I love the smell of freshly cleaned laundry. Whether dried on the line, or in my machine - there is the scent of one particular type of fabric softener which I can't get enough of. (Oddly, it's the brand which actually advertises that people will become addicted to the scent. Score one for truth in advertising.)
I have to admit though - there is also a part of me that cringes at the cost of dryer sheets when it's a use it once and throw it away item. (That would be the cheapskate side of me.
But no more! I have finally figured out a way to DIY my own dryer sheets! OK... they're not exactly sheets. They're sponges. But it works the same way as a sheet.
It uses liquid fabric softener, and stretches it out with water. Saving me money. And if (unlike myself) you are happy with an inexpensive brand of liquid fabric softener, rather than being picky about using one particular name brand - even better!
You will need:
- Liquid fabric softener of your choice
- Water
- A plastic container with a lid (I used an old one which was headed for the donate pile as part of my recent decluttering)
- Ordinary cleaning sponges
To Prepare Fabric Softener Sheet Sponges:
1. Mix equal parts liquid fabric softener and water. The amount you use will depend on the size of your plastic container and the number of sponges you have. I used 2 cups of each, which might have been a tad bit much.
2. Place sponges into plastic container.
3. Pour fabric softener/water mixture over sponges.
4. Cover plastic container with lid. Allow sponges to absorb as much liquid as they will hold.
Store until ready to use
To Use Dryer Sheet Sponges: Remove one sponge. Squeeze out excess liquid into plastic container. Toss sponge into dryer with wet laundry. When you remove the clothes from the dryer, the sponge will be dry also. Just pop it back into the plastic container to absorb more liquid for the next use!
After trying these on every type of laundry, except delicates - I have been very happy so far.
And my wastebasket is no longer overflowing with used dryer sheets! Yah!
Now, if I could just find a solution for all that lint...
Great idea! As for the lint... I save it to use as a Firestarter... outdoors, of course!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. My daughter has some allergies and the dryer sheets she can use are awful! I'll have to see if there is a fabric softener she can use. I too use the lint as a fire starter. We have a wood burning stove we use all winter so we save the lint year round!
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