Frugal Fabric Softner and Dryer sheets

Laundry on a clothesline
Tipnut has all kinds of tips. These were posted on the site. I have used the vinegar and also cut my dryer strips in 1/2, there are some others that I am going to try too!

• Using 1/4 cup vinegar in your laundry’s rinse cycle keeps clothes soft. You can set aside a vinegar jug just for laundry and add about 2 dozen drops of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar if you’d like (or as much EO as you feel necessary).

• Pour liquid fabric softener and hot water in a spray bottle (50/50 mix) and lightly mist wet laundry before starting the dryer. Two or three good shots should do it. You could also just spritz a clean washcloth and toss that in the dryer.
• Cut dryer sheets in thirds or halves, use one strip per dryer load.
• Mix equal parts hair conditioner and water and store in spray bottle. Mist a washcloth or sponge and toss in dryer with wet load.
• Use about 1/4 to 1/2 of the liquid fabric softener that they recommend on the bottle.
• 1/8 cup baking soda added to laundry and 1/4 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle.
• Use a Downy ball if you have one–just use vinegar instead.
• Soak a washcloth in full strength liquid fabric softener. Wring out excess, then lay out to dry first before using–helps prevent staining laundry the first time. To use: toss the dried washcloth in the dryer and use again and again until it no longer works. Resoak when needed (you should be able to do a few dozen dryer loads per fabric softener soak).

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.

Reuseable Homemade Dryer Sheets

Flannel pieces
4 TBS liquid softener
10 TBS water

• Cut fabric sheets from old flannel pajamas or leftover flannel fabric from sewing and cut into 3″ x 5″ strips (approximately). Stack flannel strips in a cleaned margarine tub (large size) or plastic container (cleaned baby wipes container works well too). Mix the liquid softener and water together, then pour evenly over top of stacked flannel strips. Seal container and shake well. You can use several dozen strips with this mixture. Leave sealed for 2 or 3 days, then use one flannel strip per load–squeeze out excess if necessary (it should be just damp). Keep container sealed at all times. Wash strips after use, then use again to make another batch when needed.