While it might sound familiar to many, some do not know what it is. For most individuals heavily involved in doing their laundry, fabric softer is a pretty common item. It’s quite very popular among people looking to get nice-smelling clothing with soft, exquisite features.
While many might choose to stick with detergents and washing additives, they are oblivious to what fabric softeners are and what they can do for their clothing. Fabric softeners are laundry additives that can be added to clothing after washing to make them soft, give them pleasant smells, and make them last longer.
How Do You Use Fabric Softener For Clothing?
For anyone that does laundry, fabric softeners are essential for maintaining clothing of good, long-lasting quality. Now, you may be wondering how to use fabric softeners.
First, you should know that fabric softeners come in different types and forms such as the liquid, dryer sheets, and dryer balls although you might find the fabric softener liquid as the commonest around. The dryer sheets soften clothing by dissolving it in the clothing while the ball rapidly jumps around the clothing.
How you use fabric softeners will depend on the way you do your laundry. There are different methods for adding softeners if you use manual hand wash or probably prefer machine wash.
It’s also worth noting that if you do your laundry in a washing machine, the fabric softener should be placed in the rinse cycle. This is to keep the softener’s chemical ingredients from getting laundered away in the process.
Steps To Take When Using The Fabric Softener
Using a fabric softener is not rocket science. It’s pretty much easy if you’ve got a washing machine. However, if you don’t have a washing machine or probably your clothing does not allow for a machine wash, a suitable hand wash can be done.
Using Fabric Softeners in the Washer
You should follow these steps outlined below if you prefer to use a washing machine.
- Know the type of clothing your fabric softener is suitable for.
Knowledge of this nature is very essential for maintaining the look and durability of your laundry fabric. There are different types of clothing and each has got its properties. Information about these sorts of things can be found on the clothing label.
Although fabric softeners are often suitable for most fabrics, that cannot be said for clothing that is absorbent in nature. So, you might want to limit the use of softener on these kinds of clothing.
- Ensure your washing machine allows for fabric softener use
Most modern washing machines come with different drawers and automated dispensers for both detergents and fabric softeners. You should check the manufacturer’s instruction guide if you want to know more about your washing machine’s capabilities and its fabric softener compartment location.
- Measure and fill the fabric softener compartment with the additive
Whether your washing machine is the top-loading kind or the front loading type, you should add the softener in the fabric softener compartment of the machine simultaneously as you add the detergent. About 20ml of softener should be enough for an average load of laundry.
Fill a measuring cup with it and after diluting it, add it to the softener compartment usually indicated with a star symbol. You could add more softener if your laundry is more.
- Allow your washing machine to perform its function
Now, you can relax and watch your washing machine do what it was made to do. Your washing machine will wash your laundry and add the fabric softener in the rinse cycle after the wash cycle is complete. If your machine comes with a multiple rinsing cycle feature, you could use it to get more of the softener off the clothing to prevent any buildup of its residues.
- Remove the clothing and leave it to dry
Now, you can take your clothing out of the machine and air them to dry or you could tumble-dry them. Any option that tickles your fancy.
Using Fabric Softener For Hand-Washed Clothing
However, if your laundry requires a hand wash, here’s what to do.
- Measure and fill a detergent cup.
Start with hand-washing your clothing to remove any dirt from them. After doing that, put away the dirty water and fill your washbowl with clean water. Now, fill a measuring cup with a measure of the fabric softener. Usually, about 2 tablespoons of the fabric softener would be enough for the number of clothing it’s intended for although it could be increased when the number of clothing increases.
- Then add the fabric softener to the water
After carrying out the first step, add the fabric softener in the measuring cup to a little water in a cup to create a solution that should be added to the water in the washbowl. Take care not to allow the softener to spill on your laundry because fabric softeners can leave stains on clothing. Be sure to apply caution when doing this to avoid contact with your skin as this might cause skin irritation.
- Stir your clothing in the water and leave it to soak.
Now, it’s time to stir the water. This helps the fabric softener solution to stick to the clothing, create an additional layer on it to ensure its protection, and give it a silky, static-free nature. You may stir and leave to soak for a few minutes.
- Remove your clothing to dry
See, it’s not so hard. After you’ve soaked the garment for some minutes, you can remove your clothing from the water, gently squeeze it, and air them to dry. And you’ve got your clothing nicely done, feeling soft to the touch with unique scents.
How much fabric softener should you use during laundry?
Most fabric softeners have cups for measuring or dosing the liquid. There may be many types and brands of softeners when you go out to the grocery store, and they’ve all got different dosages. So, you might want to check out the recommended dosage on the label of the softener bottle.
Averagely, you should use about 1½ tablespoons of softener for your laundry. If you’ve got more laundry to do, you might increase the dosage. But be careful as too much fabric softener can stain your clothing.
When should you add a fabric softener during laundry?
The decision to add a fabric softener during laundry is solely dependent on your washing machine. Ideally, you should add the fabric softener either during your rinse cycle or simultaneously with the detergent although not in the same location as the detergent.
If your machine has got a dispenser, it will schedule the time for the softener to be added to the clothing, otherwise, you would have to wait till the machine is in the rinsing cycle to add the fabric softener. So you might want to check the instructions manual to know how your washing machine is operated.
Using a fabric softener in your laundry offers a lot of advantages. You receive fresher, cleaner clothing that is easier to iron while also reducing clothing stress. If you’ve got sensitive skin, you should probably avoid getting it on your skin as it might cause irritation and skin inflammation.