You may already be making Homemade Laundry Detergent and other DIY Cleaners… but if you’ve been wanting to cut costs on Fabric Softener… try making Homemade Fabric Softener!
What You’ll Need:
- 6 cups HOT water
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}
What You’ll Do:
- Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
- Add the vinegar, and mix well.
- Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}
- Pour into a downy ball… or use approx. 2 tbsp. in the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!
Thanks to frugal friend Holly for sharing this great recipe on The Frugal Girls Facebook page!
I’ve been using it for awhile now, and absolutely love it!!
Got a Thrifty Tip??
Leave a comment & share!
See Also:
BIG List of Homemade Cleaners & DIY ‘Recipes’
Wow, a whole new way to use those free bottles of shampoo! It’s relatively easy to match up great coupons and drug store deals to get them for free, I’ll have to start watching for more now. Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad I found this site. As a senior who is a new widow,my finances can’t get much worse,so thanks so much!!!
@Julie FYI, the recipe calls for conditioner, not shampoo.
Hmm. This doesn’t have any issues with the dye from the conditioner? Does the laundry retain the scent? How is it on controlling the static? What a fabulous idea! I’m tired of spending almost $7 on a bottle of fabric softener every 2 weeks.
It works great, no dye issues at all. I think it smells less strong than the store brand, but it also makes me wonder what chemical they put int theirs to retain the smell…and it’s great to eliminate static. Overall, I love this stuff and I used to spend a ton on Snuggle fabric softener but no more!
I absolutely love the fabric softener. I am not sure what it is with my water that gives my clothes a dingy smell, but the vinegar takes the smell out and the conditioner gives it a nice, light scent.
A more expensive brand of conditioner may retain scent longer??? And it still wouldn’t be as expensive as having to buy actual softener. I can’t wait to try this!
You could add essential oil to make the sent more pronounced. I am thinking lavender! Yummy!
Great post! A more natural option would be to just use the white vinegar and forgo the conditioner. About a half a cup in the rinse cycle is all you need and it won’t leave a vinegar smell on your clothes.
Take care!
Frugally Natural
Another natural option.
Warm 2 cups vinegar and 1/2 cup water in microwave for 45 seconds.
Slowly add 1/2 cup baking soda, mix well
If you want a scent add 8 drops of your favorite essential oil, I like peppermint.
Do you use this for one load? It seems like it would be a lot. About how much does this make and how much do you use per load? can you use this in the Downy balls or will it not work?
I made this “recipe” and it filled my large downy bottle. You use the same amount of this softener as you did the Downy
I only use vinegar as well, and just buy it a canning time so its always on sale, it works great and leaves no smell. After reading about softener leaving so much residue, I prefer not to use it.
or add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar, forget the conditioner…
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing. I already make my own laundry soap and love it, this will be great to try!
Jen,
Was Just wanting to know if you could Please consider sharing your Laundry soap recipe with me?
Thanks
Hi Heather ~ here is the homemade laundry soap recipe that I use:
http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.html
Hope that helps!!
Jen ~ please feel free to share your recipe as well!
~ Heidi
Hi Crystal,
I haven’t had any issues with the conditioner leaving a residue. And yes… you can also just use straight vinegar as well! I like the extra scent of the conditioner, but vinegar alone can do the trick, too!
To control static, I use dryer sheets {cut in half} + there are more tips you can read about that here:
http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/01/save-money-on-laundry-cut-dryer-sheets-in-half.html
Hope that helps!
~ Heidi
I just use plain vinegar as well during the rinse cycle.
)
I use plain vinegar in my Downy ball as well.
I buy the fabric softener refills in the cardboard milk-style cartons, when I bring it home I pour half into my empty bottle and fill with water. I close up the remainder until needed then repeat the process.
I dilute regular fabric softener 2x so end up with 3x the amount and use that as a liquid or leave it all in a bucket and throw sponges in. wring out the sponge and throw 1 or 2 in the dryer as dryer sheets
Oh WOW!!! Great idea with using the fabric softer and sponge and tossing them in the dryer. Love it! thanks for sharing that!!!
What type of sponge do you use for this? Will it cause lent on dark clothing? I really like this idea.
Sounds GREAT! I’m a little leery of the home-made stuff though because I own a high efficiency machine and the instructions were very particular about what I could use. This doesn’t sound harmful – do you think I could use it in my front load HE machine? I would LOVE to cut out the cost of fab softener that stuff is $$$
HE machine can not handle soap suds. Normal detergent has additives that make it bubble up. The HE detergent have very little. If you make your own laundry soap you can use that in your HE machine. I don’t think there would be a problem with conditioner since it is does not bubble like shampoo.
I have an HE washer and dryer. I have been using this homemade fabric softener for about 6 months now and I could not be happier. It works great. Sometimes my laundry used to smell after washing and drying it but not anymore. I also starting leaving my washer machine door open a little. Again, this homemade fabric softener is great and I have definitely saved money. I use Suave or V05 and try to keep the scent something like a breeze or fruity scent.
Yes you can . I have a frontloader as well. I have been using frontload machines for 14 yrs now. The vinegar is great as an additive for the frontload machines as it cleans the machine as well. Run the mixture through the dispenser
. i also use 3 cups white vinegar & hot water through my machine regularly as a cleaner. use the tray dispenser to dispere 1 cup & dump the other 2 cups on the inside add a white towel & hot water cycle it all the way through . It keep it fresh & clean isnde no midlew or build up 
sorry for the typos. My internet keep sticking .
how often do you run the vinegar through your machine to clean it?
why a white towel?
I have an high efficiency washer… does this work?…. One is suppose to use special kind of soap and softner…
I have a high efficiency washing machine and I do not use the “specially formulated” HE products. I simply use considerably less detergent, and Oxi-Clean. I use the homemade detergent and haven’t had any issues with washer performance or clothes not getting clean. I have soft water so that is another reason that I use any laundry products sparingly. PS I love this site, thanks!!
I dilute my fabric softner with vinegar 1/2 and 1/2. I buy the large bottles when on sale and have a coupon to get better savings. I usually get 3-4 bottles out of it.
For those of you who use straight vinegar, you say you add it to the rinse cycle. I have a machine that has a place to add fabric softener. Can I add the vinegar there, or do I have to try and catch the rinse cycle?
I just put the straight vinegar in my softener dispenser of my HE machine. But I am going to try this softener for the scent.
Tip: which I am sure u all know. I use equal parts dish detergent and combine with equal parts ++ of borax. Actually I add a bunch more borax. I was told to use 2 Tablespoons, but one is perfect for a full load (for me anyhow) Saves a ton of money and lasts a very long time. Store in airtight container.
I’m assuming that this recipe with the dish soap is for laundry detergent not fabric softener, right? (since the post is for fabric softener). So, do you mean powdered dish soap? I had never heard of that before. Has anyone else tried this? What kind do you use?
To the women who has a HE washer I just had a repairman here to fixa problem I had with my washer he seen my bottle
of oxi clean and told me to stop using it it damages the motor.Just thought I let you know
How does it damage the motor? Think about that for just a minute. The water from the washer can’t touch the motor.
The motor runs a belt or chain that agitates the drum that holds the water, clothing and soap. Some people like to make us think they know what they are talking about. Do a little research on your personal machine and see if I am right.
Well a friend of mine had the same problem and her repairman told her the same thing. I prefer to listen to the repair people who sees these problems everyday. Rather be safe than sorry and end of with repairs that i may have caused my self.
That’s absolutely absurd that Oxiclean would damage the motor. Free will and all that but it’s a load of rubbish. (my husband is an engineer- I asked him and he laughed.)
My tweaked Fabric Softner recipie. My son complained that his towels smelled like vingar when he got them we so.
