Thursday, August 28, 2008

Homemade Fabric Softener Recipes.......

is something I want to make next. I do have a couple of bottles of Downy left, so will use that up first. I have found a few different ones online, so wanted to post them, and wanted to ask if any of you had tried one of these recipes, and with what results?

As an update: I am loving the homemade laundry detergent, so that's a keeper. Hoping to have the same success with the fabric softener.

The first one is from Recipe Zaar

Ingredients
1 cup baking soda
6 cups distilled white vinegar
8 cups water
10-15 drops orange essential oils (optional) or lemon essential oils (optional) or essential oils, of choice (optional)

Directions
1You will need a one gallon container.
2First add the baking soda to the plastic container.
3Next add 1 cup of water to start with.
4Slowly add the vinegar to the bottle as the vinegar and baking soda will start to fizz.
5Then add the rest of the water swirling around & cover venting the top a few times.
6Last add the essential oil.
7Add 1 cup in your final rinse cycle for each load but give the bottle a good shake to stir up the essential oil if using.

***IT SAYS USE 1 CUP BUT IF USING A DOWNY BALL YOU ONLY USE 1/4 CUP***

Here is another one from Tip Nut

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 dissolved, just shake the bottle to mix the batch up before adding to the rinse cycle.

This one has a video that you can watch, which is really neat, but you do have to have a Downy Ball, so that could be the downside to this, here is the link.

2 Cups White Vinegar
2 Cups Baking Soda
4 Cups Water

Combine slowly and carefully over sink.

Pour into plastic bottle, cover, and shake.

Use 1/4 cup in the final rinse or in a "Downy Ball".

So if anyone has used any one of these recipes please leave a comment. I will try and make a batch of this and will report back.

*********I made the first recipe and used it on my darks and it works. Because I have a front loader machine I had to use a "Downy Ball", but am pretty pleased with the results. I didn't add any essential oils, so there is no smell. My laundry seemed soft and I hung it out to dry and it was fine.

I will say it cost approximately $1.50 to make (I am guessing) and there were at least 14 cups of liquid and if you use a 1/4 cup of liquid per load you have at least 56 loads per batch. Which works out at just over 2.5 cents per load. I will keep using this to see how it goes. I had meant to make the last recipe, but forgot about it.************

14 comments:

Tim Atkinson said...

Thanks. I can see your recipes are going to become essential reading once my final pay-cheque gets spent.

Lib said...

Hi Gill,
Thanks for sharing. I put a bottle of fabric softner in the det. I made last wk. working well:o)
Hope you have agreat day!
Blessins',Lib

Rachel said...

Hi Gill--thanks for commenting on my blog! I'd love to give you an answer to the elk aggression question but would rather do that on email. Shoot me an email at rachieraeATgmailDOTcom so I can get an address and I'll respond. I've added your blog to my list of reads...homemade fabric softener in something I must try!

Jess said...

Great recipes...and we can all use them!

Enjoyed your last few posts!

Have a good weekend.

Maggie May said...

Good old vinegar and bi carb...... you can't beat the old methods!

cheshire wife said...

Before I try any of these recipes I would like to know what do they smell like with all that vinegar in them?

Thank you for your comment about your comment moderation.

Gill - That British Woman said...

good question Cheshire Wife.......I was also concerned about that but have to say I cannot smell the vinegar at all.....

Give it a go, its not an expensive thing to try and if you don't like it, you're only out a dollar or two, or in your case a pound or two.

Gill

dr. filomena said...

That's one recipe I did *not* expect to see :-) Thanks for sharing!

DeniseinVA said...

Gill you come up with the most interesting posts. I do enjoy them.

Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

I've been using just plain vinegar in the downy ball. But think I might like to try this. I wonder how much of a difference the Baking Soda will make to the mixture v/s plain vinegar.

Thanks for the recipes!

Starla
(Homemommie on PHM)

Lee Bilbrey said...

Thank you so much for this recipe! It worked GREAT on my clothes! I added a little scented oil (and I mean just a tiny bit) and it smelled so pleasant. I couldn't smell any vinegar at all and my jeans are actually softer than they've ever been while using store bought fabric softener. Can't thank you enough...God bless you!

Alice said...

Thanks very much for your recipes! there are various recipes for laundry soap but not softener!!
just two questions:
if we use vinegar, wont my clothes smell of that?
Do you mean baking (color grey-ish) or washing soda(the one that we use for the laundry soap)?

Anonymous said...

Thank you, that was extremely valuable and interesting...I will be back again to read more on this topic.

elsie123 said...

I came across your posting when I was blog-hopping. I use the tip-nut method of making my fabric softener, and really am pleased. The only concern I have is that if I put it in the dispenser in my washer, it eventually clogs up. I just quit using the dispenser and add it fresh when the washer goes into the rinse cycle. Everything smells fresh, is nice and soft, and so much cheaper than buying fabric softener in the store. Now to read further in your blog for a detergent recipe!

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