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?

I love it and love the smell. Blue Lenor all the way!

Not for me, yes for my DD.

Harsher clothes irritate her skin more than using fabric softener.

I started using it particularly when washing fleeces to try and cut down how much microplastic I was producing. I'm trying to now only buy natural fibres when I need to replace something but I still have a lot of synthetic clothes, I reasoned it was better to wash with fabric softener and wear it out rather than replacing everything straight away.

No it just smells lovely. I use double what it suggests.

Never used it. I think it smells horrible and gives stuff a rather slimy feel.

Yea makes the clothes smell nice

Nope. More plastic bottles which I dont need and clothes are fine without it

I don't use it anymore, and haven't noticed a difference. Our water isn't particularly soft, either. My DM overuses the stuff - my DSis and her DS were staying at DM's once and couldn't get to sleep as the smell from the over-conditioned bedding was so strong.

I love my fabric conditioner!
I am not sure what do people mean when they say it causes too much waste?
I buy giant bottle of concentrated stuff and it lasts for ages.

Never use it, can see the point.

My DD does though, and every time she comes to my house or I go to hers I can smell it for hours afterwards; but then I can stand smelly things like scented candles, and the, badly misnamed, 'air fresheners', so I'm probably not the manufacturers' target market.

I also don't like the way it makes towels smooth rather than absorbent.

I don’t use it. I think it makes laundry feel waxy.

I absolutely love the smell of it so I use it. It’s one of my favourite smells.

I've never used it since I came out in hives when my mum bought some when I wasca teenager. She kindly did some washing for us a few months ago and absent mindedly put fabric softener in with it and I had a massive reaction to it.

I think Yorkshire has hard water but our clothes seem soft enough. We don't have a tumble dryer either.

*twice I've written can in my pp when I meant can't; makes no sense

I use it on my clothes as I don't have a tumble and I don't like the feel of fabric without it. But I'd never use it on towels, flannels, nappies, anything that needs to be absorbent. (Not on coats or swimming gear either!)

Love fabric conditioner, makes everything smell really fresh.

I use it because I like the smell, I am in a hard water area and don't want cardboard clothes, and it makes ironing easier!

No, it's evil stuff. Not good for most sportswear and leaves your clothes coated in chemicals. Avoid in eczema.

They're bad for the environment too - they don't degrade easily and can be toxic to marine and aquatic life.

We never use it despite being in a very hard water area, none of us mind crunchy towels and the clothes feel fine too, in fact on the odd occasion we've had stuff washed by DPIL who do use it, the clothes have felt weirdly floppy. I also hate laundry fragrance - we use Aldi washing powder as its cheap and leaves virtually no scent on the laundry.

No.

I don’t like the smell of it.

I don’t like the soft slippery/slimy feel it gives to clothes.

I don’t like the idea of using more plastic and chemicals than necessary.

I don’t like spending money on it.

It comes in big bottles that are a nuisance to store.

My moth used it.

I gave it up some time ago because it made me itch - even the sensitive and eco friendly ones. Don't miss it at all.

Use unscented fabric conditioner on clothes as am in a hard water area and we don’t have a tumble drier. Even after ironing, the fabric can still feel rough without it. And ironing doesn’t solve the problem for non-iron clothes like underwear and socks etc.

I do like rough towels though.