Frugral Fabric Softener Recipes & Dryer Sheet Tips
- Using 1/4 cup vinegar in your laundry’s rinse cycle keeps clothes soft. You can set aside a vinegar jug just for laundry and add about 2 dozen drops of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar if you’d like (or as much EO as you feel necessary).
- In a pail mix 1 gallon of water and 1 cup concentrated liquid fabric softener. Dip a sponge or washcloth in the liquid, squeeze out excess and toss in the dryer with your laundry. Seal pail when not in use.
- Pour liquid fabric softener and hot water in a spray bottle (50/50 mix) and lightly mist wet laundry before starting the dryer. Two or three good shots should do it. You could also just spritz a clean washcloth and toss that in the dryer.
- Cut dryer sheets in thirds or halves, use one strip per dryer load.
- Mix equal parts hair conditioner and water and store in spray bottle. Mist a washcloth or sponge and toss in dryer with wet load.
- Use about 1/4 to 1/2 of the liquid fabric softener that they recommend on the bottle.
- 1/8 cup baking soda added to laundry and 1/4 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle.
- Use a Downy ball if you have one–just use vinegar instead.
- Soak a washcloth in full strength liquid fabric softener. Wring out excess, then lay out to dry first before using–helps prevent staining laundry the first time. To use: toss the dried washcloth in the dryer and use again and again until it no longer works. Resoak when needed (you should be able to do a few dozen dryer loads per fabric softener soak).
Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe:
1 part Vinegar
1 part Baking Soda
2 parts Hot Water
- Place a pail large enough to hold double the amount of ingredients in the kitchen sink or bathtub. Mix the baking soda and water in the pail, stir till the powder is dissolved. Then add the vinegar. Remember that baking soda and vinegar reacts with fizzing, so use a big pail to account for this. Once it’s stopped fizzing, pour into clean bottles, cap, then use 1/4 cup per rinse cycle.
- Updated Info: The baking soda won’t be completely dissoved, just shake the bottle to mix the batch up before adding to the rinse cycle.
Reuseable Homemade Dryer Sheets
Flannel pieces
4 TBS liquid softener
10 TBS water
- Cut fabric sheets from old flannel pajamas or leftover flannel fabric from sewing and cut into 3″ x 5″ strips (approximately). Stack flannel strips in a cleaned margarine tub (large size) or plastic container (cleaned baby wipes container works well too). Mix the liquid softener and water together, then pour evenly over top of stacked flannel strips. Seal container and shake well. You can use several dozen strips with this mixture. Leave sealed for 2 or 3 days, then use one flannel strip per load–squeeze out excess if necessary (it should be just damp). Keep container sealed at all times. Wash strips after use, then use again to make another batch when needed.
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Posted in Frugal Living, Homemade Cleaners, Laundry |
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04 Jan 2007 at 11:49 am
I am getting SO addicted to reading all your tips - I’ve long wondered an easier way to do dryer sheets and have tried making my own cleaners before. I’m going to try the flannel strips to store in a baby wipes container! Thank you so much for all the great ideas!
04 Jan 2007 at 12:42 pm
So, could I use the homemade fabric softener to make the homemade dryer sheets?
05 Jan 2007 at 7:39 am
Thanks Monica :)!!
I haven’t tried the homemade fabric softener on the flannel strips, it may need the water from the rinse cycle to not leave a residue? I’m not sure. But you could first try spraying a fabric strip and tossing it in the dryer to see how it works.
07 Mar 2007 at 10:10 am
how long can one dryer sheet last?
14 Mar 2007 at 8:41 am
MoooMooo, sorry for my late reply but the dryer sheets are used once.
17 Feb 2008 at 1:37 pm
to make your car smell fresh ..place a bar of caress soap under the drivers seat ..the heat from the emgine intensifies making it smell so clean and fresh ..for men ..a bar of irish spring works for you guys.. thanks and enjoy ..
17 Feb 2008 at 1:39 pm
i save my dryer sheets in a pretty lil decorated jar and add a lil febreze / liquid fabric softer to them ..give a sqeeze and wa la ..your clothes smell so fresh but are so much softer than usign dryer sheets alone
17 Feb 2008 at 1:42 pm
I LOVE USING SHAMPOO AND HAIR CONDITIONER IN MY WASHER FOR MY LAUNDRY ..THE SMELL AND SOFTNESS IS UNBELIEVABLE .. TRY IT ..IT TRULY WORKS ..
09 Apr 2008 at 1:40 pm
I like to use sponges soaked in softener, but I keep mine in a resealable container (I use a sandwich container from Tupperware.) and keep three or four sponges in it at a time. Usually one sponge will last three runs through the dryer, then I rotate them. Every six months, I replace all the sponges. I just love this trick; fabric softener lasts a much longer time this way.
08 May 2008 at 6:22 pm
I HAVE USED VINEGAR AS A “SOFTENER” FOR A WHILE, AND WAS EXCITED TO TRY THE RECIPE COMBINING BAKING SODA WITH THE VINEGAR.
OK, I GIVE UP. HOW DO YOU GET THE BAKING SODA TO DISSOLVE? I USED HOT WATER, I USED BOILING WATER, AND I NUKED IT TO REHEAT THE WATER TO BOILING. THE BEST I COULD GET WAS A SUSPENSION. WHEN I STOPPED STIRRING, BEFORE AND AFTER ADDING THE VINEGAR, THE BAKING SODA SETTLED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER. SO, WHAT IS YOUR TRICK?
08 May 2008 at 8:43 pm
Kathryn “dissolve” is probably not the best choice of words since there will be some sediment from the baking soda. Just shake the bottle up to redistribute. I’ll clarify the notes & sorry for the confusion.
11 Jun 2008 at 9:53 am
Can you put the vinegar in the fabric softner dispenser that is already in your washer?
11 Jun 2008 at 2:31 pm
Yes Bonnie I’ve done that with great success too.
28 Jun 2008 at 6:53 am
One thing you can NOT do is put the baking soda solution in the dispenser. Since it doesn’t actually dissolve, it builds up badly in the dispenser.
I’ve been using 1/2 c baking soda in the wash (no detergent) and 1/2 c vinegar (adding enough water to fill) in the softener dispenser. Works great when you use a dryer. The problem I have is clothes get crunchy when line dried. Any ideas?