While I now know that making DIY washing soda from baking soda is incredibly easy, I didn’t even know what washing soda was before I started making my own homemade laundry detergent. These days, washing soda is a staple in my laundry room, aiding in everything from stain removal to softening hard water!
Since I find it so useful in my own laundry room, I want to make sure that everyone knows how easy it is to make at home! But before we get to that, I want to start with a quick review of some washing soda basics, like what it is and what washing soda can be used for.
A Quick Refresher on Washing Soda
Washing soda, otherwise known as sodium carbonate or soda ash, is just a water-soluble salt with a very basic pH of 11. When dissolved in water, washing soda makes an alkaline solution with powerful cleaning and water softening properties. It makes a great cleaning agent, laundry booster, and more!
As far as safety goes, washing soda gets an A rating from the Environmental Working Group, which means they recognize it as non-toxic and generally safe to use. But similarly to many other cleaning agents, washing soda can be irritating to skin, so it’s best to wear gloves when handling it.
If you’d like to learn more, my in-depth guide to washing soda is a great resource! It covers everything you need to know, including how washing soda differs from baking soda, borax, and other laundry powders.
Is Washing Soda the Same as Baking Soda?
Although baking soda and washing soda are not the same, they are related! Washing soda is sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), while baking soda is sodium bicarbonate (NaCHO3).
In addition to the many ways you can use baking soda around the house, it has another useful property, too — you can turn baking soda into washing soda using just your oven!
How Do You Use Washing Soda?
While washing soda is highly useful for cleaning everything from dirty dishes to toilet bowls, it’s mainly marketed as a laundry booster. In fact, I first learned about washing soda back when I was developing my homemade laundry detergent recipes. After sharing those recipes on my blog, I received a number of emails from international readers asking for advice, because they couldn’t find soda ash anywhere in their country!
That was how I ended up learning you can make your own washing soda at home! If you ever find yourself in a situation where you can’t find washing soda locally, you’ll be glad you learned how it make it yourself.
How to Make Washing Soda From Baking Soda
You’ll need:
- Baking soda
- Cookie sheet
Directions:
Spread baking soda evenly across a cookie sheet, and break up any clumps, if present. (You can use any amount of baking soda, as long as it fits on the cookie sheet in a relatively thin layer.)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, then bake the baking soda for 1 hour. The heat from your oven will convert baking soda to washing soda by cooking off excess water and carbon dioxide. (Cool, right?)
Allow the washing soda to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container for storage. Use your washing soda as an ingredient in homemade laundry detergent, soften hard water, to scour messes out of a baking dish, and much more!
More Ideas You'll Love
If you compare your DIY washing soda with baking soda side by side, one thing you’ll notice is that washing soda feels a bit grainy compared to the silky smooth baking soda. (Fun fact: The washing soda will also weigh less than the baking soda did originally, due to the loss of water and carbon dioxide.)
Note: You can also make washing soda on your stovetop, in a toaster oven, or even in an air fryer — as long as the baking soda gets hot enough, long enough! (I would avoid trying to make washing soda in your microwave, though, since bicarbonate doesn’t play well with microwaves.)
Where Can I Buy Washing Soda?
If you don’t want to make it yourself, you can usually find Arm & Hammer super washing soda in the laundry aisle at grocery stores and big box chains. If you don’t see it right away, check the top and bottom shelves. That’s where I usually find it!
You can also find washing soda online at Amazon and other online retailers. Some people suggest getting it from pool suppliers, but industrial forms of sodium carbonate (like AquaChem) have a slightly different chemical structure and may not be suitable for household use. Better to stick to the store-bought and homemade varieties!
Have you made DIY washing soda at home?
How To Make Washing Soda From Baking Soda
Video
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- Baking soda
Instructions
- Spread baking soda out on a cookie sheet in an even layer.
- Bake the baking soda at 400°F for 1 hour.
- Allow the washing soda to cool, then transfer it to an airtight container.
Jillee, Thank you SO much for all of these wonderful recipes! We are a military family stationed in Germany, and I can’t find Washing Soda here. This saves me time and shipping money. I’m excited to try this out! Thank you!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.after I baked the baking soda it turned grayish and when mixed for the laundry detergent leaves a dark granular layer when mixture settles-is that normal???
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You can use the same soda for making pretzels too.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/dining/15curious.html
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What does baking the baking soda do to “turn” it into washing soda?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You know, I’m not really sure. Something about the cooking process just makes baking soda into a stronger version of itself.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Baking soda (sodium BIcarbonate) is not a terribly stable compound heating it breaks some of the chemical bonds and releases carbon dioxide and water leaving you with washing soda (sodium Carbonate)
Yikes! I can’t find the older post about baking the fels naptha in the oven which causes it to easily powder. Can someone please repost that great info. (I lack a food processor and thought I could still make it like that.)
Thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can you microvave it? I microwave ivory then let it sit and cool for a bit. Then it crumbles easily in your hands.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am baking my soda as I type this, almost done.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love all the comments and ideas from everyone, but now I want to know if anyone knows how to make homemade fabric softner? If so that would make it all worth while to make laudry easy. Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.WOW what a site here, I asked about a fabric sofner recipe and I get one from the cheat sheet, thanks Jillee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A few months ago I was researching laundry detergent recipes and ran across a similar post in another website. I also found a more scientific site which said that cooking baking soda for an hour at 400 degrees was not sufficient to turn it into washing soda — the temp would have to be much higher. Since I have no way to tell in my kitchen, I have chosen to err on the side of caution and buy mine when I can find it.
Sorry I don’t have links, I am doing this at work (!) and it was a few months ago. Search online if you are interested. Just want to make sure everyone is safe and really getting what they think they are.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do you have a stain removal chart for laundry?
