DIY Fabric Softener

In my efforts to save money and live a cleaner life, I decided to give making my own cleaning supplies a whirl. Fabric Softener is the first thing I tried because it seemed easy enough...and guess what? It was!

This is the easiest DIY recipe I've come across so far and it works, too. Yay!

Of course I found the recipe via Pinterest. Honestly, that website is a dream come true for any mother/baker/cleaner/decorator/blogger/exerciser/fashionista/party thrower/foodie....well, you get the point.

The recipe was posted on My Kitchen Escapades, where she has many recipes for cleaning products. I set out to make quite a few of them and this is what my haul looked like....

Don't worry. The fabric softener only requires two of these ingredients.

So far I have tried the fabric softener, two different dishwasher soaps and laundry detergent. Next up I will try spot cleaner, carpet cleaner, and homemade bleach wipes. I'll post about the laundry and dishwasher soap at a later date. 

For now, on to fabric softener!

Here is what you need:

6 cups of warm water

3 cups of white vinegar

2 cups of hair conditioner 

That's it!

Mix the water and vinegar and then add in the conditioner. Gently whisk ingredients until it's all dissolved. Make sure to whisk gently to avoid getting bubbles. Pour into container to store.

 As you see in the picture, I saved an old Tide bottle and re-used it. Seriously, I don't need to spend the money on a fancy container with vinyl letters that look pretty. Now matter how you store your laundry supplies....let's face it, laundry sucks. As my 3rd grader likes to constantly remind me "Remember to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!" Consider this my Reuse for the month.

For the conditioner, I use the small bottles of Suave on the bottom shelf that you can buy for 99 cents at Walmart. Yes, Walmart. I shop there and I don't care. ;)

You get to choose the scent of your softener and you only need one bottle for the recipe.

Here is the original recipe. I have used this for about two months now and I love it! It's not quite as smelly as store bought, but it works just as well and is a fraction of the cost. Win!

Let me know if you try this or if you have any other recipes to try. I'm always open to suggestions!