Content

• Ingredients
• Homemade fabric softener
• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Softening clothes in the washing machine
• Part 2 of 3: Removing static electricity in the tumble dryer
• Part 3 of 3: Making your own fabric softener
• Tips
• Warnings

Many people like the smell and feel of laundry treated with dryer sheets and fabric softener, but many others are sensitive or allergic to the chemicals in these products. Fortunately, there are ways to soften your laundry without using these store-bought products, including making your own fabric softener. You can even combine several methods during washing and drying to get the softest possible laundry that is not static.

Ingredients

Homemade fabric softener

• 500 grams of Epsom salt or 600 grams of coarse sea salt
• 20-30 drops of essential oils
• 110 grams of baking soda

To step

Part 1 of 3: Softening clothes in the washing machine

1. Soak the laundry in saline solution. This method works particularly well with clothes made from natural fibers such as cotton, but you should soak the clothes for several days. To soften your clothes with a saline solution, do the following:
   • Fill a large bucket or sink with lukewarm water. Add 150 grams of salt per liter of water. Stir the mixture.
   • Put the clothes, sheets, and towels you want to soften in the bucket and push them down to soak them in the saline solution.
   • Set the bucket aside and let the laundry soak for two to three days.
   • You can skip this step if you don't have two days to soak your laundry. Instead, wash and dry your laundry with other natural methods of softening the fabrics.
2. Put detergent and baking soda in your washing machine. When you're ready to wash your laundry, put your regular detergent in the washing machine following the directions on the package. Also sprinkle 60 to 220 grams of baking soda into the drum.
   • Use 60 grams of baking soda for a small load of laundry, 110 grams of baking soda for an average load and 220 grams of baking soda for a large amount of laundry.
   • Baking soda makes the water softer and thus also helps to soften your laundry. It is also a refreshing agent that removes odors from your laundry.
3. Put the clothes in your washing machine. Remove the clothes from the saline solution and gently squeeze them to get the excess water out. Then put the laundry in the washing machine.
   • If you haven't soaked the clothes, just put the dry clothes in the washing machine.
   • Read the care labels on your clothes to see if you can safely put them in the washing machine. Also note if there are any special instructions regarding washing and drying.
4. Add an alternative to fabric softener for during the rinse cycle. A fabric softener is normally used during the rinse cycle and you can use an alternative to fabric softener to get the same results as with a commercially available fabric softener. Put the alternative in the softener compartment in the detergent dispenser or fill a softener ball and put it in the drum. Good alternatives to fabric softener include:
   • 60 to 120 ml white vinegar (which also helps to make your clothes less stiff if you let them dry on the clothesline)
   • 100 to 200 grams of borax
5. Wash your clothes. Set up your washing machine according to the instructions in the user manual and the care labels in your clothes. Use the correct temperature, washing program and capacity based on the amount of laundry and the type of clothes.
   • If you wash clothes made of delicate fabrics, you can choose the delicate or hand wash program, for example.
   • Make sure to press the softener button if your washing machine has one. Otherwise, the fabric softener will not mix with your laundry.

Part 2 of 3: Removing static electricity in the tumble dryer

1. Put your clean clothes in the dryer. When your washing machine has completed the washing and rinsing program, has spun and is completely ready, take the clothes out of the drum and put them in the dryer.
   • To reduce the time it takes for your clothes to tumble dry, you can spin your washing machine a second time before putting your clothes in the dryer.
2. Put dryer balls in the dryer. These balls do not necessarily make your clothes softer, but make them less static, so that you get less shock and are more comfortable to wear. You can put two or three wool dryer balls in the drum with your laundry, or you can use two aluminum foil balls.
   • To make an aluminum foil ball for your dryer, remove about a meter of aluminum foil from the roll.
   • Crumple the aluminum foil into a small ball five to eight inches in diameter.
   • Stuff the foil together as best you can to get a smoother ball.
   • Place two or three balls per load in the dryer.
   • Aluminum foil balls can still have sharp edges, so don't use them when drying delicate fabrics.
3. Let the dryer do its job. Set up the dryer according to the characteristics of your laundry and the instructions in the user manual. Pay close attention to which heat setting you choose, because fabrics such as cotton can shrink in the dryer if the temperature is too high.
   • If you are using a drying program with a specific duration and you have spun your laundry a second time, make sure to adjust the timer accordingly.
   • You can also use the function that detects moisture so that your dryer automatically stops when your clothes are dry.

Part 3 of 3: Making your own fabric softener

1. Make scented vinegar. Instead of using regular vinegar during the rinse cycle to soften your clothes, you can make scented vinegar that will make your laundry even fresher.
   • To make scented vinegar, add about 40 drops of essential oils to four quarts of white vinegar.
   • Keep the mixture in a clearly labeled container so you don't accidentally use the vinegar in cooking.
   • Popular essential oils for your laundry include lemon oil, orange oil, lavender oil and mint oil.
   • You can also make essential oil blends to give your laundry a different scent. For example, you can mix mint oil with a citrus oil or lavender oil with another floral-scented oil.
2. Make your own fabric softener. Instead of adding baking soda and another fabric softener alternative to your laundry, you can make your own fabric softener as a substitute for these two ingredients.
   • To make your own fabric softener, mix Epsom salt or sea salt with essential oils and stir until everything is blended. Then stir in the baking soda.
   • Store the mixture in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
   • Use two to three tablespoons of homemade fabric softener per load of laundry. Put the mixture in the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine or in a fabric softener ball.
3. Make your own scented dryer sheets. To make your laundry smell even fresher, you can also make your own scented dryer sheets. These wipes don't make your laundry as soft as store tumble dryers, but they do leave your laundry smelling wonderful. To make your own dryer sheets, do the following:
   • Cut four or five 10-by-10-centimeter squares from an old cotton or flannel shirt, towel, or blanket.
   • Place the fabric squares in a bowl or jar.
   • Add 20 to 30 drops of your favorite essential oils.
   • Leave the wipes alone for about two days, or until the oil has soaked into the fabric and dried.
   • Use one cloth per drying program.
   • Wash the wipes and repeat the process when they start to get rid of their scent.

Tips

• Agents such as salt, vinegar and borax will not fade your clothes, so you can use them for white, dark and colored laundry.
• To make clothes that are dried on the clothesline softer and less stiff, put them in the dryer for ten minutes before and after drying on the clothesline. Also, shake off the clothes before putting them on and taking them off the clothesline.

Warnings

• Do not wash dry clean only clothes in the washing machine. These fabrics should not get wet and should therefore not be soaked or washed in water. So take these clothes to a dry cleaner to have them cleaned.