DIY Laundry Soap- Mollys Suds Style Recipe

This laundry soap is cost effective, fast, and so easy you will be kicking yourself for not trying it sooner. It’s made with four base ingredients that you can find at most grocery stores. In fact, you probably have most if not all of them at this very moment, just waiting to be turned into the best laundry detergent you have ever made. This will soon be a staple in your DIY recipe box. 

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Homemade Laundry Soaps

If you have dabbled in the laundry soap making world at all, then you will know that not all of them are that simple. Some have you grating bars of soap, others have you finding all sorts of random and obscure ingredients, and others have toxic or dangerous ingredients in them.

This powdered laundry soap dissolves easily and, you will be happy to hear, doesn’t contain any grated bar soap. That way you aren’t left with clumps that didn’t melt and resulted in dingy clothes that are less than fluffy and towels that are less absorbent. 

Another thing I was looking to avoid when I was searching for a reliable recipe was borax. There is a lot of debate in the natural or “crunchy” world on whether or not borax is safe or not. The main concern comes from if it is consumed. I, personally, wasn’t planning on enjoying any spoonfuls of laundry soap, but I do have a toddler who taste tests everything for me. It can also be irritating if inhaled and some even suggest that it may disrupt our natural hormones. 

Personally, I didn’t want to take the risk and figured I would try to find a borax free option. 

Mollys Suds

I had heard so many wonderful things about Mollys Suds. They were marketed at a low tox, safe brand but the price was a bit high for my liking. If you check the ingredient list on their original laundry detergent, you will find a short list of ingredients.

• Sodium Carbonate 
• Sodium bicarbonate
• Magnesium sulphate
• Unrefined sea salt
• Essential oil(s) and/ or 100% natural fragrance(s)

Personally, I make it a point to avoid anything with fragrance, even if it is all natural. Since detoxing fragrance back in 2020/2021 I get a headache if I am exposed to too much artificial scent. 

As for the other ingredients, lets break them down. 

Sodium carbonate is also more commonly referred to as soda ash or washing soda. It can be bought in grocery stores or on Amazon, or it can easily be made from baking soda. 

Sodium bicarbonate is just the scientific name for baking soda. I get a 13.5 pound bag from my local Three Bears (a very Alaskan store) and have also found it at Costco. This is much more cost effective than buying little boxes if you plan to make recipes like this more frequently.

Magnesium sulphate is also known as Epsom salt. I always look for the plain one without fragrance or additives. They always try to sneak them in there so be sure to check the label.

Sea salt is pretty easy to come by and that is another thing I tend to buy in bulk from Costco or places like Azure. 

The essential oils are optional. The Mollys suds label says it smells like peppermint so if you are going for a true copycat recipe you can add a few drops of that. I play around with the scent depending on the time of year. I love using citrus oils like lemon in the spring and summer and spicy oils around the fall and winter. You can add them or leave them out entirely.

Why we love this DIY Laundry Soap

When I first started using this, I was washing my clothes by hand and letting them line dry. Oh my, if you haven’t ever tried line drying your clothes, you have to. It is such a lovely sight watching the sheets gently blowing in the breeze, but they also smell so clean and fresh. But even now that I am back to using an electric washer and dryer, my laundry still smell so good. Most of the scent from the oils fade in the wash leaving them with very little scent at all. But that’s the way I like them. I am a firm believer that “clean” doesn’t have a scent. 

In this day and age, we are taught to think that things that smell like lemon or pine are clean. That we should light a “spring breeze” candle to make our homes smell fresh. I don’t agree. I think when things are truly clean, they should be void of smell. So, when I say our laundry has been smelling clean, I mean it smells like nothing, save for the slightest hint of whatever oils I used in the most recent batch of soap.

It also doesn’t leave any residue on the clothes. Most commercial detergents leave a film that sticks to the clothes. It takes some getting used to, but it allows the clothes to last longer and stay cleaner without it. 

Another reason we are a big fan of this recipe is that it is so easy. It takes longer to take everything out and put it away again then it does to actually put the recipe together. It is by far the easiest recipe I have found for natural laundry soap.

For those of you who have a grey water tank, its safe for you to use as well!

The Instructions

Start by taking the baking soda, washing soda, Epsom salt, and sea salt and mixing them together. If your baking soda is clumpy, you can toss it in a food processer instead of trying to break it up by hand.

If you are using essential oils add them in and mix well, ensuring there are no clumps.

Store in a sealed container. I like to use mason jars like these.

Use 1-2 tablespoons for each load.

Leave a comment when you try it!

DIY Laundry Soap

Print

This simple laundry soap can be whipped up in minutes and is a clean alternative to chemical detergents. This will leave your clothes fluffy and fresh!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups Washing soda
• 1 3/4 cups Baking soda
• 3/4 cup Epsom salt
• 3 Tbsp. Sea salt
• 20 drops Essential oils (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix until fully combined.
2. If using essential oils add them in and mix well ensure there are no clumps.
3. Store in a jar or other sealed container.
4. Use 1-2 Tbsp. per load.

Notes

For a recipe as similar as possible to Mollys suds, add peppermint essential oil.

I don't always add oils, but some of my favorites are lemon, orange, lavender, or cinnamon.