We lived in Ireland for a while and dryers were not common appliances! We used to line dry our clothes in the summer, but it was a mess of soggy clothes on racks in the winter...it is definitely easier in sunny climes, lol!
I'm not sure if you could get borax or washing soda in Thailand. Amazon sells the materials, but I don't know anything about the shipping policies to Thailand!
If using ivory instead, do I use 5 oz like the size of the other bar?
Hi Kim, I simply use the regular bath-sized bar of Ivory soap. It has worked well, and I think a bigger bar of Ivory might leave some soap residue on the clothes.
I make and use this laundry soap. Absolutely am thrilled with the results and wonderful fragrance that fills my kitchen and adjacent rooms. Two thumbs up -- Voted up & useful! Hope your readers try this recipe, it is wonderful & a great way to help convert your home into a "natural" based home. BTW - I am a mom of a 12 year old girl, 10, 6, 5 & 3 year old boys -- and this detergent WORKS on their tough messes -- and I find my clothes are softer than when I had used commercial brands.
Warmest regards ~
Thanks for the comment, breathe2travel! We have a 4 year old boy and an almost-6 year old boy - it really does work! We couldn't get our kitchen towels clean with the commercial laundry detergent, but the homemade laundry detergent really works!
Hello! I would love to try this, however I do not have a 5 gallon bucket. Is there any way I can make a batch just big enough to fill a used laundry soap container and not have to store the rest in a 5 gallon bucket?
I started using this in February, totally love it, many of my family members have started using it. I like not having to spend $20. on detergent.
Jessica, I bought a 5 gallon bucket at Lowes for $2.98. WalMart has them for $5. I'm not fond of storing the soap in the 5 gallon bucket, but saved old soap containers and use them. I also got some from my mom. Just ask people to save theirs for you, until you get enough.
Today, I made my 3rd batch. I love this stuff!
Hi Jessica - it is possible to cut down the recipe. The recipe above makes enough for 10 gallons when diluted (the 5 gallons in a bucket is a concentrate). Just divide the amounts above by 5 to get enough for a 1 gallon container. Add it to a laundry detergent container and add an equal amount of water to bring it to the usable concentration.
The 5 gallon buckets are pretty cheap at Home Depot or Walmart. I have one and use it to mix the detergent, and I asked all my friends to give me their spare laundry detergent containers. Now I mix the detergent, then pour it into the laundry detergent containers so that I have 10 bottles, ready to use.
This is very helpful to me...I am going to try it. I am a little nervous as I am considered by some, small community of those who know me to be the queen of stain removal. So, naturally I am anxious to give this a try.
I am newly retired and every dime must stretch even further than it did before...thanks for sharing this!
Definitely give it a try, pstraubie48! It really does work - the Fels Naptha is stronger than the Ivory, particularly for greasy stains. You can also pre-treat stains by rubbing some Fels Naptha bar soap over the stain. I haven't bought laundry detergent in over a year. I started out making the Ivory soap version, but now I stick to the Fels Naptha - it works a bit better on the really nasty clothes (I have two hockey players in this house)!
So I have a top loading HE washing machine, do I use 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup? Thanks for all the tips!
Lindsey, most HE washing machines will take 1/4 cup (even if they are top loading). I would try the 1/4 cup with a "test load" - if the clothes don't seem clean enough, you can always increase the amount to 1/3 or 1/2 cup. We have an older front loading HE machine, and we use about 1/4 cup. To be honest, I just saved the bottles from our commercial HE detergent and refill them with the homemade stuff (our neighbors have given us their used bottles, too). I use the lid/measuring cup as the dispenser, and it works very well for us! I hope that helps!
This is fantastic! When I was growing up in Wisconsin my mother always used Fels Naptha for stubborn stains. She would rub it on the stain prior to washing the clothes and then hanging then on the lines to dry outside. In the winter she had lines strung in the basement that she could use. Once we moved to Texas she got a dryer and from that point on used it. But I loved that fresh air smell. No dryer sheet can replicate it!
Going to bookmark this, tweet it, FB it and vote it up and useful. Thanks!
This is a fantastic Hub! I love your table of possible problems that may occur. I'm getting low on detergent right now. I think I'll try. How long will the 10 gallon batch last on the shelf? Do you put all of the detergent in dispensers, or do you only fill one dispenser and leave the rest in the bucket? Thanks!
