There is nothing shameful in wearing inexpensive clothes and those who have a keen eye for fashion, can dress lovely without spending a fortune.
On the other hand, there is no excuse for wearing dirty outfits, and that’s how we end up spending many hours washing our garments. Clean and crisp clothes are a pleasure to wear, but these two qualities are not enough because without fabric softener our favorite outfits with only look great but won’t feel that way.
Why Make your Own
Having said this, commercial softeners are soaked in chemicals that are meant to impregnate the fabrics to soften them up. Naturally, this is the purpose of the product, so it is hard to fret about the use of chemicals, but given the potential hazards it makes perfect sense to be reluctant.
Names such as benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol or chloroform don’t sound too promising, and they are every bit as harmful as they seem to be. Just think about how much time we spend wearing clothes impregnated with these toxic compounds and their detrimental effect on our bodies.
By contrast, a homemade fabric softener will contain only ingredients that you choose to add, which means that there is no risk of harmful ones slipping into the concoction. You might feel like a chemist brewing some impressive experiment, but in fact, these products are easy to produce, and you are entitled to expect a dazzling success from the first try, with minimal costs.
You’ll Need:
- 2 cups of Epsom salt or course sea salt
- 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oil or blend of scents
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- A container with a tightly fitting lid
How to Do:
① Grab your 2 cups of Epson salt or coarse sea salt and add 20-30 drops of your preferred essential oil. Make sure to mix them well before adding the third ingredient.
② After blending them well, you can now mix in ½ cup of baking soda (alternately, you can leave out the baking soda, and add it separately, which works well.)
③ Place the mixture in a tight fitting lid container after mixing together and label it if you wish to create more using assorted scents. Use 2-3 tablespoons and toss in with your clothes before rinsing. If using the baking soda separately, add half a cup to each load.
You can double this recipe if you’d like, and adjust the amount of essential oil if you want it to smell stronger/weaker.
Do I add it to the fabric softener compartment or to the washing before washing in an automatic washing machine?
Can water be added ? I saw someone ask and never answered.
Can I add water to this to make itliquid fabric softener? If so, how long does it last on a shelf?
Did you try adding water?
Allison Woods,
You don’t need to add water as this mixture will be added to your laundry before rinsing.
Is this mixture safe for HE (High Efficiency) washers?