am i wasting money ??

[DawnM]

I only use vinegar in the wash (put it where the Downey would go for the rinse cycle) and haven't used dryer sheets for years.

I spend about $2 every 3 months.

And an added info......those wrinkle free pants? The chemicals that keep them wrinkle free come off when you use Downey and dryer sheets.

Dawn

 

[tink2dw]

I wash my clothes with a skin sensitive detergent. and that's all! no softener, no dyer sheets, no static, we wear cotten fabrics.

 

[janni518]

I use both. I often use two dryer sheets. We have really HARD water and if I don't our clothes actually crunch when we put them on. Really, not kidding. If you dare to hang your towels on the line they come off in a stiff sheet that is actually hard to fold.

 

[kimsuenew]

this is an ongoing arguement between DH & i please help.
when doing the laundry i use both a liquid softner & then
when the clothes go in the dryer i use a dryer sheet as well
am i being wasteful...will one or the other do the trick ??

Perhaps... but I do the same thing! I hate static and love the smell of softners!

 

[disneyred]

We only use the dryer balls and vinegar in the washer.

what does vinegar do for your clothes ??

 

[crisi]

Fabric softener will reduce the life of your clothes. That's probably a bigger expense than the softener itself - if you can get an extra year out of a pair of $30 jeans that can add up to real money.

 

[Chicago526]

I've never used fabric softener. I also use 1/2 the amount of detergent that the bottle/box says, I find that my clothes are just as clean, I don't need to use an extra rinse cycle to get all the soap out, and of course my detergent lasts twice as long! I also use 1/2 a dry sheet for most loads, I only use a full one for bed sheets, just too much static otherwise.

 

[KigerKat]

I use both, and I can definitely notice a difference when we don't use one of them. DH was recently off work for 2 weeks, so he did the laundry while I was at work and I can tell that he didn't use liquid fabric softener - my jeans were so stiff, my sweaters we itchy and my socks did not feel right.

I usually buy mine at Costco and always use a coupon to try to keep our costs down.

 

[Todd&Copper]

Fabric softener will reduce the life of your clothes. That's probably a bigger expense than the softener itself - if you can get an extra year out of a pair of $30 jeans that can add up to real money.

Since I generally have jeans for 4 or 5 years minimum, I don't care that much about an extra year for my $30 jeans.

We have hard water and I use a small amount of liquid fabric softener in my loads of sheets, towels, and gym clothes. I have not noticed an appreciable difference in towel absorbency between fs loads and non-fs loads, but I do notice how horrible non-fs towels feel on my skin.

I always use dryer sheets to reduce static. I have read mixed reviews on the effectiveness of dryer balls.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Even if not needed...I wouldn't say you are wasting alot of money.....I mean how much does a bottle of fabric sofetener cost and how many loads do you get per bottle? Personally I don't use fabric softener myself, but sometimes I do add two dryer sheets per load. Fleece and dry air this time of year really add up to bad static.

An easy compromise if you want to reduce usage or expense - try using half as much fabric softener and see if that still gets thing to your taste.


Another thing I learned, from having a bad dryer once - many items you can half dry then put on a hanger - by the next morning they are fully dry, wrinkle free, and you've reduced your electircity bill. Blankets can be spread out on a bed.

Another thing that saves money is to run the spin cycle of your washing machine twice. I don't do this all the time, but it makes a real difference for bulky items like pillows and sweaters. (sometimes even three times for pillows.)

You can wash pillows? Really, I had no idea! Now that could be a big money saver for me, when they get kind of icky, I throw them out.

 

[kadesha]

I've never used fabric softner. I wash all the clothes in cold water with half the amount of detergent that the bottle says. The clothes turn out just as clean. I also use dryer sheets. I have never thought of using half a dryer sheet! I am going to try that!!