6 cups hot water
1 cup baking soda
6 cups vinegar
2 cups suave
I always use a 5 gallo bucket
1 cup bakind soda and 1 cup hot water. you dont have to mix because the next step will.
slowly add 6 cups vinegar. It will bubble and foam. Allow this for a few minutes to get the baking soda to dissolve. next add the other 5 cups hot water and 2 cups suave conditioner. Stir stir stir. I use 1/2 to 1 whole cup in rinse cycle. Also, for a fab sheet dip a white wash cloth in the liquid and ring out. toss in the dryer. Now prior to all this home made laundry stuff, I purcased a mister steamy. I liked it well enough but if you add 4 oz liquid fab soft you made instead of water, you can skip th wash cloth and have clean, great smelling wrinkle free clothing! Good luck and happy laundering https://www.mistersteamy.com/.
I found my Mister Steamy at CVS for 14.99
What does the baking soda do? I’ve used this softner for awhile, and don’t smell vinegar once the clothes are washed.
Hi, I made the fabric softener and I am finding that it has a vinegary smell to that. Is this the normal smell or is it just my super sensitive pregnant nose picking out the vinegar???? I’m not smelling it on the clothes after they are washed and dried just when I open the bottle.
Hi Aurelia ~ yes… you’ll still be able to smell the vinegar when you use it, but the scent will vanish in the wash.
~ Heidi
Suzanne, Yes you can put the vinegar in the same dispenser area. I have been doing that for months. It works great. A couple years ago, I also had a repairman tell me never to use any laundry products with Oxi ingredients. He said it literally will eat the metal. The metal base that my washer tub sat on was literally disintegrating under the tub area.
Now THAT makes sense to me. My washer was under warranty and I had used Oxy products at intervals over the last year or so. Washer had other problems and in addition, they had to replace the base mechanism of the tub d/t the metal was disintegrating. The repair guy asked me about Oxy products, which I wasn’t using at the time. Interesting…
Do you have to use suave conditioner? or can you use another kind? My mother gave my a big bottle of herbal essence conditioner which I LOVE the smell of and would like to use that instead.
i used suave cause i got it on clearance for 33 cents but i don’t see where you couldn’t use any name brand this stuff is great and if you get your conditioner free or cheap it is very reasonably priced my next step is to try it with the sponge in the dryer and see how that works
will any vinger work i have apple vinger
Hi Shawna ~ you’ll want to use the white distilled vinegar only.
~ Heidi
I was in WalMart today and I saw a lady buying Borax and I said to her I bet you are making homemade laundry detergent. She said yes but she didn’t get the recipe from frugal girls. So I told her about your website. She also said she uses vinegar for a fabric softner and she loves both of the them. I love them both too.
Just wanted to thank whoever come up with this. Love it, and my daughter now says her towels smell so good. I used a pomergrante smell conditioner, and I hang my clothes out alot and this seems to work so much better than the store bought ones. I am going to try the one that has the baking soda in it next time I make it. Thanks all.
Thing is most washers are plastic, some stainless steel, older ones are porcelian coated, and a deluded mix of oxy products will not harm them(such as homemade borax/washing soda). Have you ever noticed what bleach does to metal, it wreaks havoc on metal, metal fasteners, but there is a bleach dispenser in the washing machines.
Ok ladys, what if i do not have vinegar? I remember my mom telling me once that i could use a cheap conditioner/hot water mix and baking soda then keep it in the fridge.
I just made a batch of the fabric softner & washed a load of clthes using it. I love it!! I used Suave Ocean Breeze conditioner, & love the smell!!I am planning to make other cleaning recipes!! Thanks for posting these recipes!
I made this and it is great! I’m wondering when the “guvment” will figure out a way to tax it!
I love making my own fabric softener. Its easy to do. And doesnt cost much at all. Its cheaper then buying the fabric softener at the store. And it doesnt do anything to your clothes. And it makes you feel because your saving money.
its expect to be feel good. I forget the good.
would like someone to share how to make homade soap for a front loading he washer
I’ve been using the washing soda, borax, and fels naptha soap combination for my regular machine. I have read others using it in their HE machines with no problem. It has very little sudsing action if that is the issue with the HE.
