Do I NEED fabric conditioner?

anotheruser

An interesting topic.
I did buy a number of bottles of the Comfort version ages ago which lasted for years but now have the Asda Smart Price version.
I use Asda washing powder, of which the Moonflower and Yulang Yulang is supposed to be 2 in 1 but I see no difference between them.

I suppose thinking about it, the washing machine does need a bit more cleaning in the drawer but I find towels dry very stiff without FC. I like mine to be soft.
Maybe I just need new towels!

Vote Now - What Type of Cleaning Product Do You Use?

BitterAndTwisted

No, you just need a bit of vinegar in the final rinse. Cheap as chips but not as cheap as a hard frost

Augustus_the_Strong

No, you don't need it. We live in a hard water area, & there's no problem. It's not good for a lot of things anyway (eg technical base layers). Washing liquid/powder has enough perfume in it anyway. I don't have a tumble-dryer though - maybe conditioner would reduce the static from that.

Augustus_the_Strong

anotheruser wrote: »

I find towels dry very stiff without FC. I like mine to be soft.
Maybe I just need new towels!

I'd say definitely don't use fabric softener on towels - it stops them drying properly. Apparently you can use Comfort fabric softener to improve the DWR (water repellency) on a waterproof jacket, but that's not what I'm looking for in a towel!

mopsy57

I haven't used fabric conditioner in years after I saw the black gunk it leaves in the dispenser! I live in a semi-hard water area and mostly use soap nuts for washing at 30 or 40 degrees, (washing liquid for whites), and a tablespoon of soda crystals in the main wash drawer to soften the water which means no need for conditioner - and it's cheaper and nicer! £11 for large bag of soap nuts 2+ years ago and still using (OK It's only me and kids left home mostly).

Basically, in my house if you can't clean something using soda crystals, white vinegar, lemon juice or bicarbonate of soda, it probably doesn't happen! Saves loads of money and shelf space and is kinder to the world.

Liverdrawer

I use it on most clothes. Trying to iron my husband's work shirts without it is a nightmare. We never, ever wear clothes more than once so staying clean for longer isn't an issue. As for the person who said you're just putting back oils and fragrance you washed out, that's no different to body lotion or hair conditioner, is it?

scrimperdave

Time_to_get_up_and_go wrote: »

Following on from the fabric conditioner thread, how do I know if u have hard or soft water?

Type "Water Hardness Test Strips" into your favourite search engine. Scalemaster strips seem to be the most appropriate, you should be able to get 6 test strips for about £5 from an online retailer (not Amazon, their kit is for brewers and costs about £13 for 50 strips).

You wet one with water from your cold tap, and in less than 10 seconds one or more patches on the strip change colour, showing you how soft or hard your water is.

Eliza_2

It's interesting about vinegar. A few years ago I tried it and for a while couldn't understand what the faint strange smell was about me as I was at work. Not a vinegary smell as such, can't really describe it but it wasn't nice. As everyone says vinegar doesn't smell it took me ages to realise it was indeed that, I nearly threw a jumper out as I thought perhaps the wool it was made of had a smell.

Stopped using the vinegar and no smell. I use fab cond every say third wash as I reckon there's always a bit left in the machine. As I use hair conditioner every third hairwash. It's enough. I also like the way the room smells nice when I dry clothes on the radiator or airer, so multipurpose. Better than wet dog anyway!

Own brand cheapo is fine. But it isn't necessary, my children were in nappies (terry ones) when it first came out, I remember someone asking me in Boots if I thought it was necessary and I let out a great long tirade echoing people on here - manufacturers just want to find a new way of getting money out of us, why clean clothes just to put new chemicals back into them and so on. Poor woman, I bet she's not done another survey since.

If you give cardboard clothes a good shake, and rub the fibres around a bit, they soon go soft.

Liz

LairyMary

Hhm interesting tip about vinegar. I admit I do use fabric conditioner as I live in a hard water area but I do find it to be an expensive purchase. I might give the vinegar trick a go once the bottle has ran out! Thanks everyone!

Cabbagewhite

We haven't used fabric conditioner for years. We use vinegar as we are in a very hard water area. I used to buy the gallon containers (5l) of white vinegar, or non-brewed condiment, from various sources, but as they have steadily got dearer I recently costed it and found Sainsbury's basics vinegar cheaper. We always used white as I thought the brown might stain, but we used it when we ran out and it doesn't. We have no mouldy residue either in the drawer or around the door. We no longer use a tumble dryer, but when we did it stopped the static. We use vinegar for cleaning around the house anyway - and we've always got some to put on the chips!

Only use Aldi's Magnum washing powder. It is recommended by both Which! and Good Housekeeping. Only half to three-quarters of recommended amount, depending on how dirty. A 30 degree wash, except tea towels and dishcloths which are boil washed. Underwear and towels get oxy hygiene added as you don't kill bacteria at less than 60 degrees and clothes aren't designed to be washed that hot.