Tuesday, February 7, 2012

DIY Liquid Fabric Softener

Yeild:
About half a gallon

Ingredients:
• 6 cups water
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups hair conditioner (I found some AWESOME smelling VO5 conditioner on sale for 75 cents. I, therefore, did not need the essential oils for fragrance)
• ½ cup baking soda
• Essential oils for fragrance

Directions:

1. Mix water, baking soda, and hair conditioner in a 1 gallon container (NOTE:  I used a 12 quart utility tub and it barely contained the fizzing that resulted by adding the vinegar. I poured it into an empty fabric softener bottle after the fizzing settled down.); stir. Do not shake it; it will cause foaming. Slowly add vinegar it will begin to fizz. For fragrance add Essential oils.

2. Use ¼ cup in the rinse cycle or spritz it on a wash cloth and throw in dryer. Fabric softener can also be put in a Downy ball. Shake before using to make sure baking soda hasn’t settled at the bottom of container. Baking soda can be left out of the recipe.

NOTE:  I use vinegar in the fabric softener compartment in the summer time...It does not linger in the clothes.  Leaves them nice and fresh!  So, don't worry about the vinegar -- it will be juuuuuust fine!  In fact, there is no vinegar smell what-so-ever to the batch I made.  ;)

UPDATE (2/13/12):
Here are a couple of pics of my personal experience of making a batch using this recipe.
See commentary below the pictures.
ENJOY! :)


I finally made it to the store for some conditioner to make the DIY Liquid Fabric Softener!
I am glad I used a larger container to mix this in than the instructions called for - this was barely big enough by the time it finished fizzing!!!
This is a 12 qt tub and it tried to overflow. The liquid itself doesn't fill it up but the fizzing from adding the vinegar sure does!  Be sure to add the vinegar SLOWLY or it will erupt in a fizzing frenzy and leave your whole area smelling laundry day fresh!  LOL



You can see here, behind the conditioner bottles, that the fizzing has subsided and fills less than half the tub now.
These are the conditioners I snagged at Reasor's (one bottle per batch of fabric softener) - 4 for $3 (75 cents each). I used the Shae Cashmere (far left) and it smells FABULOUS!!!!

Thanks to Szarka for providing the screen capture!

5 comments:

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  3. MAKE SURE YOU OMIT THE BAKING SODA OR YOU WILL HAVE AN EPIC EXPLOSION NO MATTER HOW YOU DO IT. I got everything in, went to move the bottle and it EXPLODED ALL OVER GOD KING & COUNTRY!

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    Replies
    1. Ha! Oh my, I'm so sorry! Yes, that is how my first batch went. I now use a plastic wash tub that is PLENTY big and let it settle real good, stirring several times to get the soda settled, then pour it into a larger than you'd think necessary jug. Hope you try it again with success! Thanks for commenting!

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