That's right! In my mission to save money and eliminate household chemicals I began to research fabric softeners, and this is what I found: the more you use fabric softener, the more you need it. Now doesnt that just sound sneaky? It actually builds up in your clothing as a residue. The solution is to use white vinegar instead! 1/4 cup or less of plain white vinegar added to the rinse cycle of your washer will soften your clothes, eliminate static electricity, and begin to remove the chemical build up already present in your clothes. And its good for your washer as well.
I have been trying this super cheap, safe alternative for a few months now and it works great! A few tips from my experiences:
-A smaller load takes less vinegar or your clothes might smell like vinegar.
-The more I have used the vinegar, the less vinegar I have needed. I presume it is because the chemical build up in my clothes is disappearing. Now I use around 1/8 cup per load.
-If you use a clothes line to dry your clothes they will still get softened.
Of course there are some possible down sides to using vinegar. If you have super sensitive skin and use too much vinegar I would imagine it might be a bit irritating (I was concerned about using it on my panties at first). Another down side might be that you wont get all of those great fresh scents that come with chemical fabric softeners, but there are alternatives for that as well if it bothers you that much.
In the meantime, this is a great way to begin saving money!
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