What is fabric softener? Do you actually need to use it?

Can you confidently tell me you understand fabric softener?

I mean obviously it's intended to make fabric… softer. But, for most of us, it's either one of many confusing items we walk past in the laundry aisle of the supermarket or a mysterious goop we mindlessly add to every second wash.

"[Fabric softener] was a lot more popular 20 years ago than it is now," says Susan Toft, the CEO and founder of a nationwide domestic laundry business.

But is it worth bringing back? And why did we ditch it in the first place?

We went to the experts for answers.

What is fabric softener?

"Fabric softener claims to make your clothes smell good and feel nicer, softer and fluffier," says Ashley Iredale, a whitegoods and laundry expert at consumer advocacy group CHOICE.

That might sound pretty good, but neither expert we spoke to recommended using it in your wash.

"You'll probably end up smelling like your nana's house — and it has a whole bunch of negative properties as well," Mr Iredale says.

How do you use it?

If you're anything like me, you've probably chucked fabric softener in at the start of the wash alongside the detergent. It's all going to the same place, right? But Ms Toft points out that is definitely not the right approach.

"You put it in with a separate rinse cycle," she says.

And you should also make sure it goes in a separate compartment too: "It's best not to mix [softener] with regular detergent because they can react against each other". One is trying to clean the clothing and the other is trying to coat it.

The softener should be added later, Mr Iredale points out, because "it has to remain on the clothes after washing to be effective".

"[If you put it in with the detergent] it's just going to wash straight out again."

Do you actually need fabric softener?

This is the big question!

"I think fabric softener is a personal preference, not a necessity," Ms Toft says.

"We tell all of our contractors not to use it unless the customer requests it.

"It's something that people might have grown up with. Maybe their mum has used it so that's why they use it: because they love the smell … [But] most of the research shows that all it does is add chemicals to your laundry and a chemical fragrance."

Mr Iredale agrees: "You just don't need them."

"The one benefit is that it will reduce static cling (when you pull on a jumper and you get that crackling noise and your hair stands up on end). But that's not really much of a benefit in my opinion.

Can it have a detrimental effect?

Both Ms Toft and Mr Iredale strongly advise against using fabric softener on towels, cloth nappies and children's clothing.

This is because the product will reduce the absorbency of these materials, and it also reduces the effectiveness of flame-retardant coatings.

"Basically, it's just adding a layer of chemicals on top of the fabric," Ms Toft says.

Mr Iredale adds that this can be an issue if you have allergies or sensitive skin, and it can create issues for the washing machine too. 

"Over time, you can get a buildup of waxy detergent residue between the drums of the machine," he says. 

"It's called scrub — and fabric softener is a major contributor to that."

Are there any good alternatives?

Yes! And they're pretty simple ones.

"It's much better to soften your clothes by putting them through the dryer," Ms Toft says. "It also smoothes clothes out, if they're folded straight away afterwards."

Mr Iredale agrees, adding that "even just giving your clothes a good shake and flick out when you take them off the line [will soften them]".

Another alternative, he says, is using half a cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle: it's a cheaper, natural fabric softener which won't leave any chemicals on your clothes or any residue in your machine either.