My Easy & Natural Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent Recipe (Citrus Scent)

After trying a few different DIY laundry detergents (and suffering through grating soap bars… never again 😅), I finally landed on this one.

It’s a total winner! It’s simple, effective, smells amazing, and takes just minutes to make.

Find my powder DIY Laundry Detergent recipe HERE.

Benefits of Making This Laundry Detergent

Let’s be honest.. store bought non-toxic laundry detergent can get expensive fast. I’m a SAHM, so we watch every dollar in this household.

I was buying Molly’s Suds laundry detergent, which I did LOVE, but it was just costing us to much at around $37 a bottle.

One of the biggest perks of this recipe is how budget friendly it is.

It’s also incredibly easy to make.

No grating soap, no complicated steps, no mess.

If you’ve ever shredded a bar of soap for detergent before, you already know… it’s not fun. I did it while testing other recipes, and I was just NOT a fan.

Soap shreddings were everywhere.. and it took to much energy.

You also get full control over fragrance. The scent comes entirely from the liquid castile soap you choose.

Prefer fragrance free? Just grab the unscented castile soap instead of the Citrus kind I use and you’re set.

Materials Needed:

Here’s everything you’ll need:

• ½ gallon warm water, divided in two (if you don’t use hot water, the washing soda and baking soda won’t dissolve. You don’t need to boil water or anything, I just use water from my sink on the warmest it will go)
• ¼ cup washing soda Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is one of the key ingredients that actually makes homemade laundry detergent work, not just smell nice. It softens the water AND breaks out grease, dirt, etc. from clothes
• ¼ cup baking soda yes, like the stuff you bake with. 🙂 this primarily gets the odors out.
• ½ cup liquid castile soap castile soap acts as the soap in this recipe vs. grating a bar of soap most DIY laundry detergents require. You can get any scent, but Citrus is my favorite.
• 1 gallon size glass mason jar to store your soap! Make sure it has a lid.
• wooden mixing spoon (or really any spoon, spatula, etc.)

NOTE: I recommend mixing and storing this in a gallon-sized glass jar, even though the recipe only makes half a gallon. The extra space makes it easier to shake before each use.

How to Make Easy Natural 3-Ingredient Liquid Laundry Detergent

Step #1: Fill a your 1 gallon mason jar with 1 quart of warm water.

Step #2: Add the baking soda and washing soda.

Then, stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.

Step #3: Add the liquid castile soap.

Step #4: Pour in the remaining 1 quart of warm water.

Step 5: Mix everything gently until well combined.

That’s it! Seriously, it’s that easy.

How to Use This DIY Liquid Laundry Detergent:

This DIY liquid laundry detergent goes in your washing machine just like store bought detergent does.

Use ¼ cup of detergent per load of laundry in a regular, traditional washing machine. You can use half that, or about 1/8 cup for HE washers.

I do l like to give it a good shake before each use.

FAQ’S

How long does this last?
This recipe makes about 30 loads, which lasts me around 1.5 months.

Can I change the fragrance?
Yes! The scent depends entirely on the liquid castile soap you use. Choose any fragrance you like, or go fragrance free if that’s your preference.

Do I really need to shake it before using?
Yes, just a quick shake helps redistribute everything since natural ingredients can settle.

Why store it in a gallon jar if it only makes half a gallon?
The extra space makes it much easier to shake and mix before each use without spills.

Does it actually clean well?
It really does. After testing multiple recipes, this one stood out.

It cleans effectively and leaves clothes smelling great without the hassle of complicated steps.

Conclusion

If you’ve been looking for a simple, affordable, and natural laundry solution, this one is hard to beat.

Once you try it, you probably won’t go back!