What Does Fabric Conditioner Do? And Should I Use It?
I hear people on the internet recommend to not use Fabric Conditioner in their laundry to save the durability of the clothes. In my country, it was the norm to use Fabric Conditioner during laundry so I was at a lost.
Is it actually necessary?
It’s an acid that chemically breaks down the fibers in the cloths, this makes them softer. Some like the feel of it. However, it also weakens the fabric, causing the clothes ware out faster.
If you like the extra soft clothes, and don’t mind replacing them often, it’s fine.
If your clothes are rather expensive, and you want to keep them as long as possible, it’d be better avoid Fabric Softener/Conditioner. In fact use cold water, and Woolite Dark detergent (or whatever local equivalent you have) for maximum longevity of your cloths, color white or other.
I got that advice from a metal music fan site, offering care instructions for collectable tour shirts that you want to ensure remain a black as your soul. They actually suggested using water form a Nordic iceberg, since that’s where all the blackest metal comes from anyway. It was very funny. I’ll try to see if it’s still online.
Edit: I miss remembered much of it, like the Nordic Ice. And the original appears to be gone. But someone else has clipped the important bit.