Natural Fabric Softener

This is my simple recipe for natural fabric softener. Fabric softener as we know it – the commercial stuff that is – is really not good for us. It’s not good for the environment either. It often contains some very questionable ingredients that are known to stick to clothing, irritate skin and aggravate allergies.

Companies (in Australia anyway) are not required to tell you what is in cleaning products, so we often won’t see panels on packets of softener which makes it hard to make educated decisions when out shopping.

It often takes a little searching on the internet to find comprehensive ingredient lists, and even then, it is the companies choice whether they publish them or not.

Here is an example of ingredients within one popular supermarket brand of softener. From what I can see, most softeners available are similar in their contents.

Here’s a brief look into these ingredients:

Water – any time you see water in a product, look for preservatives. Usually, not a good sign.

Quaternized triethanolamine diester – I can’t find much reputable data on this but Triethanolamine is petroleum-derived and may cause contact dermatitis.

Isopropyl alcohol – not much to worry about in a cleaning product but not something I would use on my skin.

Quaternary ammonium acrylate/acrylamide – quaternary ammonium compounds rate poorly with EWG (my go-to for chemical research and advice). Although the data covers a broad scope, there is mention of toxicity to aquatics and moderate concern for asthmatics.

Fragrance – a toxic minefield and my most hated ingredient, unless derived from essential oils! Watch out for this one. There is a list of hundreds of chemicals used for fragrance formulation, and companies don’t have to tell you what they use – it’s their trade secret. Fragrance is associated with allergies, skin irritation, asthma, headaches etc.

Preservative – interesting that they don’t tell you what preservative. Some preservatives, such as Formaldehyde, are known to be carcinogenic to humans, others, salt, for example, is fine. So I’m dubious here.

You know how when you’re at the supermarket, you can smell the softener aisle a mile away (if you’ve been living a lower-toxin lifestyle for a while now, you’ll know what I mean!)? It really is something I like to avoid. I can even smell people’s washing when I take my daily walk if they’ve used softener – that’s how potent this stuff is! It sticks to your clothes, it coats your machine in slime making it hard to clean, and it’s terrible for septic systems and our waterways in general.

Have I convinced you to make the switch to natural yet?

For a long time, I have been using straight vinegar as a natural fabric softener. And it works well, so if this recipe seems like a little too much effort for you, then stick with that. But this recipe for natural fabric softener, ooh-la-la, it really does make my laundry nice and soft!