this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2025
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[–] Sturgist@lemmy.ca 22 points 3 days ago

It's worth noting that cat owners(at least, never had anything buts cats) should avoid certain essential oils, As our furry pals' little organs aren't equipped to process them, and they can easily be deadly!

@pseudo@jlai.lu, saw you mention essential oils too, just a PSA.

[–] PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee 40 points 3 days ago (3 children)

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 $$$. πŸ€¦β€β™€οΈ

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

Not only that, some people (including myself) are sensitive to the oils used. Having underwear that actively makes you itchy sucks. I switched to wool dryer balls and never looked back

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Fabric softener is great. Mix a bit with water and use it to clean your shower glass doors/walls. It removes limescale like a charm thanks to the anionic surfactants that are in there. And the Aldi store brand costs hardly anything.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 34 points 3 days ago (8 children)

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.

[–] Crozekiel@lemmy.zip 20 points 3 days ago (3 children)

I'm happy buying detergent honestly - it last a LONG time when you actually use the correct amount per load. I think the real crime is the "measuring caps" on liquid detergent basically tricking everyone into using WAY too much detergent. Most washers will recommend 1-2 tablespoons of detergent maximum for heavily soiled loads.. Most measuring caps are over that even at the first of several marks, and people rarely think they need the minimum (moar soap moar clean, right?) - so people tend to add 5-10 times the detergent they need.

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[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 42 points 4 days ago (5 children)

If only millennials bought more fabric softener instead of avocados and coffee they would be able to afford a house.

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[–] Hoimo@ani.social 37 points 4 days ago (2 children)

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.

[–] johker216@lemmy.world 22 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Some people will literally discard economies of scale just to be sanctimonious.

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[–] libra00@lemmy.world 91 points 4 days ago (42 children)

'Most millennials aren't buying enough of our shit and that's a HUGE PROBLEM that all of you definitely care about!'

That's some pretty useful advice in the comments tho. But also I'm 52 years old and have literally never used fabric softener in my life and have no idea what it's supposed to be for other than making companies like Proctor & Gamble even more money.

Also, another handy tip: 'lather, rinse, repeat' is bullshit, unless you have really thick or really oily hair and don't wash regularly, you don't need to wash it twice, the shampoo company just wants you to buy more. Same with fill marks in a washing machine, unless you're doing a huge load there's no reason to fill it all the way up.

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[–] dryfter@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago

Gen X here, I only use unscented dryer sheets because if I don't I will get shocked a lot. My apartment is great because the humidity is super low in the winter, but clothing hurts. Humidifier doesn't work because if I don't use distilled water everything gets a rust color on it. Also I'd be going through a gallon of distilled water a day. I can't afford that, but I sure as heck can afford a big box of unscented dryer sheets that solves my problem.

[–] rbos@lemmy.ca 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

I'm not convinced about the cost. A kilogram of borax seems to run about $10CAD. 2 cups, at 1.7g/CC, would be about 850g, so $7 just for the Borax. Unless there's a much cheaper place to get it...

A ~5L jug of Tide costs $31, or about $6/L. If they have approximately equivalent cleaning power per volume, Tide wins.

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[–] Halosheep@lemm.ee 51 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Yeah I'm not putting all that effort and potentially ruining my washing machine to save me a few cents per wash. That seems ridiculous.

You don't even have to buy the fancy, expensive, in a pod detergent or anything, considering they always contain the same stuff that comes in a box/bottle. Just buy whatever's cheap.

[–] theshoeshiner@lemmy.world 44 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Yea, making your own laundry detergent from grated soap and borax seems like something people with money do to convince themselves they're frugal. When in reality, there is no way in hell you're making a commodity cheaper than GreatValue (tm)

[–] MirthfulAlembic@lemmy.world 20 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Yeah, the cheap standard powder detergent would probably be less expensive. The volume you'd need to make to beat it is huge. Like, maybe five years' worth.

I am also laughing at making washing powder in the oven to save money. The amount you'd spend on electricity would put you in the red, unless you live in a petrostate with free electricity or something.

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[–] LinkOpensChest_wav@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Not just the effort, but by the time you buy all those ingredients, you're probably paying more than you would for normal laundry detergent.

And if you use Dr. Bronner's bar soap as recommended, you'll be paying out the ass.

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[–] TrojanRoomCoffeePot@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago (4 children)

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?

