Vinegar: The eco‑friendly trick for fresher, softer laundry

We all want our laundry to remain fresh and fragrant for as long as possible. That's why we often use special laundry detergents and fabric softeners. Some of these can strain the household budget. Rising prices and environmental concerns encourage us to look for cheaper and more eco-friendly alternatives.

Many people choose natural methods in their daily cleaning routines. Ordinary vinegar has long been known as an invaluable ally of every diligent homemaker. It's cheap and effective, which is why we often use it. Adding it to washing and rinsing clothes can keep them fresh and soft for a considerable time.

How to do it? Measure out 120 millilitres of vinegar, then add a few drops of essential oil and pour the mixture into the detergent drawer (specifically in the section for fabric softener). The choice of essential oil scent depends on your preference—lavender, eucalyptus, or perhaps lemon. Here, you have complete freedom.

Put the clothes into the drum, set your preferred wash program, wash, and you're done. This way, you will soften the fabrics and give them a beautiful scent, refresh the colour, disinfect, and remove residual detergents from the fabric.

The washing machine cleans our clothes, but it also requires cleaning. Otherwise, it may not clean fabrics thoroughly and might intensify unpleasant odours. At least once every three months, we should thoroughly scrub the drum, detergent drawer, washing machine door, and rubber parts.

At the end of the appliance cleaning, you should run a so-called "empty wash" (set to a high temperature) with one dishwasher tablet and 240 millilitres of vinegar to thoroughly clean all corners of the appliance.

Detergents will refresh the inside of the washing machine and remove all dirt, deposits, and mould. Additionally, the musty smell from hard-to-reach places will disappear, and most importantly, there will be no trace of limescale.