How to Get Liquid Fabric Softener to Stretch Further

I love liquid fabric softener.  I especially love the scent of Gain, but there are two things I don't like.  First, it's expensive (even with a coupon).  Second, the way it is manufactured, sometimes it is a little too much scent.  I've found a way to not only decrease the scent while still having soft clothes, but also make it stretch much further.  

I love white vinegar, and I like to use it in my laundry.  It is an excellent fabric softer alone, and while the vinegar doesn't leave a scent, that can sometimes be the problem:  It doesn't have a scent!  However, if you combine both Gain and white vinegar (plus a little water), the problem is solved, and the liquid fabric softener can be stretched to give you more uses.  This decreases the overall cost of buying the liquid fabric softener. For me, I like the fact that it's a frugal alternative while feeling I'm not skimping on something I like. 

Here is what you'll need: 

1 empty bottle (this one is from Purex crystals; I removed the label and washed the inside). 

1 bottle of your fabric fabric softener 

1 cup white vinegar

Enough water to fill the new container.  

Fair warning:  This will be VERY liquid/watery, so it will pour quickly, unlike regular fabric softener which has thickeners, so use caution with pouring or you might get a little more than you wanted!  

 

Start by putting 1 cup of vinegar in your container. 

Add enough liquid fabric softener to fill the container halfway. 

Fill the remainder of the container with water.  Place top firmly on bottle, and shake to combine.  

Use as you normally would, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup per wash load.  

I love to use this for towels and other clothes because it leaves a clean, light, fresh scent, and because there is white vinegar in the mixture, it makes towels extra fluffy and soft!  We used to live in Colorado, where the city had very hard water, and I used this.  Guests would say we always had the fluffiest, best-smelling towels, and this is why!

Homemade Scented Oil Diffuser

Reed scented oil diffusers are so pretty, decorative, and they smell great.  I love walking into a home where there is a light scent.  It just makes the home feel cozier and more friendly.  If you think about the wonderful times in your life, there is usually a smell associated with them, such as pine for Christmas, vanilla sugar cookies for time spent with your mother, or, if you're like me, motor oil and carburetor cleaner from when your dad came in from working on cars!  Don't worry, they don't make oil and carburetor scents.  :-)

Unfortunately, reed oil diffusers can be pricey if you buy them in the store.  They are a wonderful way to have scent in your home without worrying about lit candles or lighted wax warmers.  

You can easily make one at home!  There are a 2-3 different techniques for making the diffuser solution.  I will post the one shown in the photo first, and then post some easier ones.  

ITEMS NEEDED:

• bamboo skewers from utensil aisle at Walmart (these are 99 cents for something like 50 to 100 of them)
• mineral oil or baby oil (unscented is best), sweet almond oil, or olive oil
• Scented oils or essential oils
• rubbing alcohol or cheap vodka 
• OR perfume
• OR  liquid potpourri
• food coloring if oil is an off color
• vase
• Decorative glass stones or rocks

If you are going to blend your own scents, you will need a "carrier oil."  This is one that is suitable for diluting your essential oil or scented oil.  Things like plain salad oil are too thick and will only coat the bamboo skewers and not allow the scent to be absorbed into the reeds/bamboo skewers. 

Also, I usually try to place some objects in the bottom of my vase or bottle because it gives it some weight, making the bottle or vase less likely to tip over if bumped.  

For diffuser recipe #1 I used: 

• 1/4 cup olive oil (try to use colorless; unfortunately mine was tinted a light green)
• 20 drops essential or scented oil 
• 1-2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol or vodka 
• food coloring to desired tint

Place stones or glass pebbles into the bottom of the chosen vase or bottle.  This is so that you don't have to use as much oil to bring the solution to a higher level on the reeds.  Mix recipe #1 well and pour over stones.  Add a hand full of bamboo skewers to the mixture and place in an out-of-the-way spot.  After a few days, turn the reeds over so that the soaked portion is upright and the unsoaked portion is in the diffuser mixture.  Repeat this in a couple of days or a week so that the bamboo skewers are fully saturated.  

Recipe #2:  

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your chosen carrier oil 
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of perfume
• food coloring, if desired

Mix ingredients in equal amounts and pour into vase with stones.  Add diffuser reeds.  Because perfume contains alcohol, there is no need to add rubbing alcohol or vodka to the mixture. 

Recipe #3, which really isn't a recipe at all: 

• liquid potpourri 
• diffuser reeds
• stones/glass pebbles
• Vase 

Place stones or glass pebbles in vase.  Add liquid potpourri, and then place reeds into vase and liquid.  

That's it!!  Any of these methods work well and will give you a pleasant, light scent without being overly heavy.  With the choices of oils and potpourri scents, you can develop your own scent combinations that are pleasing or use your favorite perfume to scent a room.  

It is not necessary to have stones or anything in the bottom, and you also may use an opaque vase or bottle to contain your reeds, especially depending on the items you have on hand.  It's fun to do, it's economical, and it makes your house smell wonderful!

Freshen The Air While You Vacuum

If you've ever started to vacuum and then decided that things could smell better, there's an easy way to freshen the air while you vacuum.  Tear off a small corner of a paper tissue, such as Kleenex, and put 1-2 drops of essential or other scented oil on the tissue.  Drop it on the floor, then vacuum it up.

The scent will be released through your vacuum while you're working, freshening the air as you go. 

You can also place 1-2 drops of oil on a light bulb in a lamp, then turn the lamp on, and the scent will be released.  There may be a little vapor that arises as the bulb heats (may resemble smoke), but this is normal.  Do not put more than a drop of oil on the bulb, and never drop it on a bulb that is already lit or the bulb may shatter. 

Both ways will quickly freshen the air and give a longer lasting scent than room sprays.  Vacuuming up the scented tissue also freshens the vacuum, especially if you have pets and the smell lingers in the vacuum.