How to make fabric softener at home. How to make fabric softener at home

Sometimes housewives have to solve the problem of how to replace the fabric softener. Indeed, in our time there are many different means designed for better washing or keeping things in a new state. One of these substances is fabric softener. Naturally, it is not necessary to add it, but if you compare 2 completely different washings with and without it, you will see that the washed clothes with rinse aid are much softer and more fragrant than others. Despite its benefits, not every average family can afford such a pleasure, plus some people are allergic to it. What to do in this case, because you really want the linen to be always fresh and soft?

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Who would have thought, but no less high-quality product can be prepared independently with minimal time and money. This idea inspires many current housewives who love the cleanliness and aroma of linen, but cannot afford to buy such a product due to certain circumstances.

From existing components, you can prepare a high-quality and fragrant solution

There is another plus to making air conditioner at home. Not always the purchase is liked by all family members. Quite often, conflicts arise on this basis, and relatives simply refused to machine wash. In this case, everything is much simpler, since before cooking you can consult with everyone and make the right choice. From the currently existing components, it is possible to prepare an equally high-quality and fragrant solution.

In most cases, homemade conditioner contains vinegar, which gives the product a slightly sour flavor. If this is not to your liking, you can make an equally effective remedy without using it. Modern technologies have reached the point that at home we can cook no less high-quality product that even professionals cannot distinguish from a store counterpart. With all this, studies have shown that the aroma of a home remedy lasts at least 2 times longer on linen, which cannot but please the household.

Still, some people do not like cloying smells and prefer that things do not smell at all, but at the same time they will not refuse another effect of the conditioner - softness. In this case, only a mechanical method can help. In this case, several (2-4) tennis balls should be placed in the drum of the washing machine along with the laundry. They soften clothes and underwear.

Thus, there are several main advantages of using a home remedy:

• financial savings;
• complete safety for both adults and children;
• the possibility of inventing the flavor that you like;
• long-term action of the remedy;
• does not cause allergic reactions.

All of the above advantages make housewives give preference to just such rinses.

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There are many recipes for such a product, most of which contain vinegar. Such products, like store-bought counterparts, are used for machine washing.

To prepare the most popular rinse, you should prepare at least 4 liters of acetic acid and approximately 20 drops of essential oil of lavender or any other plant whose aroma you like. To prepare the conditioner, simply stir these ingredients and bottle. The fabric softener is ready, and this process takes no more than 10 minutes.

Most rinse aid recipes contain vinegar.

With each wash, add approximately a cup of the resulting product. If few things are loaded in the machine, this dose should be reduced by at least half. This rule applies to white linen. For colored items, add half a cup of the product and reduce this dose, if necessary, accordingly. You can store such an air conditioner for no more than a week. Therefore, if you need a remedy for the 1st treatment, you do not need to prepare 4 liters, as this is a perishable product, especially when exposed to sunlight.

Another homemade conditioner can be prepared on the basis of vinegar and simple mint. The recipe is pretty simple. Approximately 20 drops of mint oil are used for 3 liters of vinegar. If you make a smaller amount of conditioner, then, accordingly, you should reduce the amount of added essential oil, otherwise the aroma will become too cloying and even unpleasant. For a full load of the washing machine, regardless of the color of the laundry, you must add at least a glass of this product. You can store the air conditioner for 6 days in a dry and dark place.

The necessary softness of linen for hand washing can be provided by simple clean table vinegar. It may seem that things after such washing will have an unpleasant smell, but in fact it quickly disappears if you dry the clothes in the fresh air.

And, of course, one cannot help but think about the conditioner from water, vinegar and hair balm. For 6 parts of distilled water, you should take 3 parts of vinegar and 2 parts of any hair conditioner. If desired, a few drops of essential oil can be added for more fragrance. Half a glass of this product is enough for a normal full wash with a full load of the washing machine.

As you can see, homemade conditioner has many advantages over expensive store-bought ones. By making this tool yourself, you can not only save money, but also get a longer effect.

Although fabric softeners appeared on sale relatively recently, we quickly got used to their presence on store shelves. Some housewives do not start washing if their favorite product is over. But you can cook it yourself. How effective are home air conditioners and what ingredients are needed to make them, let's figure it out.

Why make your own fabric softeners

In store air conditioners, the desired effect can be achieved by chemicals, a significant part of which - over 90% - can cause a severe allergic reaction in humans.

