How to make the best laundry liquid and powder substitutes

You’ve let your dirty clothes pile up and now, as you pull on those decade-old tracksuits tucked in the very back of your wardrobe, you realise it really is time to do your laundry.

You reach for your laundry detergent when all of the sudden, you realise you are out of any and all laundry liquid or powder. While you could wait until your next supermarket run to stock back up, you might be forced to re-wear some not-so-clean clothing.

Luckily, you’re not without a solution—and we mean that literally. Many household items can transform into laundry detergent substitutes that work just fine when you’re in a pinch.

While none of these recipes should be long-term solutions, they’re safe for use in your washing machine for the time being.

1. Mix it up with good old bicarbonate of soda
Combining bicarbonate of soda with other ingredients like soda crystals and bar soap will make for a much more powerful wash that's comparable to your regular washing liquid. Credit: Getty Images / ThamKC

Along with deodorising your trainers and refreshing your carpet, bicarbonate of soda can be a simple yet effective laundry liquid or powder alternative. Ultra-gentle, it caters to sensitive skin, but it also gets tough odours out of fabric.

Just be sure to use bicarbonate of soda in moderate amounts and proceed with caution on delicates, as it can wear down on certain fabrics like wool and silk. One cup of bicarb per large load of laundry should do the trick.

2. White vinegar has added benefits

Another option for sensitive skin, or if you just prefer a chemical-free solution, white vinegar (or regular distilled vinegar at a pinch) makes for a viable laundry detergent substitute. Don’t worry—vinegar won’t stink up your clothing. Once rinsed through a wash cycle, your clothes will be completely odourless.

A warning: Don’t pour the vinegar directly onto the clothes, as this could risk staining. Instead, add a half cup of white vinegar to one cup of water before tossing it into the washing machine.

Aside from clean clothes, there are some great benefits to using white vinegar in your wash: it can help loosen up soapy residue that has accumulated on clothes and towels over time; it can remove stains pretty well; it can be used as a pretreatment to clothes, too. Dilute one cup of vinegar with about 4.5 litres of water and let it soak overnight.

3. Boost your laundry with borax substitute

We’ve seen what borax substitute (sodium sesquicarbonate) and a couple of other handy ingredients can do when it comes to stripping your laundry. For this reason, borax substitute makes for a decent laundry detergent substitute. While a great sidekick to detergent, it can be used to loosen stains and brighten up clothing on its own.

If you have them, adding a few other ingredients to borax substitute will make it much more effective in the wash. Making your own laundry boosting solution by adding one tablespoon of borax substitute and two cups of hot water into a sealable container.
Mix the solution and add to laundry as a laundry booster—or, in this case, in place of detergent if you’re completely out.

4. Hand wash with shampoo or body wash
A fragrance-free, gentle formula body wash or shampoo works well for handwashing clothes. While you'll get a fresh clean, it won't be as effective in removing stains, so be sure to pre-treat it with a different method or stain-removing product. Credit: Getty Images / Mukhina1

If you’re really in a pinch and don’t mind handwashing a few garments to get them clean, grab some of these go-to products found in your shower.

Make sure you’re using a gentle formula, as products with additives and moisturisers can prevent a good wash. Baby shampoo or baby body wash works well if you’re a parent and already have this on hand—if you don’t, any gentle body wash or shampoo with basic ingredients will do.

Fill up a large tub with warm water and soak your garments, towels, or other dirty laundry. Add a small dollop of shampoo to the water, lather it, and add more if you feel necessary. Rinse completely with warm or cold water and toss in the dryer or let it hang dry.

5. Make your own washing powder using a bar of soap

You read that right—you can DIY your own washing powder at home.
For a powder detergent, this recipe by DIY Natural is free of any additive chemicals.

Grab a fragrance-free bar soap and begin grating it into a large bowl. From there, add a cup of borax substitute and a cup of soda crystals—fairly similar to bicarbonate of soda, soda crystals are a grainy powder that helps to deeply clean soiled fabrics and laundry. 

Stir your borax substitute and soda crystal mixture thoroughly for five minutes. Use one tablespoon per regular load or two for heavily soiled clothes.

6. DIY a laundry liquid using washing up liquid

You can also make liquid detergent by thinking outside the box.

Try mixing half cups each of borax substitute, soda crystals, and washing up liquid to a large pitcher. Add four cups of hot (not boiling, as that can result in accidentally melting your container) water to allow ingredients to dissolve, then fill up the remainder of the container with cold water.

Shake before each use and use a quarter cup for each large load of laundry.

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