Homemade Fabric Softener

Name: Homemade Fabric Softener
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 35 loads of laundry
Ingredients: 5 cups hot distilled water; 3 cups vinegar; 1 cup hair conditioner

User Reviews

4.3

96 reviews

Good

Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
Servings
35 loads of laundry

Homemade Fabric Softener

Deacon Adams

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This gentle homemade fabric softener is so easy to create, and costs just pennies to make. It softens your clothes and towels just like store bought fabric softener.

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Ingredients

Servings

5 cups hot distilled water
3 cups vinegar
1 cup hair conditioner

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Instructions

In a medium bowl add very hot water and the conditioner. (Water doesn't need to be boiling, but hot enough that it helps smooth any clumps from the conditioner).
Whisk together until smooth and clump free.
Add in vinegar and whisk to combine.
Pour into containers of choice such as wide mouth quart mason jars. Store in air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 months.
Use the same amount as you would a store bought softener and add to the regular softener spot in your washer or during the rinse cycle. Usually for me this is around 1/2 cup to 1 cup softener per load.

Notes

No need to spend extra money on expensive conditioner for this recipe, cheap vs quality conditioners had no noticeable differences. Dollar store conditioner works fine.
Clairol Herbal Essence, Dove, Wella Balsam,
and
Breck
.
No need to spend extra money on expensive conditioner for this recipe, cheap vs quality conditioners had no noticeable differences. Dollar store conditioner works fine.
Some of my favorite conditioners in terms of fragrance are Clairol Herbal Essence, Dove, Wella Balsam, and Breck.
Use this recipe as a DIY dryer sheet by dipping a sponge in the solution, wringing it out very very well and tossing it into your dryer cycle.
If you don't have conditioner you can make the other style of homemade fabric softener I shared in the blog post by mixing together 6 cups vinegar, 1 cup baking soda and optionally 15 drops of essential oil. Whisk together and add to machines. Doesn't produce as soft as results but it's better than nothing.