What is the Best DIY Fabric Softener? I’ve been experimenting with my laundry trying to decide just that.
I’d been meaning to play with DIY fabric softener ideas I’d been seeing on Pinterest forever.
It’s funny how a small circumstance like forgetting to go to the store over the weekend will force you into trying something new. I ran out of both liquid softener and dryer sheets two weeks ago.
I’ve been making my own laundry detergent since the 90’s. (Here is a post about the 2 recipes I use.) The idea of DIY fabric softener was really no stranger to me either.
In a pinch I’ve been known to dampened a cloth with regular liquid fabric softener and toss it in the dryer. It works just as well as a dryer sheet.
Here are the things I tried:
1. The first thing I tried was to skip all softener methods of any kind, just to make certain that it really did make a difference in my wash. I got what you’d expect; somewhat stiff towels, clothes and the static cling you’d expect. ewww.
2. I put straight white vinegar in the fabric softener compartment of my washer. I did this with some trepidation as I wondered if it would make my clothes smell sour. I used it in several batches.
Much to my relief there was no residual vinegar smell on my clothing or towels. I discovered I missed the nice per-fumy scent in the freshly dried laundry more than I thought I would.
My clothes came out somewhat softened, but perhaps not as much as I’d like. ( An unexpected benefit is that I think the vinegar kept my HE washer fresh smelling.)
3. The next method I tried seemed nutty, but harmless and that was to toss wadded up aluminum foil balls in the dryer. For me, the aluminum balls prevented static cling, but the clothes weren’t soft enough.
4. I combined methods 2 & 3 and felt like the results were better than the two separately.
But of course the scent factor was still a question for me.
I’d read many tips that said to use essential oils in the vinegar. I love essential oils but I admit I didn’t try this as it seemed both expensive and perhaps a recipe for oil spot disaster on my clothes.
So please, if you use EO’s in your wash, comment below and let me, (all of us), know how you do it and how it works for you.
5. In fairness I have to admit not trying this method myself, but I discussed it with a trusted source: my darling DIL.
She uses ‘wool dryer balls’. She bought a package of 6 dryer balls 2 years ago for $10 and hasn’t looked at a box of dryer sheets since. She tosses all of the balls into the dryer and she says they fluff her clothes beautifully.
She says the down side is that in bulky batches like blankets they just don’t get rid of the static cling. For her ‘no scent’ is a plus.
She has been using the same set of dryer balls for 2 years and doesn’t think they will need replacing for a long time. Perhaps after the initial purchase, this is a very thrifty (and natural) option.
( If you have a stash of real wool yarn, DIY Naturals has a post about how you can make your own.)
6. I finally realized I needed a solution for both the washer and the dryer, as I have a number shirts and sweaters that require air drying.
This is where I had my hand-to-forehead-moment as I thought about dampening the cloth with regular softener for the dryer with liquid fabric softener. I still felt I wanted to do something thrifty and a bit more gentle than regular fabric softener.
Enter method #6. I made a solution of vinegar and hair conditioner.
I’d found this recipe on several websites and it seemed to have good reviews in the comments, so I went for it. I used a thrifty brand of conditioner and picked a scent that I thought my family would like and not overwhelm noses.
I warmed the vinegar in the microwave and used a whisk to stir in the hair conditioner.
The recipe makes a thick liquid and whisking it made it foam slightly. I then poured it into a spray bottle.
I had some made cleaning cloths out of old T’s, and I spritzed one of these thoroughly before tossing it in the dryer with a set of sheets. The sheets came out without static cling and had a faint, but nice scent.
The next batch I put in the washer had some shirts that must air dry, so I took the top off the bottle and poured about 1/4 cup of my new DIY Fabric Softener into the fabric softener compartment in my washer and waited.
The clothes came out of the washer feeling quite nice and the things that I tossed into the dryer, dried soft and fluffy.
(Please note: Some similar recipes add baking soda to this mix. Don’t do it.
It will leave a chalky film on clothing and from a science standpoint, the vinegar and baking soda together neutralize each other, rendering the baking soda into some kind of salt and the vinegar’s ph to about the same as water and nullifying the softening properties of the vinegar. See my post about this.)
So, all of these methods work with varying efficacy and I would use any of them depending on what I had at home. But my hands-down favorite for my laundry needs is #6, because it is thrifty and can be used in both the washer and the dryer. Enjoy! — Laura
Get it Here | Make it at Home
White Vinegar
Suave Hair Conditioner (Ocean Breeze)
Roving Wool Yarn for dryer balls
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DIY Fabric Softener
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup hair conditioner
3/4 cup white vinegar
Instructions:
- Warm vinegar and water in small micro-proof mixing bowl in mircowave 30-60 seconds until very warm, but not hot.
- Add hair conditioner to the vinegar and water mixture.
- Whisk mixture until all ingredients are completely mixed, with no lumps remaining. ( Mixture will be thick and perhaps foamy.)
- Pour warm mixture into a jar or spray bottle that will hold at least 28 ounces.
To use: Shake bottle if needed. Pour 1/4 cup into fabric softener cup in washer ~OR~ Spray a small cotton cloth (wash cloth size) until damp and toss it into dry with wet laundry.
Will soften 14 loads or more. Recipe may be doubled or quadrupled if you need a lot.
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Special thanks to these inspirations: