Environmental and economic concerns are at an all-time high causing many people to look for new ways to save money and new ways to help minimize the damage human beings cause our planet. It is often difficult to reconcile these two desires as green living can often be more expensive than patterns of living that harm the environment. Luckily, this is not always the case and it is possible to minimize harm to our environment while saving money. One way to do this is to make your own cleaning supplies, such as liquid fabric softener, using inexpensive ingredients commonly found in most households.
Commercial liquid fabric softener works well for removing static electricity from clothing. However, this product is often quite expensive. Using it in every wash load can double the price you pay to clean your clothing. Also, commercial liquid fabric softener usually contains chemicals including artificial scents and fragrances that can irritate your skin and add unnecessary toxins to our environment. Many companies will charge you extra for additive free versions of these products making it more expensive to live green (and rash free if you have sensitive skin).
This liquid fabric softener recipe calls for inexpensive ingredients and is also very easy to make. It does not require heating or any special tools, simple mixing of ingredients is all that is needed to make it.
You will need the following containers and implements to make this recipe: a measuring cup; mixing bowl large enough to mix 9 cups of liquid in without any of the liquid sloshing out; a large plastic or wooden spoon and a container to store the finished fabric softener in. I kept a plastic commercial fabric softener container to store my homemade fabric softener in. Its just the right size and I can use the cap to easily measure how much softener to use.
You will also need the following ingredients to make the recipe: 1 1/2 cups of your favorite hair conditioner. Any inexpensive conditioner will work well for this purpose but feel free to use a conditioner that has a scent you like, unless you have sensitive skin. If that is the case I suggest you use a fragrance free formulation. 2 1/4 cups of white vinegar, do not use apple cider or other flavored vinegars as they do not work as well as white vinegar. 4 1/2 cups warm water. Warm water makes it easier to blend the conditioner with the other ingredients.
Begin making the recipe by adding the 4 1/2 cups of warm water to the mixing bowl. Next, slowly add the white vinegar to the water stirring the blend as you add.
After adding the vinegar and water to the bowl add the 1 1/2 cups of hair conditioner. Use the large spoon to thoroughly mix the softener until the conditioner is completely blended with the vinegar and water.
Once you have completely mixed the blend pour it into an old commercial fabric softener bottle or other container that has a cap. Your home made fabric softener is now ready to use. If you wish you may add a teaspoon of your favorite essential oil to the blend. If you choose to use oil to scent the softener, do so sparingly. The softener is added to the clothing during the rinse cycle; using too much essential oil can stain clothing since their is little time for the oil to be rinsed out of clothing.
To use your home made fabric softener simply add the same amount of softener to the rinse cycle that you would normally use if you had purchased a commercial brand. For hassle free fabric softening use a fabric softener ball such as ones marketed by the brand Downy. Shake the bottle vigorously and then pour the desired amount of fabric softener into the ball, close it and put it in the washer with your clothes just as you would with commercial softener.