After rinsing with conditioner, the laundry smells better and is ironed better.

Homemade conditioners have a number of advantages over them:

• do not cause allergies;
• safe to use for adults and children;
• cost less.

The ancestors of modern air conditioners appeared about a hundred years ago, at the beginning of the 20th century. To soften cotton fabrics, vegetable oils diluted with water - corn or olive oil - were used at that time.

Recipes for homemade fabric softeners

To make fabric softener at home, it will take a little time and ingredients that are easy to find in any household.

With acetic acid

This option is suitable for things made of natural wool. Vinegar will give the air conditioner antibacterial properties and will well wash the remaining laundry detergent from the fabric. Towels after using the vinegar agent absorb water better. Attention: it is forbidden to combine vinegar and whiteness, so that poisonous fumes do not burn the mucous membrane when washing with your hands.

Terms of use:

1. Wash clothes in a convenient way.
2. Before rinsing, add 220–250 ml of vinegar (9%) to the special compartment of the washing machine or to a basin of water. If there is not enough laundry or it is multi-colored, then half the dose is enough.
3. Hang the rinsed things in the fresh air so that the smell of vinegar disappears faster.

It is not worth pouring a lot of vinegar so that the acid does not spoil things. Enough of the specified amount.

If desired, apple cider vinegar can be used instead of regular grape vinegar, which will give things a fruity aroma.

With hair conditioner

Hair softener is not a safe ingredient because it contains chemicals that can cause allergies. To rinse baby clothes, you need to select another version of the home air conditioner.

The recipe using hair balm is popular with housewives:

1. Mix Ingredients:
   • room temperature water - 1.5 l;
   • hair conditioner - 0.5 l (1 bottle);
   • vinegar (9%) - 0.75 l.
2. Add half a cup of homemade fabric softener with each wash.

Hair conditioner will add fragrance to washed clothes

With baking soda

The cleaning properties of sodium bicarbonate (soda) interact well with washing powder - the laundry becomes soft. To do this, add half a glass of soda to the conditioner compartment and turn on the rinse mode. You can additionally add essential oil.

Soda, like all alkalis, softens water, so things are washed better.

Video: vinegar and soda conditioner for rinsing clothes

With borax

White, water-soluble borax crystals are also known as borax. The substance softens hard water, so stains are removed more easily. Clothes for summer cottages and other old things will become softer after rinsing with brown, and they will also get rid of dust mites, fungus and mold. Borax also eliminates unpleasant odors.

How to use:

1. Pour 150 g of borax into a glass of water and stir. It is impossible to exceed the recommended amount - the excess can be poorly rinsed out and cause skin rashes when wearing things.
2. Rinse the laundry with borax solution. The entire amount must be used at one time.

Sodium tetraborate - borax - has antiseptic properties

With essential oils

Aromatic pomace from plants gives the smell of washed things. Essential oils can be added to any of the above recipes, or you can try the following.

Recipe #1:

1. Take a container with a screw cap for convenience.
2. Pour 1 liter of table vinegar into it.
3. Add 4-5 drops of your favorite essential oil and stir.
4. Seal the container well.

If the drum of the washing machine is fully loaded, then add 250 ml (1 cup) of conditioner when rinsing. Reduce dosage by half if underloaded. You can store a homemade remedy for no longer than a week and hermetically sealed.

When choosing an essential oil, consult with your household about the smell that will suit everyone.

Recipe #2:

1. Prepare a container and pour 4 full glasses of table salt into it.
2. Knead the lumps, you can use your hands, and if hard, then with a spoon.
3. Thoroughly mix salt with essential oil (20 drops).
4. Keep the air conditioner sealed. Definitely in a cool dry place.
5. For rinsing, pour 3-4 tablespoons of flavored salt into the washing machine drawer.

The number of drops of essential oil according to individual preferences can be changed by 3-5 up or down.

Salt works better on fresh stains than on old stains.

Video: fabric softener with essential oil and salt

Since we had to move to another country, we live in the same apartment with my sister's family, and Anya is allergic. The question arose of how to wash things for six people without the risk of negative reactions. The choice fell on baby powder, tested many times by Anka. Purchased air conditioners were immediately abandoned, and vinegar did not fit due to the lack of a balcony for ventilation. We soften the water with baking soda, and for additional whiteness, add half a bag of citric acid when rinsing.

