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!
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So have you tried this Homemade Fabric Softener With Vinegar yet??
Please leave a comment and share!
I forgot to add that I use this recipe with about 2 Tb. with my HE washer and it works just perfectly!
I make this recipe and add essential oils. My recipe is used with Suave Orange conditioner and orange essential oils and works great! So glad I found this site!
just recently found this recipe and wish i had it years ago. i have used downy for years and this works just as well and leaves no vinegar smell on the clothes. i actually think it works better. love it.
I made my second batch of this. I used Suave lavendar this time. I love this!!
Thanks for the recipe! I made this a few weeks ago and loved it! I just made a new batch but changed the formula around a little bit and I actually like it a little better. I used less water, only 3 cups and I used 4 of the vinegar and 2 1/2 cups of the conditioner. I put it in a smaller Simply Lemonade bottle this time because I think it looks so cute but I actually had a little left over, which I just poured into my previous bottle. I think adding less of the water and more of the vinegar made a big difference with the softness and made it more concentrated so I was able to use less.
I’ve been using this along with the homemade laundry detergent for over 2 wks now and LOVE IT!!!! Thanks so much for the tip. LOVE The price savings
Made this today with Sauve Lilac Lavender $.88 at Walmart – my clothes are soooo soft and smell just a hint, oh so fresh. What a great, easy way to make soft clothes! Thank you.
I’m so glad you like it, Mona! I just bought some Tropical Coconut scent to try next. I’ll have to try the Lilac Lavender, too… that sounds yummy! 😉
~ Heidi
wow.. this is truly amazing. will try to make some and use at home.. thanks for sharing
I made the fabric softner, it is like water…shouldnt it be thick?
Also does anyone use this that hangs their clothes outside on clothline, does it work for that?
Mine was like water…I don’t think thickness really matters. I think that’s something the fabric softener companies invented. Vinegar makes clothes soft and I’ve never had an issue of it smelling like salad after drying. LOL. I love this recipe!
This is probably not for the germophobes, but this is what I’m doing at my house from now on. Another way to get even more bang for your buck, I descaled my keurig and then used the already warm vinegar and already warm rinse water. I don’t really see any potential problems, I just recommend letting any sediment from your coffee machine settle and then scooping the liquid off the top.