Vinegar as a Fabric Softener
By Collin Maessen on commentIn my new home I finally had the room for my own washing machine. And when I had my first laundry day I found out that I had forgotten to buy fabric softener. And naive as was I did my laundry without fabric softener. Something I regretted when I came out of the shower and dried my face with a towel. It felt darn close to taking a grater to my face.
So doing your own laundry without a fabric softener isn’t a good idea. This did make me wonder though.
What does it do?
I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t wondered what fabric softeners do. So I started reading up on fabric softeners and what they do and how they do it. During my search on the internet I stumbled across a thread on a forum where someone recommended using cleaning vinegar as a fabric softener. I never heard of someone using vinegar in such a way, so I dug a bit deeper on the subject.
One of the first things mentioned is that vinegar is hypo alergenic, and thus perfect for anyone with sensitive skin or allergies. It seems it’s even better then hypo allergenic fabric softeners.
It also functions the same as normal fabric softeners as it:
- Removes any detergent left in your clothing.
- Prevents scale from settling in your clothes (which is the main reason it works as a fabric softener).
- Prevents leeching of colour (didn’t find anything that actually confirms this claim).
After reading all that information I was curious enough to actually try it myself.
Experimenting with vinegar
The hardest part with this experiment was figuring out how much vinegar I should use so that it would act as a fabric softener. There are a lot of tips in the internet recommending vinegar as a replacement. However, almost no practical information about how to use it is available.
After a lot of digging I found a few numbers on an American forum. The users there used around half a cup, to one cup, of vinegar for their washing machines. Considering the size and efficiency differences with European washing machines I settled on a starting dose of 50ml (almost 1/4 cup).
After using the 50ml of vinegar as a replacement for fabric softeners I did notice a difference in the softness of my laundry. Although it wasn’t really a good result. So I started experimenting with dosages between 75ml and 100ml of vinegar (depending on the load in my washing machine). And this change did the trick.
My laundry now felt almost as soft, as soft, or even softer compared to laundry washed with a fabric softener. I still don’t know exactly what causes the “performance” differences. However I have the suspicion it has to do with how fast my laundry dries, and the fact that I dry my laundry on a clothesline (which is probably the biggest contributor to the varying results).
I save quite a lot of electricity by using a clothes line instead of a clothes dryer. The fact that this impacts how soft my laundry is has to do with movement. As fabric tumbles around in a clothes dryer the movement breaks up any scale in your laundry, this makes the fabric feel softer and fluffier. The same thing happens when you dry you clothes on a clothesline on a windy day. But considering I have my clothesline indoors, I can’t take benefit of this effect.
Also I have noticed that the result depends on the quality of the fabrics you use. Of course this has to do with how well the used fabrics are made, but this is not the point I’m trying to make here. Quality of a fabric deteriorates due to wear and tear, and this influences how well vinegar works as a fabric softener. I have some very old towels (I ‘inherited’ them from my parents, and I can remember my parents having them at least for 10 years) and every time I washed them I noticed that the vinegar doesn’t work as well on them as on my new towels. A fabric softener does a lot better in that situation than vinegar. And this effect is there in fabrics that aren’t as old and worn, although almost not noticeable (if you do, it’s time to replace the items in question, as I’m doing with the towels).
Also one thing I was comprehensive about was how my laundry would smell after I used vinegar as a fabric softener. Would it smell like vinegar or some other unpleasant odour? To my relief it didn’t smell, it didn’t smell of much really. It just smells like clean and freshly washed laundry. The only time it did smell like vinegar was when I used to much. And I only smelled it for a few seconds when the fabrics would get wet (I only smelled it when I was drying my face, and it vanished so fast the first two times I wasn’t sure if I actually had smelled it).
In total it just took me about 5 laundry days to figure out how to use it. Which is fast for something with not much practical information about on the internet.
Environmental impact
One of the nenefits of vinegar, being as efficient as it is in breaking down scale and removing suds, is that it will extend the life of your washing machine. Parts will not suffer the wear and tear from the build up of suds, and most importantly, scale. As scale is one of biggest contributors to wear and tear to the parts of your washing machine.
So your washing machine will last longer, without as much maintenance, and usage of replacement parts. Which reduces the amount of waste coming out of your household (and saving you money at the same time). So less material ends up in landfills or has to be recycled.
Considering cleaning vinegar only contains acetic acid and water it really can’t do much harm to the environment. However I do recommend trying to find a cleaning vinegar that has been made from organic sources, as vinegar can be made from petrochemicals (chemicals extracted from mineral oil).
Also vinegar is biodegradable as it is an organic compound. It does use oxygen during its degrading process, so it can pull oxygen from the waterways it is released in. Although this shouldn’t be a problem for water passing through a sewage treatment plant (and for your local environment vinegar is the least of it’s problem if untreated sewage is released into it). It also readily degrades in anaerobic conditions (no oxygen environments).
