Doing laundry is one of the most disliked household chores for many people. However, store shelves are full of products tempting with their scent and color that are supposed to make this activity more enjoyable. Bah! Most of us fall for this on a regular basis. Well, how can you put laundry in without your favorite fabric softener? However, it turns out that this is one of the household chemicals that we should get rid of as soon as possible.
Fabric softener may do more harm than good
Fabric softener often ends up in our shopping cart. It softens clothes and makes them smell nicer and last longer. So we have the impression that the clothes are cleaner. Not everyone is aware of how this remedy works. The mechanics here are simple – the fabric softener literally sticks to the fibers of the clothes as well as the inside of the washing machine. Some time ago, a chemist, Sylwia Panek, wrote about its harmful effects on Instagram:
This statement may sound funny, but these products are used at the rinsing stage, so the liquid itself is not rinsed off with anything. It remains in the fabric fibers and remains in our washing machine, contaminating it.
What damage can fabric softener cause?
- It weakens fabrics and exposes them to faster deterioration. Sometimes, after just a few washes, we find that the clothes are only suitable for wearing around the house.
- It causes towels and cloths to lose their absorbent properties.
- It does the same thing to our washing machine, which causes sediment to appear fasterand after a short time we start to feel an unpleasant odor.
- Fabric softener costs money. Sometimes we can spend a lot of money to make our laundry smell like the most expensive perfume.
- May cause allergic reactions. These include not only hives or redness, but also less obvious symptoms, such as headache.
- This is not the most ecological solution.
What can I replace fabric softener with? This product is in every kitchen
It turns out that we can have fresh clothes and we don’t have to spend a fortune or expose fabrics and washing machines to damage. Homemade fabric softener with just one ingredient will work much better than store-bought ones. Just set the laundry as usual, and pour half a cup (or slightly less) of ordinary vinegar into the softener compartment. Vinegar for rinsing clothes will work perfectly. It disinfects, whitens and softens fabrics, and also prevents them from electrifying. Moreover, we can buy it in any store for literally a few zlotys.
ADVICE! Are you afraid that the irritating smell of vinegar will remain on your clothes after washing? Don’t worry, this product airs out quickly, so your clothes should smell “normal” after a short time. However, if you are concerned, you can add a few drops of natural essential oil with the scent of your choice to the vinegar.
WARNING! You can find many recipes online for fabric softener made from vinegar and baking soda. Combining these two substances makes no sense in many cases. “Soda and vinegar react with each other and as a result we get three substances: water, carbon dioxide and sodium acetate. Water does not have miraculous cleaning properties, carbon dioxide is a gas so it escapes (that’s why the reaction is so intense), and sodium acetate is salt “Soda cleans great, vinegar cleans great, but sodium acetate itself does not have such great properties,” Sylwia Panek recalled in one of her articles.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
