The Best Fabric Softener

As an avid user of those fabric softener beads for Y E A R S I thought that nothing could be better. You literally could pay me to use them. I mean.. it’s been a really long time since I started using them.

Imagine my surprise when we got a new washer and dryer and then all of a sudden our clothes started smelling like absolute mildew. So I just added more of those beads, but the clothes never stopped smelling bad.

Fast forward nearly a month and I found myself researching methods of how to get my family’s clothes smelling clean again. That’s when a simple Google search made me question everything I’ve ever known about laundry.

1 - We use way to much detergent.

2 - We gotta stop using those fabric softener beads.

So as of Labor Day, we’ve stopped using so much detergent and I’ve switched to using a “homemade” fabric softener. I say “homemade” because I’m using vinegar and essential oils.

First of all, you’ll want to make sure that your vinegar is extra crunchy. Like you can only use it if it’s harvested locally…

I’m just kidding lol. I used the Target Brand.

Simply find yourself an old glass jar. It’s gotta be glass though. Quart sized is what I used. I washed and cleaned mine before hand because I think I remember using it for food.

Then I filled my jar with white distilled vinegar and left an inch of headspace. Next, I added 30 drops of lavender and peppermint essential oils. Now, you don’t have to do this step. Your clothes will not smell like vinegar if you don’t add the oils. I just did because I like the way they smell.

After that I just gently shake the jar. And bam. You have some “homemade” fabric softener.

I use 1/4 cup fabric softener per load of laundry, no matter the size. I just put it in the little fabric softener thingy in our washer.

After I used this, I literally have not had a single bad smelling load of laundry. And that’s a win in my book if I ever saw one.