By Tara Evans
published

Making your own cleaning product can be cheaper and kinder to the environment.

While you might not use fabric softener for every wash, it’s always nice to add in when cleaning bath towels or bed sheets.

Plus, if you live in a hard water area then it’s something that you might need to use with every wash.

We’ve come up with a recipe that uses things that we’re sure you already have lying around at home.

If you don’t, then you can always pick them up at your local shop for under a couple of quid. Plus you can use them again for more things around the home.

Top tip: Try mixing essential oils to find a scent you like.

Note: As always, do a spot test with any homemade cleaning product before using it for the first time.

What you will need

  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 cup of hair conditioner
  • 1 1/2 cups of vinegar
  • 10 drops of essential oil
  • Large glass or plastic container

Step 1

Gather all the ingredients that you need to make the fabric softener.

Step 2

Fill a jug with 2 cups of water.

Step 3

Add a cup of conditioner. You can use any that you have in your bathroom, otherwise pick up a cheap one from a pound shop or your local supermarket.

Step 4

Add 1 and 1/2 cups of white distilled vinegar.

Step 5

Add 10 drops of the essential oil of your choice. We decided to use lavender, but it's up to you.

Step 6

Mix it all up!

Step 7

Pour the mixture into a large container - we used a glass jar but you could use Tupperware. Pour into your washing machine fabric dispenser, measure it out using an old cap from a fabric softener and wash as usual.

Where to next?

Thanks to Morrisons, Co-op, Boots, Dr. Oetker and Holland & Barrett for supplying items used in our spring cleaning article series.

Tara Evans
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