Marji here again with another recipe to save you money on your laundry. I don’t go through fabric softener as quickly as I do laundry soap, but I figured there had to be a recipe to make my own for less than what I pay at the store for it. I found one on pinterest and it is really easy to make and uses things you probably have on hand!
Here is what you need:
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2 cups hair conditioner, pick a scent you like
3 cups white vinegar
6 cups hot water
a container to mix it in
Mix the water, vinegar & conditioner together. I used my big pitcher, easy to mix in and easy to pour into another container.
Make sure you stir it, don’t shake it. It takes a few minutes of stirring until it is all mixed together. I just mixed it until there were no more conditioner clumps and it was a smooth consistency.
I used my funnel to pour it into my old fabric softener dispenser.
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It is ready to go. I added about 1/4 cup to my fabric softener dispenser in my HE washer. I like how it works and it smells really good.
Here is the cost break down:
hair conditioner $1.50
Gallon of vinegar $2.00 (I only used 3 cups of it and have more for other cleaning projects)
It makes about 11 cups and if you use 1/4 cup/load then it is just 8 cents a load. Use a coupon for the hair conditioner it is even cheaper!
Try this homemade fabric softener with your homemade laundry soap!
Thanks so much! I just got my new washer and dryer today! I have CHEAP laundry detergent but the cost of fabric softener makes me cringe. I will definitely be trying this!
This is awesome! Thank you!
You can also use this to make your own reusable dryer sheets by soaking cloth diapers in liquid fabric softener and letting air dry.
After reading this, it got me wondering if you could save dryer sheets soak them and reuse them too.
I have several old t-shirts that I’m cutting up for rags and I’m going to try this with them Thanks for the idea!
Can this recipe be used to soak the cloth diaper in to make the reusable dryer sheet?
I have taken this one step more basic & just add a scent to vinegar. You could use an essential oil or something, but I just use a couple spritzes of dollar store cologne in a scent I like added to the quarter cup vinegar.
I made my own fabric softener with vinegar, baking soda, water and lavender essential oil. I keep trying to find the exact recipe, but for some reason the pin isn’t showing up on my pinterest board. I put it in a little pump bottle, the baking soda sinks to the bottom but I just shake it up some before pumping it into my washing machine.
check my web site. Scroll down to yesturday. It is from a friend of mine. I will send u a friend req.
can’t find you w/o last name
Found a recipe you might use: 1 cup water and 1 cup baking soda and 6 cups white vnegar. This will fizz and bubble up. Stir in 6 more cups water. Use funnel to pour into container. Can add essential oil fragrance. Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup per load.
I would think it would just build up on your clothes. I’ve used this stuff for about a year now and it beats Downy hands down, clothes come out with no scent unless you add EO http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-fabric-softener-179890
Does all the baking soda dissolve in this recipe? I’m wondering if my ratios were off when I made it and thats why I have so much baking soda left over. How much do you put per load?
I slowly mix them together, there should only be trace amounts left of the baking soda at the bottom. I don’t add all the extra water so I only need to add a little bit to the wash. Plain vinegar works just as well, I think you just add 2/3cup to the rinse cycle.
oh yes, thank you so much, I already have everything except the lavender conditioner, cause i already have lavender essential oil to add with, this will be great, so if one only uses 1/4 cup per load…that would make this 44 loads for $4.84 and lot’s of Vinegar left over for the next batch, wow I love this, again ladies, I love this, what a great savings, anyone besides myself making their own Laundry detergent as well? I found that recipe on utube, tried the wet version first, made 1 gallon @ 1/4c per load an pennies per load, cost me approx $7.50 for the Ingred. but I have alot left to make much more, Iloved it but the next batch I’m making (dry ingredients) in the food processer , this is fun………..saving money. Nampa, Idaho
Can u tell me where you buy your essential oil?
You can get them from Doterra. These oils are the most amazing oils I have ever used. They are the only Certified Pure Grade oils on the market. Because they are so strong you can use very little of them. I work at a Montessori school and we use them for everything. http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/thehealingoils/
Thank You.I found it and made the fabric softener but i still cant smell it on the clothes.Can u tell me how many drops of oil to a qt of vinegar.
I am really loving the posts on making homemade stuff. I would love love to see one on making cleaning supplies.
more coming soon! I have really gotten into making my own cleaning supplies so I’ll be sharing some “recipes” in the coming weeks.
Thanks Marji for the recipe on the homemade laundry soap. I made it this weekend but I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. It smells great! I’m super excited to make the fabric softener! Thanks so much for the great recipes and all the savings.
For an wonderful home-made cleaner, Here is the best grease cutter, dirt cutter I have made. I’ve made it for years-its so simple and pract costs nothing: One qt. squirt bottle,: and then just add 1/4 C. ammonia liquid, 1-2 drops of liq. dishes detergent, fill up with water. You can vary the strength with the ammonia (like B0-peep brand, or any generic ammonia.
