Make Your Own Fabric Softener: It's better!

I ran across a recipe for

making your own fabric softener

while researching the history of clothespins

for an article where I showed off

these beauties:

Funny how one thing leads to another.

I knew right away I was trying this!

While I love the smell 
of my usual fabric softener,

I hate that blue gunk it leaves on 

the dispenser over time....

Want buttons like this? Click HERE

And I am not a fan of dryer sheets.

I've had them ruin some of my favorite clothes.
Plus, I hear they're hard on your dryer.

Of course there are other DiY recipes out there,
but they aren't necessarily "green."

So, if you truly want

"green" fabric softener, "vintage style"

here it is:

Virtual Washi Tape free digital download *here*

I followed directions from About.com, 

using my own twist with essential oil fragrance.

1/2 Cup baking soda

4 Cups water
3 Cups white vinegar

Optional: 5-10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
{or whatever scent you desire}

Put the baking soda in your container and add 1 cup of warm water; stir until the soda is dissolved. Then add the remaining 3 Cups of water. 

Now slowly add the vinegar so that fizzy reaction doesn't go crazy and pour out of your container. Last of all, add your scent, if desired.

I filled the fabric softener dispenser
and ran a load of laundry. 
Then several loads. 
Here is what I discovered:

My clothes came out brighter!
That was an unexpected bonus.

The towels and all fabrics were definitely 
fluffier and more absorbent.
Apparently that gunk you see in the washer 
also leaves a layer on the fabric, 
compressing it over time.

I wouldn't necessarily describe towels 
and clothes as "softer"... 
in fact I noticed no difference in that area: 
they were just as soft, plus I had no static.
I suspect some folks experience a sense of 
"softer" clothes due to the fluffiness.
I would say for the qualities of soft and static-free, 
so far this natural softener runs
even with the gunky store-bought stuff.

I tried it with and without the lavender 
essential oil. The plain version leaves your 
clothes smelling fresh.
The essential oil version gives just the slightest 
hint of lavender, which smells great, too!

So that's the REAL scoop!
Go natural and go vintage with your housekeeping.



That's what I am doing from now on because:

You can make your own Fabric Softener.

It's better than store-bought.

It's far less expensive.

It's chemical-free: good for the environment,
you and your family!

Check out these

Laundry Room Printables!

Retro Kitchen Printables

*Vintage Laundry Clothespins Here*

Mother's Day Printables

More Earth-Friendly DIY Projects Here!

Be sure to come link up!

{I host a linky party every Wednesday and you can find more info *HERE.*  

Plus, I party at these fine places, whose party links open on:  Sunday: Sew Darned Crafty, Monday Funday, It's Party Time, I Should Be Mopping the Floor,  Craft-O-Maniac, Alderberry Hill, Sew Can Do, Under The Table  Dreaming, Making The World Cuter;  Monday: Skip to My Lou, What's in the Gunny Sack, Cowgirl Up!, Rustic Pig, Knock Our Socks Off, Adventures of a DiY Mom, Sugar Bee Crafts, Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday, Salt Tree;  Tuesday: The Winthrop Chronicles, Not Just a Housewife, Carolyn's Homework, Elizabeth & Co., Lil' Luna, The DIY Dreamer, Savvy Southern Style, Rae Gun Ramblings, Gingersnap Crafts, Whimsy Wednesday, Today's Creative Blog, Sew Much Ado;  Wednesday: I Gotta Create!, Polkadots on Parade, Practically Functional, Stone Gable, Southern Lovely, Live-Laugh-Rowe, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The Trendy Treehouse; Thursday: The 36th Avenue, Bloom Designs,  Jennifer Rizzo , 540 Main, Frugal Girls, French Country Cottage, Inspiration Gallery, My Simple Home Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, Shabby Nest;  Friday: Anything Goes, Shaken Together, Serenity Now,  A Night Owl, Cheerios & Lattes, Five Days Five Ways, One Creative Mommy, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots & Jello, Six Sisters Stuff, Shabby Art Boutique, Finding Fabulous, Thirty Handmade Days;  Saturday: Twigg Studios, Be Different Act Normal, A Bouquet of Talent, Tutus & Tea Parties, Polkadot Pretties, Or So She Says, Bowdabra, Flamingo Toes, DIY Showoff, Nifty Thrifty Things