Laundry room reveal + DIY laundry detergent

This is one of my most requested things, ever! I make my own laundry detergent and it typically costs me around $35 (this will depend on where you live and where you shop) and lasts me anywhere from a year and a half to two years. My last batch lasted me 1 year and 11 months and that’s with me doing a minimum of 3 loads a week and a maximum of 5 loads a week. It is super simple to make, very inexpensive, and it smells the best! I always get compliments on how good I smell when people hug me or borrow my clothes.

Laundry rooms can be the most boring rooms ever because you can’t do much to them to make them pretty. We decided not to do too much to this room because it’s not a room we spend time in and we need it to be more functional than pretty. I just had a piece of wood cut at Home Depot and stained it to use it as a folding table/countertop to hold the detergents and such. The rug and the yellow jug are from HomeGoods and the cotton twigs are from a local shop here in Charlotte.

This clothes wringer is vintage as well as the bucket at the end that I put a plant in. I bought these from a flea market. I bought the wringer from a man who had it passed down to him from his Italian Grandmother and it’s over 100 years old. I just think it’s such a cool piece to display, especially in this room.

A tip for making your laundry room feel more “glam” is to put everything in glass jars. This is just normal fabric softener (not homemade) but I make it pretty by putting it in a dispenser.

This is what the finished product looks like and this whole jar cost me $33 to make!

I also display extra Downy Unstoppables in this apothecary jar and clothes pins for anything I may need to hang. I leave my white detergent in the original bottle because I actually really love this packaging. This is, hands down, the best detergent for whites and I use it on all of my white clothes, white towels, and white linens. It smells fantastic and because it’s so concentrated you only need to use 1-2 capfuls. This has lasted me almost 2 years and I probably have 3-4 months worth left. You can purchase it here.

I hung this shelf with a bar to hang dry clothes. A lot of our clothes can’t go in the dryer but I didn’t want another rack to take up yet more floor space so I did this instead. The basket on top of the shelf holds our lint rollers, stain removers, travel steamer, and anything else than we may need. I use the steamer in the corner for most of my items. Shaun is team iron and I am team steamer all the way. The hanger organizer is from The Container Store and the hamper is from World Market. I bought it in store and I couldn’t find it to link it for you guys but you can find the hamper we have in our bedroom here.

Okay, so this is actually just a random tip but since these are stored in my laundry room I wanted to share it with you guys. We save all of our empty toilet paper rolls and I put them in the laundry room in this plastic bin. Once I have enough dryer lint I stuff the toilet paper roll with it. These make the best fire starters, ever! Shaun and I have fires 1-2 times a week and all it takes to start the fire is one of these babies.

Alright, time for the much anticipated laundry detergent recipe. First I gather everything I need.

2 (14.8 oz) bottles of Downy Unstoppables

2 (1.77 lb.) containers of OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover (or a total of 3.5 lbs)

1 box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 box of Borax

1 (4 lb.) box of Arm & Hammer pure baking soda

3 bars of Fels-Naptha laundry bar & stain remover

I always get everything from Walmart. I used to get it all from Target but after they revamped our local store they stopped selling a few of these items. I’ve had people ask if you can use Zote instead of Fels-Naptha. I have never used it so I can’t answer that question. However, every Walmart I’ve gone to carries Fels-Naptha so again, I would suggest going there. The amount of Unstoppables you use is up to you but after trying out this recipe I feel like I’ve finally perfected it after my 4th time and this is the amount I like to use. You can also use any other kind of Unstoppable or similar scent booster. Yes, they sell 3.5 lb containers of OxiClean but my Walmart didn’t have it in stock so I bought two containers to total up to 3.5 lbs. There is only one size Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and one size Borax so that is why I didn’t list a preferred size. The best part about getting all of this at Walmart (for me, anyway) is that everything is right next to each other so I was in and out in 5 minutes.

First start by grating the 3 bars of Fels-Naptha with a cheese grater. You want to use the smallest side of your grater so the pieces of soap are super fine. I do this in a mixing bowl. Be careful when doing this step because I’ve accidentally grated my thumb a few times and it’s not too fun. 🙂

This is what it will look like when you’re done grating the three bars of soap.

Next I set up my prep station. I personally love to store my detergent in a glass jar (which you can also get at Walmart) but you can store it in whatever kind of container you’d like. This will only be a one time purchase because you can use the same container every year so I sprung for glass.

Okay, so my secret is to do this in layers. I do this in four layers so it’s easier to mix. I pour in 1/4 of each of my powders. If any of the powders come out chunky make sure you reach your hand in there and break it up. Pour 1/4 of your grated soap as well as 1/4 of your scent booster. Reach your hand in and mix it very well. I do this bare handed because it’s just soap but feel free to put on rubber gloves if it makes you feel better. Once this layer is mixed well you can move on to your next layer.

Do this 4 times and you will have a really well mixed detergent.

This is the finished product. I use a scoop I got in an OxiClean container a few years ago. The amount I use is a little more than 1 tablespoon per load. You can use whatever kind of scoop you’d like but if you do use a tablespoon to measure just make sure it’s a heaving tablespoon. I put the detergent directly in the detergent drawer of my front loading machine. I’ve also used this with my old top loading machine and I put it directly into the washing machine. I’ve never had any issues with the soap disintegrating or any other issues whatsoever and I do most of my loads with cold water. I do not recommend using the same amount of detergent you would typically use. Because this is pure soap and there are no added fillers you don’t have to use a lot. This is also what makes it last so long. If you use too much laundry detergent it can actually make your clothes dirty so be careful when measuring. If you use this exact recipe make sure you use the amount I suggested. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments. I hope you enjoy!