A fabric softener (American English) or fabric conditioner (British English) is a conditioner that is applied to laundry after it has been washed in a washing machine. A similar, more dilute preparation meant to be applied to dry fabric is known as a wrinkle releaser.
A fabric softener reduces the harsh feel of items that were dried in open air, adds a fragrance to the laundry, and/or imparts anti-static properties to textiles. In contrast to laundry detergents, fabric softeners may be regarded as a kind of after-treatment laundry aid.[1]
Fabric softeners are either in the form of a liquid that is typically added during the washing machine rinse cycle, or as a dryer sheet which is added to a tumble dryer before drying begins.[1][2] Liquid fabric softeners may be added manually during the rinse cycle, automatically if the machine has a dispenser designed for this purpose, through use of a dispensing ball, or poured onto a piece of laundry to be dried (such as a wash cloth) which is then put into the dryer.
Washing machines put great mechanical stress on textiles, particularly natural fibers such as cotton and wool. The fibers at the fabric's surface are squashed and frayed, and this condition hardens into place when drying the laundry in open air, giving the textiles a harsh feel. Using a tumble dryer results in a softening effect, but it is less than what can be achieved through the use of a fabric softener.[3][1]
As of 2009, nearly 80% of US households had a mechanical clothes dryer.[4] As such, fabric softeners are primarily used there to impart anti-static properties and/or a fragrance to laundry.
^ abcEduard Smulders; Eric Sung (2012). "Laundry Detergents, 2. Ingredients and Products". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.o15_013. ISBN 978-3527306732.
^Jones, C. R.; Corona, A.; Amador, C.; Fryer, P. J. (2022-07-15). "Dynamics of fabric and dryer sheet motion in domestic clothes dryers". Drying Technology. 40 (10): 2087–2104. doi:10.1080/07373937.2021.1918706. ISSN 0737-3937. S2CID 236596597.
^Eduard Smulders; Wolfgang Rybinski; Eric Sung; Wilfried Rähse; Josef Steber; Frederike Wiebel; Anette Nordskog (2007). "Laundry Detergents". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. pp. 86–87. doi:10.1002/14356007.a08_315.pub2. ISBN 978-3527306732.
^"ENERGY STAR Market & Industry Scoping Report: Dryers" (PDF). Energy Star. United States Government. p. 3. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
A fabricsoftener (American English) or fabric conditioner (British English) is a conditioner that is applied to laundry after it has been washed in a...
Look up softener in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Softener may refer to: Fabricsoftener, a conditioner that is typically applied to laundry during...
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introduced as a fabricsoftener. This compound was discontinued because the cation biodegrades too slowly. Contemporary fabricsofteners are based on salts...
American brand of fabricsoftener produced by Procter & Gamble that was introduced in 1960. Lenor is a brand name of fabricsoftener and dryer sheets,...
used to dispense liquid fabricsoftener in clothes washing machines that lack built-in softener dispensers. Liquid fabricsoftener has to be added at the...
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eventually making this Henkel's most widespread global brand. Vernel fabricsoftener and enzyme-based bioactive Persil 70 appeared. Starting in the 1960s...
efficiency; they are employed only for certain special effects, as fabricsofteners, antistatic agents, and biocides. Zwitterionic surfactants are rarely...
system. Cationic softener is a fabricsoftening composition, which include fatty alkyl sorbitan ester component. The fabricsoftening composition work...
former Boeing plant Downey High School Thomas Downey High School Downy (fabricsoftener) Downy Birch Drooping Brome (Downy Brome) Downy Emerald Downy Hawthorn...
static cling and no perfume smells throughout the neighborhood from fabricsoftener and anti-static dryer sheets. Laundry items stay softer to the touch...
Baptiste Jolly developed his own method using kerosene and gasoline to clean fabrics. He opened the first dry cleaning service in Paris in 1845. Flammability...
non-sufficient funds, or the return of such a check Bounce (fabricsoftener), an American brand of fabricsoftener and other laundry sheets produced by Procter & Gamble...
years old with an appearance in a television commercial for Downy fabricsoftener. In 1993, as a child actress, she landed a main role as Grace Sheffield...
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