This started out as laundry powder, but then I started using it for other things, and it still hasn’t made it’s way into the washing machine. It’s too busy in the kitchen, melting away tea stains and blasting greasy pans from DIY projects clean. I always keep a bag or jar of it under the sink to add to especially dirty messes (it’s particularly awesome for getting beeswax-y grease off things when combined with boiling water).
You’ll definitely want a food processor for this—you’ll be using both the shred and general chop functions. After that, you’ll need Borax, washing soda, and a bar of plain soap (like my cleaning soap). You can also use something like a bar of unscented Dr. Bronner’s soap.
After that it’s just shredding and blending. You’ll end up with a medium mesh white powder. I spoon small amounts (a teaspoon or two) into the bottom of stained tea mugs or greasy saucepans, and add some boiling water. The powder will dissolve, and I’ll let it soak for a minute or two (or longer, if I forget it’s there). Then, scrub-a-dub-dub, and everything comes clean. Brilliant!
My DIY Grease-Busting Cleaning Powder
1 (60g/2oz) bar plain bar soap
1½ cups washing soda
1 cup boraxShred the bar of soap down using the shred attachment of your food processor.
Switch out the shredder attachment for the standard whirling-blade chopping attachment (you’ll have to transfer the soap shreds to a bowl to do this).
Place the soap shreds, washing soda, and borax back to the food processor and grind/blend everything together until you have a medium mesh powder (see my photos for a general idea). This generally takes a minute or two. You’re basically going for the finest powder you can get—my food processor wasn’t interested in producing anything finer.
To use, spoon small amounts of the powder into dirty pans, stained teapots, or anything else that could use a cleaning boost. Mix in some boiling water (fill things like teapots, but pots and pans generally don’t need to be filled—just dissolve the powder to create a bit of a paste and scrub away).
I’ve never thought I could use food processor after mixing the laundry detergent ingredients, must try that next time! I don’t have a dish washer, so I use my laundry mix for dishes too, and it works well.
Do try the food processor, it’s a HUGE time saver, and also saves your knuckles if you’re a bit klutzy with the cheese grater like I am 😛
We used baking soda and white vinegar it cleaned my whole tub area and didn’t scratch my new tub 🙂
I bet you got a nice volcano going on too, eh? Natural cleaners rock!
I have used similar to this. Not the exact same amounts as you, but I have found that my homemade soap is wonderful for cutting grease, especially kitchen splatters that don’t get wiped up for a few days. Thanks to hubby cooking. LOL It hasn’t hurt my propane stove surface.
Great minds think alike, eh? I just tried this powder for removing burnt on gunk, and it works like a charm there, too 😉
I use this with Dr Bronners bar soap and 1C of the other two as laundry soap (haven’t quite figured out how to make my own bar soap yet). I use the lavender scented one cuz it’s my favorite scent. Never thought about using it in the kitchen as I use vinegar in there. I’ll have to try it sometime. Thanks for posting.
Great minds think alike 🙂 And here’s my guide on making your own bar soap—it’s really easy and super fun, I promise!
I just love bumblebeeandme.I will always be faithful to this sight. Beverly in north carolina
Thanks, Beverly!
Nice recipe! as all the recipes that you have uploaded here!…very simple and nice as i like!…hello!. Athanasia.
Thanks, Athanasia!
This I LOVE! I can make this easy peasy and use in the kitchen and the bathroom! Thanks for working out the proportions! Next on the list to buy…food processor!
Thanks CM! You won’t regret that food processor either, they are just brilliantly useful 🙂
Hi Marie!
I finally got all of my ingredients and am whipping up a batch of this awesome soap! I want to use it as a laundry soap… can you tell me how much I should put in a load?
thanks 🙂
Michelle
Hi Michelle! I haven’t tried this as a laundry detergent myself so I can’t say from experience, but similar recipes I found on Pinterest call for 2–3 tbsp per load 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Very nice write-up. I absolutely love this site. Continue the good work!
Thanks!
