Lavender Vinegar Rinse & Natural Fabric Softener
I actually get excited about doing laundry – yes, you heard me right! – when I get a chance to use my own natural products for literally pennies. Now I know what you’re thinking. I must have all kinds of time on my hands, right? But, I don’t. Really. It’s just that once you discover how easy it is to make some of these environmentally friendly laundry products, you’ll never go back to conventional, chemical-laden products again. So, I thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you:
To boost my detergent’s effectivenss, I simply add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the wash at the beginning of the cycle. The baking soda helps soften hard water and makes my detergent work better, so it’s perfect for where I live. And if I want to make it even more powerful, I add in some essential oils that are naturally antiviral, antifungal, and antibacterial in nature, as in this recipe for “Bergamot Baking Soda Laundry Booster.” What could be easier?
To soften and brighten my laundry naturally, I add 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar to the rinse cycle. Yup. You heard me right. Skip all those fabric softeners out there and go out and buy yourself a big bottle of vinegar. You’ll find many uses for it. Plus, you might want to add some fragrant essential oils that are great for laundry use, too. Check out this recipe for “Lovin’ Laundry Lavender Vinegar Rinse.” By the way, it’s great to use for children’s bedding! It’ll help lull them to sleep!
Make this lovely and aromatic dryer sachet with fragrant herbs as an eco-friendly dryer sheet replacement. Photo copyright Karen Peltier.
To add a natural scent to my clothes without using chemical-laden dryer sheets, I throw in an herbal dryer sachet. They are so fun to make, I love making them in batches to give away as gifts. Think teachers, bridal showers, co-workers, birthdays, stocking stuffers, etc. Check out my recipe for “Luxurious Lavender Mint Dryer Sachets to learn more.
To wash my delicates, I use a linen wash made from organic, castile soap and essential oils as described in the this recipe: “Eco-Friendly Lavender Citrus Linen Wash.” It’s heavenly. My clothes smell great and I literally feel revitalized while I’m hand washing my delicates! How many people can claim that?
I hope you give these products a spin, so to speak. I know you’ll love them as much as I do! Plus, you can always customize them further by adding in your own essential oil scent combinations, which really do much more than make things smell good. See the article “Top 5 Essential Oils to Try in Your Green Cleaning” for more info.
© Karen Peltier and Well Gal, 2012
Photo © Karen Peltier