Very interesting Hub, leahlefler.
I am a single guy and doubt that i'll ever not so lazy as to do this.
But, for a family of 4, this is great.
Your personal touch with your experiences really added to the quality of the Hub.
Great job.
Cheers
Thanks, Peggy! The Fels Naptha is good stuff - it really gets out oily stains (especially if used as a pre-treatment)! It works really well in the laundry detergent, too. Interesting side note: fels naptha is one of the only soaps that will denature the oils found in poison ivy - if your clothing gets contaminated, the "duggar detergent" will be able to neutralize the itch-causing oils!
Robin, the 5 gallon batch (undiluted) will last indefinitely. I have some sitting in a bucket from a demonstration I did six months ago, and it is still fine. It will need to be stirred before I add it to a container, but it will be fine.
I used to store mine in the bucket, because I didn't have enough recycled detergent containers. I finally have enough commercial containers to store my stash of homemade detergent, though! If you store it in the 5 gallon bucket, make sure you have a secure lid on the bucket at all times (I always worry about drowning accidents with small children around the house).
If you aliquot it into containers, you'll need about 10 one gallon containers. Fill each one halfway full of the concentrate, then fill to the top with water (leave enough headspace to shake the container before each use).
claptona, this detergent makes such a large quantity that a single guy may never use it up! Each batch lasts us (family of four, two are hockey players) for about six months. Thanks for the comment!
Perfect. Thanks for the great response. I only have one container right now, but I'll start collecting from friends. I really appreciate the Hub!
Hi LL - No wonder Mr. Clean had no hair! Enjoyed this article for its nice clean recipe. The last box of powdered detergent we bought cost right near 30 bucks. This goopy wet stuff surely does sound like relief from that kind of spending. Thanks.
Gus :-)))
I hope it helps, Robin! If anyone in the family has sensitive skin, switch to Ivory (I have to use that formulation with my kids in the winter). It doesn't have the same "feel" as the commercial detergent, but it works!
Gus, it really does work (and it is a LOT cheaper)! I also use the "cheap" method for fabric softener. Pour a container of softener into a bucket, add two containers' worth of water to it, then throw in some sponges (cut in half). When you need to dry some clothes in the dryer, wring out a sponge and throw it into the dryer - works just like a dryer sheet (this also lasts forever - works better for a family that goes through detergent/softener quickly)!
I love saving the money (I prefer the term "frugal" to "cheapskate," haha). Mama's getting a tablet PC for Christmas with the savings :)
I am always looking for ways to ease the strain on my wallet and this sounds like an awesome one!! I doubt I'll have to work very hard to convince my family to try something new. Thank you so much for sharing this leahlefler!
Thank you, xethonxq! I was leery of trying a homemade version, but I banked on the fact that a family of 20 people would have to use something that worked. I tried their recipe, and it worked wonderfully! It really does save a lot of money, especially over the course of a year.
I recently got a HE machine and I love it. it works well, handles a bigger load, and spins so much dryer that even when I use my dryer it takes far less time. The one thing that I didn't like was that the HE detergent seemed so much more expensive-- even with using less.
Thanks for the alternative. 1/4 cup right? Maybe I need to make a half recipe for two people.
Well done, especially in todays economic climate.
Rochelle, the 1/4 cup works well for us (we have an older HE machine). You can adjust the amount if it seems to be too much (leaves residue) or too little (clothes don't get clean). The price on the commercial detergent for HE machines is staggering!
The HE formulations use a low-foaming detergent. The Duggar detergent is already "low foaming" so it works well with HE machines.
Thank you, Just_Rodney - we have found that it saves money over the long run. Now, if I could only grow my own coffee (that would REALLY save money)! :-)
I"m a bit confused. Do you melt the soap without the water and then add the hot water, the article made it seem like add water to a small saucepan, melt the grated soap and then add the hot water to it. Maybe I just misunderstood.
Hi Vanessa - Add 4 cups of water to a saucepan, then add the grated soap to the saucepan. Heat the soap and water until melted. Then add that melted soap mixture to the big bucket (which has hot water and borax/washing soda). I see where the confusion comes from - I'll fix that sentence in the article! Sorry about that!
