About three years ago I got started on Pinterest (Isn't that how it always starts? With addiction.) I was amazed at the things people were doing... like making their own cleaners!!! So I started with all purpose cleanser. You know the one. Spray, wipe, spray anywhere, wipe. I was thrilled with how well it cleaned my WHITE kitchen and shared this discovery with my dear husband. His response, "are we so poor you're having to make laundry detergent too?" He had sensed a change in the way clothes felt. My response? Um.... no.... but.... (I have now not bought all purpose cleaner like 409 for three years.)
So I started making laundry detergent.After several trials I finally found a recipe that I love and that saves me so much money! And we haven't bought laundry detergent for two years. Just "ingredients."
Soon after I started on Pinterest, my sister got me into couponing. This saved our family a ton of money too, but one thing I couldn't give up on was fabric softener (because of the jeans. I hate the way they crinkle when not softened.) I grew up with liquid fabric softener and in college I was a Downy enthusiast. But during the couponing phase I would use whatever I could get cheap. Liquid, dryer sheets, even the dryer bar. Then it got to crunch time when moving was just a little while away and I was running out of necessities. I had some liquid fabric softener and a whole mess of cut up tee shirts that I was using as impromptu Lysol wipes. Now, I'd seen it on Pinterest. My mom had even mentioned that she used to do it. So i made my first batch of dryer sheets.
That fabric softener at the top of the page? Still the same bottle I used to make my first batch a year ago. I've perfected the process (in the beginning it was pretty rough going.) And there's still a lot in there! So here's my secret for you.Take a mason jar and put a capful of fabric softener in it. Then put
in a few clean pieces of cut up tee shirt. Cap the jar and flip it over so that every piece of material has an opportunity to soak up the liquid. Add a few clean pieces at a time, liberally adding liquid to the jar when the last amount has been soaked up. Make sure you turn the jar every few days. Now, this whole process takes about two weeks for me since I cycle through about a million pieces of fabric. When it's done, dump out your fabrics and start stacking them, alternating more soaked pieces for less soaked and then roll them up sushi-style. This is to try to get the pieces more or less evenly soaked. Hang and dry. They shouldn't drip (that was one of my mistakes early on) but they will make your house smell... strongly... of fabric softener. This is nice for the refreshing smell (may be better than air fresheners), but for me it gets a bit overpowering so I have to leave the house every few hours. When they're dry, fold them up (maybe in a nice baby wipes box like the one in the background) and use as needed. One of the great things about these sheets is that depending on how soaked a sheet got, you may be able to use them multiple times. I have one sheet that's on it's fifth use right now! The drawback to this method is that 
once you commit a piece of fabric, that will be it's use for life. No matter how often you wash them, they always feel a little slick from the fabric softener. For me, that has turned into a plus because I know after a towel wash which pieces to toss in the mason jar.Next time I buy a bottle of fabric softener, I plan on dating it by purchase date to see just how long it lasts!