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Pinned it and FB shared it. What a fab idea I am gonna try as I have everything right now…If this works for me no more running around after adds for my fabric softener and the best deal. As always thank you ladies.
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I JUST TRIED IT. A GREAT TIP FOR THE MIXING IS USE A WHISK U WILL CUT DOWN UR MIXING TIME FROM MINUTES TO SECONDS. JUST LET THE BUBBLES SETTLE AFTER.
what a great idea! thanks for sharing!! I never even thought of using a whisk!!
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Question – I have been told you aren’t supposed to use fabric softener on kids clothes because it takes away the flame retardant. Which was why I like the crystals fabric softener, because it doesn’t apply to it. And essentially, it’s just salt/sugar crystals with scent. Would the homemade stuff be ok for kids clothes then?
I use it on everything but my kids’ pajamas. that’s probably all you would need to worry about.
Make it in food processor…mixes up great !
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Not sure this is really a bargain. A friend and I figured it up and you can buy Downy for $6.99 for 105 loads which equals out to be $0.06 a load. So…this would be more expensive and definitely more work!
How many ounces do you get for 6.99? 105 loads should be about 210 ounces, if you use a quarter cup (2 Oz)per load. I looked on walmarts website, and bottle for 6.97 gives you 90 Oz, or 45 loads, which equals out about 15 cents a load
Can I use cider vinegar or does it need to be white?
You really should use white vinegar. Cider vinegar can stain clothes. It’s also more expensive most of the time so it’s also cheaper to use white vinegar.
I was always told that
brown vinegar is for healing
white vinegar is for cleaning
I make homemade laundry soap . The recipe I use is:
1 bar Fels Naptha Bar Soap, grated
Melt in 2 quarts hot water–don’t let it boil
Meanwhile:
Put 3 gallons of hot water into a 5 gallon pail
Add 2 cups of Washing Soda and
1 cup Borax to the hot water and stir until dissolved.
Now, add the melted soap and stir well.
Cover the pail with the lid, or plastic.
Leave it sit overnight.
The next morning, stir it well with a very large whisk – until it is a creamy consistency.
In clean laundry soap containers, mix 3 parts of hot water to one part laundry soap.
Stir soap mixture each time – before adding to the hot water in another bottle. This
will ensure that the consistency stays the same for all the bottles that you fill.
I got my whisk from GFS Gordon Food Service. For about $12.00.
I use about 1/4cup detergent per load of laundry or less.
I have an HE washer.
I am on my second batch of homemade laundry soap.
I really think that it is better than any store brand that I have ever used.
I have used Downy fabric softener because I think it smells so nice, but I am
going to try to make fabric softener next.
I also use white vinegar in the rinse water sometimes.
I bought the ingredients to make homemade fabric softener. I will be making it this week.
1 bottle creme rinse (use the ones that you can get for a dollar or less.
3 cups vinegar
6 cups distilled water.
Whisk together and pour into an empty fabric softener bottle.
I go to the recycling center and pick up bottles with lids, if I run out of used containers.
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I simply use 1/4 cup white vinegar in my Downy ball so it opens automatically into the rinse cycle. It works well and doesn’t smell like vinegar after it rinses. I have almost no static and i can use it with my towels to make them softer without hindering their absorbency. I tried cider vinegar and the smell stayed in the clothes.
How strange is this,, was just thinking of google-ing this today!! Thank you so much, cant wait to try it!!
I know you are trying to save money – but the chemicals in your hair care products are meant to be RINSED OFF – and putting them into your clothes makes you exposed to them alllll daaaaaay loooooong.
Check out some of this stuff…
These ingredients are from the back of the suave naturals bottle and websites that talk about the ingredient follows
DMDM hydantoin, (http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=702196 )
methylchloroisothiazolinone, ( http://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/methylchloroisothiazolinone )
methylisothiazolinone, (http://www.naturalnews.com/005342.html )
For me, personally, part of the reason to make this stuff at home is to reduce my family’s and my own exposure to all the chemicals that are in this stuff. Now – your reasons may be different. I just look at the chemicals in downey – and see lots of the same kinds of chemicals in the hair conditioner too.
Personally, I use vinegar water to rinse my hair….
If you like citrus scents you should check out Trader Joe’s Refresh Citrus Conditioner. It doesn’t seem to have near the chemicals that other conditioners do.
Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and is a static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.
What id you can’t use scented stuff? My daughter has sensitive skin.
I have been told that adding white vinegar to your wash if you have something blue in the wash, it will turn the blue clothing red.
a friend of mine gave me the recipe. I will send you a friend request as I have not copied it yet
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Could you just add essential oil to the vinegar and water for scent or does it need the bottle of conditioner? From the posts I’ve read, it seems like vinegar alone softens the clothes pretty well by itself. I just like using something that’s scented.