... to be losing the plot with fabric conditioner?

[purplelass]

Why does everyone's laundry smell so much nicer than mine?!

I give fabric conditioners a good sniff in the supermarket but when I used them on my clothes, they just smell blah... what ones genuinely smell nice and last a while?

I can't wait to be able to put my clothes on the line - that's the smell I'm after when I'm having to dry indoors but just can't seem to do it!

It took me ages to figure out how to get clothes to smell nice. I found comfort intense, a long wash rather than quick wash and then in the tumble dryer works wonders

Yes yes we know, some people dislike fabric softener. But we like it, so it would be nice if people didn't come into a thread about it just to slag it off!

When I lived in the UK I found bold 2 in 1 with vinegar in place of conditioner also smelled nice. You shouldn't use fabric softener on absorbent things because it coats them and stops them working. This can also cause a build up in some fabrics which causes them to smell stale.

If your drawer is draining it's worth checking if the little gate thingy is set correctly.

Yes yes we know, some people dislike fabric softener. But we like it, so it would be nice if people didn't come into a thread about it just to slag it off!

Thank you! I couldn't think of a nice way of saying it, but this was just what I was thinking!

I used to use fabric conditioner. Just a small amount of unscented stuff because I lived in a very hard water area and even tumble dried clothes came out scratchy without it.

Not used it since moving to a soft water area and in 3 months of having a new washing machine have had no sign of the nasty black mould that made my old washer smell so stale. Most of my washing is done with fax powder and comes out smelling nice and clean and fresh (and not heavily perfumed because I wouldn't be able to wear it if it was)

Fax = Daz

My kitchen is tiny and the washing machine blocks the door if it's wide open. I leave it just ajar so it looks closed but the lock isn't engaged so it keeps it slightly open. Seems to be enough airflow as you're really just wanting to let residual moisture escape rather than it being watertight, that's what causes the mildew build up.

This stuff. There's other scents but I have this one and it's lovely
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/299196160

purple you said your clothes smell nicer when dried outside - what kind of airer do you have and which room are you drying them in? I have found varying this brings different results, and not overloading the airer. Most of the airers you get in the UK (or used to be able to get) are really rubbish, those tiny "gate" type ones or the ones which look like 3 stacked Xs are no use because the clothing all drapes over each other and there's no airflow. You need a Euro-style airer like the Minky ones from Argos or the ones they sell at Ikea. I found the Tower type are best for combination of drying space + small footprint if you're short on space but there's also the wider, lower ones which can fit quite a lot on too (I think they are designed for balconies really). Some MNers also swear by heated ones, I didn't find the heat was necessary as long as the clothes are sufficiently spread out.

I use washing powder straight in the back of the drum, wash my clothes with just the powder then when it's finished put fabric conditioner in and do a rinse and spin which on my machine is just 18 minutes extra but clothes smell lovely as FC isn't all washed away in main wash