Making your own laundry soap (detergent) is an easy and fun experiment. Plus, there are a variety of different formulas you can try. Keep in mind that it's not really possible to make your own detergent that is as effective as commercial detergent products at home. Even so, there are a variety of laundry soaps that you can make at home, such as detergents from lerak, powdered soap-based detergents, and liquid soap-based detergents.
Ingredients
Liquid Detergent from Lerak
- 20 pieces of lerak
- 6 cups (1.5 liters) water
Soap Based Powder Detergent
- 280 grams of bar soap
- 660 grams of soda ash
- 2 cups (about 800 grams) borax
- 30 drops of essential oil
Soap Based Liquid Detergent
- cup (200 grams) borax
- cup (100 grams) soda ash
- cup (100 ml) liquid soap
- 4 cups (950 ml) boiling water
- 10 cups (2.5 liters) cold water
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Liquid Detergent with Lerak
Step 1. Mix lerak and water
Put the lerak in a large saucepan. Pour water over the lerak, then cover. Turn on medium heat and bring the lerak solution to a boil.
- Lerak is the fruit of the Sapindus shrub plant native to India and Nepal. In Indonesia, lerak is commonly used as washing soap for batik cloth.
- Lerak shell contains natural saponin surfactants. Thus, lerak is a more biodegradable alternative to commercial detergents.
- Lerak can be found in natural ingredients stores, traditional markets, and online stores.
Step 2. Boil the lerak solution for 30 minutes
After the lerak solution boils, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for half an hour. This process allows lerak to release its saponin content into the water.
Observe carefully the lerak solution during boiling because the foam easily overflows
Step 3. Open the lid of the pot and continue to boil the lerak solution for 30 minutes
After the lerak has simmered for 30 minutes, remove the lid from the pot and let it simmer for another half hour. While the lerak is simmering, gently press the shell with a fork to help release the saponins.
As long as the lerak solution is boiled in an open pan, the volume of water will shrink so that the detergent produced will be more concentrated
Step 4. Strain and cool
Remove the pan from the heat once the lerak solution has boiled and has reduced in volume. Place the sieve over a medium-sized bowl and pour the lerak solution through the sieve to remove the lerak flakes. Set aside the remaining solution until it reaches room temperature, or about 1 hour. Let the lerak in the colander also cool.
The volume of water and lerak in this formula will yield about 900 ml of detergent
Step 5. Pour the lerak detergent into a convenient container
Once the temperature has cooled, attach the funnel to the mouth of a plastic or glass bottle. Pour the liquid lerak detergent into the bottle through the funnel. After that, remove the funnel from the bottle and close it tightly.
It's best to use an airtight container with an airtight lid to help the detergent retain longer
Step 6. Save the lerak
Once the lerak has cooled, transfer it to a freezer bag and store it in the freezer. Lerak can be reused about 3 times, or until the saponins in the shell are used up.
Step 7. Store the detergent in the refrigerator
Lerak detergent will spoil if left for several days in hot temperatures. So, make sure to store it in the fridge. As long as it is stored in cold conditions, lerak detergent can be used for a maximum of 2 weeks.
To make this detergent last longer, you can freeze it in an ice cube box. Once the detergent has frozen, transfer it to a freezer bag for storage
Step 8. Use a few spoonfuls of lerak detergent every time you wash clothes
When you have to wash clothes, put 2 tablespoons of lerak detergent in the washing machine. You can use this detergent for a regular washing machine as well as a high efficiency washing machine. Wash your clothes in the usual way.
Method 2 of 3: Making Powdered Detergent from Soap
Step 1. Grate the bar of soap
Use a cheese grater to grind the bar soap. To make cleaning easier, hold the cheese grater over the bowl so that the results go straight into the bowl. This process will make it easier to make soap into powdered detergent.
- Soap weighing 280 grams is approximately the same as two bars of soap.
- Ideally, use castile soap, Zote laundry detergent, and Fels-Naptha.
- Since soap residue may permanently stick to the cheese grater, it's best to use a special grater to make detergent.
Step 2. Puree the grated soap in a food processor
Put the grated soap into a food processor then puree for 1-2 minutes. The soapy taste will also stick to the food processor. So, you should not use the same tool as a food processor for food.
- If you don't have this tool, you can just use grated soap.
- Do not put soda ash and borax in a food processor because the powdered dust can irritate the lungs.
Step 3. Mix all ingredients
Put the powdered soap in a large bowl. Then, add soda ash, borax, and an essential oil (such as lavender or lemon oil). Stir to mix everything until smooth. That way, each spoonful of detergent will contain the same amount of combination of ingredients.
- Other cleaning agents you can add include 400 grams of Epsom salt, or about 450 grams of OxiClean powder.
- Soda ash or sodium carbonate is chemically similar to baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). However, soda ash is an inedible alkaline powder and is capable of breaking down grease and washing.
Step 4. Put the detergent in an airtight jar
After the detergent mixture is finished stirring, pour the results into an airtight jar. You can use a mason jar, a clean bottle, or a plastic container that can be tightly closed.
Step 5. Use a small amount of detergent every time you wash
When you need to wash, simply pour 1 tablespoon of powdered detergent into a high-efficiency washing machine, or 2 tablespoons into a regular washing machine. Since this detergent powder contains grated soap, it is best to use it with warm or hot water.
Method 3 of 3: Making Liquid Detergent from Soap
Step 1. Mix borax, soda ash, and liquid soap
Stir all ingredients in a large bowl. Smooth out the lumps as much as possible, as the liquid soap will likely form lumps when mixed with the powder.
Soaps that can be used in this formula include castile soap and mild dish soap
Step 2. Bring the water to a boil
Pour 4 cups (about 950 ml) of water into a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil then turn off the heat. Next, remove the pan from the stove.
You can also boil water in a kettle
Step 3. Pour the water into the other ingredients
Once it boils, pour the water into a bowl containing the other ingredients. Stir all ingredients until evenly distributed and dissolved in hot water.
Set the mixture aside until it comes to room temperature, or about 30 minutes
Step 4. Put the soap mixture in a large bowl then add cold water
Once cool, pour the soap mixture into a 4 liter juice bottle or similar container. After that, pour cold water until the bottle is full. For that, you'll need about 10 cups (2.5 liters) of cold water.
Step 5. Shake each before use
Some of the detergent ingredients will eventually settle to the bottom of the container. So, be sure to shake the detergent bottle before pouring the contents into the washing machine. Each time you wash, use about cup (80 ml) of this liquid detergent.