I can’t find any really good information on the environmental effects of fabric softeners. The only one that I dare list, as it is the least “paranoid” on the subject, is the website sixwise. It is true that fabric softeners contain quite a lot of different chemicals to produce the desired effects. And some of them can be quite nasty in certain dosages. I dare not say anything on this subject as I don’t have the data.
That said, I rather err on the safe side with our already stressed ecosystems. And rather recommend vinegar than a regular fabric softener.
How to use it
As vinegar removes scale and sudge from the inside of your washing machine you can be left with an enormous mess if you use it for the first time with laundry in the machine. You can image that this isn’t a good experience if you, or any one else, uses vinegar for the first time (I didn’t have this problem as my washing machine is brand new).
So before you try this out for yourself, follow these instructions: pour 100ml (almost half a cup) of vinegar in the detergent dispenser of your washing machine, and let it run a complete cycle without any laundry in it. Repeat till there is no foam in your washing machine at the end of the cycle, and no foam in the water during a cycle (do not add more as the vinegar itself can foam if you overload water with it).
For my washing machine, with a load capacity of 6kg, and the water hardness I have I’m quite happy with 75ml of vinegar per load. Ofcourse, your milage may vary.
A general rule of thumb is:
- The harder the water your have, the more vinegar you need. If you have very hard water start with 100ml of vinegar per load (assuming your load capacity is the same). For moderate hard and for very soft water you need 75ml of vinegar.
- The higher the load capacity of your washing machine, the more vinegar you need. Giving an exact figure for this is hard as it depends on the amount of water used by your machine. Try adding 25ml more if you aren’t satisfied with the softness of your laundry.
- The more water your washing machine uses, you need to add more vinegar. Here I can’t give you an exact figure, as this is also greatly dependent on when and how your washing machine uses it’s water. Try adding 25ml extra if you have an older washing machine and see if you’re happy with the results.
If the above is a bit to complecated (I would probably find it that way if I wanted to use vinegar for the first time), just start with 75ml of vinegar for a new washing machine. And use 100ml if you have a larger one than mine or if yours is older than 4 years.
And use the general rule of thumb instructions for adjustments and understanding how the vinegar might work in your situation. And if you run into a snag along the way, or have questions, just ask me for help. I did the work so you don’t have to.
Good luck and have fun experimenting.
Featured comment
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I started using synthetic white vinegar instead of commercial softener a few months ago and haven’t looked back. It simply works insanely well.
I live in the tropics and had a number of old T shirts etc that I had worn to a stale, board-like state of sweaty oblivion. It didn’t matter how many times I washed them, they wouldn’t come out smelling nice. A few washes with vinegar and the transformation is amazing. Fresh, bright colours, ridiculously soft fabric.
Note that synthetic white vinegar is very different from your typical salad or cooking vinegar — it doesn’t have much odour, and it’s a lot cheaper. I think when a lot of people read this tip they think of salad vinegar, which obviously would be daft to wash with. Another thing, where I live it’s possible to buy synthetic vinegar+citric acid. It’s a little more expensive but it seems to work even better.
One other thing — there’s a curious inversion whereby the vinegar treatment is most effective if you use it in a rapid wash. Since then the rinse cycle is less thorough and there’s more vinegar residue left on the clothes when they dry. So if I have a garment that needs extra freshening up, I’ll include it in a 30 minute rapid wash then let it air dry.
Collin Maessen is the founder and editor of Real Skeptic and a proponent of scientific skepticism. For his content he uses the most up to date and best research as possible. Where necessary consulting or collaborating with scientists.
Vinegar as a fabric softener will destroy the rubber seals on your washing machine. Ask any technician. I wouldn’t use it as Eco friendly as it may be.
Vinegar is perfectly safe to use, the cleaning vinegar that you would use for this is not acidic enough and thus cannot damage your machine. If it could then the regular cleaning products you use in a washing machine would already damage it (and then you wouldn’t have people who have been using vinegar in their washing machine for decades without problems). The vinegar also gets diluted when the machine adds it to the water and as it reacts with the alkaline detergents it looses its acidity. It’s simply not possible to damage your machine this way with the acid content in cleaning vinegar.
For that you would need a much higher acid content and directly apply it to rubber without properly cleaning it. Then you might see an effect.
I started using synthetic white vinegar instead of commercial softener a few months ago and haven’t looked back. It simply works insanely well.
I live in the tropics and had a number of old T shirts etc that I had worn to a stale, board-like state of sweaty oblivion. It didn’t matter how many times I washed them, they wouldn’t come out smelling nice. A few washes with vinegar and the transformation is amazing. Fresh, bright colours, ridiculously soft fabric.
