Many people love the smell and softness of freshly dried laundry with dryer sheets and fabric softener. Unfortunately, for some people the fragrances and chemicals in these products can trigger allergic reactions. Do not worry. There are other ways to soften laundry without using commercial products, including making your own fabric softener. You can even combine several methods during washing and drying clothes to get clothes that are as soft as possible and free of static electricity.
Ingredients
Homemade Fabric Softener
- 500 gr Epsom salt or 600 gr coarse sea salt
- 20 to 30 drops of essential oil
- 100 gr baking soda
Step
Part 1 of 3: Softening Clothes in the Washing Machine
Step 1. Soak the clothes in salt water
This method is especially effective for textiles made from natural fibers, such as cotton. However, be aware that you will need to soak the clothes for a few days. To soften laundry with a salt bath, follow the steps below.
- Fill a large bucket or laundry tub with warm water. Add 150 grams of salt for every 1 liter of water. Stir well.
- Place the clothes, sheets, or towels you want to soften in the bucket and press them so that they are completely submerged in the salt water.
- Set the bucket aside and soak the laundry for 2 to 3 days.
- If you don't have time to do the soaking process, skip this step. You can wash and dry your laundry right away using other natural softening methods.
Step 2. Pour the detergent and baking soda into the washing machine
When you want to machine wash clothes, pour in your usual detergent according to the instructions on the package. Also add 50 to 200 grams of baking soda to the drum.
- If the laundry is light, use 50g of baking soda. For a moderate amount of laundry, use 100 g, and for a large amount of laundry, use 200 g.
- The baking soda will soften the water so it will help soften the laundry as well. In addition, baking soda also acts as a deodorant and will neutralize unpleasant odors in laundry.
Step 3. Put the clothes in the washing machine
Remove the garment from the brine bucket and wring it out carefully to remove excess water. Transfer the laundry to the washing machine.
- If you don't use the soaking method, just put the dry clothes in the washing machine.
- Check the labels on the clothes to make sure they are machine washable. Pay attention to special washing instructions.
Step 4. Add alternative fabric softener on the rinse cycle
Commercial fabric softener is added to the drum in the rinse cycle. You can use an alternative fabric softener in the same way to get the same effect as a commercial product. Simply add an alternative fabric softener to the softener compartment of the washing machine or fill a fabric softener ball and place it in the washing machine drum. Here are some fabric softener alternatives that you can use:
- 60 to 120 ml of white vinegar. White vinegar can also help prevent clothes from becoming too stiff after drying.
- 100 to 200 g borax
Step 5. Wash the clothes
Set the washing machine according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer and according to the washing instructions on the clothing label. Choose the right washing temperature and setting, as well as the appropriate number of clothes and types of clothes.
- For example, if you are washing delicate items, select the " Delicate " or " Hand Wash " setting.
- If the machine has a setting for fabric softener, select it. If you do not do this, the machine will not enter the step for adding fabric softener during the wash cycle.
Part 2 of 3: Eliminating Static Electricity in the Dryer
Step 1. Transfer the clean clothes to the dryer
After the wash, rinse, and spin cycle is complete, and the washing machine is off, remove the clothes from the washer and transfer them to the dryer.
To reduce the time to dry clothes in the dryer, do a second spin cycle in the washing machine before moving the clothes
Step 2. Add a ball that reduces static electricity to the dryer
While these balls don't necessarily make clothes softer, they're less likely to stick to the skin, which can cause discomfort. You can put 2 or 3 dryer wool balls in the machine with the clothes, or you can use aluminum foil balls.
- To make aluminum foil balls for use in the dryer, measure about 90 cm of aluminum foil from the roll and cut it.
- Squeeze the aluminum foil into a large ball 5 to 8 cm in diameter.
- Squeeze the ball of aluminum foil as tightly as possible to create a smooth surface.
- Place 2 to 3 of these aluminum foil balls in the dryer with the laundry.
- The aluminum foil ball may have irregular edges. Therefore, it is best to avoid using it with delicate textiles.
Step 3. Run the dryer
Select the drying setting according to the amount of laundry and the manufacturer's instructions. Be sure to set the temperature correctly because some textiles, such as cotton, tend to shrink in the tumble dryer if the temperature is too high.
- If you must adjust the drying time yourself, be sure to reduce the time if you run the spin process twice in the washing machine.
- You can also use the humidity sensor (if you have one), which will automatically stop the machine when the laundry is dry.
Part 3 of 3: Making Your Own Fabric Softener
Step 1. Make flavored vinegar
Instead of adding real vinegar to the rinse cycle to soften your clothes, you can make scented vinegar which will give your clothes extra freshness.
- To make flavored vinegar, add 40 drops of essential oil to 4 liters of white vinegar.
- Store the vinegar mixture in a clearly labeled container so you don't mistake it for cooking.
- The essential oils most often used for laundry include lemon, orange, lavender, and min.
- You can also mix several essential oils for a scent of choice. For example, you can mix mint oil and citrus oil, or lavender oil with other essential oils.
Step 2. Make your own fabric softener
Instead of adding baking soda and other fabric softeners separately to your laundry, you can make your own fabric softener instead.
- To make your own fabric softener, mix Epsom salt or sea gram with essential oil and stir until well combined. After that add the baking soda while continuing to stir.
- Store the mixture in a container with a tight lid.
- If you want to use it, take 2 to 3 tablespoons of homemade fabric softener for one wash. Pour fabric softener into the washing machine compartment or fabric softener ball.
Step 3. Make your own dryer sheet
To add a fresh scent to your laundry, you can also make homemade scented dryer sheets. While these dryer sheets won't have the same softening effect as commercial products, the scent will soak into the clothes and produce a pleasant smell. Follow the steps below to make homemade dryer sheets:
- Cut 4 or 5 10cm pieces of fabric from an old cotton or flannel shirt, towel, or blanket.
- Place the piece of cloth in a bowl or jar.
- Add 20 to 30 drops of your favorite essential oil.
- Leave it for about 2 days, until the oil soaks into the fabric fibers and dries.
- Insert one piece of fabric for each drying cycle.
- Wash the piece of cloth and repeat the same process once the aroma of the essential oil begins to fade.
Tips
- Products like salt, vinegar, and borax will not fade the color of the fabric. So you can use this method to wash white, dark, or colored clothes.
- To make clothes that are dried in the sun softer and less stiff, dry them for 10 minutes in the dryer before and after drying. Shake the clothes before drying and after removing them from the clothesline.
