they feel so ‘chemical-y’ and their texture goes from soft to uncomfy idfk?
- Use like half the recommend amount of laundry detergent. Unless your clothes are filthy, it’s plenty, it’ll save you money, and it’s better for the environment.
- Add 1/4 cup white vinegar as if it were liquid fabric softener (the food grade stuff, not the house cleaning stuff). This aids the detergent and acts as a mild fabric softener. It rinces completely in the wash and doesn’t leave an odor.
- Use dryer balls - 2 ot 3 balls of felted wool about the size of a tennis ball - in place of dryer sheets. They do almost as well at killing static and softening clothes without the chemical residue.
And, finally…
- Wash your clothes less often. Generally speaking, unless they’re visibly dirty or smell, they don’t need to be washed. This doesn’t apply to socks or undergarments - those should typically be washed, or at least rinced out, with every wear.
Edit: clarification, with thanks to antimidas who pointed it out!
I have a rule where undies are a one and done, tshirts are twice then in the wash, and pants are until they look dirty. I don’t do the same for shirts as i do pants because of armpits. If only i had pit undies… hmmm…
Sounds like you may be using to much soap. You should also look into switching brands and check if you have hard water.
they feel so ‘chemical-y’ and their texture goes from soft to uncomfy idfk?
This feels like what you’re noticing is actually the removal of the “chemicals” (technically, the fibres are a chemical, too, even cotton - everything is chemical in nature, btw, there is no “natural”). There’s an oil on/in the fabric when you buy it to make it softer and to protect it during transport and storage, and over a few washing cycles this gets removed.
To re-apply this effect, use fabric softeners. That’s exactly what they exist to do.
does fabric softener ruin clothes?
Yes! Fabric softener creates a waxy coating that can actually ruin your clothes over time.
This is because fabric softener essentially applies a thin, waxy coating to your laundry which must be water-resistant to survive the washing process. This waterproof coating initially makes your clothes softer but lessens their ability to absorb water and detergent over time.
This means your clothes won’t hold up as well in the wash and will likely begin locking in bad odors. These odors defeat the purpose of doing laundry.
Fabric softener can even ruin your cloth dish towels and stop them from absorbing water. That’s because fabric softener will build up on them over time, and since fabric softener is water proof, this interrupts how much liquid they can absorb.
https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/fabric-softener-why-you-shouldnt-use-it/
Not to talk about the environmental impact which is also discussed in the link above.
Yeah well, of course. That’s also why towels absorb water so much worse when they’re new and soft - they still have the oils on them. As they get dry and scratchy with repeated washings they no longer feel nice, but they’re much more efficient at drying yourself off with.
Softness isn’t just based on the oils a fabric does or doesn’t have, but also on the length and flexibility of the fibers the threads of the cloth are made of. If you splurge on quality towels, like supima cotton for instance, no matter how many times you wash your towels (without softener) they will remain soft and still absorbent.
Not sure what to tell you there, mine get comfier as I wash them.
Uh I think that’s a you thing?
What kind of detergent do you use, and do you use fabric softener? Personally I can’t stand the smell of mainstream scented detergents - they got worse and worse for me over time until I was wondering “why would I want my clothes to smell like synthetic grapes and weird cotton candy crap?”. At this point it irritates my nose and sustained exposure makes my lips swell slightly and my eyes turn red (I must be allergic to the fragrances somehow).
I am fine with unscented All or Tide, but mainly use unscented ‘natural’ detergents like Seventh Generation or ECOS. Dryer sheets and fabric softener I avoid entirely, even unscented ones. Fabric softener to me makes my clothes feel like they’re coated in weird oil (makes sense, that’s what it is I guess). I use these wool spheres the size of billiard balls for anti-static and that works great.
Started using the wool balls about a year or so ago and it’s a complete game changer. The only thing I don’t like about them is they get caught in some clothes sometimes and I find them when folding in my bedroom and I forget to bring them back ha.
We have a couple tennis ball sized wool balls that I used for awhile, but the kitten decided they were for her to wrestle with and roll around the house. Now I would have to wash them separately before I threw them in with my towels and undies.
Oh my pups would love to get their paws on my wool balls. They have so many sqeaky balls and bones and other toys, but they always want more.
“I could eat a sheep!” That what my cat is saying
Try a residue free detergent like Atsko Sport-Wash Laundry Detergent.
New clothes have a machining oil residue from the manufacturing process. This gets cleaned off when you wash them. But when you first wear them you’re well oiled!
Try some nice fabric softener and/or detergent. There are many great options, even unscented ones.
Edit: there are eco-friendly fabric softeners, but if you feel like going with the flow feel free to downvote. Thanks