I love – love – love this homemade detergent!!!
I have found that the homemade laundry soap does NOT work very well in my HE washer. I think because in a top loader the water clothes stay IN the water and get mixed with the soap better. In a front loader, the water and clothes tumble around and the clothes don’t soak in the water. I found soap residue on most of my clothes. I used it up on towels and sheets, etc. but won’t be making it again. Plus, I didn’t think it was really all that cheap.
I make mine (laundry soap) using 1 bar of zote (or fels naptha)grated on cheese grater, 1/2 cup of washing soda, 1/2 cup of borax, and 1 cup of oxy cleaner (cheap-I think Sun brand- from Big Lots). I mix it all together and use two TBSP on a load, one if it’s a small or not so dirty load. It worked just fine on my front load HE washer. I use it now on my new top load HE washer and it still works just fine. When Tide is anywhere from 20-50 cents a load, and even the cheap brands at no less than 15 cents a load, I’d say making your own for 5-9 cents a load is definately cheaper!
I disagree with Lynn. I have HE and made my own soap and i think it works GREAT! i use about a 1/2 cup per load and couldnt be happier
Most store bought fabric softeners have carcinogens in them, so this is a great alternative! I usually just use vinegar, but this will be great to add the nice smell that I sometimes miss from fabric softener.
Hi Frugal Girls! Great site with so many amazing tips! I love the light smell and softness my clothes get from this fabric softener, and of course saving money is always great too! However, I still get quite a bit of static from my clothes. Is there a way to eliminate this w/out resorting to dryer sheets (my son has seriously sensitive skin)? I put the solution just in in the wash using the downey ball – static, I tried combining this with also spraying some solution on a wash cloth (15 spritzes) to toss in the dryer – static, I tried spraying the solution (around 10 spritzes) directly onto the clothes in the dryer – static. Should I saturate a wash cloth or sponge and toss that in? Perhaps I’m using too much detergent? Would a homemade detergent result in less static cling? I have all the ingredients for homemade detergent, I’m just waiting until the rest of my store-bought stuff is gone. Thanks for sharing! This stuff is so great!
how long will the fabric softener stay good for?
I love this recipe and I have used this one and several similar from other sources. Here is my problem, we live in rural Virginia the gnats LOVE vinegar. I couldn’t figure out why I was covered each time I went out the last few buggy days. So I need to find an alternative to the vinegar. Anyone have a suggestion for me?
THANKS and Merry Christmas!
Do you have do it yourself ingredients for wrinkle releaser?
Wrinkle remover is just water and fabric softener! Fill spray bottle almost full with water then add fabric softener. I never measure, but 4 cups water with 2-3 tablespoons fabric softener! I love it!
I quit using fabric softener years ago because something in it (chemicals?!) removed the flame retardant on my children’s pjs, etc. Would this be a safe alternative? I already make my own laundry soap, dishwasher detergent and would be super excited if I could have fabric softener again
How do you make your own dishwasher soap? I would be very interested on how to make it and how it works. thanks
Here is the recipe I use
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
2 packages unsweetened lemonade mix
Mix all together and keep in an airtight container. Use 2 tsp in the main detergent hopper and 2 tsp in the pre-wash detergent hopper.
I just made this and can not wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe!
I believe that there is a warning label on the pajamas that states you should not use fabric softener on them as it does remove the flame retardant. Always read the labels.
I use vinegar as my fabric softener as well. I use separate detergents for myself, husband and 2 of my kids then I use another detergent for my daughter. She has 60% burns on her body due to a fire.
So, I would like to also know about flame retardant. I still use regular fabric softener, but I use 1/2 lid full plus 1 full lid to dilute it hoping it will help w/ the flame retardant. Of course I have no clue if it does or not. I used to use a TON of fabric softener, but not anymore after seeing just how quickly her clothing went up in flames.
