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It’s worth wondering how much fabric softener would cost someone over their adult lifetime as an exercise. Let’s say 50 years of adulthood, and 12 bottles a year costing $10 each. That’s six grand. For something that serves no functional purpose, makes towels less effective and has an environmental impact.
So yes it’s a scam. If someone really needs to use fabric softener, at least buy a cheaper supermarket brand and use it sparingly.
Been using a set of wool dryer balls from Trader Joe’s for years. Haven’t had to use fabric softener at all.
It’s worse. Fabric softener is composed of an anti static oil. When you run it in the laundry, it coats all of your clothes with a very thin layer of oil.
Which is why towels dried with fabric softener and dryer sheets don’t absorb water anywhere near as well as plain towels dried without it!!
My mom complained to me for years that I wasn’t “doing it right” by not using fabric softener. But her towels are useless compared to mine! She continues to spends $100/ year on fabric softener while on social security. Over the year she has spent thousands and thousands of $$$. 🤦♀️
That homemade laundry soap made with bar soap would be a nightmare in hard water. I don’t even want to think about soap scum in the drains and in my clothes.
I just use the smallest amount of detergent I can get out of the bottle, that works well. And don’t wash a garment after wearing it once if it’s not underwear. Invested in a lot of Merino stuff which manages to be comfortable even here in Florida and doesn’t stink ever. I can wear those shirts and just hang them back up.
probably most everything is a scam if you look close enough.
It also makes the clothes extremely flammable.
Honestly at a loss here. The title references fabric softener, but the content relates more specifically to DIY laundry detergent while only mentioning that softener makes clothes more vulnerable to wear & tear. What’s the nitty-gritty on the fabric softener? Does it actually damage clothing in some way?
As geek analogy, is it like the subatomic bacteria that starts destroying the Klingon ship in Star Trek: the Next Generation S2E8’s “A Matter Of Honor”, or does it just make the material more susceptible to tearing?
https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/how-do-fabric-softeners-work.html
It was created so that when you dried clothes outside (especially cotton) they didn’t get crunchy. The fibers tend to freeze an interlock microscopically when they dry. It coats the fibers and makes them not stick together.
When mechanical dryers became the norm, they needed a new reason, so the called out static. And in some climates, dryer static can be a bit of a pain. Dryer balls supposedly help with this, but I can’t find any reasonable data to back that up, and that’s just the kind of thing we’re confirmation bias over.
Softener can/will build up on the fabric. It can discolor bright whites.
I think the worst of it is:
- if you use it on towels or anything meant to absorb water, it seriously dampens that ability
- it builds up in the nooks and crannies of the washer and it’s hard to clean off,
- it’s expensive
- for mechanical drying in moderate climates, it does little more than add smell.
- some people have allergenic reactions to it
Dryer balls supposedly help with this
From what I’ve heard, dryer balls help the drying process by warming up faster than the wet clothes and drying from inside the pile. And even if that turns out to have been misinformation, I’m not too annoyed by it because it’s a single low-cost expense whereas dryer sheets are consumables
Just the sort of information that I was after, thank you.
I worked in appliances for about ten years, and not a single washer manufacturer would actually recommend using fabric softener. It horribly gums up the workings of the machine, even when you use the tiny amount you are actually supposed to (which most people use way too much). They are (or were originally) basically just animal fats and emulsifiers with some fragrance thrown in. They smell awful when they are left stuck somewhere for a long time (like the outer walls of the inner tub of your washing machine - seriously, it probably looks furry if you opened it up to see).
I can’t speak to what it does to your clothes specifically, but I can imagine several downsides to essentially coating fabric in lavender scented industrial mayonnaise.
Asking because I honestly don’t know, for the laundry detergent recipe, does it matter that I was always told to get HE detergent? I was under the impression that the soap for “high efficiency” washers was different somehow than normal soap. I am ready to admit I was conned by the detergent industry and this is just marketing speak, but I also don’t want to fuck up my washer, it cost a lot of money I don’t have to replace it.
If only millennials bought more fabric softener instead of avocados and coffee they would be able to afford a house.
I propose we start calling it fabric lotion. Maybe the disgust with that mental imagery will shut down this worthless product.
they would be able to afford a house
How much avocadoes for a house?
And you forgot the /s.
At the current rate? Depending on where you live, 3-10.
There’s always avocados in the banana stand!
Don’t need the /s on here, all the idiots are still on reddit
Stubby used too much fabric softener on his jpeg.
I can’t imagine baking baking soda in an oven is cheaper than just buying washing soda? They’re both sold in similar size bags (1kg) for similar prices in my area (€9-€10). Seems like a waste of energy to buy the wrong type of carbonate.
Some people will literally discard economies of scale just to be sanctimonious.
The amount at Costco is about 5lbs, so that is more than the 2.2lbs y’all are talking about.
It might depend on the size of the household, and the volume produced at any one time. If you make a gigantic batch that will last 1+ year(s), it might be a cost-saver, but who knows?
Haven’t used it for years
All ot does is make the fabric soft? Are yall wearing potatoes sacks?
