DIY: Make Your Own Washing Machine Cleaner and save $$$

Instead of buying those washing machine cleaners at the store that last time I looked cost almost $10.00 for a box; and trust me I have paid that much and tried them, but found I wasted a lot of money and I wont bother with that again, I can make it myself and save money to buy more craft projects or go SHOE shopping LOL

Fill the washer with HOT water. Add 1 quart of chlorine bleach - no detergent – and let the machine agitate for a minute, then let it sit for one hour. After one hour, allow the washer to run through its longest wash and spin cycle. Immediately fill the washer with HOT water again and add 1 quart distilled white vinegar. Let agitate for a minute, and again, let it sit for one hour.

Using the bleach and vinegar will clean away bacteria, soap scum and mineral deposits from the wash basket and hoses. This is especially important if you live in a hard water area and should be done every three months. Every washer should be cleaned at least twice per year. While it is soaking, dip a scrubber sponge in the vinegar water and detail all the nooks and crannies of your washer, including the knobs, the lid and the exterior. After an hour, run the longest wash and spin cycle again

Here’s what you need:
2 cups bleach
2 cups white vinegar
microfiber cloth

What to do:
Fill with hot water on highest setting, add bleach aggitate 1 min, then lift lid and let it sit an hour, then run through cycle
then fill again with hot water and add vinegar this time and repeat
then wipe down outside and inside with microfiber cloth

Repeat this cleaning once a month or two for sure and never less than every 6 months

DIY: Make your Own NEVER ENDING DRYER SHEETS~REUSABLE FABRIC SOFTENER SPONGES!!!!

So Today I ran out of Fabric Softener sheets but I had 2 large containers of liquid Fabric Softener So I decided to Make My own Reusable Fabric Softener Sponges instead of those little sheets that always cling to my laundry. 

NEVER ENDING DRYER SHEETS~REUSABLE FABRIC SOFTENER SPONGES!!!!

~WHAT YOU NEED: 

1 Container with an airtight lid (grabbed out of my pantry) 

2-4 sponges cut in half ($1.00 for a 4pk at the dollar store) 

1 cup of your favorite fabric softener ($0.30 worth of fabric softener) 

2 cups water (free from my tap) 

~WHAT TO DO: 

Mix the water and fabric softener into a plastic container. Add the cut sponges so they can soak in the mixture. I only used 2 sponges and cut them in half, they fit perfectly in my container. 

When ready to use, squeeze the excess liquid from 1 sponge and place into the dryer with your wet clothes. Run the dryer cycle as normal. Once complete place the now dry sponge back into the container of liquid for use next time. 

Clothes smell good, are soft and have no static just like the expensive non-reusable dryer sheets.

For pennies you can have dryer sponges and have any scent you want too, I even add essential oils to plain fabric softener

~*******~

We now make our own laundry soap so I was thinking what about fabric softener too?

So I searched and started reading ingredients and walla I found a recipe for that too.

The recipe

6 cups hot water {I used hot tap water, but you can boil the water as well}

2 cups white vinegar

1 bottle of hair conditioner {any conditioner will do. I picked one that smells great & 

that’s cheap!}

In a bowl mix the hot water and full bottle of conditioner. Stir until completely 

mixed & dissolved. After that pour in the vinegar and mix it all together. After that 

pour your laundry softener into the container of your choice. I chose a mason jar 

because I already had one & this large one is easy to pour or scoop the product out 

of. I use about 6 table spoons, but you can use the amount that works for you. 

***

Here is another fabric softener recipe that is very simple and pure

First of all you should know that the use of vinegar in laundry is good for fluffing it up, softening and essential being a good replacement for regular fabric softener or dryer sheets Well, since then, we have taken this concept much further and made our own fabric softener, fabric refresher and much more from this idea to use in every single load!

Here’s what it does:

Makes the laundry soft and fluffy

Removes odors

Removes even more bacteria than just washing alone

Makes them actually smell good (yes, the vinegar really does this…..)

And it can also help to lessen the amount of color “bleeding” between fabrics (similar to a Shout Color Catcher)

So that is what we have done! You can make your own fabric softener with 2 ingredients and with 4 different variations! Let me share these easy ways:

Make your own fabric softener by soaking your old dryer sheets in vinegar that has several drops of lavender essential oil. You will be able to do this several times before the dryer sheets break down and need to be thrown away. Or use the Sponges as I described above

Make reusable dryer sheets by cutting up an old t-shirt into squares, then put them into a baby wipes or cleaning wipes tub, cover with the mixture of vinegar and lavender essential oil and throw in your dry for each drying load. Make a new batch after you use them all! These will last forever!!

Make a pre-mixed liquid version for the wash cycle by mixing vinegar with several drops of lavender essential oil and store in a container to use in your washing machine.

The fourth and final way to do this is actually what I do! Pour your vinegar in your softener slot on your front loader or top loader washing machine, then add a drop of lavender essential oil! This is the easiest way for me to do this and so that is just how I have been doing it!

I hope you find my tips and ideas helpful, please share my blog on FB, Twitter, and Pinterest and other places you like.

Thanks