Fabric softeners are really expensive. Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are also not good for your dryer, your clothes, or your health.

They leave a coating your clothes, which makes them soft. This coating makes your laundry, such as towels and wash clothes less absorbent. It also contains many harmful chemicals that can irritate your skin and lungs.

• Here is a site that discusses the dangers of commercial fabric softeners.
• For a really scary look at the health risks of dryer sheets, read this article. If you’re like me, you’ll throw yours away immediately and begin using simple, natural solutions to softening your clothes.

Dryer sheets also coat your lint screen and dryer hose, making the dryer more susceptible to fire and increased wear and tear. To check your lint screen for this dangerous buildup, simply remove it and run water through it. If the water beads up, you have a waxy buildup. Take a scrub brush to gently clean it.

“Make” your own fabric softener!
I have begun using white distilled vinegar in a Downy Ball. Yes. Vinegar. It rinses the clothes fabulously clean, and DOES NOT leave your laundry smelling like pickles! Try adding drops of some essential oil to your Downy Ball if you would like a lightly scented load of laundry. I’m currently using Grapefruit.

According to this site, using 1/4 cup (or the amount called for on your Downy Ball) of white distilled vinegar to the final rinse will:

• dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents, making the fabric cleaner, fluffier, and more absorbent.
• prevent yellowing
• bring out the bright colors (use 1/2 cup for this)
• act as a fabric softener
• attack mold and mildew

Another popular alternative to commercial fabric softeners is to use 1/2 cup of baking soda in the laundry. Add it right in with your detergent (hopefully home made!). It’s environmentally friendly, better for your health, and much more cost effective.

What about static?
Personally, I don’t have much static in my clothes. And what little I do have I can tolerate quite well. To eliminate this static without using the harsh, expensive chemicals found in fabric softeners/ dryer sheets, simply ball up a sheet of aluminum foil and toss it in the dryer. This can be reused and reused. And, if you’re like me, you can often get aluminum foil for free - making this the best!

I’d love to hear from you! Tell me how you are re-vamping your laundry to be more cost effective, healthier, and environmentally friendly!