The Smart Laundry Detergent Trick I Learned on TikTok

We’ve teamed up with LG STUDIO to share our top tips and tricks for laundry success, starting with the appliances. Our pick: The LG STUDIO WashTower, which has built-in technology that selects just the right cycle for your wash-and-rinse routine. And don’t forget their Styler steam closet—it’s the perfect laundry room plus-one for refreshing your favorite garments, pillows, plush toys, and more.

I know I’m not the only one who secretly scrolls through TikTok when laying in bed at night. Not only are there hours upon hours of hilarious content and trendy dances that I try to copy in the bathroom mirror, but there’s also a whole lot of genuinely useful information, too.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend checking out “Cleaning TikTok,” where people share their best tips, tricks, and hacks for cleaning every room in the house. One of my all-time favorite discoveries? A game-changing laundry hack: DIY detergent that can be used with any washing machine, including the sleek LG STUDIO WashTower (which is a great option for any-size laundry room, thanks to its vertical design).

Now, TikTok by no means invented DIY laundry detergent, but the app has definitely made it popular again. If you want to try the trend for yourself (and I know you do), here’s everything you need to know.

The “Why” of DIY Laundry Detergent

You might be thinking to yourself, “Why would I go through the hassle of making laundry detergent when I could just buy a bottle from the store?” There are actually several notable benefits to making this cleaning staple yourself, starting with the fact that it’s budget-friendly. As you’ll see in a minute, you can buy large quantities of the necessary ingredients for just a couple dollars each, and the finished product will last for much longer than your average bottle of liquid detergent.

On top of that, when you make DIY laundry detergent, you control exactly what goes into it. This allows you to skip any scents or chemicals that you don’t want your family exposed to—plus, you can tailor the recipe to suit your needs. Need more stain-fighting power? Mix in OxyClean. Want a fresh scent? Sprinkle in some Downy Unstoppables. There are so many ways to customize the detergent to fit your needs, and that’s what makes it so great.

How to Make Your Own DIY Laundry Detergent

Ready to make the TikTok laundry detergent for yourself? This recipe is for a full batch of detergent, but you can also cut it in half or quarter it for a trial run. That way, you can tweak the formula as you see fit.

Here are your key ingredients:

• 1 (14-ounce) bar Zote Laundry Soap, or 3 (5.5-ounce) Purex Fels-Naptha Laundry Bars
• 1 (65-ounce) box Borax Detergent Booster
• 1 (55-ounce) box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
• 1 (2-gallon) reusable storage container (or larger!) with a lid

And some optional add-ins that you can mix and match, if you’d like:

• OxyClean Stain Remover
• Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda (for odor elimination)
• Downy Unstoppables Scent-Booster Beads

Once you’ve assembled all your ingredients, it’s time to make detergent. The first step is the hardest and most time-consuming: You’ll need to shred the laundry soap bar(s) on a box grater, collecting the flakes into an extra-large bowl. Alternatively, you could use Zote Laundry Flakes, which are already shredded, but they’re typically more expensive. Some people also speed up the process by chopping the soap into smaller pieces and pulsing it in a food processor until it resembles powder. (Just make sure to thoroughly clean whatever you use to shred the laundry flakes when you’re done.)

From here, it’s smooth sailing. Simply pour the remaining ingredients into the bowl, and use a large spoon to mix it all together until well-combined. Then, all that’s left to do is transfer the homemade detergent into the storage container of your choosing. You’ll want to store the detergent in a cool, dry place, such as a laundry room cupboard.

It’s Time to Get Washing

Once your detergent is mixed, you get to try it out: Depending on how soiled your laundry is, you’ll want to use 1 to 3 tablespoons of your homemade detergent per load. (A lot of people get a cute little scoop to leave in the jar.)

The detergent is even safe to use in high-efficiency washing machines, such as the LG STUDIO WashTower. This high-tech laundry center takes up half the space of a normal washer and dryer, yet it still boasts an ultra-large capacity that can handle all your family’s dirty laundry. It even has smart features that you can monitor from your phone, as well as built-in sensors that detect fabric texture and load size, automatically selecting the optimal settings. (If that’s not a laundry hack, I don’t know what is.)

After your clothes have been washed and dried in the WashTower, they’ll come out sparkling clean and smelling amazing (DIY detergent for the win). However, if you leave them in your closet for too long and they lose that fresh scent, just pop them into the LG STUDIO Styler steam closet, which uses powerful steam to kill bacteria and refresh clothing between washes.

Reinvent your laundry routine with smart appliances from our friends at LG STUDIO. Their space-saving WashTower is perfect for laundry rooms big and small, thanks to a compact vertical design and neat features like the TurboWash™ 360, which powers through even your largest loads in a swift 30 minutes. To keep your garments (and other treasured items) clean and fresh in between washes, the LG STUDIO Styler has you covered—it uses the gentle power of steam to deodorize, sanitize, de-wrinkle, and then some.

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