Note that synthetic white vinegar is very different from your typical salad or cooking vinegar — it doesn’t have much odour, and it’s a lot cheaper. I think when a lot of people read this tip they think of salad vinegar, which obviously would be daft to wash with. Another thing, where I live it’s possible to buy synthetic vinegar+citric acid. It’s a little more expensive but it seems to work even better.
One other thing — there’s a curious inversion whereby the vinegar treatment is most effective if you use it in a rapid wash. Since then the rinse cycle is less thorough and there’s more vinegar residue left on the clothes when they dry. So if I have a garment that needs extra freshening up, I’ll include it in a 30 minute rapid wash then let it air dry.
Why would it be daft to wash with basic bulk vinegar? It’s only about a couple bucks a gallon and works very well with no scent left over. If you want to spend your money on fancy fake vinegar and citric acid feel free but you are wasting your money.
Maybe he/she meant something like white wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar. Basic bulk vinegar is vinegar, plain and simple: acetic acid. Whether distilled from plantlife or synthesized from petroleum.
What about semi-automatic machines, i.e., where the wash tub and spin tub are side by side?
I make u a solution of vinegar water and essential oil from a Sally Wise book, and have been using this for over 5 years in my front loader without a problem. Use bosistos washing detergent without fillers, or something similar and it is even better!
Do you add vinegar to the fabric softener compartment AND the bleach compartment of a new HE front loader? Or just the fabric softener compartment? I use vinegar with some essential oils btw
Fabric Softener I’ve found by experience is bad for my washing machine, I had to have my top rubbers replaced a few years after using Fabric Softener , so now I don’t use it at all. and if the Fab Softener isn’t cleaned out of my machine it can leave my clothes going a bit grey. Technicians also say to not use liquid bleach in your machine…You can use Vinegar also as a Rinse Aid in the Dish Washer.,
I really doubt that the Fabric Softener was the reason for those rubbers needing replacement. The product is designed for use in washing machines.
I’ve found not all Washing Machine manufacturers want the best for us. Like the plastic parts used in the motor
where metal could last longer.. We have a throw away society, washing machines should last 20 years…if they don’t ,, why not..?
But it is true that overloading is a big No No for washing machines, and finding & using the exact perfect amount of Liquid Laundry detergent and even go with a little less if possible.
Myself I go by my own common sense feeling for the sounds of the machine and doing what the machine likes, and listening to the men who have to fix them.
People have not been informed that using half cup of Vinegar in the rinse is great for people with skin problems especially for babies clothes,.
I had used vinegar for several years. It is indeed a natural favor softner. However, it will destroy the elastic in your fabrics and your clothes will not last as long. I’ve since stopped and now I’m questioning if the two rubber seals we’ve replaced were also caused by this.
No, it won’t. Don’t know what happened in your case but cleaning vinegar is not strong enough to affect fabrics or rubber in that way. People keep saying this but it’s not true. You get the same wear and tear if you use fabric softener or cleaning vinegar.
I use powder detergent….and if you add vinegar to that it bubbles and fizzes and i’m sure lets off lots of noxious gases…how do you add vinegar to the wash cycle with powder pls?
Not sure if it actually gives of noxious gases as it could be a simple reaction (soda and vinegar also bubbles but that gives off carbon dioxide as a gas). You don’t put them in together as vinegar will react with your detergent and will (partially) neutralise it or create unwanted chemicals. You need to use a washing machine with a detergent drawer that keeps them separated.
You put the vinegar in the fabric softener rinse receptacle . Don’t let the detergent mix with the Vinegar .
What a lot of people don’t realise, and laundry product companies aren’t about to tell you because they want you to buy more products, is that the ‘greyness’ and the stiffness people often experience in their clothes and for which fabric softeners are used (be they natural or not) is often because of a BUILD UP of laundry product residue in the fibres. So washing it more with yet more products just adds to the problem. For most general washing purposes plain water alone is adequate believe it or not and if you try washing with less detergent and no fabric softener, after several washes (it takes time to remove what has built up over time) you may well be surprised at how much better the fabric feels, smells AND looks. It has proven true for me time and again and in several states including regional areas, so water quality has not been a factor. Fabric softener is a classic case of marketing finding a problem you didn’t really have and offering a solution you didn’t really need. Like that toilet poo spray!
Another tip I read somewhere that seems to work:
Add a splash of vinegar to the main wash cycle (in the detergent recepticle);
The vinegar makes the water softer, so you need less detergent, and probably also less softner / vinegar.
I live in a northern state and have used vinegar for many years. It does remove detergent residue and make my clothes softer. However, I’ve discovered it does nothing for static in the winter time. I tried adding dryer balls and that helped only minimally. So, back to Downy I went. Still looking for an eco-friendly product to use in place of Downy for winter time use. I will continue to use vinegar in the warmer months.