Having softener does not soften fabric. It’s basically just liquid perfume for your clothes. It also shortens the lifespan of your clothes by destroying them.
It does in fact soften fabric. I use it for blankets to keep them in that nice smooth state. Yes it increases ware but the enjoyment of the blankets is enhanced dramatically imo.
I have a bottle of lavender fabric softener I’ve had for probably 7 years. I use it on blankets and sometimes sheets because I like the smell of this one. Everything else I use is unscented.
I wash the blankets like once or twice a year unless a cat barfs on it. Then it gets washed again.
A couple times a year I have static problems. I have a box of dryer sheets that are also at least 7 years old. I reuse them too for multiple loads. Don’t use them for months, get zapped multiple times, throw in dryer sheet, run on low/no heat for 10 minutes, less static electrocution and can fold laundry with less cursing.
Also if you want to wear something straight out of the dryer that is so full of static electricity it’s sticking to you and turning you into a wizard, zapping everything you touch… a light mist of water helps. Not a drenching. It should dry fast. Also works on hair.
Dramatically lol ok buddy Do you sleep in burlap sacks?
I’ve never really used it, and TBH I’m not at all sure how it shortens the lifespan of the clothes. Was I mistaken in thinking it was just some kind of smelly lilac-scented laundry accessory that makes heavy cotton more cushy? I don’t understand what it could do to damage the fabric.
At least some materials like those in some training clothes don’t like softeners enough that the washing tag explicitly says that you shouldn’t use it.
Interesting that, I’ve never owned many synthetics but will keep this in mind.
Lol but detergent can have scent.
Didn’t know it wares clothes. Best avoid them. Value it adds seems counter intuitive unless it removes thrift store smell.
It depends on the fabric. Like, it makes towels less absorbent, most sports wear hates it (tags generally say not to use fabric softener), it leaves a residue on stuff, blah blah blah.
For any smells, use vinegar. Using vinegar is just a good idea. Do a wash with regular soap, and then an extra rinse cycle (or full cycle, based on need) where it’s just vinegar. You don’t need a lot. Vinegar will help clear out smells, it’ll help break down the buildup of soap and softener that’s probably in the machine (which can add to the fun smells, and can mold).
My towels are so thirsty, I could throw one in the Atlantic ocean and it would just be a puddle afterwards, it’s fantastic. Just a regular wash and then an extra rinse like I stated, and no dryer sheets in the drier, I use some wool balls I got. The main thing to not get shocked, is to not over dry in the drier.
If detergent doesn’t remove your “thrift store smell,” you may want to change thrift stores.
We got hand me down clothes from some friends, and they used febreeze on everything. I aired it outside for a month and washed it 5 times with citrus degreaser - the scent never came out.
Nasty stuff
Im shopping at thrift stores…I don’t have much options. I hate the smell it never fully goes anyway. Decaying fabric i think.
Borax gives me rashes, but I’ve used laundry bar soap or just the super sensitive skin liquid stuff. I use vinegar instead of name brand fabric softener because it’s cheaper and the other stuff gives me a rash. Nearly all of the store bought laundry stuff gives me rashes.
You have to really make sure borax is fully rinsed out or it can leave some residue as well. But, it can be extraordinarily effective at cleaning clothes, particularly if you 1) fully dissolve it in water prior (use boiling) and 2) soak for at least an hour.
Borax is also effective at killing mold. But, like you innormally stock with vinegar. Gets rid bacteria, viruses and mold too.
Btw, washing your shower curtain with vinegar prevents it from getting moldy. And no, it doesn’t smell.
It does smell, but only until it dries
I’ve found baby washing detergent to be exactly what I ever wanted, no perfume, no nothing, and it’s sensitive. And if you’re wondering if it gets shit cleaned, you can wash diapers with it. This stuff is not made by babies but for them.
Doesn’t that make your clothes smell like vinegar?
Nope. The volatiles that make vinegar smell like, well, vinegar, are pretty dang volatile. Plus you’re diluting it with a bunch of water, plus you’re running it through the dryer which further drives off the vinegar-smelling volatiles. In the end you’re just left with fresh, clean-smelling laundry.
Neat. Are we talking cleaning vinegar or the food-grade stuff sold in smaller quantities?
Edit: thanks for the clarification, everyone.
Just standard white vinegar sold in regular grocery stores. I use cheap food grade vinegar.
At our grocery stores you can buy a gallon of food grade white vinegar. Works great. I think it undoes old fabric softener on towels so they absorb better. But I have no empirical proof. No vinegar smells after it dries. I can smell it while it washes in the washer.
I just use food grade stuff for myself. Mostly because I can only get the cleaning vinegar in large jugs where I am. It works perfectly.
Good to know, thanks for the info.
I think balsamic vinegar works best.
No, I use it during the rinse cycle and it’s fine.
This new generation can’t do anything and spends money frivolously… This generation is too stingy and resourceful… Guys pick a damn lane.
They can’t afford fabric softener or washing detergents to clean those avocado stains.