Hi, leahlefler
How cool! I had never heard of the Duggar family detergent. This is a really awesome hub - I'm surprised it didn't get a Hub of the Day sometime. It certainly would have deserved it. I look forward to reading more.
Thanks, Chaplin Speaks!
I've had a few hubs make Hub of the Day (a tutorial on making black/white/color images - on the carousel prior to the official HOD system, one on infant seat expiration dates, and one on reverse-engineering chickens into dinosaurs). I've certainly had a fair share of representation! Thanks for the compliment!
The homemade detergent works really well, and saves our family a fair bit of pocket change. I was skeptical before I tried it, but now it is the only type we use (unless we go on vacation)!
Just curious, I made this and tried it on a test load. I have an HE machine and am used to the low sudsing, but this didn't seem to sud at all. Did I miss something? Maybe I didn't let the soap completely melt?
Hi Monica, mine never suds at all. Low-sudsing is better for HE machines, and this detergent is almost non-sudsing. It's normal for the homemade stuff - I should take a video of my laundry soap in action, so that people can see what is "normal." The clothes should come out clean, though - are your clothes coming out clean?
Leahlefler, Thank you for replying. Well, I didn't actually trust that the first load was clean (used mostly play clothes with permanent stains... (Chicken, huh?), but, the next load I did was clean. Now another question.... Please.... Is this soap ok for delicates?
I would be careful with delicates, particularly with the Fels Naptha. I feel that the Fels Naptha can be a little hard on more delicate clothing - I haven't had anything "hurt" by it, but I haven't washed anything fragile, either. I do wash underwear and all of our regular (and work) clothes in it and they have always been fine. I would be careful with anything that has lace or a very delicate fabric, though. The Ivory version is gentler than the Fels Naptha. Some people use Castile soap, which is made from olive oil and is very gentle.
I made the recipe....& it came out pretty liquidly. Don't know what I could have done wrong! :(
Emily, this detergent is very different from the commercial variety. It is usually VERY liquid - more like water with chunks of gloopy soap in it than anything else (particularly when it cools down). When it is still warm, it is very watery. Sometimes the fels naptha version will gel solid when it cools, and that is also normal. Don't worry about the consistency -try it in a load and if it works, you're good to go!
Do you recommend using this detergent in its gel form or diluted? Which is best on stains? Could I split the gel into another bucket and fill both the rest of the way with water and still get good results?
Hi Queenie, the Fels Naptha version of this detergent will SOMETIMES gel, but not always. It depends on the rate at which it cools (mine often turns into a solid gel in the winter time, and not as often in the summer time). The 5 gallon bucket is a concentrate, so when you use it in the washing machine it will need to be diluted in half. I make the 5 gallons of detergent and then fill ten gallon sized commercial laundry containers (obtained from friends) halfway. I top off the containers with water, and have ten gallons of ready-to-use soap. If the concentrate in the five gallon bucket does gel, you will need to remix it to get it back to a liquid consistency. I've only noticed the gelling issue with the Fels Naptha, and not with the Ivory or Irish Spring soap.
Is it ok to just use the gel form not mixed with more water in your wash? Would it be better on stains?
You could certainly try it - the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup (for regular machines) or 1/4 cup (HE machines) of the diluted soap. You could try using 1/4 cup (regular) or 1/8 cup (HE machines) of the undiluted concentrate. It should work the same way. If your clothes feel like they're covered in soap residue, then try using it according to the original instructions. Fels Naptha can be rubbed on stains as a pre-treatment, too!
I have always purchased my laundry detergent but no more. It never entered my mind to make my own. thanks you for such a great idea. I am thrilled to find yet another way to save money AND keep my clothes clean.
I've been using the "Duggar Detergent" for well over a year now and it is wonderful. It has saved us a lot of money on laundry detergent and only takes a few minutes to make (and about a day to cool off) - with ten gallons per batch, it is well worth the time investment - thanks for your comment, Mary Stuart!
For those of you asking about the 5 gallon buckets...instead of paying $3.00+ simply call the bakery department at your local grocery store. I get mine for $0.75!!! They get their frosting in the 5 gallon pails so they are clean and food grade...perfect for this use!!
