Natural homemade fabric softener leaves laundry soft and static free without a chemical film or artificial fragrance. Learn how to make homemade fabric softener dryer sheets. It’s easy and affordable to replace your current fabric softener with a more natural alternative.
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I grew up in a country home with a huge clothes line in the backyard. Laundry time in the spring, summer, and fall meant folding warm, sun-dried laundry infused with the smell of sunshine. Today, like many Americans, I live in a suburban neighborhood with no clothes line but the memory of that ultra-fresh laundry.
For years I tried to mimic the smell with commercial dryer sheets and liquid fabric softeners. Then I glanced at back of my fabric softener bottle and read Biodegradable Fabric Softening Agents (Cationic).
What the heck?
I had no idea what this meant so I did a little digging and what I found out shocked me. This purposely unspecific phrase is used instead of listing the actual harmful chemical ingredients.
The Truth About Fabric Softener
The artificial scents that make laundry smell like mountain streams or fields of flowers contain toxic substances that can harm your health, and pollute the air inside your home.
These indoor air pollutants or VOCs can cause immediate and long term health problems like asthma, hormone disruption, heart disease, cancer, headaches, eye irritation, congestion, and nausea.
How Fabric Softener Works
Commercial fabric softeners leave a slippery film on fabrics that makes it feel soft to the touch. This chemical film makes contact with skin when you wear clothes, sleep on sheets, or dry off with a towel. There are lots of opportunities for your skin to absorb these dangerous chemicals!
Natural Fabric Softeners
I wanted a safer way to soften laundry and found several easy-to-use, natural alternatives:
- Baking soda added to the wash lowers the ph of water in the washing machine. Softening the water helps laundry rinse cleaner and be less stiff. (Baking soda is as an ingredient in my Natural Homemade Laundry Detergent.)
- White vinegar added in the rinse cycle helps to break down the detergent, removes leftover soap residue, and deodorizes the laundry. Add white vinegar during the final rinse cycle (use your fabric softener dispenser or a dispenser ball).
- Wool dryer balls placed in the dryer natural soften and reduce static by bouncing and rubbing against the fabric as it dries.
- Homemade fabric softener & dryer sheets soften laundry in the washer or dryer. This fabric softener uses vinegar to soften and deodorize with a softening boost from vegetable glycerin.
- Glycerin is used in lotions and beauty products to moisturize and soften because it is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air). It is a clear thick liquid that is natural by product of soap making.
- The softener does not use baking soda because it can not be used on dryer sheets and should not be combined with vinegar in homemade cleaners.
Natural Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 c. White vinegar
- 2 c. Water
- 1/8 c. Vegetable glycerin
- 10-20 drops Essential oil (optional)
- cotton cloth (for dryer sheets)
Liquid Fabric Softener Directions
- Combine white vinegar, water and glycerin in a glass jar. (To make liquid fabric softener mix together in a vinegar jug, it’s easy to pour into the machine.)
- Add essential oils, if desired, and stir or shake to combine. My favorite homemade laundry scent combinations are:
- Zen Spa – 10 drops eucalyptus, 5 drops lavender
- Floral Dream – 8 drops ylang ylang, 8 drops jasmine
Dryer Sheet Directions
- Add 100% cotton cloths to the fabric softener container. Mine are made from flannel fabric and are approximately 5 x 8 inches. Stitch around the edge to prevent unraveling (this step is cosmetic – you can simply rip up strips of flannel or cotton jersey). Tip – An old 100% cotton t-shirt can be cut up and made into dryer sheets. Make sure it’s 100% cotton.)
How to Use Homemade Fabric Softener
- Liquid Fabric Softener – Add ½ cup to the final rinse cycle. Use fabric softener dispenser or a dispenser ball.
- Fabric Softener Sheets – Remove a fabric sheet from the jar and squeeze so it is not dripping. Add a sheet to the dryer with wet laundry and dry as usual.
More Laundry Softening Tips
- Use dryer balls (reusable) or clean tennis balls to soften laundry and speed drying.
- Try placing a ball of aluminum foil in the dryer to reduce static cling.
- Dry clothes that attract lots of static (synthetic fabrics) until they feel a bit damp then hang to dry completely. This reduces wrinkles and eliminates static cling.
A Note on Natural Laundry Scent
Natural substance cannot not give laundry the huge scent of that come from artificial fragrances made with dangerous chemicals.