Holy cow! This got my pipettes clean of lip shimmer just by soaking! The rest of my DIY mess cleaned up in a snap! This is the best, thank you! I made mine with a Fels Naptha bar which I have for making laundry detergent with the same ingredients.
I just put it in my dishwasher. I’ll update if I turn out to regret that.
I’m so thrilled! I keep a jar of this under my sink for cleaning up after a day of DIYing and I’ll never be without it 🙂
I look forward to hearing how your dishwasher fares! o_O 😛
Thank you for all your great recipes. I have a question about the Simple Cleaning Soap that you used in this recipe. I am going to make that soap first to use with this recipe. I am going to use this recipe primary in the kitchen and dishwasher. Would you recommend making the Simple Cleaning Soap with a 5% superfat or a 0% superfat. I think it would be the 0% superfat but I wanted to check. Thanks.
Hi Yuri! I definitely wouldn’t go any higher than 5% with the cleaning soap, and if you are planning on using it for laundry and very strict cleaning purposes (no multi-tasking with your skin, basically), 0% would be a great choice.
Hello
I just love this site, your amazing.
Just wondering if you’ve used as a laundry detergent yet or if you’ve thought of putting something together for a liquid clotges detergent for front loaders? I have a baby so am after something more natural like you suggest. Also what would I use to clean my washing machine, I’ve just read you should clean them and never thought of it before 🙂
Thanks again
Renee
Hi Renee! Thanks so much for reading 🙂 I haven’t done any laundry detergents at this point, sorry! As for cleaning your washer, I’d recommend running it with a few cups of white vinegar 🙂
Amazing article. My 5 years old son loves helping me preparing this homemade detergent. I save my detergent in plastic bottle. I hope it is not a mistake. Greets!
Thanks for reading & DIYing with me! The plastic bottle should be fine 🙂
I have a story about this powder. Have you ever worked with Versagel from TKB? It’s powerful stuff that you make lipgloss out of, and definitely isn’t a crunchy ingredient to play with. It is a very fun, very sticky product and is notoriously hard to get off of your equipment during clean up. The best way to do so, apparently, is to use dawn dish detergent and then give your containers a wipe with rubbing alcohol after (or use disposable cups/stir sticks). However, today I cleaned up my mess with a combo of this grease busting powder I had lying around from last year and dawn dish detergent, and it worked like a CHARM! So easy, it just washed right off. Love this stuff for its versatility!
I haven’t! I do have a bag of it downstairs, though. One day I’ll get around to opening it and playing with it. And now I know how to clean up after myself when I do! Thank you! 😀
Hi Marie
Just wondering this recipe is usually used for laundry. Do you use this as laundry powder? I have read many reviews against that because the washing machines don’t operate well with soap and are designed for actual detergents. Having said that I do make mine and use warm water cycles. But I wanted your advice or a link to laundry powder diy. Sorry if I missed it but I couldn’t see it on your website. Also what is the shelf life for this recipe? Again sorry if I missed it
No, I don’t make my own laundry detergent. From my reading it’s not a great idea, especially over the long term. It’s not so much that the machine is made to work with detergent—it’s that detergent is better at cleaning clothes than soap. You might be interested in reading this and this 🙂
Shelf life for this powder should be pretty much indefinite if kept dry—the pH is very high.
Hi I was just wondering about borax. I can’t buy it in The Netherlands, since its marked to be unsafe because it’s said to cause cancer, kill unborns and make you unvertile. It is still sold in products, but only by use of small amounts and the disclaimer on the product will say you need to keep it away from children etc. So that is quite a strong NO to borax here… I was wondering how the view in Canada and VS is?
PS I just read now it has been an ingrediënt that has had a lot of discussion and the EU eventually has decided to treat is as a poisonous, dangerous substance.
Wow, that’s quite the difference! Here is is freely sold in big boxes in the laundry aisle at grocery stores—similar to bleach, ammonia, window cleaner, etc. Don’t feed any of those things to kids or eat them! You might be interested in the overview of the CIR findings here.