DIY Fabric Softener

I have been making my own laundry soap for about a year now. I am pretty proud of the money I am saving and the cute little glass jar of soap that sits next to my machine.

I was still buying fabric softener, however, because I really like the way it makes the clothes feel and smell--especially since my husbands clothes stink like grass and dirt every day.

Recently I found a way to make your own fabric softener and I am giving it a try.

It's so easy. All you need is:

• 6 cups HOT water
• 3 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups conditioner (yup! for your hair. pick your favorite scent. cheap kind.)

Mix the water and conditioner together. Don't go too crazy. It will foam up a bit. Let it settle and then add the vinegar. Store in an airtight container. I use an old ice cream bucket. I pour some into an old fabric softener bottle and just keep refilling it from the bucket. This way I can pour it in easily. I use about 2 Tbsp per load.

That's it! Thanks FrugalGirls for the idea and detailed explanation!

Additional thoughts:  Recently I have researching what to do for smelly laundry and my searches have found ideas like soaking smelly clothes in vinegar, adding baking soda to the load, separating my clothes even further and washing with smaller loads, adding more soap to the load, add less soap, and washing for shorter periods of time. So! I am going to investigate this further and will return with [hopefully] a solution for smelly laundry. Yikes!