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3 easy homemade fabric softener recipes
I make all my kitchen and bathroom cleansers from various combinations of baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, borax, washing soda, and castile soap.
Fri, Sep 21 2012 at 12:49 PM
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Photo: Andreja Donko/Shutterstock
It is my ultimate goal to make, from scratch, any and every cleaning product that I use. And so far I’m almost there! I make all my kitchen and bathroom cleansers from various combinations of baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, borax, washing soda, and castile soap.
I already make my own laundry soap, but one thing I hadn’t yet found a recipe for was fabric softener. And although I don’t use a ton of the stuff, it sure is nice to have around for bath towels and baby blankies and such. Plus, for those folks who live in areas with hard water, fabric softener is a must at all times.
I recently set about researching homemade alternatives to store bought softeners, and what I discovered is that there are three main options. Below, I’ve outlined each one, with its pros and cons. Remember that you can add essential oils to any of these recipes. And finally, don’t forget the old tennis ball (or 3) trick! Just throw them in the dryer for a good old-fashioned softening solution.
1) The simplest of all the results is a single-ingredient “recipe,” and it’s one word I know very well: vinegar. Vinegar is cheap and nontoxic, effective and antimicrobial. It naturally softens and as a bonus, it helps to remove soap residue. Finally, vinegar aids in static reduction during drying. Just add it to the rinse cycle and you’re good to go. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
2) The second recipe is only a bit more complex, and employs my other very favorite DIY cleaning companion, baking soda. Baking soda is another natural softener, plus it helps to clean and deodorize clothes. Just add 6 cups of vinegar to 1 cup of baking soda, mix, and then use 1/2 to 1 cup during the rinse cycle.
Now, before you get all Chem 101 on me, yes, I know — this is an acid-base reaction that results in the formation of CO2 and H2O (carbon dioxide and water). Many people seem to think that, therefore, baking soda and vinegar will “neutralize” each other. But that’s not my understanding. Any acid-base reaction will form a water plus a salt, and in this case, the salt is sodium acetate (with CO2 s a byproduct). Sodium acetate is, among other things, an excellent buffer.
3) The final recipe seems to be the most popular around the Net. In this version, you combine 6 parts water with 3 parts vinegar and 2 parts hair conditioner. Mix it all up in a container (stirred, not shaken) and then use ½ cup (or less, as needed) per load.
This concoction seems to garner rave reviews, and if you use a super cheap conditioner, it’s very cost effective. However, there’s nothing natural about store bought conditioner, so this recipe is not for me. If you’re after “economy” and not “ecology,” this may be just your ticket.
So there you have it, the top 3 homemade fabric softening solutions. And now I’ll leave you with one final tip — if your clothes are still too static-y as you’re leaving the house, you can always run the long side of a wire hanger over the problem (re: clingy) area. This is a classic trick that really works. You’re welcome!
Sayward Rebhal originally wrote this story for Networx.com. It is reprinted with permission here.
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Just whipped up a 1/4 recipe to test. Using Dr. Bronner's Lavender Castile Soap for my detergent and Suave Lavender and Lilac Conditioner for my softener. Doing a load of towels and few blankets and looking forward to the results.
Let me know about your results!
This is a really silly question but what does parts mean in recipe 3 for making fabric softner?
You decide on how much you want to make so for example-
6 cups water
3 cups vinegar
2 cups hair conditioner
Or if you want to call a part 1/2 cup it would work out like this:
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1 cup hair conditioner
I have used vinegar for years---adding to my laundry---better than bleach, adding it to your rinse aid in your dishwasher, and also 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water in a spray bottle for bathrooms. Cheap and does the job, and I like the smell!!!
Kathy Dowsett
www.kirkscubagear.com
This might be a really dumb question, but must you use white vinegar for the last one? I just now went to go make some, and found that my husband had used all of our white vinegar for something else. Now, I am going to go get more white vinegar tomorrow, anyway, but can you use apple-cider vinegar for projects like these?
I have been using plain old vinegar for a couple years now, it works great and doesn't wear out your clothes as quickly. No odor, love it, is cheap and works perfect.
Ok i need to ask a question i will put my hand up and say i got addicted to the smell of omo and fabric softener, but i have been using homemade now for over a year and now it is the opposite NO SMELL i use homemade powder and just vinegar and i need a smell my husband is saying the towels stink (i dont have any drying problems everything dries thoroughly out side on the line
I have a front loading washer, can I put it in the fabric softener compartment and "set it and forget it" or do I need to actually add it in when it's rinsing?
Did anyone ever answer this? I was wondering the same thing. I am worried that the vinegar might not be good for the auto dispense line but if I have to add it later, I will forget
If you use soap nuts instead of detergent you don't need a fabric softener.
Thank you for the tips. I wonder, does the clothes smell like vinegar? If so, is there is green fix for this?
Vinegar doesn't leave an odor once dry.
oddly no, they don't smell like vinegar.
You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to give a fresh scent.
No vinegar odor at all...I use about 1/2 cup for rinse cycle....and it works great...good for the wash machine too.....