Easy DIY recipe and tutorial for making your own natural and homemade dryer sheets with vinegar and essential oils that will leave your laundry soft and fragrant.

Over the years my laundry routine has always been fairly simple. Scratch that. VERY simple. I sort our clothes and I iron occasionally, but in terms of washing and drying I have only ever used laundry detergent and sometimes bleach unless I am able to use a more natural alternative. I’ve never used fabric softener, dryer sheets, dryer balls… nada. Of course, my simple routine gets the job done, but sometimes I feel like I’m missing out on something amazing.

Occasionally I have had to turn to my parents lovely washing facilities whenever our washer and/or dryer were having issues or needed replaced. I have always looked forward to these laundry days, despite the inconvenience! My mom has been a committed fabric softener and dryer sheet user all her life and still is. I have never once purchased fabric softener or dryer sheets since I have lived away from home and so I am always so excited to use hers on these occasions, and leave there with the softest and best smelling laundry I could only dream of. Dramatic maybe. But true.

Luckily, she uses a really eco-friendly brand of fabric softener from a reliable, natural products company. It doesn’t have all the chemicals and toxins that other commercial brands are laid up with. I would love to purchase and use her fabric softener myself, because lets just say it does wonders, but its not on the cheaper end of the spectrum and the extra expense doesn’t fit in our budget.

I want soft, super good smelling laundry, but I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg…. and I also don’t want to be dumping chemicals and toxins into our washer or tossing them in our dryer. You feel me? The dilemma! But, all is not lost, hence the DIY, homemade and natural dryer sheets. Bada bing!

If you feel the same way, and you’re looking to ditch the chemical laden fabric softeners, smell gooders, and static fighters for more natural and eco-friendly alternatives, then you’re in the right place! I’ll show you exactly how to make your very own DIY dryer sheets without fabric softener that will do all of the above. Use and re-use them in each load of laundry to leave your clothing and sheets feeling soft, static free, and smelling amazing. You’ll save money, you’ll have a more natural and less wasteful laundry routine, and you’ll have the softest and best smelling laundry in town;)

Related: 9 Ways To Go All Natural With Your Laundry Routine

Related: 3 All Natural Bleach Alternatives

What’s in your commercial fabric softener, and why ditch it in the first place?

In case you don’t know already, most store-bought fabric softeners and dryer sheets are heavily laden with chemicals like carcinogens, pollutants, VOC’s, etc.

Dryer sheets and fabric softeners claim to soften your laundry, make it smell like roses and daisies, and allow it to be wrinkle free and static free. What they don’t tell you is the cost of all that. Not only are the chemicals and pollutants being transferred to your clothing, they’re transferred into the air in your home through your dryer vents.

Its important to be aware that not all of the household products that you’re accustomed to using are regulated in terms of chemicals and hazardous materials. Most are not. Do your research so you know exactly what kind of products you are using and the dangers (if any) of using them.

How do DIY Homemade Dryer Sheets Work?

Vinegar is well known for being a natural fabric softener. You can even use it in your washer in place of a liquid fabric softener. The acidity level of the vinegar is what helps to soften your clothing and laundry as it works to break down the soap residues leftover by your detergent. For similar reasons vinegar is great at fighting static cling.

The essential oils that are added in to your dryer sheets will give your sheets and subsequently your laundry a nice, subtle scent. Not a chemical scent, but a natural scent! In addition, the vinegar is great at fighting mildew odors (perfect for stinky towels!) by breaking down the mildew and getting rid of any excess junk that’s been laid up in your laundry. Often times stinky laundry is from leftover detergent hanging around in your fabric.

PSA: Did you know we have a FREE ebook on “7 Ways to be More Efficient and Effective With Your Homemaking”? Click HERE to subscribe to our newsletter and you’ll get the ebook sent to you right away.

Quick side note: if your are looking at the photos, my jar is nearly full with my vinegar mixture. I have since learned a little goes a long way! It won’t hurt anything to have that much vinegar, but really you only need a small amount, maybe a quarter or a third of the jar full. The fabric will soak up the vinegar just sitting in there and it will be easier to drip off the excess when its not completely submerged, and you will waste less vinegar in the long run.

DIY Reusable Homemade Dryer Sheets

Read along to learn how to make your own DIY dryer sheets, natural and eco-friendly that will leave your laundry soft and fragrant.

Directions:

Cut your fabric or material into small squares, 5”x5” will work. You can either serge or hem the edges to keep them from unraveling with each load, but its not necessary. Fill your glass container a quarter of the way with vinegar (see note above) and add your essential oils. Finally, add the dryer sheets and close the lid. Whenever you are ready to use your dryer sheets, give it a shake, open the lid and pull a few out, drip off the excess vinegar, then add them in with your wet laundry and dry like normal.

Ingredients:

fabric pieces, old towel, old sheets, etc. (100% cotton is preferred)

vinegar

glass container that can be sealed

essential oils (lavendar, melaleuca, geraniuam, citrus, mint, etc., whatever scents you prefer)

I am so excited to finally have an all natural way to get that good smelling, soft laundry I knew that I was missing out on. You can have it too, and you don’t have to risk you and your family’s health for it anymore. Win win yes?!

What other ways do you ditch the chemicals and go all natural with your laundry routine? Have you ever made your own DIY dryer sheets before? Let us know in the comments below!

Natural and Homemade DIY Dryer Sheets