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Do you use fabric conditioner when washing clothes?

FireFire Posts: 19,096
in The potting shed
I'm a bit puzzled by the world of clothes softeners and conditioners. Why are they so popular? Do you use them?

Do you use fabric conditioner when washing clothes? 83 votes

always
34%
ObelixxAuntyRachLynCebeZoomer44Singing GardenerMark-Ea1154barry islandLoxleyMary370Tulip18AlchemistMrs-B3-Southampton,-HantsRoddersUKSonnieBbellysmama.ccedhelkaamancalledgeorgeg.king 29 votes
sometimes
20%
GrajeanBusy-Lizzie[Deleted User]PerkiNanny BeachAsarumValley Gardenerwild edgesJennyJGravelEaterCamelliadManderpews70BigladTheScottishGardenerHumblebeaJenny_Aster 17 votes
not really
4%
janetfossTopbirdBenCottoCanterburyBells 4 votes
never
38%
Lizzie27DovefromaboveLadybird4fidgetbonesLiriodendronBlue OnionKiliraisingirlSkandiSazz101TheGreenManBig Blue SkyMr. Vine EyeEustaceIlikeplantsButterfly66mandyroberts99Skylarks[Deleted User]Wild_Violet 32 votes
other
1%
madpenguin 1 vote
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Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited June 2021
    Once in a blue moon. I would only use them if something was clingy or scratchy but I don't deliberately buy anything likely to cling or scratch so a bottle would last me well over a year.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • edhelkaedhelka Posts: 2,351
    always
    Almost always. I like the fragrance. I don't care much about the softening/conditioning effect.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    sometimes
    I always use them when washing jumpers, keeps them soft. I use them for towels when line drying, but not when tumble drying. I don't use them for sheets.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • D0rdogne_DamselD0rdogne_Damsel Posts: 4,184
    I like the fragrance too. Allegedly, if you use on towels it hinders their drying properties (although as Busy Lizzie suggests, line drying might alter that). 

    • “Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else?” —Betsy Cañas Garmon
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    not really
    I use them at double B3’s rate - twice in a blue moon.
    Rutland, England
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    "There are two different definitions for a Blue Moon. A seasonal Blue Moon is the third Full Moon of an astronomical season that has four Full Moons. A monthly Blue Moon is the second Full Moon in a calendar month with two Full Moons. "
    It would appear that blue moons happen more often than my fabric conditioning🤔
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    never
    I used to use it. Then I acquired OH ... the smell of such stuff made his chest wheezy, so I stopped using it. We’ve not noticed any difference in the feel of clothes but the difference in his chest and the gunk the washing machine pipes is great. We use Calgon water softener in every wash and Ecover liquid and our clothes etc don’t seem to dry harsh. We try to wear mainly natural fibres. 

    Hand knits and fine fabrics such as silk are hand washed in Stergene. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    never
    They make me itch and they give OH a migraine, so I never use them. I can't say I find myself wishing I could - never found one that smells as nice as line dried washing. I can imagine they'd gum up the washing machine which would then need more strong chemicals to degunk it. I feel much the same way about them as I do about air fresheners and scented candles - stealthy chemical poisoning. 
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Petrichor scented conditioner, I would seriously consider.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • AsarumAsarum Posts: 661
    sometimes
    Sometimes.  Usually on cotton jersey fabrics, they come out less crumpled so I don't have to iron them!
    East Anglia
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