- You Will Need:
- Fabric Softener
- Water
- Spray Bottle
Do you like to keep a bottle of the Downy Wrinkle Releaser spray around the house? It’s a handy product that you spray on clothing, smooth and stretch the material a little bit, let dry, and TA DA – the wrinkles will disappear! I’ve found this product to be quite handy on several occasions as a last minute fix for a wrinkled item that I don’t have time to iron.
The good news is you can make your own wrinkle releaser spray quickly and easily for very little cost. It’s simply a matter of adding a little bit of fabric softener to water. For every 1/3 cup of water you add 1 teaspoon of fabric softener. You can make as small or as large of a batch as you wish. You don’t need expensive fabric softener either. A bottle of fabric softener from the dollar store performs just as well in this homemade wrinkle releaser spray as the pricier brands.
To use your homemade wrinkle releaser, start with a wrinkled item
(here’s my wrinkled shirt) 
Spray the wrinkle releaser on the item (a spray bottle that has a mist setting works well). Stretch and smooth the item to release the wrinkles. As you can see in the picture, your item will have damp spots so you probably don’t want to immediately wear the item. It will need to set for about a half hour or so to let the dampness go away. That being said, I have been known to be impatient and put the item on anyway and sometimes your body heat will dry the item faster. {{ Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do }}
Once the item is dry, you have a nice smooth piece of clothing again with no wrinkles and no ironing!
The Downy Wrinkle Releaser comes in a 3 oz travel size and a 16.9 size which the recipe measurements below will duplicate nicely.
TRAVEL SIZE HOMEMADE WRINKLE RELEASER SPRAY
You Will Need:
-
1/3 cup water
-
1 teaspoon fabric softener
Combine the items in a small spray bottle and swirl them together to mix. To use, spray on clothing and stretch and smooth to release the wrinkles.
16 OZ SIZE HOMEMADE WRINKLE RELEASER SPRAY
You Will Need:
-
2 cups water
-
6 teaspoons fabric softener
Combine the items in a spray bottle of at least a 16 oz size and swirl them together to mix. To use, spray on clothing and stretch and smooth to release the wrinkles.
If you have any question when using this on a delicate fabric (such as silk), test it in a hidden area first.
This post is linked to The Gathering Spot
I'm Bev and I love to share ideas for living a more creative and resourceful lifestyle with homemade alternatives we can make for ourselves. 
The Stocked Kitchen: One Grocery List . . Endless Recipes
That is so great. I didn’t know you could do that! Thanks for sharing at The Gathering Spot!
I just made some of this and used it. I can’t decide if it’s easier than ironing or not. I had to get my wrinkly dress REALLY wet for it to get the wrinkles out, (I didn’t have to with the store bought kind) It took a long time for the dress to dry, so it ‘s not any faster. It smells nice, though
I want to make this because we use tons of Downey Wrinkle Release and it is very expensive. I make my own fabric softner as well so I assume that will work for your recipe?? Thanks!
I’ve haven’t tested it out myself, but I think the homemade fabric softener should work in this recipe too. If you give it a try, stop back and let us know how it worked!
I’ve done this for years & years. I especially like it for my couch.
This mixture would be a good way to freshen up a couch. Thanks for the idea!
I just made this and hope it works.
THANKS!
I hope you like this mixture too Rosa Marie! My experience was that it worked just as well as the store bought stuff.
I have used this for years, especially good when you forget to empty the dryer and the clothes are wrinkled, put in a wash cloth with this mixture on it and spray into the dryer and run it a few minutes, then take out the clothes and put on hangers and spray, stretch out and let dry, no ironing or wrinkles!!!
Great idea to spray this mixture on a cloth and use it as a dryer sheet. Will have to give that a try!
Have you noticed any spotting on the clothes after using this? I am a little scared to try it then discover spots.
Thanks!
No, I have not had a problem with spots. However you would not want to use this mixture on silk, for instance, or other materials that should not get wet.
Do you use regular tap water or does it need to be distilled? Thanks!
Nicole – either one works, but distilled or filtered water is always a great choice because it helps get rid of any things that might grow mold or bacteria if it sits for a long time. If you have distilled or filtered water available, that would be the preferred choice.
Love it, love it! I just kept the actual empty bottle of Wrinkle Release and wrote your recipe with a Sharpie marker on the back Ü
I ran out of mine a while back and meant to search for a mock recipe for it….so THANK YOU!
Dollar General store has a generic version that works great as well and is much less expensive than the
Downy version. Ive used it for years. I may try this just to be able to have the “smell” i want. After you spray your garment, use the blow dryer for a quick fix. still faster than setting up the ironing board and iron if its not already out.
I love the blow dryer idea! That would certainly help dry the garment faster which means you could put it on and start wearing it sooner too.
I travelled for 35 years. I also hate to iron so when i pulled my clothes out of my suitcase I have been using the Downy wrinkle release and placing my clothes in the shower to steam. Thanks for the ‘recipe’ to replace the Downy spray. When I read this it was ‘duh’ moment for me. Thank You!
Dollar General brand is only $1.75 and the bottle is twice the size of the Downy Wrinkle Releaser. Been using it for years and a bottle usually last us about two maybe three months.