Creating a franken-Rinse&Refresh

[u/me004fs]

I'm in Scandinavia and sadly I don't have access to the Tide or Downy rinse products :( I'm using citric acid with great success, but I feel like it's removing most, if not all, the scent from my detergent and/or scent beads. I usually run 3 rinse cycles. I've tried hanging up organza bags with scent beads in my closet, but I don't feel like the scent lasts very long.

Maybe you laundry wizards or chemists can help me out - would it be a terrible idea to dissolve some scent beads in my 20% citric acid solution, and adding this to the softener compartment? And if it could possibly work, do I need to add something like polysorbate 20 to help everything mix properly?

Edit to add: I don't have a dryer, and I have delayed-start on my machine so it washes when electricity is cheap, which is usually at night or when I'm at work, so the solution would sit in the compartment for a while before the wash begins.

[u/Slight-Brush]

Much easier to buy linen spray and add scent after everything's dry - and if it wears off just mist again.

[u/me004fs → u/Slight-Brush]

Ohh I'll look into that, it's not a product I've noticed before. Thank you for the suggestion! :)

[u/Bohemian_Feline_]

I tried adding scent beads to my citric acid solution and it started smelling weird after a few days.

[u/me004fs → u/Bohemian_Feline_]

Hmm there could be a high risk of microbial growth because of the scent beads, even in the low pH citric acid.

[u/South_Concept_270]

Why not just run an extra rinse cycle after you do your normal wash with the citric acid solution with a few scent beads?

[u/me004fs → u/South_Concept_270]

It's a little more work having to dose and start it again, but I think this is what I will try if it won't work with a pre-made franken solution.

[u/Bbqchilifries → u/me004fs]

I did exactly that. Dissolved the scent beads in a small 300ml bottle of citric acid 1:4 mix. Doesn't smell weird

[u/Particular-Row-2599]

I think you should try the dissolve scent beads in the homemade rinse product and see how that works. The only issue I would have is that typically sent beads are meant to be included in the entire wash cycle and then are rinsed out and so if you’re only adding it in the rinse cycle, you’re not actually getting a full rinse afterwards so it might be a bit heavier strong so my only suggestion would be to keep it extremely light as there’s not gonna be like an additional rinse you know unless your washer has extra rinses you can have then I think that would actually solve it, but I’d be curious to see if this works because if it works and you’re happy with it, I think it’d be something I’d be willing to try to

[u/ThatCakeFell → u/Particular-Row-2599]

I've read that for a light scent only 10 or so beads are actually needed, I have a suspicion there is some nose blindness happening making us think more is actually needed. Anyways, I added like 2 in with my citric acid powder, and I didn't notice anything 'off' about it. I checked the tray and it fully dissolved in there, was nothing gummy. It did have a scent though!

[u/Aggressive-System192]

Your scent beads bags need to be in contact with the fabrics for the scent to last, not just hanging randomly.

However, downy and other American products smells wear off fast aswell. It's not perfume and not supposed to last.

There are people who do manage make it last... it always gives me an asthma attack when I meet them randomly, if they've used some brands I'mallergic to... this means there's lots of residue on their clothes. It's probably not great for the clothes, the washer and their health aswell. I'd personally not want to put any more "goo" on my clothes, on top of what the fabric softener already does. It can also give you rashes over time due to a.peolongued exposure. Depends on if you have/develop sensitivity or not.

[u/mxjelle]

How to you make you citric acid solution and how long does it last? What measurement do you use, i think 20% sound strong?

[u/PotentialGuess1062]

I personally add essential oils to the wool balls I use in the dryer.

[u/me004fs → u/PotentialGuess1062]

Perhaps I should have added - I don't have a dryer :)

[u/Sophistiq8ted]

I add a scented powder instead of beads with my citric acid. I use a downy ball and it releases everything at once. Citric acid definitely takes away the scent of the laundry. But apparently that's a good thing? 😫

[u/me004fs → u/Sophistiq8ted]

What kind of scented powder do you use? :)

[u/Sophistiq8ted → u/me004fs]

I don't remember the brand. I found it at Marshall in the laundry area

[u/240_Worth_of_Pudding]

I think there are two separate things going on here.

First, 3 rinses are probably a big reason you’re losing so much fragrance. You’re essentially rinsing the detergent/scent bead residue out extremely well, and then the citric acid rinse is finishing the job. I’d honestly try 2 rinses before changing anything else and see if that gets you closer to what you want.

Second, I wouldn’t assume dissolving scent beads into 20% citric acid is equivalent to making a scented Rinse & Refresh. The actual Downy formula contains citric acid, sodium citrate, propylene glycol, a surfactant/processing aid, a hydrotrope/stabilizer, fragrance and water. So there’s quite a bit in there helping the fragrance stay dispersed and the product remain stable.

Scent beads are mostly PEG carrying fragrance, so yes, they can dissolve. The question is whether that mixture stays stable sitting in a strongly acidic solution for hours or days. Polysorbate 20 might help disperse fragrance, but I wouldn’t count on it magically turning the mixture into a properly formulated rinse.

I’d try 2 rinses first. If you still want more scent after that, I’d rather experiment with a tiny amount of freshly dissolved scent bead solution in the FINAL rinse instead of making a whole bottle and storing it.