It happened. I was blissfully doing laundry – well, not
blissfully, I mean its laundry not wine, but I was getting it done – when I
noticed something was about to jeopardize my schedule. I had made a miscalculation,
except I hadn’t really calculated at all really. Mostly, I just hadn’t bothered
to notice. I was out of dryer sheets with dirty clothes begging to be washed.
GASP!!
This may not seem like a tragedy, and really, it’s not. Let’s
be honest, I could have gone on washing my clothes, without dryer sheets, for
any amount of time. I’ve done it. Dreaded STATIC CLING, however, plagues the
dryer sheet-less individuals of the world, and I am far too spoiled to go back
there.
Running to the store was not on the agenda, and living where
I do, this is a time consuming and gas guzzling task that would have cut
into the already over packed schedule I was trying to stick to. I scrounged
around and found two of those dryer ball thingies, but I have to admit that
this was not effective against static cling. I turned to the internet for a way
to make my own dryer sheets.
There are several ways to DIY dryer sheets. I found a
formula to make my own using a homemade fabric softener, but I just don’t have
that kind of time and energy – I know, an extra step in an already DIY project,
don’t judge me. This recipe called for vinegar and essential oils, but I was disappointed by a tangy scent and crisp, not baby
soft clothes. Like I said, I’m far too spoiled, so I moved along, but it is an ecofriendly
method of making dryer sheets. I also believe that essential oils can be tricky
and I am a big fan of “foo-foo” smells.
I explored an option to make dryer sheets with sponges, and
it seemed very easy. It also included my preference for someone else to make my
fabric softener. Then, I had this ridiculous vision of my husband staring blankly at
the laundry he had pulled from the dryer as he pondered why I would be washing
sponges. Rather than tackle this head on, I chose to disrupt as little as
possible and searched for another option.
Finally, I found a link that used the same recipe, but with
wash cloths that the lady had brilliantly dried outside on a line so they didn't leave spots on the clothes. I felt that it was a great idea, but
probably a step further than I needed to go. It also made it necessary to make
several at a time and wait for them to be dipped in the solution again and
re-dried. This seemed very time consuming as I thought about my husband washing and putting away my dryer sheet washcloths, not knowing which article of laundry was a dryer sheet.
I decided to skip the drying step
and just wring them out each time.
Supplies
Any
container
1 cup fabric
softener (homemade or store bought)
2
cups water
washcloths (2 – 4 depending on your laundry quantity)
Mix the
liquids together, pour into a container, put washcloths inside. Wring one out
and place it in each dryer load. BAM! Done.
Now, I used washcloths that were old and on their last leg, so it may not be pretty, but it is effective. After all, DIY is about what you have on hand. This picture shows what it looks like the next day as the washcloths soak up the solution. The washcloths should be submerged completely right after mixing.
My laundry has not noticed a difference and there is no
evidence of spots or the dreaded STATIC CLING. In fact, I didn’t buy more dryer
sheets, I just stuck with these!
Voila! Clean laundry and only a slight disruption in schedule. Off to the next task.
So, what do you think? Would it be worth it to invest in more washcloths and try the drying method? Do you prefer homemade fabric softener or store bought? Any insights on essential oils for homemade fabric softener that would eliminate the tangy vinegar smell and fill laundry with a beautiful smell?
