If there is one thing I love, it’s clean clothes and because of this, doing the washing is never a chore to me. All thanks to my 13kg washing machine, that is. But because I’m old school, I do plenty of washing by hand as well especially my kids clothes.
Nothing beats the fragrance of clean linen and sunshine. Did I mention I’m a big fan of fabric softener too? That is the one item that is always on my mental shopping list even if it’s not on the actual list. So it’s no wonder that I set out to try out a handmade fabric softener recipe. This promised to allow me to play around with fragrances and make my own unique scent. This is quite a standard recipe.
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{Homemade Fabric Softener}
6 cups water
2 cups hair conditioner
3 cups white vinegar
Essential oils (optional)
Simply stir the ingredients together then pour them in jars. If you’ll be adding essential oils then add about 20 drops.
You can use this in your fabric softener dispenser or soak a wash cloth (and then wring it out well) and throw the wash cloth in your dryer with your other clothing.
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My verdict:
It was fun making/mixing it and I personalised the fragrance with lavender essential oil. I used the cheapest conditioner on the shelf. No way my hair will thank me if I used my normal conditioner. No one can go wrong with the recipe if you have the correct measurements.
As for how it works on fabrics… It does what it says it is; fabrics really are soft. As for the fragrance; it might just be me but I don’t quite fancy smelling like a pickle. The vinegar smell is a bit on the potent side. I added more essential oils to soften it some more but it wasn’t quite effective. I can only imagine how you’ll end up smelling in the summer heat. Not too pleasant I suppose. Since I have quite a bit of this concoction left I will use it with caution and be very careful of wearing the items on hot days.
Did this deter me from trying it again? Not a chance. You can bet your bottom dollar that I will try this again and again but with different conditioner and essential oils until I get the fragrance to my liking. Fabric softener is a tad on the pricey side at times and I’m not gonna pretend that I don’t want to pinch a penny where I can. That and the fact that I have an obsession with getting things right.
I probably have too much time on my hands or I may just be on to something here. At least I can never complain about being bored. Next on my list is homemade laundry detergent. I’m hoping this will be a success story.
Surviving Jonkersville 