this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2025
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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Am I the only one who likes fabric softener? For me it was a game changer to go from wrinkly, stiff clothes to softer, less wrinkled clothes.

I definitely don't use it every wash, but I do think it makes a real difference.

I wouldn't be caught dead using dryer sheets, though. That's a scam.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (3 children)

IDK anything about it, but I've read "softener bad" a few times so I've just stopped putting it in and honestly haven't noticed.

My partner does though so now when she sees or hears me doing laundry she reminds me to use the softener.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Tumblr is such a nice place.

You know, when it is.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I buy a Eco friendly and very affordable detergent from Costco. I need to use such a small amount even for a large load the jug lasts seemingly forever. So I don't feel the need to do up a homemade detergent.

When it come to softener though. Vinegar. It works, it's cheap, I can also use it for other household cleaning. Cooking and baking as well of course. You can't use if for loads that need bleach and use with fabrics that have a lot of elastic material can decrease it's life span. Overall though it works great dissolving soap and detergent residue that can make clothes feel stiff and scratchy, and less prone to lint and pet hair cling. Can help with odor and colour brightening too.

I will happily continue to be a millennial who ruins industry on that front.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I'm not sold on that homemade detergent. Soap tends to leave insoluble residue, especially when you have hard water. There is a reason why almost everything uses synthetic detergents (though it might also be because those are cheap).

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Well I guess I'm the chump buying all three things... But my clothes do smell good as hell.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 month ago (4 children)

I’ve read that the homemade laundry soap is actually soap, not detergent, and that it will over time ruin your machine.

So, I’ve just continued buying laundry detergent and have just used a fraction of what the instructions advise. It’s worked for me. I don’t buy softener or sheets. Couldn’t afford it if I wanted to. But I do have oxyclean on hand only for when I’ve forgotten a load in the washer until it’s stinky or when I wash the dog bed covers or whatever.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah.... Especially if you have a high efficiency machine. Washing machines use a lot less water than back when these "recipes" were actually practical. So if you utilize shaved bar soap and borax, you're not only going to be leaving residue to build up in your machine, you're going to have it build up in your clothes as well.

Also, a lot of people are sensitive to borax. The reason they don't use it in regular detergent as an agitator is because it can cause rashes for a large percentage of the population.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Fabric softener kills elastic and lots of clothes (including even jeans) have elastic in them. Yeah, you can do separate washes, but ain’t nobody got time for that.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Welsh person: no dryer?

(For our foreign friends - it rains eight days a week here...)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I'm on the southern coast of Wales. I have a dehumidifier.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yeah, dryers themselves are a waste of both money and energy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (5 children)

Depends. They do save on space, which is why it's so weird that most US people have them and europeans who generally have much smaller homes usually don't.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

My drying rack takes a bit of room for 24h every 2 weeks and folds to non-existence between loads, so I don't really share that logic.

Plus, it does not try to compete with my water tank on electricity consumption.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I think family size is the kicker. My kids are really active and exploratory. So residue and odor leaves me needing to do multiple loads a week. I know scientifically when it comes to bacteria and odor I could do the deep freeze/freezer thing....but I just can't.

There are some items we have to hang dry. Those I can keep on the one hanging rack. If I did it for everything though my 3-4 loads a week means my office/desk/craft space is now basically permanently occupied by laundry. Summer is more feasible......that's only three months of consitent +13 C for my area though. :'(

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Whilst I'd prefer not to have to hang my laundry I'm not willing to pay for that much electricity, particularly as I keep my shirts on hangers, so it's literally a case of moving them from one rack to another.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I'm lazy enough to pay a lazy tax on it.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Want to add in here, that some washing mechanics can't handle the homemade detergent mix. I've damaged one or two with the mix. Not entirely sure as to the reason, but I believe it has something to do with the grated soap bar clogging something somewhere.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wonder if you could powder it somehow.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago (12 children)

That mentality is why I use a safety razor. Buy one and you'll only spend a few dollars a decade on shaving blades and have a better shave. A lot of things in life are useless fluff that we only do because companies want us to do it since it's profitable.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

If only i could shave my head with one i would in a heartbeat.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

I bought a Leaf Razor from an EU reseller about a year ago now and it was a game changer for head shaving with safety razor blades.

The head of the handle pivots so it's very difficult to cut myself with it accidentally unlike the regular handle I was using before.

I'm hesitant to share a link because I don't want to seem like a shill for a company I don't know much about but just wanted to say there are options out there!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I shave mine with a safety razor. Knobbliness of head is probably a factor though!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I have a mole on the top of my head, multi blade razors glide over it, my safety razor is how i found out I had it: sharp pain and suddenly being covered in so much blood I could smell it.

So yeah knoblliness should not be overlooked.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Ooft, that's rough. Eyyyy

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

I’ve used the same three tennis balls in my dryer for about 20 years now. My clothes seem to last well, and towels remain absorbant (fabric sheets can leave a waxy residue making towels less absorbent). After reading those comments maybe I’ll try adding a few drops of a scented oil to one of the tennis balls.

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