I also take a regular size spray bottle and fill it with 1/3 fabric softener and 2/3 hot water. I use about 4 sprays before putting wet laundry in it to cut down on static and I use 1 dryer sheet. It’s very dry here and gets very static-y.
***1 full lid of water***
Oh and I can not tell you the last time I had to purchase fabric softener. It lasts FOREVER this way.
Static is caused by over drying the clothing. If you have static problems keep a spray bottle handy with just a touch of conditioner or fabric softener in a full bottle of water spray a bit on your clothing or chair, car seat where ever it is a problem. I worked 14 years in a laundry and we dealt with it all the time. This worked for us! I still use this method in my home now. I keep a small spray bottle in the car too… I hate the winter time and cloth seats… I get zapped all the time while getting out of the car. Spray the seats now and then really helps with this issue.
Love this site~… thanks!
How do you make homemade laundrysoap for he machines? Me and my mmom would like to know. This fabric softener sounds like a great idea but we want to know how to make the soap as well. Ifsomeone could.please send me the intsructions I would be ver greatful and so would my mom. Thankyou so much I’m.I. love with this.site
This is the homemade fabric softner
that I make…
2 cups of favorite fabric softner
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
Put in an empty fabric softner bottle and shake until
well mixed…I have a front load washer and It works
perfectly..I just use the bottle cap to measure out
what I would normally use of the regular fabric softner…
I have never tried it with conditioner, but may give it a try…
Cheryl, does using the fabric softener instead of conditioner leave a “fresh,clean” smell on your clothes? I love the homemade fabric softener using the conditioner but there is no “fresh” smell on my clothes and I really prefer that smell. Thanks!
I love your site!! I’ve been using straight vinegar for stains and softening for a while, but then added the conditioner. Wow! My clothes have never been softer! My husband can’t handle store bought..they make him break out… but he’s had no problem with this! I’ve also bought the super cheap “swiffer” type sheets at the 99cent store, soaked them in a container of the homemade conditioner, and viola! Homemade dryer sheets!
Great idea on the dryer sheets, Kim!
~ Heidi
I think I am going to try this, we are allergic to fabric softener, it makes us itch!! If I can make the towels softer and something to eliminate the static (i get a shock whenever i touch something metal all winter!) it would be great! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks so much for sharing! I can’t wait to try this recipe and I bought the Suave conditioner and more vinegar to make it tomorrow. Today I mixed up a 3 gallon batch of homemade liquid laundry detergent. So nice to be able to save hard-earned $$$ on these products – the cost of store-bought detergent is unnecessarily ridiculous! Thanks again!
I don’t use liquid fabric softener at all. I only use dryer sheets. Will this or straight vinegar take the place of dryer sheets? I don’t have a fabric softener dispenser area in my washer…Can I just add it to the water before adding the clothes or at the spin cycle?
The 2 tblsp per laundry – is that for medium loads or large loads?
To prevent static, rip off some aluminum foil (tin foil, whatever you call it) and throw it in the dryer with your clothes. Doesn’t matter if you used fabric softener in the wash or not, the foil prevents static. My foil (about 12″ by 15″) usually lasts for 4-5 loads. Doesn’t matter what brand you use, just tear it off and throw into dryer. Don’t worry about crumpling it up into a ball first, it’ll ball up anyway.
I prepared the softener as directed and put it in a gallon jug. It separated and got super sudsy, but not at first, it was about my 3rd or 4th time to use it. I have a front load HE washer so I do what to be careful. What did I do wrong?
Thanks for sharing this! I recently started making my own laundry soap and have been in search of a fabric softener recipe for a while! So excited to find this and can’t wait to try it!
You’re very welcome, Mendi… it’s a simple way to save a lot!
~ Heidi
My friend sent me to this site and I have to say I like it a lot.
Aww ~ thanks, Tina… so glad to have you here!
~ Heidi
Love this! Thank you for sharing. Anything to save money!
You’re very welcome, Donna!
~ Heidi