How to Get Clothes Clean and Soft - Naturally

You can get clothes clean and soft without harmful chemicals.

Many commercial detergents and fabric softeners contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment or can cause allergic reactions in sensitive persons. You can get your clothes clean using safer, nontoxic means. There are many brands of natural laundry soaps and detergents now, as consumer demand for these products increases, and there are additional products you can use to get your clothes clean and soft naturally.

Things You'll Need

• Lemon juice
• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• Natural washing soap or detergent
• Dryer balls

Instructions

1. Check clothes for stains. For white fabrics with stains, use a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. Rub it on the cloth and leave it for half an hour before washing. For colored fabrics, pour white vinegar onto a cloth and dab at the stain. Let the fabric sit for 3 to 5 minutes before washing.

2. Leave plenty of space for the clothes to move around in the water when the washing machine has filled. Overcrowding can prevent the water and cleaning products from removing the dirt effectively.

3. Let the machine fill. Add ¼ cup of baking soda along with a laundry soap or detergent made with natural ingredients. The baking soda will help soften and deodorize the clothes. All natural laundry detergents and soaps may be purchased online and at some health food retailers.

4. Put dryer balls in with your clothes in the clothes dryer. Dryer balls use light friction to help make clothes softer and fluffier as they are tumbled in the dryer.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are line-drying rather than drying clothes in a dryer, run them through an extra rinse cycle to help remove detergent or soap residue, which could make the fabric stiffer. When removing the clothes from the line, shake them to loosen any stiffness.

• Soak malodorous or heavily stained clothing for half an hour in ½ cup of baking soda and a capful of detergent or laundry soap before washing.

References

• Nature's Health Foods: Cleaning --- Naturally
• We Are Ecofriendly: How to Pick Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergents