DIY Reusable Fabric Softner Dryer Sheets

Have you grown tired of buying, buying, buying? It seems like all I do is run out of this, run out of that, and am constantly in a state of using and throwing away. Using and throwing away. It's the little things that are adding up, costly and wasteful. (and that takes money and time away from my crafting and creating!!) This post is in direct response to the mound of dryer sheets I used to toss in the trash (I would use them twice, also to dust with, etc.. but at the end of their life they ended up in the garbage and I had to buy more.) At two loads of laundry a day (approx.) that is a lot of dryer sheets!

I tried using the idea on Pinterest of soaking a washclothe in fabric softner, ringing it out, letting it dry. Supposedly it would be good for 30+ loads. Nahhh... it worked for about 2, and I found myself constantly refreshing it, and it was hard to find sometimes in my laundry as the static was horrid and the washclothe would disappear into the nether world of a pantleg or sleeve.

I also tried adding vinegar to the wash.. that didn't work either! I hate static! :)

Here is my solution. It works. I've used it.

 You'll need:

A bottle of liquid softner.. I really like the fragrance of the Purex brand above. (no, I have not received anything for this post!) :)

A spray bottle

An old towel or some washclothes, preferably in a color that is bold and bright and is easy to remember as a 'fabric softner' sheet.

First, cut up your towel if need be. I used a bright old coral colored one so that I could easily find it in my load and would remember to set it aside and not stick it in the closet with the washclothes.

Next, I used a recycled Shout spray bottle. But any spray bottle would do. Mines not pretty but it's functional, and to me that is most important. (If it is small in size, cut down the amount of liquid fabric softner you put in it.)

Put one cup of the fabric softner in the spray bottle and fill the rest of it up with water. Shake gently to mix it.

My stack of 'dryer sheets' is in a small hanging basket shelf right above my dryer. When I toss in a load of laundry, I grab a sheet, spritz it 3-4 times with the watered down fabric softner and toss it in the dryer with the laundry.

That's it! I get hundreds of sprays per bottle (or per 1 cup of softner) instead of using a 1/4 cup per load in the wash. If I use it the wash, it washes out (duh..) and I find that it doesn't work well enough for the amount of product I use.  You may need to add a few more spritzes or a few less depending on your preferences.

Do you have any tips that REALLY work? I'd love to hear and I'm sure others would too!

Hope you find it helpful! Please feel free to Pin this post.. just be sure to link back to it!

Thank you!

xoxo~

Abbie

Comments

[deanna]

Every time my fiancee and I visit my mom's house we notice how nice her sheets and towels smell. And they are super soft. We hadn't been using any fabric softener before then. She told us that she uses GAIN laundry detergent and fabric softener. The scent really stays with the fabric after washing and drying. We do still use the GAIN fabric softener in our washing machine but we only use about half a capful and add water to fill up the little hole the rest of the way. My mom has always done this for some reason - maybe to save money.

Anyway, the REAL tip we have is using that same fabric softener watered down in a spray bottle as an alternative to Febreeze. We keep a couple of little spray bottles around the house to spritz on clothing, running shoes, couches, sheets, towels, air, and anything else that needs freshening. We like to keep a little bottle by the door next to our lint roller so we can use it on our way out the door to work if we need. Since the bottles are sitting out, we pick up small, clear spray bottles from places like Target in the travel toilettries section for about $0.99. We use these same kind of bottles to make little aromatherapy sprays with essential oils and an alcohol base (like vodka).

[Loretta]

Just mixed up my softener and water in the spray bottle. But then i got to thinking....does the color of the sofentner(mine is blue) come off the rag and stain the clothes?

[GENNY MAAS]

I AM GOING TO TRY THIS. MY HUSBAND IS ALWAYS COMPLIMENTING THE SMELL OF THE LAUNDRY AS WELL AS HIS FRIENDS AT THE GYM. HE WRESTLES AND GRAPLES A LOT AS WELL AND IT CAN GET PRETTY SWEATY AND STINKY. I HAVE ALWAYS DONE MY LAUNDRY A LITTLE DIFFERENT AND IT IS TIME CONSUMING AS WELL AS NOT SO WATER FRIENDLY BUT THIS IS WHAT I DO...
WASHE MY LAUNDRY WITH GAIN LET IT GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE WASHE RINSE AND ALL.... THEN WHEN IT IS DONE I PUT IT THROUGH THE RINSE CYCLE AGAIN WITH THE FABRIC SOFTNER (AGAIN GAIN, SAME SCENT AS THE SOAP) STUFF IT IN THE DRYER AND THROW A FABRIC SHEET OR TWO. LAUNDRY SMELLS GREAT EVEN AFTER ITS BEEN THROUGH STINKY SWEATY MEN. =0) BUT I AM GOING TO TRY THIS AND SEE IF I GET THE SAME OUTCOME. IT WILL BE LESS TIME CONSUMING FOR THE LOADS I DO EVERY OTHER DAY AND SAVE SOME $ IN THE BANK.