Do I NEED fabric conditioner?

BitterAndTwisted

Eh, if your socks come out like cardboard that suggest to me that either you're not washing them at a high enough temperature or not rinsing well. To my mind, stiff socks are dirty socks.

I quite like the scent of some fabric conditioners but draw the line on being able to smell the clothes at fifty paces. One of my work-colleague's clothes reeks of it and it can give me a headache

Ravenshade

I see a lot of people mentioning that Fabric Conditioner is Toxic.

...Captain Obvious strikes again. Fabric Conditioner is not meant to be consumed...neither is Washing powder. Yet still, Borax has been banned because some idiot kept eating the stuff. -_-;

Provided that you follow the instructions on the bottle, there should be no skin irritation or toxicity that would kill/poison you. You 'could' drink a diluted capful of concentrated lenor and be perfectly fine...perhaps you might vomit it up and you 'might' get a stomach ache. It's very unlikely to kill you.

On the other hand it's probably not advisable to use it to water the plants either. But again, Captain Obvious.

Don't be scared of using chemicals because they might be toxic just use them sensibly. Did you know that 'oxygen' can be toxic to you?

http://chemistry.about.com/od/toxicchemicals/f/What-Is-A-Toxic-Chemical.htm

Still scared about toxins? Feel free to stop breathing to avoid them all.

---

Rant end.

No you don't 'need' Fabric conditioner, much like how you don't 'need' conditioner for your hair. A conditioner is there to make something look/feel it's best. The detergent is there to make the item as good as it can be.

Look at the recipes and ask yourself, "Why do I need this chemical in there, what does it do" and eventually you'll understand what Fabric Conditioner does.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I don't usually use it unless I'm washing jumpers. Everything else feels cleaner just washed as it is - I can remember the days of living in a flat and drying stuff on radiators - and it starting to smell before it dried.

If I use it, I use Ecover's one, so as I start to dry things outside again for the rest of the season, it won't distract butterflies (friend used to complain that her washing was always covered with butterfly eggs in summer if she tried to dry it outside - it was the scent attracting them).


Most of the time, you've spent ages trying to get the smell of perfume and oils off the clothes, then you spend money to put oils and perfume back on again. That doesn't make sense to me.

Edwardia

In March 2012 husband and I started eating organic food and that has led us to want to lessen the amount of chemicals in our life so I switched to buying Ecover and Bentley Organics cleaning products (not cheap !).

When I lived in Canada we used Arm & Hammer washing soda, which can be difficult to get hold of, here and quite expensive. I bought DP soda crystals recently and watching their tips videos I came across the idea of white vinegar as fabric conditioner. As we don't wear man-made fibres, we don't have to worry about static. I've been doing that since I started choosing own clothes at about 12/13.

http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/tip-videos.html#.UWwv7solLNO

We have been using Chef's Larder distilled malt vinegar in 5L containers, to clean old floorboards and it works brilliantly. It is really pungent, but doesn't smell of malt and is completely clear.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chefs-larder-distilled-vinegar-5L/dp/B0091K2XCS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_d_49

Does anyone know please whether white vinegar is a particular kind of vinegar or just a generic term for clear vinegar ? Could I use the clear distilled malt vinegar do you think ??

Re: fabric conditioner smell.. Ecover 'Under the Sun' is nowhere near as inyerface as some of those tropical smelly stuff.. smells like loo cleaner to me urgh.

Cheapest I have found it is at Wilkinson
http://www.wilko.com/laundry/ecover-fabric-conditioner-under-the-sun-750ml/invt/0316996

I watched a segment on a show with Dr Mehmet Oz about scalp massages. I find that if I give myself one once a week with organic olive oil (bought when 50% off in Morrisons) it keeps my hair as glossy as if I had used conditioner, for at least two washes. So I'm only buying organic shampoo now.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Edwardia wrote: »

In March 2012 husband and I started eating organic food and that has led us to want to lessen the amount of chemicals in our life so I switched to buying Ecover and Bentley Organics cleaning products (not cheap !).

When I lived in Canada we used Arm & Hammer washing soda, which can be difficult to get hold of, here and quite expensive. I bought DP soda crystals recently and watching their tips videos I came across the idea of white vinegar as fabric conditioner. As we don't wear man-made fibres, we don't have to worry about static. I've been doing that since I started choosing own clothes at about 12/13.

http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/tip-videos.html#.UWwv7solLNO

We have been using Chef's Larder distilled malt vinegar in 5L containers, to clean old floorboards and it works brilliantly. It is really pungent, but doesn't smell of malt and is completely clear.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chefs-larder-distilled-vinegar-5L/dp/B0091K2XCS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_d_49

Does anyone know please whether white vinegar is a particular kind of vinegar or just a generic term for clear vinegar ? Could I use the clear distilled malt vinegar do you think ??

Re: fabric conditioner smell.. Ecover 'Under the Sun' is nowhere near as inyerface as some of those tropical smelly stuff.. smells like loo cleaner to me urgh.

Cheapest I have found it is at Wilkinson
http://www.wilko.com/laundry/ecover-fabric-conditioner-under-the-sun-750ml/invt/0316996

I watched a segment on a show with Dr Mehmet Oz about scalp massages. I find that if I give myself one once a week with organic olive oil (bought when 50% off in Morrisons) it keeps my hair as glossy as if I had used conditioner, for at least two washes. So I'm only buying organic shampoo now.

Other than the thought that Oz the Quack could have actually said something not cynically inaccurate, designed to flog some snakeoil and potentially harmful :eek:, thanks!

LameWolf

I don't use fabric conditioner because: 1. I'm too mean with the household budget to buy something non-essential and 2. my DH doesn't like his clothes smelling "girly" (his word).:o

Out,_Vile_Jelly

I stopped using fabric softener a couple of years ago and didn't notice the difference.

Re vinegar in your washing machine- sorry for the thick question, but what vinegar do people mean and would it be in the food or cleaning section of the supermarket? I never buy it except in salt n vinegar crisp form.

madmary_2

I have never ever used fabric conditioner. It just wouldn't occur to me, although I have never lived in a hard water area as an adult.

Out, Vile Jelly, white vinegar is available in the condiments section of a supermarket (you can use brown) but you can get it in bulk either on line or at eg an Asian supermarket.

Mary

sweetilemon

I generally try to buy the 2 in 1 washing liquids ( squeezy bottles with the measuring cap on top). Now and again I buy fabric conditioner but not often. It does smell nice but so does the washing liquid. I use napisan in white washes though.

tracendaz

We stopped using FC when a washing machine engineer told us that it caused the black greasy mould which formed around the rubber seal inside the door. Our new machine is now about a year old, never seen FC and has no mould at all.

We had always assumed that the black gunk was grease from the missus washing horse tack items in a bag in the washing machine, but no, it seems to have been the FC.