A recent survey by a well know brand of fabric detergents stated that Europeans, Italians and Spaniards in particular, are the largest consumers of fabric softener in the world. Indeed, softener is a useful ally in laundry. It softens the fibers of clothes, makes ironing easier, fabric more fragrant and it enhances colours and eliminates static electricity in clothes.
Unfortunately, fabric softeners contain polluting substances. Like all petroleum products they are not biodegradable. That is why it is advisable to follow the instructed doses, recycle containers and even better, to start making and using fabric softeners with natural or vegetable origin.
If your are particularly eco-friendly, you can make fabric softener with natural ingredients yourself. In this way you can help rescue the environment, especially rivers and seas.
The DIY recipe for a fabric softener with natural ingredients:
First of all, a warning, that goes for any homemade recipe: remember to test it first on an old fabric. In this way if you make a mistake in the dosage of ingredients, total disaster will be avoided.
Baking soda and white wine vinegar are an excellent softeners. Just half a cup of baking soda can work for the whole machine. Here is a very easy recipe, a mixture of white wine vinegar with essential oils:
- 1 liter of white wine vinegar
- 5 drops of essential oil of peppermint or lavender
Mix the ingredients in a used plastic bottle and add the product at the beginning of the rinse cycle.
As an alternative, you can use a solution of 10/15 % citric acid. You will need.
- 1 used detergent bottle
- 150 g of citric acid
- A few drops of essential oil of lavender
- water
You can safely use tap water if it does not contain too much chlorine. Otherwise, pour water in a bottle and let it sit overnight so that the chlorine disappears. Then, fill the bottle with water and add citric acid with a funnel. Close the cap and shake to mix the mixture. After a few minutes, add about thirty drops of lavender essential oil.