What Does Fabric Conditioner Do? And Should I Use It?
I hear people on the internet recommend to not use Fabric Conditioner in their laundry to save the durability of the clothes. In my country, it was the norm to use Fabric Conditioner during laundry so I was at a lost.
Is it actually necessary?
Products like “Downy” and “Bounce”(in the US) add fragrance and a waxy coating to clothing to make it smell good and feel softer. Some people think the wax makes towels and washcloths less absorbent. Some also have said that the product builds up on clothing over time.
Found the Big Dryer Sheet guy! (/j)
but, seriously, the only people that don’t say that are the people making the dryer sheets… and they’re really not going to tell you not to use their product.
wax, historically, was used to weatherproof clothing prior to modern synthetics. It’s hydrophobic, meaning that it repels (or is repelled by,) water. applying that to a towel will absolutely make it less absorbent (and therefore suck at it’s job.)
And the wax can build up in the washer causing all sorts of issues, particularly in front loaders
I use vinegar instead
Same with great results! Especially if you have hard water.
Adds a great scent, too! I don’t need it though because the bacteria living on my feet already make plenty.
I do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets. I don’t need more chemicals or scents in my life.
If things have static after the dryer I rub then with a metal hanger.
I also use laundry powder. Hard to find but I found it at Costco business. No need to truck water all over hell when my machine adds water first thing.
I guess my next question would be about dryer sheets? why do we use them? why do we not need them?
Same reasons as laundry conditioner with the added benefit of removing static from clothing that’s been run through a clothes dryer.
This matches my understanding. Dryer sheets are fabric softener that works in your dryer and they also reduce static electricity.
You can remove static electricity from clothes via contact with bare metal. I use a metal clothes hanger because it is a convienient shape/size but any metal will work. I thought about removing paint from the front of my dryer and rubbing clothes on that. Or use bare electrical wire which you could connect to ground in an outlet.
Powder is mostly filler though
I don’t think any of that is necessary. I was using hypoallergenic dryer sheets and found they temporarily plug up washcloths and towels, so they are way less absorbent. I bought a 6 pack of wool balls, and they don’t get everything as soft, but they do a decent job. With the balls, absorbency is back and no static cling. Buy one time.
We did exactly the same thing for the same reason.
Personal preference really. I don’t with soft water in Scotland. And generally wash at 40, air dry (dehumidifier a must for a family), and don’t iron. Using a non-bio powder. I also add a colour catcher though, which keeps those black metals blacker
This is a pretty good summary:
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/what-is-fabric-softener-do-you-actually-need-it/100370322
Without it, my socks wear through very quickly.
