Fabric Softener Recipes & Reusable Dryer Sheets

Here are several quick tips for cutting costs on fabric softeners and making your own dryer sheets, each point is a separate tip. You’ll also find a few recipes and projects to try (listed at the bottom of the page). Lots here!

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1. Soak a washcloth in full strength liquid softener. Wring out excess, then lay out to dry first before using–helps prevent staining laundry the first time. To use: toss in the dryer and use again and again until it no longer works. Resoak when needed (you should be able to do a few dozen loads per soak).
2. Using 1/4 cup vinegar in your rinse cycle can do the job. You can set aside a vinegar jug just for laundry and add about 2 dozen drops of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar if you’d like (or as much EO as you feel necessary).
3. In a pail mix 1 gallon of water and 1 cup concentrated liquid softener. Dip a sponge or washcloth in the liquid, squeeze out excess and toss in with the load. Seal pail when not in use.
4. Pour liquid softener and hot water in a spray bottle (50/50 mix) and lightly mist wet laundry before starting the dryer. Two or three good shots should do it. You could also just spritz a clean washcloth and toss that in.
5. Cut dryer sheets in thirds or halves, use one strip per load.
6. Mix equal parts hair conditioner and water and store in spray bottle. Mist a washcloth or sponge and toss in with load.
7. Use about 1/4 to 1/2 of the amount that they recommend on the bottle.
8. 1/8 cup baking soda added to laundry and 1/4 cup vinegar in the rinse cycle.
9. Use a Downy ball if you have one–just use vinegar instead.

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Here’s a recipe you can try:
1 part Vinegar
1 part Baking Soda
2 parts Hot Water
Place a pail large enough to hold double the amount of ingredients in the kitchen sink or bathtub. Mix the baking soda and water in the pail, stir till the powder is dissolved. Then add the vinegar.
Remember that baking soda and vinegar reacts with fizzing, so use a big pail to account for this. Once it’s stopped fizzing, pour into clean bottles, cap, then use 1/4 cup per rinse cycle.
Updated Info: The baking soda won’t be completely dissolved, just shake the bottle to mix the batch up before adding to the rinse cycle. Scented: