My favorite is Snuggle Jojoba Creme, but now without a coupon, it is getting harder to justify paying full price for it. I don't care much for the scent or softening of cheaper brands, and end up using more, so am not getting a good deal anyway. So I saved my last empty softener bottle, bought a new one, then poured half in the old bottle, and filled both up with tap water. The scent is just as good, and the softening is actually better---the towels don't feel as 'sticky' as they were before.
I am sure that everyone else has thought of this already, but it just occurred to me, before I threw the last empty bottle away! (We have very little recycling abilities where I live).
Source: Lightbulb went off in head!
By Frances Adams from Many, LA
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I do the same! Then I realized I can stretch that even farther by wetting a washcloth in it, squeeze it out well, then throw in the dryer instead. elle
According to everthing I've read you should not use fabric softener on any towels, etc. It affects the way towels dry. They don't absorb as much water as untreated ones.
When I fill up the fabric softener dispenser, I use the cap from the bottle. I fill it up just over halfway with water, then add the softener. It fills up the dispenser perfectly. Once the bottle is half full, then I also add water to make it full. I use vinegar when I wash clothes, though.
I have never had a problem yet with towels not absorbing because of the softener. I use just enough to soften them and since I don't use my dryer (my electric company has one of the highest rates in the country), I hang everything and so far, so good.
I dilute my softner 1 part to 3 parts water and put in a spray bottle, then spray in the dryer instead of using dryer sheets or full strengh softner. It keeps down the static and doesn't overwhelm my clothes with the fragrance. For towels, I run 2 rinse cycles with white vinegar in the first. I only spray a little in the dryer when I do towels and it doesn't affect the drying ability of the towels like dryer sheets or full strengh softner but knocks the static that builds up during the drying cycle.
I cut my liquid fabric softener with water or vinegar right in the washer dispenser. Works for me!
This is also my favotite fabric softner, and what I do is make homemade dryer sheets. This works great and saves on the expensive softner.
Soak an old washcloth in the softner, air dry and use in the dryer several times. Works great!
Susie52
Henderson,NY
If you put a tablespoon of softener on a rag or something and toss it in the dryer: it not only goes a long ways further; but the sheets themselves leave a "film" or coating on the lint catcher in your dryer! And THIS is the #1 cause of house fires! You have to WASH the lint catcher really well to get rid of the "film," and then what I did was just start using some on a rag in the dryer. Saves money and saves having to remember to always clean the lint catcher!
DH and I have so many topical skin allergies that I stopped using softeners and dryer sheets a long time ago. I dump 2 glugs of vinegar in the wash cycle.
Rather than going through the trouble of diluting your softener, just use half as much of the regular strength product. I quit using liquid softener and my towels are more absorbent without it. I will throw 1/3 of a dryer sheet in with synthetic loads to eliminate static. I purchase the dryer sheets from the dollar store or else I get cheap store brands. They work just fine. I don't really care about the smell; it never lasts anyway.
I had been using a "recipe" I found online using distilled white vinegar, hair conditioner and water in a downy ball. But now I use about 1/2 cup of just the vinegar in the rinse cycle. I'd also been cutting handi-wipes cut into the size I wanted and used the above mentioned softener to saturate them in and tossed one in the dryer. I spent $1.00 for the handi-wipes and only used maybe half.
However I decided to change the "recipe" for the dryer sheets. I now use 6 cups of regular fabric softener with 4 cups distilled vinegar and 10 cups of water. Mix it and then I just store it in my old Fab soft bottles like I did the first stuff.
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