To add a gentle, natural scent you can:
- Add Essential Oils – Essential oils are natural and safe to use in laundry.
- EOs used in homemade laundry detergent or liquid fabric softener will scent the laundry room but will mostly wash out with the rinse water.
- EOs used on homemade dryer sheets or wool dryer balls will very lightly scent laundry.
- Spritz with Fabric Refresher – Natural fabric refresher is a safe way to give laundry a stronger natural scent.
- Spray dry laundry while folding.
The bottom line –> truly clean laundry smells like nothing! I use EOs in my fabric softener to mask the scent of vinegar and make doing laundry more pleasurable. If laundry smells bad out of the machine or dryer you have a problem that is easy to solve with this natural odor removing guide.
Free Printable Label
If you like my label, click here for the free printable PDF.
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Erica Gerard
Thank you so much for this recipe! I am phasing out fabric softener in my house but loved that Mrs. Myers lemon verbena scent. So I purchased a lemon verbena essential oil and added it to your recipe. Voila!
If others are interested, the lemon verbena oil is from PipingRock and the 2oz bottle is only $5.99
Bren
I hope it smells great! I love lemon verbena scent too!
Joan Irwin
What’s the ‘c’ for in the fabric conditioner recipe? Cups?
Bren
Yes, cups (8 fluid ounces in the U.S.)
Miranda
I have read several articles stating that using white vinegar in the washing machine can damage seals and hoses over time Have you had any issues using this homemade laundry softener?
Bren
I have not had a problem with my washer. Adding it directly to the rinse cycle will avoid your seals and hoses until the vinegar is diluted if you are concerned.
Kim
Is your recommended dose of 1/2cup of your liquid fabric softener for a standard washer size? Should I double it if I have a larger machine?
Bren
I use between 1/2 cup fr a normal load to one cup for an extra capacity load. I have a washer that can hold a ton!
Cindy Yarghn
But vinegar will ruin rubber seals causing leaks down the road. No one ever tells ya that part. Its not worth the cost of replacing a machine 3 years into its use!
Bren
I’ve been using vinegar as my only fabric softener for 8+ years. I have the same washer and dryer and have not had any repairs made to them.
Annita
I’ve been using vinegar as a fabric softener also as well as in lieu of rinse aid in my dishwasher with no problems to my dishwasher
Lana Howard
We’re willing to risk paying astronomical doctor bills due to endocrine disrupting chemicals and respiratory illnesses created by chemicals but not willing to take the risk on our much more affordable washers and dryers.. #Merica
Holly
Hi Bren! Thank you so much for these fantastic laundry tips! In recent days, I’ve been trying to reduce the chemical load in our home. This led to my friend introducing me to making our own laundry detergent.
The problem I have, is that our water is extremely extremely hard. I love the idea of using only a vinegar rinse, but it just does not soften the clothes well at all when paired with our water. I’m trying the hair conditioner method today, but don’t like the added chemicals.
How well does glycerin work? I’ve been a long time Downy addict and would love to find a natural, safe, and effective softener.
Sending gratitude for such a great post. ♥️
Sissy Lazaropoulou
Hello,Reading this blog made me want to try my hand at making my homemade green cleaning products. Something confuses me though.Since essential oils are not water soluble why is it that you use them in some cleaners like the diy fabric softener? is there sth I’m not getting or is there another solution?
Thanks,love your work!!👍
Bren
Sissy, the essential oils are not necessary but people in the U.S. love scented laundry supplies so I include some essential oils to add pleasure to the laundry routine. You can definitely leave them out and not change the results.
Stephanie
Hi there! I just wanted to say that your posts are awesome. You have rally done your research and I truly appreciate it!
One question…should my containers be air tight? And plastic or glass tops vs metal right? Cause the metal will rust?
Thanks again!
Bren
Yes, they should be air tight I have used a mason jar without seeing rust but I generally use glass or plastic (an old vinegar container for example).
Sharifa
We are blessed here in South Africa with beautiful weather all year round. I don’t even own a tumble dryer as we call it here. We only ever sun dry our clothes.
Patti Johnson
I love using this fabric softener in my dryer with lavender essential oil. I make up a large batch and keep it in an airtight jar with some cotton cloths added to the jar. I just take a cloth out, squeeze any excess liquid from it and throw it in with my load to be dried.
Bren
<3
Mary Lynn Jones
Aww