Homemade fabric softener is a great addition to a natural laundry routine. It will leave your clothes soft and fresh, and is very simple to make, no matter which recipe you choose.

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our site disclosure for more information.

RELATED DISCUSSION BOARD: The Scoop | Natural Cleaning

Natural laundry solutions are something I am truly passionate about. Although I love the many natural and low-tox options on the market these days, I still largely stick to making my own DIY natural laundry products.

My very first homemade cleaning product ever was my Easy DIY Powder Laundry Detergent. For about a year I had been purchasing natural laundry detergent at a local farmer’s market when I decided the ingredients were so simple I should just start making it myself.

After using my homemade powder laundry detergent for years, I decided to try making a liquid laundry detergent as well. After doing a little bit of research, I came up with my Simple Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent. My liquid laundry detergent is even less expensive than the powder version, and it is great for pre-treating stains.

Since I gave up toxic laundry products, I of course had to start using a natural fabric softener. Follow along and I’ll share 3 DIY recipes that I have used for replacing my old liquid fabric softener.

Why Use Fabric Softener?

I don’t think anyone enjoys rough, stiff fabric rubbing against their skin. When you go through the effort to do load after load of laundry, it’s nice to end up with clothes that actually feel nice on your skin.

Depending on how hard your water is, you may or may not need fabric softener. Since everyone’s situation is different, you can do one load with fabric softener and one load without fabric softener to compare how everything feels at the end after being dried.

I personally use fabric softener in every load and have done so for years. Not only does it make a difference in how my clothes feel after being washed, I love that it adds extra cleaning power to my laundry routine since my DIY recipe uses distilled white vinegar and essential oils.

Natural Solutions for Fabric Softener

When it comes to making your own fabric softener, there are several ingredient options to choose from to make either powder or liquid fabric softener.

Some common alternatives that help soften laundry naturally are:

Why Make Your Own Fabric Softener?

If you are already making your own homemade laundry detergent, it would seem pretty silly to then add synthetic fabric softener to every load 🙃. Here are my top reasons for why I make my own liquid fabric softener.

#1 Ingredient Control: When making my own fabric softener, I get to easily avoid artificial fragrances, phthalates, preservatives, artificial colors, and quaternary ammonium compounds. For more information on why these should be avoided, please see here:

EWG- Skip the Most Toxic Fabric Softeners

#2: Saves Money: In addition to the fact that I don’t want to be exposed to the toxins listed above, or any other toxins, I especially don’t want to pay to be exposed to them. These days, there are more natural and low-tox options available for purchase, but like with my other DIY household recipes, I find that I save money when I make my own fabric softener from scratch.

#3: Customization: As much as I follow recipes, I rarely ever follow them to a T, and I like to vary them from batch to batch. When making my own fabric softener, not only do I have 3 options to choose from, but I can vary my batches based upon which essential oils I choose to use or not use. I can choose my essential oils for specific purposes like adding in anti-fungal properties, or I can choose my essential oils according to the season and enjoy the smell of my laundry room.

How to Make Liquid Fabric Softener

DIY Recipe #1: Distilled White Vinegar + Essential Oils

Ingredients

• 4 cups distilled white vinegar
• 40-60 drops essential oil (optional)

Equipment

• 1 quart size mason jar

Instructions

Tap/click the images for a description of each step ⬇️

Step #1: Add distilled white vinegar and essential oils to a quart size mason jar.
 
Step #2: Shake to combine.
 
Step #3: Add 1/4-1/2 of liquid fabric softener per load (depending on the size of your load) according to your washing machine instructions.
 
Loads: 8-16

DIY Recipe #2: Lemon Infused Vinegar

Ingredients

• 8 lemon rinds
• 5 cups distilled white vinegar

Equipment

• 1 half gallon mason jar
• 1 fermentation weight (optional)
• 1 fine mesh strainer
• 1 quart size mason jar

Instructions

Tap/click the images for a description of each step ⬇️

Step #1: Start by adding lemon rinds to a half gallon mason jar.
 
Step #2: Pour distilled white vinegar over the lemon rinds, leaving several inches of space from the top of the mason jar.
 
Step #3: If you have one, place a fermentation weight on top of the mixture and firmly press down. If you do not have a fermentation weight, be sure to shake the jar every day to ensure the lemons stay covered by the distilled white vinegar. If you do have a fermentation weight, you do not have to shake the mason jar daily.
 
Step #4: Allow the lemons to infuse into the distilled white vinegar for 2-3 weeks.
 
Step #5: After 2-3 weeks, use a fine mesh strainer and strain the infused vinegar separating out the rinds, seeds, and any other pieces floating in the liquid (your washing mashing machine probably wouldn’t like that stuff!)
 
Step #6: Store your lemon infused distilled white vinegar is a mason jar and use 1/4-1/2 cup per load (depending on the size of your load) according to your washing machine instructions.
 
