How much white vinegar to put in laundry

Sometimes a quick and simple tip that can make the mundane a little easier or make your life a little better makes a BIG difference. This is a new series here on the blog where I’ll be sharing simple tips, finds, and suggestions to make life a little easier. I’ll be sharing these tips regularly on the blog and on Instagram – make sure you’re following along!

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Here’s what you need to do:
Don’t Do This When Washing With Vinegar
1. Don’t go overboard
2. Don’t pour it straight on clothes
3. Don’t use any type of vinegar except for white
4. Don’t assume that your clothes can be washed with vinegar
5. Don’t mix large amounts of detergent and vinegar together.
Should You Wash With Vinegar?
How to Wash Clothes With Vinegar
Brighten your clothes/reduce fading/general clean
White vinegar as a fabric softener
Remove stains
Remove soap from clothes
Remove mildew and odours from laundry
Reduce static in your laundry
Make clothes feel like new
Washing With Vinegar FAQs
Can I use white wine vinegar instead?
How can I get biro off my clothes?
How do I get rid of the sweaty smell on my clothes?
Can you use vinegar and laundry detergent together?
How much vinegar do I add to laundry detergent?
Where do you put white vinegar in a washing machine?
What happens if you mix white vinegar and laundry detergent?

This is a super simple (and inexpensive) swap you can do that will cut out chemicals in your home and on your clothes and it softens clothes at the same time. And if you’re questioning the effectiveness and the smell, it took me a little bit to be on board too, but after experimentation and tweaking, I am 100% team vinegar in the laundry room!

Here’s what you need to do:

Simply add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser or to a fabric softener ball. The white vinegar will act as a fabric softener AND it will keep your washing machine smelling fresh and clean!

Why would you want to switch to vinegar as a fabric softener? Most conventional fabric softeners and dryer sheets are not only toxic (read more here from EWG.com), but they also coat fibers making clothes and towels harder to clean because they build up with fabric softener. If you love your fabric softener and dryer sheets and love that scent that’s associated with clean laundry, you probably don’t want to make the switch to something natural if it’s unscented. Go to this post for 4 ways to naturally soften + freshen your laundry.

Why is this a good tip? White vinegar is readily available (I get it at Costco – see my favorites here), it’s food-grade, natural, it freshens your clothes, and keeps your towels fluffy. If you’re afraid that your laundry will smell like a pickle, I promise you that it won’t – the smell completely dissipates once the clothes are washed.

If you're curious about how natural cleaning products work or why baking soda is such a powerful ingredient, you've come to the right place. We'll explain the science behind some of the most popular cleaning methods and tools, so you can clean smarter—not harder. Follow along with Clean Science to see which technique we break down next.

Bathing laundry in a vinegar rinse involves exactly what you would expect: pouring in a half-cup of white distilled vinegar during a load's rinse cycle. You might be wondering why this is such a popular practice. After all, won't stinky vinegar rob freshly-washed garments of their clean scent? It's an understandable question, but the solution is actually the ultimate post-wash ingredient; it has a low pH, which makes it an effective tool against stubborn residues, odors, and other buildup. Ahead, two experts explain why a vinegar rinse is a must on wash day.

Related: 20 Unexpected Ways to Use Vinegar Around the House

open washing machine with clothes

Bethan

Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!

Can you use vinegar and laundry detergent together?

You can use vinegar and laundry detergent in the same load, but you cannot mix them. If you're using detergent, add the vinegar to the rinse cycle after the detergent is out. Otherwise, you'll get oily clothes.

How much vinegar do I add to laundry detergent?

Add 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar to the last rinse cycle of a load of laundry. This will prevent the static that can make your clothes annoyingly stick to other clothing or your body. For many fabrics, it can also help prevent the buildup of lint. Remove buildup on clothes.

Where do you put white vinegar in a washing machine?

Measure out two cups of distilled white vinegar and pour them directly into your washing machine's liquid detergent dispenser. Set your front-loading machine on its longest cycle with the hottest water.

What happens if you mix white vinegar and laundry detergent?

Before going further, we have to warn you: adding vinegar or baking soda to the wash along with your laundry detergent increases the risk of poorer cleaning performance, as detergents are optimized for a specific pH level, which is altered by the presence of these two household additives in the wash.