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HomeSafeHome:  Recipe for Green Fabric Softener wanted  |
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BannBarr
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Barbara
Perrysburg
OH
USA
3 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 20 2009 : 4:33:39 PM
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| Anyone know of a Green alternative to Fabric Softeners? I read somewhere that plain vinegar works--does it? If so, how much do you need to add to the rinse cycle? |
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sharilyn
True Blue Farmgirl
87 Posts
sharilyn
hesperia
ca
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2009 : 4:52:01 PM
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Barbara,
i have been using vinegar in a downy ball, the same amount that you would use the softner. I works great and towels come out very fluffy.
Nobody in my family could tell when i switched.
hope this helps,
sharilyn |
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BannBarr
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Barbara
Perrysburg
OH
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2009 : 4:56:44 PM
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Thank you. I'll try it. I know the commercial softeners are supposed to be very vile for waterways. Not to mention, a LOT more expensive than vinegar.
B. |
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homesteaderbelle
True Blue Farmgirl
391 Posts
Belle
USA
391 Posts |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4759 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4759 Posts |
Posted - Apr 21 2009 : 10:55:41 AM
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I'm a vinegar fan too. It also helps with static cling.
Dawn in IL |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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pamcook
True Blue Farmgirl
228 Posts
Pam
Chapel Hill
NC
USA
228 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2009 : 07:29:41 AM
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I love the way my washer and my clothes smell now that I'm using vinegar in the rinse. I just pour in a few "gluggs" and it does the trick! Great money saving tip, too.
www.ikat.org
www.longaberger.com/pamcook |
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LynnMarie
True Blue Farmgirl
612 Posts
Lynn
Staunton
IL
USA
612 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2009 : 07:41:40 AM
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Yep, I use vinegar too. I just put it in the dispenser where the softener goes. I love it.
LynnMarie
Bringing the Past Back to Life
www.freewebs.com/decampsettlement
"You may never know what results come from your action. But, if you do nothing, there will be no results" -Gandhi |
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Merry
True Blue Farmgirl
765 Posts
Merry
Ankeny
Iowa
USA
765 Posts |
Posted - Apr 24 2009 : 12:14:47 PM
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Yup, Downy ball vinegar girl here too!
http://afarminmyheart.blogspot.com/
"Nobody has ever measured, not even poets how much the heart can hold."
Zelda Fitzgerald |
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Julia
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Julia
Shelton
WA
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - Apr 26 2009 : 4:43:32 PM
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Check out another vinegar recipe on the weekly green recipes.
For tomorrow and its needs I do not pray, but keep me, guide me, love me, Lord just for today.
St. Augustine
#440 |
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monicarose
True Blue Farmgirl
406 Posts
Monica
Florida
USA
406 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2009 : 1:51:53 PM
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Vinegar is great for taking out the musty, mildew smell from clothes..like if you forget to take them out of the washer for a day or two...just throw in some white vinegar and rewash....comes out beautifully! |
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marmieto12
True Blue Farmgirl
213 Posts
laura
utah
USA
213 Posts |
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Tammy Claxton
True Blue Farmgirl
1559 Posts
Tammy
Glen Burnie
Maryland
USA
1559 Posts |
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Jonquil
Farmgirl in Training
10 Posts
pam
nashville
tn
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2009 : 09:06:00 AM
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Nothing beats vinegar in a down ball!
A starry sky is the best roof. |
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Sitnalta
True Blue Farmgirl
4208 Posts
Jessica
NJ
USA
4208 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2009 : 8:16:49 PM
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wow! lol..i never knew this. I am going to have to try it. I have awful bad reactions with regular softeners but hate how stiff they are off the line!
fun what you find when reading through..hehe
hugs
Jessie
Farmgirl Sister #235
"You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all. Seeking You as a precious jewel; Lord, to give up I'd be a fool. You are my all in all."
Stop by my blog for a visit www.messiejessie2.blogspot.com |
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countrykatgirly
True Blue Farmgirl
186 Posts
Hallie
Jordan
NY
USA
186 Posts |
Posted - Jun 02 2009 : 08:41:09 AM
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I used plain vinegar but my guy didn't like the smell. Now I add 25 drops of lemon or orange oil per gallon and shake it up. I shake it every time I use it. (BTW, I have sensitive skin and have not broken out from this.) You can get essential oils for a reasonable price at the San Francisco Herb Company. I think I paid $3.50 for lemon oil last time. There is a minimum order amount but they have all kinds of great things like dehydrated mixed vegetables and insanely cheap spices like cinnamon that I use all the time.
