Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Tuesday's Tip

Today's tip: do away with the fabric softener.

There was a time when I decided on what washer to buy based on whether or not it had a well in the shaft for my liquid fabric softener. Those days are gone. I no longer even use fabric softener.

First of all, most fabric softeners are really toxic. They are full of chemicals that we really don't need in our homes or on our bodies. You can read a little about it here or here.

Secondly, does it really make that much difference? Really? I haven't missed it at all. In fact, when I am out on my walk I can smell everyone else's dryers. I don't even like the smell any more. Too much "fragrance".

So save yourself some money. And do without.

But if you can't, there are other options. Of course, I'm going to say it. Ready? Make your own! I can't really speak to how well this works, but I looked it up special for you. Give it a try and let me know how well it works out. Maybe you can persuade me.

Homemade Fabric Softener

You'll need:

  • 1 cup vinegar (white)
  • 1 cup washing soda
  • 1 cup water
  • Drops essential oil (good choices include lemon, lavender, mint, geranium)
  • Bottle for storage (flip-cap if possible)
  1. Assemble the items from the Things You'll Need section.
  2. Mix together the washing soda, white vinegar and water.
  3. Add a few drops of essential oil. The scent is up to you. Or, you might wish to leave it scent-free.
  4. Stir together one more time.
  5. Bottle the fabric conditioner for storage. A bottle with a flip-top lid is good for ease of use but any bottle with a lid is suitable.
  6. Use the fabric conditioner in the same way that you would use a commercial fabric conditioner.
If you try it or have your own recipe, let me know. I'd love to hear your results.

3 comments:

YD, sometimes with ♥June and ♥Angel Samantha said...

That's a great tip Julie!

I wonder if that would work with my reusable drayer sheet? I learned this from a TV show, so instead of buying those drayer sheets, fill a spray bottle with 1 part of fabric softener(perhaps your homemade fabirc softener would work) and 2 parts of water, shake well, spray it on a washcloth and toss it in the drayer with your clothes. Use that same washcloth everytime you dry your clothes, just shake the bottle and spray.

Julie said...

Well, that's a cool idea. Never heard that one. Maybe I'll try it.

Anonymous said...

I just use vinegar. No scent, no washing soda, -- just vinegar. And it works GREAT!

Blessings!
Lacy