Video: Elena Malysheva about fabric softeners at home

An alternative to store-bought and homemade fabric softeners

For housewives who do not want to use either store-bought or home-made air conditioners, they can be replaced with ordinary tennis balls. They are made of rubber, suitable for washing even children's clothes. The balls, during the rotation of the washing drum, seem to fluff the laundry, making it more pleasant to the touch. It is enough to place 4-5 tennis balls to the washed things and turn on the rinse mode. The balls will not harm the mechanism of the washing machine.

For washing large items like a winter jacket or a down jacket, tennis balls are ideal.

Tennis balls will knock out the remnants of powder and stubborn dirt from the fibers, and dried things will not be shocked when worn. The only drawback of the method can be considered the inability of the balls to give a pleasant smell to the laundry when rinsing. However, adding essential oils directly to the water will easily solve this problem.

It is difficult to imagine washing without powder or rinse aid. And a few decades ago, there was no such variety of household chemicals, and linen was looked after by “folk” means. We will tell you how to make fabric softener with your own hands so that you can protect your skin from allergic reactions, linen from wear and tear, and the machine from breakdowns.

How to make fabric softener at home

If you decide to make a laundry detergent, you don't have to buy special ingredients. Everything that can be used as part of the product can be found at home or in the nearest hardware store. Consider the most common recipes.

Table vinegar has long been used to rinse clothes - it is the most affordable and harmless softener. It can be safely used for woolen items, and as a bonus, it retains the bright colors of clothes. For hand washing, the solution can be used in its pure form, but for automatic washing it is worth mixing it with other substances so as not to harm the CMA.

Important! When mixing the components of the conditioner, do not violate the proportions.

Recipe #1

Take a liter plastic bottle (for example, from an old product). Pour a liter of vinegar into it and drip 5 drops of lavender essential oil. Shake well and use one glass at a time to rinse. If the load is half, pour half a glass of the product into the cuvette. This natural conditioner does not deteriorate for about 2 months.

Recipe #2

The recipe is similar to the previous one, but use mint drops instead of lavender oil. It is recommended to store the liquid in an opaque bottle for no more than 8 weeks.

Recipe #3

To make a washing machine conditioner, mix 3 ingredients:

1. soda (regular or soda);
2. warm water;
3. vinegar.

The proportions of the components must be equal. An enamel saucepan and a wooden spoon (or spatula) are suitable for mixing. If desired, you can refresh the product by dropping any essential oil there. Store up to 60 days in a dark place.

Another recipe that can be easily repeated at home: you will need 3 ingredients. Take:

• vinegar essence - 300 ml;
• distilled water - 600 ml;
• hair conditioner - 200 ml.

Mix and enjoy! Even though this home option is the most expensive, it has the highest ratings among housewives.

Important! Acetic acid perfectly disinfects linen and machine surfaces, and also washes out washing powder. The main advantage is the price. Such a vinegar-based rinse will not hit the budget.

Scented rinses

If you don't like the smell of vinegar, you can make your own scented products using familiar ingredients. Next, consider the composition of such air conditioners.

Option 1

Go to the pharmacy for Epsom salts (magnesia) - you will need about 250 g of it. Drop 10-15 drops of orange essential oil into it. Place the detergent in the powder container (2 tablespoons per wash cycle). If you are preparing the air conditioner for the future, then ensure that it is hermetically stored.

Option 2

Take:

• 1 glass of warm water;
• 3 art. l. soda;
• essential oil of sandalwood or jasmine.

Option 3

Need a thick rinse aid? Take hair conditioner (5-6 tablespoons), add twice as much sea salt and drip any essential oil. Such a tool will soften the laundry and will not harm the machine and your skin. Use 3 to 5 tablespoons of this product per wash. Now you know how to make an air conditioner manually and at the same time save a lot, protect yourself from skin rashes, and the machine from breakdowns. We have brought to your attention those recipes that have collected only positive reviews.

If you're wondering how to soften laundry without conditioner, take the advice of experienced housewives who use tennis balls for washing and rinsing. These balls, when the drum rotates, constantly move among the laundry, inflicting soft blows on it, as a result, your clothes are shaken, becoming more pleasant to the touch.

Attention! Balls will not replace fragrant rinses, but if you are not a fan of smells, this is what you need.

