Vinegar in the Laundry

There are about a million recipes on the internet for using vinegar instead of fabric softener in the rinse cycle of the wash. After about 20 loads of laundry this weekend and as many different concoctions I realize something important. It is all about your personal preference.

I started with:

• Adding ½ cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle

The clothes came out of the dryer soft and with no vinegar smell. But they also did not have that “April Fresh” scent that I enjoy.


A popular version on Pintrest is

• 2 parts vinegar
• 1 part water
• 1 part cheap hair conditioner

Again, the clothes came out soft and no static cling but I just didn’t like the idea of hair conditioner on my clothes. Especially my work clothes.

　

Another popular version is:

• 2 parts vinegar
• 1 part water
• 10-20 drops of essential oil

Although this one sounds good, I only had Tea Tree Oil on hand. If you aren’t familiar with Tea Tree Oil, I will tell you it is one of the best essential oils to have on hand for all kinds of medicinal purposes. Unfortunately, it does not have the best smell and it is one of those smells that will linger for a long time. Not my first choice in an overall laundry smell.


But the best combo for me was definitely this one.

• 2 parts vinegar
• 1 part water
• 1 cap full of my favorite concentrated fabric softener

It works great and still has a hint of that familiar scent I love. And since Vinegar is about $2.50 a gallon there is a big cost savings.

　

So get out there and try a few of your own. As you can see there are no right or wrong combos. Find one that works for you and put the savings towards something more fun than laundry!