6 ecological alternatives to fabric softener
The good news is that there are environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional fabric softeners. This is not only particularly important because of the harmful chemicals, but you also save yourself the hassle of carrying plastic bottles and disposing of them. You can replace fabric softener in an ecological and inexpensive way with household remedies.
Vinegar
Add around 30 to 50 milliliters of vinegar to the fabric softener compartment for each wash. The smell will disappear by the time the laundry is dry, but the vinegar will leave your clothes feeling soft and reduce limescale deposits in the washing machine and on your clothes. This alternative to fabric softener is particularly suitable for colored laundry or black clothes. It is important that you
Citric acid
Citric acid is particularly great for light-colored laundry, as it has a slight bleaching effect. It is best to use citric acid powder, which you add directly to the fabric softener compartment, just like vinegar. One teaspoon is sufficient for a normal load of laundry. This method is not suitable for washing machines with a narrow channel to the fabric softener compartment. In this case, it is better to dissolve three to five teaspoons of citric acid in one liter of water. For each wash, simply add around 50 to 100 milliliters of the solution to the compartment.
Baking soda
Hard water or stubborn stains are no match for baking soda. You can find out how hard the water is in your region on the website of the Swiss Gas and Water Industry Association (SVGW) (link=http://trinkwasser.svgw.ch/index.php?id=813&L=0. Does your area have hard water? If so, use about two teaspoons of the powder dissolved in 100 ml of water as a fabric softener. If you have soft water, you can use only half that amount.
Soda powder
Soda and baking soda work similarly, but soda has a slightly stronger cleaning effect. It is also known as washing soda or sodium carbonate. As with baking soda, dissolve two teaspoons of soda in 100 ml of water to replace your fabric softener at low cost. Be careful with animal fibers such as wool or merino: soda causes them to swell and should therefore not be used.
Essential oils
Laundry does not need to smell nice to be clean. On the contrary: synthetic substances are often used as fragrances, which are neither healthy for you nor environmentally friendly. Essential oils provide a simple solution to this problem. Add a few drops of essential oils of your choice to your laundry.
You can either drip the oil directly onto the Washo or add it to the compartment together with your alternative to fabric softener. However, it is important that you use natural oils and use them sparingly.
Washo Dryer Balls
If you use a tumble dryer to dry your laundry, you can also use Washo Dryer Balls instead of fabric softener. The friction they create makes the fibers soft and reduces electricity consumption during drying. You can find more information on this in the blog (link=https://www.washo.ch/blogs/washo-blog/schneller-trocken-dank-der-washo-dryer-balls).https://www.washo.ch/blogs/washo-blog/schneller-trocken-dank-der-washo-dryer-balls
