In an effort to save money and live a more self-sustaining lifestyle, many people are making their own laundry products. Here are some ideas for making your own laundry softeners. Try a couple of these easy recipes and see which works best for you.
Homemade Laundry Softener
When researching homemade laundry softeners, you will commonly find white vinegar as the main ingredient. Vinegar has been used for years as a natural laundry softener to soften clothes and reduce static cling.<
If you like to add liquid laundry softener to your washing machine, then just combine a mixture of half white vinegar and half water and store it in a plastic container. If you would like to add a scent to it, then add a teaspoon or two of your favorite essential oil to it. Lavender is a common scent used for homemade laundry products. You can also combine lavender and eucalyptus for a crisp clean scent.
Add 1 cup of the water and vinegar mixture to your fabric softener dispenser at the beginning of the wash cycle. If your washer does not have a dispenser, then add it to your washer at the beginning of the rinse cycle.
DIY Laundry Spray
If you like to add your laundry softener to the dryer, then try this easy homemade spray.<
This recipe uses inexpensive hair conditioner. You will need 6 c. water, 3 c. white vinegar, and 2 c. of your favorite scent of inexpensive hair conditioner.
Mix the ingredients together in a gallon container. You can add this to your washer as you would store bought liquid fabric softener, or you can spray it on a wash cloth and then place the dampened cloth in the dryer along with your wet clothes.
Another inexpensive laundry spray recipe calls for using straight white vinegar in a spray bottle. Add a teaspoon or so of essential oil such as eucalyptus oil for a nice clean scent. Spray a few sprays of the vinegar onto a washcloth and place in the dryer.
You might wonder if using all this vinegar will leave your clothes smelling like vinegar. Amazingly, it doesn’t!
Homemade Dryer Sheets
Did you know that people actually make their own re-usable dryer sheets? This one is kind of fun.
You will need an old piece of flannel, an empty diaper wipe box (or small plastic container with lid), and some liquid fabric softener.
Cut the flannel into small squares (approximately 10 inches by 10 inches). If possible, cut with pinking shears to reduce fraying. Place the squares into the plastic container and add approximately 1 cup water and 1/2 cup liquid fabric softener to the container. You can use either one of the homemade recipes above or buy store bought liquid fabric softener, which is still a lot cheaper than buying dryer sheets.
Just pull out the dampened flannel squares as you need them and put them in the dryer with your wet clothes. You can put them back in the container two or three times before you need to wash them. If the squares are dry when you pull them out then just add a little more water or fabric softener to the container to dampen them. This idea is similar to the wet washcloth idea described above…you could substitute wash cloths for the flannel squares. The point is to use whatever you already have on hand, which will therefore be less expensive.
As you can see, it is very easy and economical to make your own laundry softeners. People make their own laundry products for a variety of reasons: to save money, to save the environment, and to rid themselves of the chemicals that irritate sensitive skin. It’s nice to be able to use a product that you feel confident in, and what better way to do that than by making it yourself?
Nathan Young is a professional blogger that is recognized for providing information on how to make soaps and cosmetic supplies with essential oil blends and other products. He writes for The Chemistry Store, a leading supplier for chemicals, salts, butters, and fragrance oils.
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