I have this homemade laundry products cheat sheet: https://onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/12/my-homemade-laundry-products-cheat-sheet.html
Is that what you’re looking for?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just used this today for dishwashing detergant. All I had was baking soda so I cooked it and added about a tablespoon to the prewash compartment, about two tablespoons to the wash cycle compartment and poured about a 1/4 cup maybe of distilled white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher and voila! Cleanest dishes from a dishwasher I’ve ever seen. I had gotten desperate because I was out of dishwasher detergents and was too busy during the week and not even home to do dishes that sat for waaay to long. I know, gross! And the silverware and glasses still came out squeaky clean! Even with my hard water! Never buying the chemical filled stuff again! :) I love your blog! Just made your mommas English muffin bread for I think the third time now! Yummy!!!! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can’t wait to try this. So frustrated w/ my dishwasher. Thanks for the info!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi ! I have been using homemade laundry detergent for a few months now and it seems to work great except for on my husbands t-shirts, they are developing “ring around the collar”. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was told by a Sears repair person to run a cup of cooking oil in my washer without clothes of course every so often. I have never done this and it has been 10 years since hearing this and my washer is fine. But since all the comments about the soap getting into the working parts, just thought I would let you know what Sears repair recommends, suppose it was to oil the working parts. Make the enzyme cleaner out of citrus pealings and use it on ring around the color and under arms works great cost nothing to make. I have been using the liquid detergent now for a year and love it. No yellowing of whites. I also have a HE washer, no problems at all. Hope this will answer some of the questions. I also appreciate Jillee.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you Donna!
Jillee’s got it covered! https://onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/11/goodbye-to-yellow-armpit-stains.html
Hydrogen peroxide doesn’t take out color to this method should be fine for colored shirts too, but as with any detergent/cleaner, test a small hidden area first.
I spritzed this mix and used a small nail brush to work it into the collar and armpits on every one of my boyfriend’s stained, *formerly* white t-shirts. Now they look BRAND NEW. It took out EVERY spot–even an old, many-times washed ketchup stain.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.you can also do this on the stovetop. I was having trouble with my oven so found a video in youtube. For those who don’t want to use extra gas/ electricity in the oven….
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Are you SERIOUS?!?! Is it really that easy?!? Awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love this idea! I can usually find Washing Soda but why pay more when I can make it myself. I just made a new batch of laundry soap, so this will have to wait several months.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.hi, it’s a fantastic idea…. here in belgium i’ve never find wshing soda ( but in reading comment i’ve see that in germany we can find it^^) so i’ll try to do my own, and this summer i’ll go search in germany…. but i have a question, like jill some comments on the top i can’t find borax, and i don’t know what really it’s … can you explain me and maybe give me a trick to remplace it???? thanks a lot … and sorry for my english, i’m a frenchie^^
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t figure out a way to use the powder laundry soap so that it doesn’t come out of the wash marking up my dark loads. So frustrating. I even run it thru the rinse cycle again and it doesn’t rinse it aaway.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi! Slow person here….what is the purpose of washing soda? And does it have to be used in homemade detergent? I’m slowly trying to becoming a DIYer so forgive me in advance : )
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Interesting thread! It’s funny- I’ve been using about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of washing soda added to whatever kind of liquid laundry detergent I happened to have to every load of wash for the past 30 years. I used to live in a place where we had rust in our well water, and a friend told me about using washing soda to prevent rusty-colored staining on our clothes. There used to be a ShopRite brand of washing soda, but they haven’t carried that for about 10 years, so A+H is the only commercial brand I use. I always transfer it from the box to an plastic canister just to make it easier to scoop. Going to try making my own washing soda today! Love your blog, Jillee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Anyone use the homemade detergent with an HE washer and cloth diapers?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am currently building my newborn stash (due in april) and am trying to figure out the best washing routine…
Thanks!
Re: Hard water making whites “dingy”–it is not simply a matter of how “hard” the water is —it is the CONTENT of the water as far as minerals and salts dissolved in it that also has a BIG deal to do with how “clean” we perceive these clothes to be! If you have an electric hot water heater and have ever looked at the old heating element when it is changed out then you will understand the amount and kind of stuff that is floating around in our water. Not bad for us–altho heavily mineralized water CAN irritate gallstones–ask me HOW I and my daughter and most of our friends family and neighbors KNOW this!!!!
That said some soft water also has minerals dissolved in it and can ALSO change the colors.
The reason the “Bluing” works is that the “blue” color enhances the “white” in the fabric and reflects back more light (or so I have been told). You can ALSO use the bluing for your hair if it is white; for pet hair–this is an old tried and true dog show “trick”; and I think this is the same stuff you use to grow old fashioned but VERY cool “dish gardens”. For those who don’t have a supply nearby–and ask at your pharmacy (the home town kind is probably better for this!) or look in the hair dye or pet wash sections—the Vermont Country Store sells it.
But DO dissolve it first!!!!!! If you are rinsing a pet or your own hair mix it up in a pitcher or squirt bottle first—unless you LIKE the Punk Look that is!!!! LOL!!!!
Maybe Jillee could come up with a recipe for those cool dish gardens? Kids love them and it teaches math and science and magic—what MORE could you want for a rainy day project????
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I would like to know more about how to use my homemade laundry detergent in my carpet cleaner. Any suggestions or has anyone actually done this? Thanks for all the tips and recipes. I have made many of your homemade cleaners and love them all.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.A few years ago, I read that washing soda is the same as baking soda on some high-tech science website. It explained that washing soda was more concentrated, as it was heated @ a higher temperature…but I never thought of actually making my own in my own oven! Good Job, Jilliee!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do you have any alternatives to Borax? I use it in my homemade mixture but I’ve been reading that its toxic.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great tip. I like your new blog header and new look!
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