Fabric softener and dryer sheets can add a hefty amount to your grocery bill each month, and they poorly affect the environment, too. Besides the obvious chemicals that both products may contain, dryer sheets can actually clog your dryer screen and cause your dyer to become less efficient or even start a fire.
One tried-and-true-method you can use to get rid of static, sanitize and soften your clothes is to use a half cup to a cup of vinegar in your wash or rinse cycle. I’ve been using vinegar in my rinse cycle for years and my clothes come out cleaner, softer and static-free.
Do you use vinegar this way?
Photo courtesy of Friendly Joe.
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Any kind of vinegar? Can you use it on whites, colors, or dark clothes?
Yes. You can use white vinegar. Sometimes I use apple cider vinegar too.
I have used vinegar as a laundry rinse for 20 years. The smell of softener or laundry sheets really bother me. With homemade laundry detergent, using Ivory bar soap, and a vinegar rinse, I have clean, fresh-smelling clothes with no lingering scent.
I also use vinegar as a rinse aid in my dishwasher; with water and essential oil to wash my floors; and as a spray disinfectant along with hydrogen peroxide. I buy 4-1.5 gallon jugs at a time!
LOVED
wow. I will try that! Thanks.
This is very true… dryer sheets also cause towels to be less absorbent, even though they feel so soft.
Where do you put the vinegar in a front load washer? I was just telling my hubby how expensive things are getting. Right now I use both a liquid fabric softner and sheets but would love to save money! Does the vinegar go where I normally put the fabric softner?Thanks for the tip!
I put the vinegar in the fabric softener area of my front loader. Works fine for me.
lol yup my best friend an I were talking about that a couple weeks ago……how you cant put fabric softner with your cloth diapers cause it repels it made us think (duh moment!) that geez then why do we put it on our towels?????
So i would just put the vinegar where i usually put the softener?
When/where do you put it in a front loading washer?
I put it in the fabric softener slot in my front loader.
How much vinegar do you use for an average load of laundry? I would also like to know-what ratio do you use for mopping your floors? ie…how much vinegar to water.
Thanks for such wonderful tips
Oh and I use vinegar with essential oil in it as a softener and it is safe for cloth diapers too….but not alot of oil because oil repels too!
We use wool dryer balls. 2 or 3 of them in the dryer with the load of clothes. It cuts down on the drying time because they bounce the clothes around more and they absorb some of the moisture. No static either! We love them!
I’ve heard the plastic dryer balls can actually cause static and heating up plastic is NEVER good. (it releases toxic chemicals from most products).
The wool balls are expensive but worth every penny!
Do you base the amount of vinegar used on the size of the load? Or how do you decide if you are using 1/2 a cup or a whole cup?
i just use vinegar in the rinse cycle, clothes r soft n vinegar smell washes away
I have a few questions if anyone knows… Does it matter what kind of oil you use? Is the purpose of using essential oil just to add a fragrance? Do you mix it with the vinegar before adding to the wash or just a few drops along with the vinegar? I have heard about using vinegar as a fabric softner, I am a little excited about giving it a try.
I use vinegar for everything! I have several spray bottles filled with vinegar and use it to disinfect around the house. Spray shower doors, to clean keep fresh smelling etc.
There’s even a study by a scientist at at university (forgot which one, google it) that wanted to find an easy was to kill harmful germs from produce. She found spraying vinegar and then peroxide kills a lot of the germs that can contaminate produce and make people sick, like e coli, etc. I use the same method to disinfect my counters and cutting boards etc.
You put it in at the beginning of the load right? At the same time as the detergent?
Worked great! Thanks for the tip
Worked great! Thanks for the tip
I have an OLD washer without a fabric softener slot, so I put vinegar in a Downy ball. You can buy them at Target or Walmart. I love having clothes that smell fresh and clean without the overpowering scent so many detergents and fabric softeners have.
I heard that white vinegar works as a bleaching agent? I have been using vinegar in my whites, but am a little wary of using it on colors if it will bleach…. anyone had a problem with it bleaching?
No, Rachel, white vinegar will not act as a bleach. In fact, I stick my dark and bright brand new clothes in a bucket of 100% white vinegar to ‘color-set’ before I wash them. That way they look like new even after being washed. This does not work on clothes with enameled buttons or metal snaps, because they will rust.
I use a small piece of aluminum foil. You can reuse it over and over untill it falls apart and then you recycle. Super awesome!