This is more of a comment rather than a tip because I got the tip here in the first place!
I finally got around to trying white vinegar as a replacement for fabric softener. IT WORKS! In some cases I added it to a little liquid softener that I like but when I was totally out of softener a couple days ago I washed towels with just the vinegar in the softener dispenser and wow, they came out really soft and didn't smell like vinegar either!
Give it a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Vinegar is natural and is pretty cheap too! I just bought a huge jug of it yesterday for $2.08 and sometimes it goes on sale.
Oh and I also washed some tops of mine with the vinegar for softener. I let them drip dry and they came out very soft and smooth!
I am so glad I read thriftyfun because I would never have known to use vinegar in the wash otherwise!
I not only use vinegar as a softener, but I use 2 cups of water with 1/4 cup of white vinegar to clean all of my windows, mirrors and glass. It is much better than Windex and other cleaners which have a wax base. The first time you clean everything, add 1/4 tsp. of dish washing detergent to the mixture to remove the wax buildup. From that time on, just use the vinegar and water mix. Saves so much money and works so much better.
I tried this the other day and I love the results! Fresh smell, softness, and cheap. Also great for my front loader that has a tendency to collect water. Wonder why I never knew about it!?!
I have been using vinegar as my fabric softner for a few years and love it. If you have someone who is scent sensitive then you may want to use vinegar instead of fabric softner.
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Tip: Inexpensive Fabric Softener Tip
Archived on 09/05/2006
If you want soft clothes out of the dryer, but hate the expense of a softener, just use a dash of vinegar. Just a quarter cup or a little more for a large load in the washer, does the trick. I have also added about a tablespoon of fabric softener along with the vinegar, and this has worked very well also. I might add that on occasion (the clothes have sat in the washer too long, so I know they will emerge wrinkled from the dryer) I have obtained similar softness, merely by running the clothes through the rinse cycle again! This might not work with harder water, though.