Lisa, what a fantastic idea! You are absolutely brilliant - I am definitely calling our grocery store the next time we need a bucket. I used to work in biotech and could get buckets from my former work-place, but I didn't want to worry about getting all of the residue from old chemicals out of the buckets. The frosting buckets from a grocery store would be perfect for repurposing as laundry containers, though!
I have been trying to use this for about 1 month now and I've been a little disappointed. I feel like I must be doing something wrong since so many people have had success. I find on my clothes where my baby spit up that it leaves a little greasy looking spot and doesn't clean it and I've had a few random items (boppy pillow cover and changing table sheet) come out with weird grayish spots on them. I also am using them on my kiddos cloth diapers and have been a little leery as I've read some things about not recommending soap for diapers but rather detergent (according to my research this recipe makes laundry SOAP not laundry DETERGENT which are very different things)... both kiddos seem to have a little more redness to their hineys than when I used Country Save. Any ideas/suggestions?
Hi Andrea - this is definitely laundry soap and not "detergent" (people search for the word "detergent" in google, hence the use of the word in the title). I would not use the fels naptha if you are using this for cloth diapers - my children both have eczema and very sensitive skin, so we use the Ivory version of this laundry soap recipe for their clothing. For cloth diapers, I'd try using Castile soap (which is extremely gentle) and baking soda substituted for the washing soda. By using Castile soap and baking soda, you should have a much gentler formulation. The gray spots are strange - I haven't ever seen that problem, so I am trying to determine where the gray spots are coming from!
There are some items that I have to pre-treat when using the homemade recipe - my son has a g-tube and we have stomach drainage onto his tube pads. I have to pre-treat these with spray-and-wash prior to laundering. Spit up may have the same issue, since it contains stomach acid.
What temperature are you laundering at? I wash Nolan's g-tube pads in hot water, and sometimes add bleach to disinfect (though the bleach may not be a good idea for diapers, since it may be harsh on a baby's skin).
Andrea, another question - do you have hard water? I sometimes add vinegar to the rinse cycle because we have hard water in our area, which can leave whitish spots on clothing.
OK - I looked up causes of gray spots on laundry - apparently, some people have problems with this when there are greasy/oily stains. Formula and breast milk has a high fat content, so the spit up might be oily: if you use a homemade soap with castile soap, you might try increasing the concentration to see if it will cut the grease, as the grease can be redispersed onto the entire load of wash if the amount of cleaning agent is insufficient. The same thing can happen if you are using liquid fabric softener in your washing machine (fabric softener is a waxy product). There is some information on the subject here: http://www.clorox.com/blogs/dr-laundry/2009/07/14/
AS far as the essential oils, where would I find those? Do you mean the fragrance oils that you would burn in an oil lamp?
Hi etomala, sometimes drug stores will sell essential oils, but the only place I've been able to find them is online. Be careful if you use fragrance oils from lamps, because those sometimes include dyes and other ingredients you don't want in your laundry! Essential oils can be pricey, so I don't tend to use them (I use fragrant fabric softener, instead).
Thanks for the information. I've never tried to make my own laundry detergent, but now I'll give that some thought!
It really does work, oceansider, and saves a heap of money (especially when counted over the course of the year).
What the heck is Fels Naptha? is that something they sell in the United States? I've never heard of it
Fels Naptha is a laundry soap (a bar soap) that is usually sold in the laundry aisle of US grocery and big box stores. You can purchase it online if you can't find it in the stores. I had never heard of it prior to trying out the laundry recipe for the first time - now I have it in the laundry room as a staple! You can pre-treat clothes with it, too - apparently it was more common in the 1950's, prior to the introduction of the "spray and wash" style stain preventers. Fels Naptha is one of the only soaps that will remove poison ivy oils from clothing, an added bonus if you live in an area with poison ivy!
Is there a reason why you can't make the laundry detergent and leave it in the dry form? It seems like that would be easier than having to melt the soap and add the other ingredients.
There are several dry detergent recipes - I haven't tried the powdered detergent because I don't have a food processor, but I have heard (from friends) that those recipes work well. The dried versions usually use fels naptha that has been processed with the other dry ingredients in a food processor - the liquid version is really easy. The food processor step is simply replaced with a soap melting step, I would guess that the preparation time is similar.
Writing_Wine 16 months ago
I didn't even know this was possible. Is it safe to use in HE machines?