Crazy, Crazy!

So yesterday was one of those days where it was go, go, go!  Delayed openings for the kiddies, grocery shopping, cleaning, errands...I was so glad when it was bedtime, but that meant I had no time for you...my virtual blogger friends!

Today is just a short, simple helpful hint kind of day.  Want to save cash, soften your laundry (towels, particular), and help eliminate harmful chemicals from the water supply?

Start using plain vinegar as your liquid fabric softener!  I use it in my laundry all the time.  Here's a bit of background...liquid fabric softener has several chemical ingredients in it, including a long complicated ingredient, more commonly known as quat.  Quat can be comprised of either animal fats (yuck) or veggie based fats.  It provides that silky smooth feeling on your clothes, and helps to reduce static.

Here's what you may NOT know.  Over time, that quat keeps building up on your fabrics, especially your towels, so that instead of being soft and fluffy, they become ewwy and crunkly.  Plus, that whole animal fat thing is a major turn off for me.  Who wants animal fat on their laundry?  I sure don't.  In all fairness, many companies have switched to a veggie-based quat ingredient, but still.  Yuck.

By using vinegar, it does a few things for your laundry.  1)  It prevents soap build-up in your loads of clothes / towels, 2) it deodorizes, 3) it NATURALLY softens your laundry.

Here's how to use it...if you have a front loader washing machine like me, add your vinegar to your liquid softener compartment in your dispenser.  (If you use 1/2 cap of LFS, then use 1/2 cap of vinegar.  = to =).  If you have a top loader traditional washer, add it into your barrel with your detergent.

For added softening and deodorizing, add a cup of ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda to your barrel for either traditional or front loading machines.

Run your laundry as usual.  You'll find that your towels will be softer and fluffier, and the more you use the vinegar, the happier your laundry will be. 

Think about it.  A 64oz bottle of Downy costs, what, $5 now?  A gallon of plain distilled store brand vinegar (or even Heinz vinegar) is no more than $2.99 at my ShopRite.  Plus, you are no longer pouring chemical ingredients into our water supply.

Vinegar has a ton of uses - it's a great, natural way to clean stainless steel appliances, as well.  Doesn't streak or scratch them.

Try it, and you'll see!!!  Happy Saturday!