Disclosure: homelyee.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (paid link)
Fabric softener is used to make your cloth soft and long-lasting. Fabric softeners are put in right after washing clothes with detergent. Therefore, You can’t put fabric Softener directly on your washing machines; otherwise, it will harm you and your clothes and appliances.
Fabric softener is made of 40 drops of lavender essential oil, 30 drops of melaleuca essential oil, and 20 drops of lemon essential oil in a 64-ounce bag of Epsom Salts and is petroleum-based and contains animal fat. There are three types of softeners available in the market.
- Liquid Fabric Softener
- Dryer Sheet Fabric Softener
- Dryer Balls
Liquid Fabric Softener
Liquids are one of the most popular fabric softeners among all three. If you use an old model washing machine, liquid fabric softener is for you. Therefore, newer machines have a special compartment allowing you to add softeners.
Dryer Sheet Fabric Softener
Dryer sheet Fabric softeners are made for woven fabrics. Therefore, it is coated with stearic acid fragrances and other chemicals. This Softener is convenient to use on the top sheet and dryer for your laundry. It is less expensive than liquid softeners and doesn’t make clothes soft.
Dryer Balls
Unlike liquid fabric softeners and dry sheets, dryer ball softeners are functionalized. It simply bounces around inside the dryer with your laundry. The bounce motion lifts and separates individual pieces of laundry. The dryer ball softeners contain no chemical additives. Therefore I made it from pure sheep wool, which can be reused several times. It is an eco-friendly and cheap drying solution.
What Will Happen If You Put Softeners Directly Into The Washing Machine?
As you know, softeners make your cloth soft and long-lasting. This process is usually done after washing clothes with detergent. Moreover, Softener is not for washing your clothes, so you can’t use a softener to wash your clothes. Therefore, If you use Softener directly on your machine, you may need help.
Chemical Reaction
Softeners are made of different chemicals. Since most fabric softeners contain cationic compounds (compounds with positively charged ions), laundry Detergents are made from propene (CH3-CH=CH2), a mix from distilling crude oil that helps to remove dirt deeply from clothes.
In simple words, you can’t wash your clothes with softeners. However, If you put softeners directly into the washing machine, the chemical reaction will damage your clothing’s colour contrast. This means you will not get the proper washing by using it because the chemical reactions, detergent, and Softener are different.
Roughness
While using fabric softener directly in the washing machine, the chemical reaction will make your cloth very ruff. Without washing your clothes with detergent, your clothes will be hard.
Moreover, there are many types of clothes where we can’t use softeners like sportswear, flameproof children’s clothes or pyjamas, or water-resistant items and synthetic fabrics like polyester or anything containing elastane and nylon.
Therefore, when we go to wash clothes in the washing machine, there is a chance that we clean different types of clothes randomly, which is why our other clothes might get affected by using a softener directly.
Money Wasting
It might come to your mind that putting on a Softener may save you time and money for washing. Then, my friend, you are using the wrong concept because it will never help you to give a proper wash.
However, using Softener directly without proper washing channels may also harm your clothes. Your clothes will not wash properly, which is a waste of money. It would be best if you didn’t want to have clothes every day.
But you can only wear colour-damaged, rushed, and comfortable clothes inside. If you wash your clothes directly with a softener, you might have to buy clothes randomly, which will be effective for your savings. On this occasion, if you wash your clothes with a softener, you must have a massive budget for materials and clothes.
Cause Of Skin And Washing Machine Problems
Softeners are compound products; the reaction of using Softener directly can cause skin diseases. An allergy could cause the reaction rather than the skin’s reaction to irritating substances or friction.
Irritating substances may include acids, alkaline materials such as soaps and detergents, fabric softeners, solvents, or other chemicals. Initially, those problems might not be a big issue, but in the meantime, they might cause a big problem.
However, some softeners are petroleum-based and contain animal fat, which can clog up your washing machine, especially if your machine is front-loading. Fabric softeners can also affect the modes of your machine, so your machine can be damaged at any time.
A question might arise: When should we wash our clothes with fabric softener? You must know your clothes materials first for an excellent and smooth wash. Therefore, you have to wash them separately. However, you first have to wash your clothes with detergent, then use a softener to make those clothes smooth and long-lasting.
FAQs
Can I Use Fabric Softener Directly?
Ans: You can’t use them directly as softeners are not made of wash-friendly chemicals, so a compound reaction will harm your clothes.
How Can I Use Fabric Softener Directly?
Ans: The trick is adding fabric softener to the washing machine. You must add Downy during the rinse cycle because the wash cycle can clean away the fabric softener. Just be sure you pour Softener into water pockets, avoiding direct contact with clothes.
Are Fabric Softeners And Detergents The Same Thing?
Ans: The answer is no. Both are not the same thing. The main reason for using fabric softener is to soften and freshen fabric. While your detergent works overtime to remove dirt and sweat from your cloth, the Softener ensures it feels fresh.
What Is Safer Than Fabric Softener?
Ans: You can use vinegar or baking soda as a substitute for fabric softener or add glycerin for softening boost. Add 2 cups of vinegar to 2 cups of water and two tablespoons of vegetable glycerin for a great homemade softener that will not harm you and the environment.
Is A Softener Essential To Washing Clothes?
Ans: It depends on the person-to-person Softener used to make clothes softer and long-lasting. However, It doesn’t give any extra facilities for washing. Simply it is a supporting material for your cloth washing material. So You can only wash your clothes with a softener.
Does Fabric Softener Clean Clothes?
Ans: Your clothes soak up sweat and dirt throughout the day. Detergent removes all of that dirt and germs from your cloth. That means only fabric softener will allow you to have soft, comfortable, and good-smelling clothes.
Last Few Words From Us
You must always be neat and clean. Your clothing style will describe your personality. Therefore to maintain your clothes, you must be careful about the materials you are using to wash them. You must be aware of the instructions for the material because If you are not concerned about your product, It can damage your clothes for a simple mistake.
However, softeners are partly essential for cloth washing, but you must be careful while you wash your clothes. It will be best if you follow the instructions given to your softener bottle for a proper cloth wash. Remember that you are not only washing clothes to remove dirt but also washing them to avoid the risk of skin diseases.
Another thing you must be concerned about is the washing machine. You should know about your washing machine’s features of detergent and softeners. You need to know where to pour detergent, where to soften it, and which modes to have a perfect wash. Lastly, cloth washing is our regular task, and we spend a lot of money to buy washing elements. But just some of our silly mistakes, we waste a lot of money. We should know the proper way to save money and our health.