“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”
--Laura Ingalls Wilder |
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Diane B Carter
True Blue Farmgirl
1270 Posts
Diane
Blasdell
N.Y.
USA
1270 Posts |
Posted - Jun 02 2009 : 12:57:22 PM
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I'm a fan of vinegar in the downey ball also..So much cheaper and it workes
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
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berrygirl
Farmgirl at Heart
9 Posts
Angela
Hendersonville
NC
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - Jun 02 2009 : 4:00:32 PM
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Hello I am new to this website and love it! I use vinegar too in clothes and to clean carpet.
The good old days are the ones you live today... |
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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2009 : 11:29:09 AM
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| I used to use vinegar in the fabric softener cup of my washing machine, but the machine conked out and I replaced it with the cheapest one I could get. I didn't realize it until I went to do my first load, but it doesn't have a fabric softener cup at all, only a thing for a small amount of bleach. I don't use bleach, so that's useless. I tried adding vinegar to that, but it doesn't seem to hold enough or distribute it properly, so I've had to live without this wonderful green answer to commercial fabric softeners. Meanwhile, a girlfriend told me vinegar can harm the enamel in the washing machine's tub. In all my years of using vinegar as a fabric softener, I never noticed that, though it does make some sense. Just thought I'd pass that along, for what it's worth. So....any ideas for what else I could try? I've heard that something like tennis balls in the dryer can be good, but I imagine they'd smell bad at first and deteriorate too quickly to make them economical. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2009 : 12:13:43 PM
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Rosemary- I have never heard of vinegar harming the enamal of a washing machine. Perhaps if your poured it in full strength and left it for a while?
If you still want to use the vinegar a simple solution to not having a fabric softener dispenser is just putting it in a Downy Ball. The ball opens right before the rinse cycle and the vinegar gets distributed in the rinse water.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Meadowflower
Farmgirl in Training
25 Posts
Lisa
Harrisburg
Pa
USA
25 Posts |
Posted - Jun 18 2009 : 2:28:03 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by monicarose
Vinegar is great for taking out the musty, mildew smell from clothes..like if you forget to take them out of the washer for a day or two...just throw in some white vinegar and rewash....comes out beautifully!
Ah - I was going to ask just this question! Thanks for posting that!
*~Lisa~*
Twitter: @mflowerfarm
My little farm blog: http://meadowflowerfarm.blogspot.com/ |
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cindiloo
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
Cindi
Rathdrum
ID
15 Posts |
Posted - Jul 01 2009 : 6:54:13 PM
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| I gotta try this--plus it sounds like it would be much safer and kinder to the septic as well... |
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BannBarr
Farmgirl at Heart
3 Posts
Barbara
Perrysburg
OH
USA
3 Posts |
Posted - Jul 01 2009 : 7:53:16 PM
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| I have been using plain white vinegar since I posted this question and can attest to its effectiveness as a fabric softener and odor remover (great for removing sweat odor). I don't see myself going back to the blue or pink softeners ever again. |
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Tammyb
True Blue Farmgirl
511 Posts
Tammy
Bluffton
Ohio
USA
511 Posts |
Posted - Jul 02 2009 : 1:59:11 PM
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Save some $$ and use the vinegar. I started using it when my girls were babies ( now 24 and 23) and have never stopped. Works great with no smell.
Tammyb #541 |
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suzifire
True Blue Farmgirl
95 Posts
Suzi
Denton
N.C.
USA
95 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2009 : 7:30:58 PM
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Since I have started using Zote in place of detergent I have needed no fabric softener.
"I want a world that is sane & just & clean & I am willing to do my part to make it so" |
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herblady55
True Blue Farmgirl
3470 Posts
Judy
Louisville
Ohio(Stark Co)
USA
3470 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2009 : 11:37:01 AM
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I just started using vinegar after reading about it here . I just pour it right into the fabric softener slot. I'm like Jessie, I don't like my Jammies stiff off the line. Awww...poor baby! hahaha
Hugs&Squeezles!
I am not contained between my hat and my boots! -Walt Whitman- |
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HomeSafeHome: Recipe for Green Fabric Softener wanted |
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Recipe for Green Fabric Softener wanted
