Fabric Softener

This is probably the product that had the most variety in options.  Many say to mix a bottle of your favorite conditioner with vinegar.  Some just said to put Vinegar in your Downy ball or the compartment for liquid fabric softener in your washer.  This is how I learned that Vinegar is a natural softener.  (By the way, baking soda is also a natural softener so the homemade laundry detergent will already have some softening properties).   For the variations that included conditioner, I learned that the conditioner was just for the smell.

I settled on a liquid recipe.  There are also many options out there for “dryer sheets” if you prefer that.  I thought they seemed like a bit of a hassle so wanted something that I could put in my Downy Ball.

1 cup distilled water
1 cup baking soda
2 cups distilled white vinegar
essential oils for fragrance (I used lavender)

IMPORTANT: This one is quite the chemistry experiment.  It is very important to mix the baking soda,  water, and essential oil into a paste FIRST.  Then SLOWLY pour in the vinegar. It will fizz up a lot so if you dump it all in at once, you will have a mess.

Once this is mixed, the baking soda will settle in the bottle.  Give it a good shake to mix it up each time you use it.  I use about ¼ cup in my Downy Ball.  Some sites say to use ½ cup but I have found that ¼ cup works just fine for us.