Is fabric softener really necessary?

[Figmentofmyimagination]

I ran out last week and nobody seemed to notice. I must get through a bottle a month - all that plastic and chemicals - what difference does it actually make apart from changing the smell?

God, it's like drying myself with a stale Ryvita if I don't use fabric softener on my towels.

Yes!! I hate it when people have stiff/dry towels.

If you don't want to use fabric conditioner and you get towels the texture of sandpaper... Brushing the towels returns them to softness. I rub one bit of towel on another.

Yes it is a hassle but don't like fabric conditioner.

And it is only the old towels that get like that

I use much less powder than recommended with a dessert spoon of soda crystals - no Ryvita towels, no horrid fabric conditioner smell either.

My towels are fine when they've been in the dryer, but I did make the mistake of putting them outside to dry once

I stoped using Comfort pure a few years ago. I did consider buying it again when I bought a new washing machine and at the same time bought cheap washing tablets from Aldi. Clothes came out clean but stiff (not soft). Changed back to branded detergent and clothes nice and soft again.
Since buying the new washing machine I use a limescale tablet in every wash.

I was told during a talk about ocean plastics pollution that fabric conditioner was a good way of reducing tiny plastic fragments washing off clothes and eventually into the sea.

Lot of clothes now have plastic in them and on them. Tiny plastic fragments are more harmful to the environment than the large plastic bottle that fabric conditioner comes in, and you can use an eco-friendly brand.

I stopped when Dd was born as that seemed to be the advice for newborns, and then both she and Ds have eczema so we haven't gone back to it.

I keep a bottle of Ecover handy as sometimes I want to pop some in with our towels, or recently bought cheap bedding for DS and it was so scratchy.

I had always used it just due to habit but ran out once about 3/4 years ago, found there was absolutely zero difference in our laundry and just never bothered to buy it again.

I'm in a soft water area. I do tumble dry towels to keep them soft but everything else is absolutely fine just line dried or on the airer. Neither DH or DC have ever noticed the difference either! All that money for nothing for years

I never use it, it makes the washing smell horrible and you are not meant to use it on towels anyway. I like mine crunchy and effective.

I live in a hard water area and end up with really stiff laundry without it. Never used it when I lived in a soft water area.

I use it for shirts/skirts only as it makes them less wrinkly and i try to avoid ironing if possible. Never on towels or PE gear. I like crunchy towels

Hard water area, and I never use it. Full of nasty chemicals that go into the water system. You can use white vinegar instead.

No. Most contain tallow and I don’t fancy my clothes soaked in rendered animal fat. Also, some of them smell incredibly strong and overpowering.

They’re unnecessary. Just another marketing ploy to make us spend money on stuff we don’t need.

I'm London so pretty hard water and it's not necessary at all. I stopped using it about 6 months ago and have noticed absolutely zero difference on clothes or towels, tumble dried or not.

It's just a waste of money!

You also really shouldn't use it on towels - it reduces their absorbancy.

I LOVE the smell of Comfort Luxurious fabric softener so use it all the time (apart from on more 'technical' gym kit). But I live in a hard water area, don't have a tumble dryer and can't stand hard/scratchy fabrics. How fabric feels on my skin is really important to me. It's one of life's small pleasures.

No one should be using it on towels!! Massively reduces their absorbency.

We stopped using it on other things years ago and have noticed no difference.

I only use it for wools and fleeces.

Not using it on towels - we always have and we still go to bed/work dry. They don't stop working

rubbishrobot

That’s interesting - I’d not heard that - it suggests in this bbc link that some fabric softeners can help to reduce friction - is that a justification for the waste they cause though? www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-45770358

If you use white vinegar, are you putting it in the fabric softener drawer? How much? Does it help with limescale?

I use it for the same reason I use conditioner on my hair - softens, makes things easier to flatten out and leaves a pleasant fragrance.

I live in a hardwater area so have to use something but white vinegar does the job just fine :)

I put a scientific glug of white vinegar in the fabric conditioner drawer. I've never had limescale problems with my washing machine despite having them with my kettle so I guess it is doing something on that front

I'm in a hard water area, never used it, and really loathe the smell.