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 21 points 3 days ago (8 children)

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
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[–] Crozekiel@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] shy_bibliophile@lemmy.world 57 points 4 days ago (16 children)

You can just use white vinegar instead of fabric softener. It's significantly cheaper, can be used for other non-laundry things, eliminates odors, and doesn't gum up your washing machine with residue.

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[–] puchaczyk@lemmy.blahaj.zone 47 points 4 days ago (3 children)

I'm not sold on that homemade detergent. Soap tends to leave insoluble residue, especially when you have hard water. There is a reason why almost everything uses synthetic detergents (though it might also be because those are cheap).

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[–] woodenskewer@lemmy.world 38 points 4 days ago (4 children)

Hello electricians and safety nerds. Fabric softener removes the fire rating on fire rated clothing protecting you from arc flash hazards.

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[–] courageousstep@lemm.ee 45 points 4 days ago (4 children)

I’ve read that the homemade laundry soap is actually soap, not detergent, and that it will over time ruin your machine.

So, I’ve just continued buying laundry detergent and have just used a fraction of what the instructions advise. It’s worked for me. I don’t buy softener or sheets. Couldn’t afford it if I wanted to. But I do have oxyclean on hand only for when I’ve forgotten a load in the washer until it’s stinky or when I wash the dog bed covers or whatever.

[–] TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee 35 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yeah.... Especially if you have a high efficiency machine. Washing machines use a lot less water than back when these "recipes" were actually practical. So if you utilize shaved bar soap and borax, you're not only going to be leaving residue to build up in your machine, you're going to have it build up in your clothes as well.

Also, a lot of people are sensitive to borax. The reason they don't use it in regular detergent as an agitator is because it can cause rashes for a large percentage of the population.

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[–] drascus@sh.itjust.works 21 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This new generation can't do anything and spends money frivolously.... This generation is too stingy and resourceful.... Guys pick a damn lane.

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[–] llama@lemmy.zip 33 points 4 days ago

My favorite is the Tide Free and Clear commercial where the kid goes "look dad, it's just as clean but without any of the chemicals that harm me!" They're literally admitting their core product contains harmful chemicals yet people are still buying it!

[–] AlienContact2049@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 days ago

probably most everything is a scam if you look close enough.

[–] burgerpocalyse@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (5 children)

im ok with buying a container of laundry detergent every few months

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[–] pseudo@jlai.lu 9 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Fabric softener is sometime useful for very hard water. You don't have to buy it, though. You can use white vinegar to soften the water to actually soften the fabric mix in a big container one part white vinegar to one part sodium bicarbonate. Wait for it to stop foaming. Add four drops of essential oils per liter of mixture. Stir. Allow to rest a few hour before using. You can make big quantity ahead of time as long as your container is big enough for the big foam of the big batch.

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[–] buddascrayon@lemmy.world 22 points 4 days ago (6 children)

I don't know about needing to make your own detergent. But using dry detergent would be a drastic improvement in cost compared to what most people do because if you're buying liquid detergent, most of what you're buying is water.

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[–] arc@lemm.ee 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] BreadAndThread@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

12 bottles a year??? Lmfao exactly how much laundry you got? Assume a family of 4 does 3 loads a week (12 a month). A bottle of Snuggle fabric softener ($8) has roughly 112 rinse loads.

That's 112 rinse loads /12 wash loads a month = 9.3 months

2 bottles max a year at a whopping $16.

$16 x 50 years= $800

[–] thingAmaBob@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (15 children)

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.

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[–] macaw_dean_settle@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Wool balls do not work with synthetics.

[–] DempstersBox@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Synthetics are terrible anyway

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[–] HamstersAreLowCarb@lemmy.world 6 points 3 days ago (7 children)

Nobody's mentioend laundry detergent sheets yet? Super cheap. I buy the Poesie brand. 160 sheets in a box for $9.49. That's just under 6Β’ per load. For my two loads of laundry per week, a box lasts me a year and a half.

Bonus: the box takes up almost no space, 6" x 5" x 3".

Also, white vinegar is an awesome replacement for fabric softener!

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[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

All ot does is make the fabric soft? Are yall wearing potatoes sacks?

[–] CaptPretentious@lemmy.world 19 points 4 days ago (9 children)

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.

[–] sovereign@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 4 days ago (4 children)

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.

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