By the way, the balls do not affect the operation of the washer in any way, unlike a solution of vinegar or borax. Therefore, when choosing how to replace a purchased product, give preference to tennis balls - they do not harm the machine, are not an allergen and perfectly soften clothes. Exactly what is needed! Summing up, consider the advantages of home-made air conditioners:

• affordable, unlike analogues from store shelves;
• acetic agents disinfect linen;
• facilitate ironing;
• are washed out of clothes and help wash the powder;
• people with allergies will choose the appropriate option from a variety of well-known recipes.

You can use vinegar instead of conditioner, tennis balls are just as effective. It remains only to make the right choice.

Store-bought fabric softeners can cause allergies, they are not recommended for children's clothes, and they are sometimes expensive. Economical and absolutely safe for the health of all family members, it is quite possible to create a rinse aid at home.

Homemade rinse recipe

Environmentally friendly and fragrant - the two main advantages of the conditioner, which consists of only three components: salt, water and essential oil.

The recipe is the following:

• 1 glass of water;
• 3 art. spoons of salt;
• 10 drops of essential oil.

It is better to choose an essential oil taking into account the aromatic preferences of all family members.

In a glass of hot, but not boiling water, dissolve table or sea salt. We are waiting for cooling to the state of warm milk. Then add essential oil to the resulting composition. Mix thoroughly and pour into a container with a screw cap.

How to use a homemade air conditioner

Homemade mouthwash is suitable for both immediate use and storage.

For machine washing, pour 2 tbsp into the conditioner compartment. spoons of the product and turn on the cycle with an additional rinse. Some models have special programs with switching to the “rinse aid” mode. After washing, it is recommended to shake the laundry thoroughly and dry it as usual.

When hand washing, 1 tbsp will be enough. softener spoons. After the main procedure for washing clothes in a basin, first rinse things in ordinary water, then with the addition of an air conditioner, then again with water.

It is better to dry clothes in a well-ventilated area, or on the street. Since it is difficult to manually rinse the laundry thoroughly, the aroma in this case may be too pronounced.

If the conditioner was not completely used in the first wash, the bottle with the product must be thoroughly shaken during the second use.

Solid pluses

The biggest plus is economy. The ingredients used to prepare the rinse are the most straightforward. Salt is always in the kitchen. Water, moreover, is not scarce. A bottle of essential oil will last a long time.

Benefit number two is disinfection and softening. Salt has always been considered a good disinfectant. And baths with saline were also used by our grandmothers to soften rough skin.

And the last advantage: how exactly your linen will be fragrant, you can decide for yourself by choosing different essential oils.

Home air conditioning is no worse than store-bought. The main thing is not to overdo it with the ingredients. For example, you should not pour a whole bottle of the prepared product into one wash. Or do not use an excess amount of salt to prepare a softening composition. Listen to advice and experiment moderately, for example, with fragrances.

You probably already had the opportunity to learn about all the harmful ingredients that are stuffed with fabric softeners that we buy. However, what then should be used as a replacement? What is a safe mouthwash to use if the family has small children or allergies? There is nothing easier! Let's prepare a homemade fabric softener with our own hands.

Homemade fabric softener No. 1 - table vinegar

The most simple natural rinse. Cheap, available, non-toxic, highly effective, and vinegar has antibacterial properties. And as a bonus, the vinegar removes all residue from the detergent used.

Pour approximately 50-100 mg of vinegar into the rinse compartment before washing. You can add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to provide a fantastic scent. The result is excellent! After washing, things become soft, and the colors become brighter!

Homemade fabric softener #2 - baking soda + vinegar

The main ingredient is sodium bicarbonate - common baking soda. It's a safe, natural ingredient, and baking soda will help clean clothes better and freshen them up. Add 140 ml of 9% table vinegar to one liter of water, add soda there - half a glass of soda will be enough, mix everything and apply 120-240 ml of the resulting product per wash. You can add a couple of drops of any fragrant essential oil of your choice to give things a pleasant aroma.

Homemade fabric softener #3 - water + vinegar + hair balm

This rinse recipe with the addition of hair balm is one of the most popular: you need to take six parts of water, three parts of 9% table vinegar, two parts of hair balm. Mix all the ingredients well and use 120 ml (or a little more) for each wash. This fabric softener with hair balm has received the most positive feedback from women who have used it.

Homemade fabric softener is first of all safe for health, which is especially important when there are small children or people with allergies in the family.