Loads: 10-20 loads

DIY Recipe #3: Distilled White Vinegar + Hair Conditioner

Ingredients

• 1 cup hair conditioner
• 4 cups hot water
• 2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 40-60 drops essential oil (optional)

Equipment

• 1 half gallon mason jar
• 1 wide mouth mason jar lid
• 1 large wooden spoon

Instructions

Tap/click the images for a description of each step ⬇️

Step #1: Pour your preferred hair conditioner (I wouldn’t suggest the most expensive kind) into a half gallon mason jar.
 
Step #2: Add hot water to your mason jar and stir the jar well to help dissolve the hair conditioner into the water without any clumps.
 
Step #3: Add distilled white vinegar and essential oils to the mason jar. Stir again to combine everything.
 
Step #4: Add 1/4-1/2 of liquid fabric softener per load (depending on the size of your load) according to your washing machine instructions.
 
Loads: 14-28

Tips

• I would recommend 1/4 cup of liquid fabric softener for smaller loads and 1/2 cup of liquid fabric softener for larger loads for all three DIY recipes.
• The essential oils aren’t necessary in any of the recipes. Depending on which essential oils you use, they can add cleaning ability to your laundry and produce a nice smell.
• None of the 3 liquid fabric softener recipes actually leave behind a scent on my laundry once fully washed and dried. My clothes feel and smell nice, but not specifically fragranced.
• Never mix any of these liquid fabric softeners with bleach or ammonia due to the distilled white vinegar.

Ways to Use

All 3 DIY fabric softener recipes can be used by either adding to your washing machine’s fabric softener dispenser, adding directly during the rinse cycle, or adding to a fabric softener ball.
 
Eligible fabrics:

• Cotton
• Linen
• Polyester
• Wool
• Nylon
• Microfiber
• Elastic fabrics (use caution due to vinegar)
• Rayon (use caution due to vinegar)
• Silk (use caution due to vinegar)

Cost-Benefit Analysis

For this cost-benefit analysis, I will show the price breakdown of all 3 DIY fabric softener recipes, along with a price breakdown of a low-tox fabric softener, by Truly Free, that can be purchased online.
 
As of March 2026 in Tennessee:
 
DIY Recipe #1: Distilled White Vinegar + Essential Oils
 
4 cups distilled white vinegar

• $3.94 for 1 gallon
• 1 gallon = 16 cups
• $0.25 per cup
• 1 cup = $0.25 x 4 = $1.00

40 drops lemon essential oil (optional)

• 1oz bottle = $15.00
• 1oz bottle = approx. 600 drops
• $15.00 % 600 = $0.025/drop
• 40 drops = $1.00

Total: $2.00

• Loads: 8-16
• Price Per Load: $0.25-$0.13

DIY Recipe #2: Lemon Infused Vinegar

8 lemon rinds

• I never buy lemons just for making fabric softener. I only use leftover lemon rinds from food recipes in my kitchen. Whenever I need lemon juice, I simply place the rind(s) in a mason jar in the fridge for future use. When I have enough lemons to make fabric softener, I take them out and make this recipe. Therefore, since I repurpose what I would normally throw away, I count the expense of this ingredient as $0.

5 cups distilled white vinegar

• $3.94 for 1 gallon
• 1 gallon = 16 cups
• $0.25 per cup
• 1 cup = $0.25 x 5 = $1.25

Total: $1.25

• Loads: 10-20 loads
• Price Per Load: $0.13-$0.06

DIY Recipe #3: Distilled White Vinegar + Hair Conditioner

1 cup hair conditioner

• $19.99 for 1 gallon
• 1 gallon = 16 cups
• $1.25 per cup

4 cups hot water

• FREE

2 cups distilled white vinegar

• $3.94 for 1 gallon
• 1 gallon = 16 cups
• $0.25 per cup
• 1 cup = $0.25 x 2 = $0.50

40-60 drops essential oil (optional)

• 1oz bottle = $15.00
• 1oz bottle = approx. 600 drops
• $15.00 % 600 = $0.025/drop
• 40 drops = $1.00

Total: $2.75

• Loads: 14-28
• Price Per Load: $0.20-$0.10

Truly Free Natural Fabric Softener (find here)

$19.95 for 50 Fl Oz

• Loads: 50
• Price Per Load: $0.40

All 3 of my DIY fabric softener recipes are less expensive than the Truly Free Natural Fabric Softener. However, Truly Free isn’t a bad price at all per load!

FAQs

Related Posts

Simple Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Easy DIY Powder Laundry Detergent

Citrus Vinegar Cleaning Spray

I hope you find a homemade liquid fabric softener that works best for your household!

Tag on Instagram @thesavvysaige

Enjoyed? Rate and comment below!

RELATED DISCUSSION BOARD: The Scoop | Natural Cleaning

This is a personal blog. All posts, recipes, recommendations, and how-tos are for informational use and personal viewing pleasure only. Blog posts are not written by AI.