Saving Money Tip: Make Your Own Fabric Softener

A homemade fabric softener is a money saving tip

Greetings everyone!

Today I’m going to share another money-saving tip (and increase self-reliance) around the house: making your own fabric softener.  It is straightforward to make and very, very cheap.  You may not even need to buy anything!

First, why would I want to do this? There are a few reasons. I’ll save money, I’ll get all the perfumes, dyes, and additives (some of which some people are allergic to) out of my fabric softener, I will learn to make something new and valuable (always cool) and I’ll become more self-reliant.

Now, on to the process.  First, we must gather our ingredients: vinegar, baking soda, and water.  You can also use the essential oil of your choice for scent (I use peppermint).  How do I make it, you ask? Great question, and pay attention cause here we go.

Step 1: Mix together 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of water in a large container (more than 1 gallon).  The baking soda won’t completely dissolve, but don’t worry.  You’ll get an assist from the next step.
Step 2: Slowly add in 6 cups of vinegar. The mixture will fizz, a lot. Stir this for a bit.
Step 3: Add in 6 cups of water and continue to stir until baking soda is dissolved.
Step 4: (Optional) Add 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil for scent.
Step 5: Store.  I used 2 mason jars that I had on hand (one was half gallon size)

Usage: Use 1 cup of this in place of your old fabric softener.  This stuff works great, I’ve been using it for about 3 weeks now.  It’s very simple to make and obviously easy to use.  There are very few drawbacks if you use regular fabric softeners already, but I must admit that I’m rather fond of the snuggle bear.  I know it’s just an advertisement to make sure I keep buying the product, but seriously, how can you not like this bear?!

That’s all for this saving money tip folks.  Do you plan on giving this tip a try, or is it too out there for you?  Where do you draw the line when trying to save some coin?