Do you use a fabric softener?

[kenny]

Just wondering.

Pick one.

Always
Often
Sometimes
Seldom
Never

 

[Maisie]

Often

 

[susimoo]

Always except with cashmere. HTH

 

[Maisie]

I hope you aren''t going to tell us something scary associated with fabric softener Kenny

 

[mrscushion]

Sometimes. I love the smell of it!

 

[yssie]

Never.



I hate the way liquid softener leaves white patches on clothes and the sheets wind up in the strangest places! FI doesn''t care for the smell.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Never. It''s just something else toxic to pour into the water course. Also (and I confess, more importantly) I detest the smell of them.

 

[kenny]

Date: 3/21/2010 5:00:51 PM
Author: Maisie
I hope you aren't going to tell us something scary associated with fabric softener Kenny

No, not at all.
I never use it.
I don't obsess but I just try to reduce unnecessary contact with chemicals; we get so much already.

 

[Kaleigh]

No. But do use a dryer sheet... Just bought the one you stick in your dryer and it lasts for months?? I'll be interested to see how it works, and how long it lasts. My kids are super into reducing our carbon foot print. Sustainablity and all that. I am learning, slowly but surely.

 

[packrat]

I used to but quit b/c I didn''t want to spend the extra money. I love the smell of Downy tho.

 

[mayerling]

always. except with wool.

 

[stepcutgirl]

Always, except on towels. Feeling a little guilty about that now...I didn''t even think about the chemicals in it.

 

[HopeDream]

never

+1 on the exposure to too many chemicals.

The laundry detergent/fabric softner aisle always gives me a headache

 

[April20]

Me: Always.

DH: Never. He calls it anti-absorption liquid.

 

[PumpkinPie]

Never

 

[Octavia]

Date: 3/21/2010 5:29:57 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
Never. It''s just something else toxic to pour into the water course. Also (and I confess, more importantly) I detest the smell of them.

I completely agree.

 

[JSM]

Occasionally/sometimes.

I used to always, but I''ve noticed clothes have tended to last longer without it. I do use it once in a while, when I know I will be hanging things to dry, as it tends to reduce wrinkles and I don''t own an iron (not that there would be any place to put one in this tiny apartment, we don''t even have a linen closet!).

 

[lulu]

I always did, but then there was a thread here about chemicals in products and the implication was that dryer sheets have toxic chemicals. So I quit using them and the strange thing is my life hasn''t changed at all. Go figure.

I had an uncle who would never take the used ones out of the dryer-he just kept adding new ones. When I was at his house I''d clean them out because it seemed like a fire hazard. But he wanted his money''s worth.

 

[perry]

Always on normal clothing

I use a liquid - no problems with dissolving, spotting, etc.

It virtually eliminates ironing - and keeps the undies & T-shirts soft.

It eliminates static cling.

I do favor a specific fragrance (the original for the brand I use) - I can''t stand some of the new ones.

Perry

 

[bebe]

I used to, but a few months ago, I stopped. It''s just another batch of chemicals in our water and rubbing on our skin.

 

[kittybean]

I never use liquid softener, but I do use dryer sheets for most stuff. Dryer sheets do not soften your towels, I''ve learned. My towels have been turning out much softer since I stopped using the sheets on them.

My experience with liquid softener: when I went to college, I hadn''t ever done my own laundry. We had a housekeeper who did it most of the time, and if she didn''t, my mom (a laundry wizard) did. I never thought to ask either of them what to do. At school, I experienced all the usual mishaps of first-time launderers--shrinkage, ruined delicates, a whole load of whites turning blue from a navy towel my roommate had left in the washer, etc. My mom came down for a visit, and I complained to her that my laundry doesn''t seem to ever get really clean. She was puzzled at first, but after looking around in the laundry room a bit, I heard her laugh and ask me, "What have you been using to wash your clothes?" I pointed to my bottle of detergent . . . which was actually liquid fabric softener. I had no idea there was such a thing, so I assumed everything in a bottle was detergent at the store, and this one smelled really good. Oops. My mom still giggles about it now.

 

[kenny]

IMHO towels with no FS, while less soft, absorb water better.

 

[White Orchid]

Date: 3/21/2010 8:32:22 PM
Author: kittybean
My experience with liquid softener: when I went to college, I hadn''t ever done my own laundry. We had a housekeeper who did it most of the time, and if she didn''t, my mom (a laundry wizard) did. I never thought to ask either of them what to do. At school, I experienced all the usual mishaps of first-time launderers--shrinkage, ruined delicates, a whole load of whites turning blue from a navy towel my roommate had left in the washer, etc. My mom came down for a visit, and I complained to her that my laundry doesn''t seem to ever get really clean. She was puzzled at first, but after looking around in the laundry room a bit, I heard her laugh and ask me, ''What have you been using to wash your clothes?'' I pointed to my bottle of detergent . . . which was actually liquid fabric softener. I had no idea there was such a thing, so I assumed everything in a bottle was detergent at the store, and this one smelled really good. Oops. My mom still giggles about it now.

Love this story!

I used to use dryer sheets all the time, but stopped after I read how environmentally unfriendly they are. My daughter has very sensitive skin so I try very hard to limit her exposure to chemicals and fragrances.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Yes, I do. I use detergent and softener made from plants not chemicals. 7th Generation makes a good one and now Kirkland (Costco) has their own line of enviormentally friendly laundry soap and softener.

 

[AprilBaby]

In the winter.

 

[perry]

I should have mentioned this before:

How much softner is needed depends a lot on the water you wash your cloths with.

A great many people have home water softners - which helps a lot.

The water where I live is only mildly hard - and I do not have a water softener. I''ve debated getting one for the laundry and the showers/bathtubs, but not only would I have to install the water softener I would have to redo a lot of plumbing to separate where the soft water went and where I don''t want it to go.

Have a great day,

Perry

 

[Imdanny]

Never. I think they stink. I can't stand them. (chemicals in my laundry- nooo

)

 

[jewelerman]

no

 

[decodelighted]

Not since I realized the dryer sheets can be harmful to cats. Our cats LOVE to thrash around in the clean laundry (despite my best efforts to stop them). And I was afraid they''d get a hold of wayward sheets in their nestlings.

More static cling this way. Gah.

 

[lyra]

Almost always, but never with towels.