This Homemade Fabric Softener with Vinegar and Hair Conditioner Recipe is about as easy as can be! You won’t believe how much money you’ll save at the grocery store!
Homemade Fabric Softener With Vinegar
You may already be making Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent and other DIY Cleaners… but if you’ve been wanting to cut costs on Fabric Softener, you’re going to LOVE this Homemade Fabric Softener with Vinegar and Hair Conditioner!
Becky writes: "Made it, used it, LOVED it, made it again! The vinegar smell goes away once the clothes are dried. Love saving money, and love that our clothes don’t have an overpowering smell to them."
Have you been swapping any of your conventional cleaners for homemade cleaners?
Homemade cleaners save SO much money, and you know exactly what ingredients are going into them!
Now I’ve been making this DIY Fabric Softener for years, and can’t believe how much money it saves! It works SO well, too!
And if you’re wondering how to get the stink out of towels, THIS fabric softener is the perfect trick!
The vinegar infuses the towels when washing, and tackles that mildew smell.
I know what you’re thinking… but vinegar smells! Just trust me… you won’t smell the vinegar at all once they’re done.
So are you ready to save some serious money by making your own Homemade Fabric Softener?
Let’s get started…
Related: How to Score Walmart Deals (20 Secret Tips)
Can You Use Vinegar as a Fabric Softener in Laundry?
Yep… you sure can! It works great on clothing, towels and bedding. Plus, this natural fabric softener will save you so much money, too!
Homemade Fabric Softener Ingredients
- 6 cups HOT water
- 3 cups White Vinegar
- 1.5 cups Hair Conditioner (my favorite is Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle, but you could also try your favorite scent of Suave)
How To Make Fabric Softener with Vinegar and Conditioner
You won’t believe how simple it is to make your own homemade fabric softener!
Here’s what you’ll do…
Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely. A whisk works well to get the job done.
Add the vinegar, and mix well.
Store in a large container (empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc.)
Just remember to NEVER use vinegar and bleach together.
When running non-bleach loads, use 1 – 2 tbsp. per load in the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine, then wash as normal!
If washing towels, wash on warm or hot water and make sure to dry completely to keep the stink away.
Give it a try this week, for another easy homemade cleaner swap!
Thanks to frugal friend Holly for sharing this great Homemade Fabric Softener With Vinegar recipe on The Frugal Girls Facebook page!
More Ways to Save Money on Laundry
Cindy writes: “My tip is fabulous… here it goes:
- Buy a small travel spray bottle
- Fill it with liquid fabric softener
- Load your machine
- Grab a clean hankie
- Throw it in the dryer
- Spray it with the softener
- Run the machine
- You now have your own fabric sheets. Reuse til the hankie is in pieces. I have yet to replace mine. Saves me tons of money.”
How to Dry Clothes Inside
This DIY Laundry Drying Rod for Small Spaces is the perfect solution to dry your clothes inside… without taking up any extra space. It’s the perfect solution for small spaces!
Our current home is tiny… so I kept looking for different spots to hang dry my laundry. Then one day it occurred to me… the bathroom was the perfect place!
This works great in our guest bathroom, because that shower is rarely used… and when guests come, I just take it all down and hide it!
What You’ll Need to Dry Clothes Inside
- Tension Shower Rod
- Plastic Hangers
What You’ll Do
- Simply hang an extra shower curtain rod along the top of your bath tub/shower area… and you’ve instantly got a hidden indoor spot to do some drying!
- After you wash your clothes, hang them on plastic hangers on your rod, and it won’t matter if anything is dripping, either, thanks to the drain below!
- Then, just close the curtain, and it’s outta sight!
Sean writes: “This is so brilliant! When I use my shower rod it goes all over the floor! I never, ever occurred to me to put a rod in the shower itself.”
Pearl writes: “I have been hanging hand washed sweaters over an extra shower bar for years. Love the fact that I don’t have to worry if I wring them out enough or not they drip right into the tub. I also put a folding clothes drying rack in the tub sometime to if I am concerned about hanger marks on the shoulders.”
Now… check out how to How to Keep your Washing Machine Smelling Fresh!
More Budget Saving Home Cleaning Recipes
Then, go check out this BIG List of more creative DIY Cleaners + Cleaning Tips…
DIY Homemade Febreze Recipe
This DIY Homemade Febreze Recipe is such a cinch to make, and you’ll save SO much $$ with this simple little trick!
How To Make Homemade Foaming Soap
This foaming hand soap tip is used at every sink in my home. It’s an easy way to save BIG on the cost of hand soap!
Easy Homemade Foaming Baby Wash
Babies are so adorable… and kinda expensive, yikes! That means saving some money on your baby wash is a really smart idea!
Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
One of the very easiest ways to save money on laundry is to use this homemade liquid laundry detergent. I have been personally using this recipe for almost 10 years!
DIY Washing Powder Detergent
Make doing laundry extra frugal with this easy Homemade Laundry Detergent Powder Recipe!
DIY Wrinkle Releaser
You need to check out this DIY Wrinkle Release Recipe that is both fast and frugal!!
DIY Wool Dryer Balls
I love my wool dryer balls. I can’t even imagine doing laundry without them!
Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
I’ve personally been using this glass cleaner for years!
Homemade 409 Recipe
I love knowing exactly what is going into the cleaners I use in my home!
How To Make Foaming Dish Soap
This foaming dish soap hack is seriously one of the easiest ways to save money on dish soap!
Homemade Granite Cleaner Recipe
Save money on that overpriced store-bought granite cleaner when you use this frugal Homemade Granite Cleaner instead!
DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipe
You won’t believe how easy it is to make your own hand sanitizer using this DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipe!
How to Make Your House Smell Good (HUGE List of Genius Hacks)
Nobody likes a stinky home. So skip the stink, and transform your home into a paradise of lovely fragrances with my easy hacks!
DIY Carpet Powder Freshener
We love using this DIY carpet powder on the carpets, what an effective and frugal way to make carpets smell fresh!
How to Remove Soap Scum from Shower Doors
Here are two simple little tricks for How to Remove Soap Scum from Shower Doors! Are you ready to kick your soap scum to the curb??
How to Prevent Water Spots on Shower Doors
I’ve got two simple little tricks that will help you prevent a large majority of the water spots from ever appearing!
Easy Drain Cleaner Trick
Get those drains working again with this easy Drain Cleaner Baking Soda Vinegar Trick!
50 DIY Homemade Cleaners Recipes That Work! (Surprisingly Easy)
Get ready for some serious savings with these simple DIY Homemade Cleaners Recipes and Tips!
Save Money Fast (20 Easy Ways to Save $2200 this Month!)
Are you wondering how to Save Money Fast? It’s easy when you start slashing expenses and adding these extra sources of income to your finances!
So have you tried this Homemade Fabric Softener With Vinegar yet??
Please leave a comment and share!
i have made the fabric softner and i absolutely love it and have done alot of laundry. thank you soooo very much for sharing the “how too’s” i used the suave in the lavendar scent and the cloths smell and feel so good. i have also made the laundry detergent and having really good results from it also. thanks again…..happy in texas!!! : )
I am in the process of mixing the fabric softner, it is very very foamy! Did I do something wrong?? Is there a way to get rid of the foam, I had a hard time pouring the vinegar in because of the foam, lol!
Do u have to use suave? could u use dove conditioner?
I DO use homemade laundry detergent – but I add 2 cups of Tide to every giant batch I make. It has optic brighteners in it that homemade just doesn’t have, and I LOVe the smell. This still saves me a small FORTUNE. I also make a double batch of homemade dishwasher detergent and dump in a small box of the store-bought kind and mix it together. The store-bought variety keeps the drains clear and prevents any cloudiness on glass. This way, you can leave out the lemon koolaid, or the lemi-shine (which always made mine clump up). The savings are truly dramatic, but you get the best of both worlds. Just a thought for those scared to leap in to homemade products!
What detergent recipe do you use?
OMG the fabric softner is awesome…….made some today and was so excited to use it and it is awesome. the clothes feel and smell sooooo good. i used the suave lavendar and smells sooo good. thank you for sharing your recipe. happy in texas : )
Oh good… I’m so glad you like it! I love the scent of lavendar, so I’ll have to give that one a try, too!
~ Heidi
I made some tonight & tested it by doing a load of towels. It worked great! Smells great & the towels are softer than they ever were with store bought softener. I’m making the detergent next!
So glad you like it, Krysti! 😉
~ Heidi
I am very sensitive to all of those smelly fabric softeners. They are all so highly scented. I sure wish there was a way to make unscented fabric softener. I have never seen an unscented conditioner. Anybody have any ideas?
Hi Rhonda ~ you could always try just using straight vinegar… or maybe adding a few drops of essential oils instead of the conditioner. Hope that helps!
~ Heidi
Not only does this softener cost less and work better than store bought– it also ensures no soap residue on your clothing and the inside of my Fisher Paykal washer has never been cleaner. I live in a town with super hard water– this recipe is the best one I have tried.
I made this and it doesn’t work as well as I had hoped. My clothes come out staticy (is that a word?) and they have a funky smell like grease. I then took some unscented softner and added lavendar and vanilla oil to it and it’s still coming out smelling like grease. Does anyone know why this is happening?
I made this today and did a load of laundry… The clothes weren’t very soft…. Do I just add more conditioner?