How to Do Laundry Without Fabric Softener

There are a few household alternatives that are not only workable but even more cost effective than commercial fabric softener and in some cases, safer too. Read on to learn how to do laundry without fabric softener.

1. Fill your fabric softener dispenser with white vinegar. If you don't have a dispenser that's built into your washing machine, you can use a commercial fabric softener dispenser ball that you fill to the 'fill' line with vinegar. If you have neither, simply put about a half cup of vinegar into your final rinse.

2. Dilute some hair conditioner with water at a ratio of 1 to 10. Stir the mixture and use as you would your fabric softener either in a dispenser or added to your final rinse. Any fabric softener will do the trick of eliminating static as well as making your laundry smell fresh.

3. Mix vinegar with a few drops of your favorite essential oils and put mixture into a spritzer bottle. Spritz onto your damp clothing before they go into the dryer and you'll get a fresh smell with minimal static cling. Take the clothes out of the dryer before they are over dry and hang them slightly damp to help minimize the static cling.

4. Put a tennis ball sized ball of aluminum foil into the clothes dryer with your damp clothes and this can remove static cling.

Tip

Any of the above steps can be done alone or in combination with one another to help reduce static cling and give you fresh, soft laundry. Over drying your clothes can increase the chances of static cling so consider line drying your clothes.