Cool things deserve to be shared

Have you heard of Toms Shoes? I think that the name sounds a bit like a small shoe store located in the downtown of a small Midwestern town, but it is not! Tom's Shoes is a great company that sells...shoes. But that is not all! For every pair of shoes purchased, Toms Shoes gives a pair to a child in need in the third world. The shoes are purposely distinct in appearance because they are designed for comfort and long-term wear, not style. I like them a lot! I have noticed that they are really becoming popular among college students and young hippie types. :) Here is a picture.

Did you know you can make your own dryer sheets? I should really start by asking a different question. Did you know dryer sheets are really made of flimsy, thin pieces of fabric? Crazy! "But Carrie," you say, "why should I make my own dryer sheets when the box from Wal-mart is working just fine?" Well my friend, you can save a lot of money by making your own sheets at home; and you won't be putting a lot of dryer sheets into your garbage can either!

Here is how:

Directions for Homemade Dryer Sheets:

1. Grab scrap fabric or old cloth napkins (come on, do we really use them anyway?) or washcloths. You can make as many as you want, but you really only need two or three.

2. If you used scrap fabric you can either leave the edges un-hemed, or hem them. Un-hemed they will eventually fray a bit, but if that doesn't bother you, it is just fine!

3. Now comes the fun part! Go to the store and pick out your favorite fabric softener, but this time, buy the liquid version.

4. Using an old (and well marked) spray bottle and dilute the fabric softener with water. The solution should be 1/1.

5. Take your new "dryer sheets" and give them a good spray down with the softener. You can spray them all at once and keep them in a Tupperware container until use, or you can spray them just before you put them in the dryer.

Variation:

Instead of the spray bottle, soak the "dryer sheets" in either the 1/1 solution or the full-strength softener and let them get fully saturated. Hang them to dry. You can then use this dryer sheet for 2 or 3 cycles rather than just one!

Important:

Every 3 or 4 loads you should send your dryer sheets through the wash cycle too so they don't get any sort of gummy build-up.

I have heard that people save a LOT of money using these homemade dryer sheets; and it helps the environment too!

You can even make your own fabric softener if you want! Here is one that sounds great, but I have not tried it yet. People swear by this!

Ingredients for Fabric Softener:
3 cups distilled white vinegar

2 cups hair conditioner (get a cheap good smelling one)

6 cups water

Directions:

1. Mix together and store in an air-tight container.

2. If you want a spray-on to use with the dryer sheets, add equal parts water and put it in a spray bottle.

I'm planning on trying this out soon, so I will try to remember to update you on how it works. Let me know if you try it!