Procter & Gamble Blame Millennials For Killing Fabric Softener Industry, Get A Response They Didn’t See Coming
According to The Wall Street Journal, Procter & Gamble Co. have a fabric softener problem. For the past decade, sales of the product – a liquid designed to make clothes feel better after a wash – have been declining. And who are to blame for this crime? The kids.
Shailesh Jejurikar, P&G’s head of global fabric care, said that most millennials “don’t know what the product is for,” presumably because we all grew up without doing our own laundry. The company even rebranded their fabric softener as fabric conditioner, hoping the new name would appeal to younger customers more.
The millennials, however, remain unimpressed. In a recent tumblr rant, they took great pride in their crusade against the laundry industry. Scroll down to read their key points and let us know if you agree with them in the comments.
People had mixed opinions, some saying it’s good advice to make your own laundry detergent
While others preferred to have more free time
Which side are you on?
i was born in 1979 and I have never, ever felt the need for a fabric softener in my whole life.
I was born in 1978 and i've used dryer sheets my entire life. (well mom used prior to me doing my own at 12 yrs old but anyway) and i HAVE had clothes with static cling when we ran out of dry er sheets. And I also like the way they makes the clothes smell like the bedding and towels
Load More Replies...If we aren't buying enough of a product that the companies that make them are going out of business then it's an indication that product is obsolete and not needed anymore.
I am not a millennial, and I never use fabric softener, as I do not like these artificial flavors.
I don't think you're supposed to eat it, Olga. 😉
Load More Replies...I work in a hospital. You cannot tell me that homemade soap sanitizes and gets the germs out of my scrubs. No thank you, I'll keep buying laundry soap and fabric softener.
It doesn’t work. It eventually ruins your clothes and your washing machine. Stick to the store bought stuff.
Load More Replies...DONT make your own detergent unless you want to potentially ruin your clothes and your washing machine. I made homemade detergent and used it for years, the same recipe posted above actually. Works great at first, but over time it coats your clothes, washer, and dryer in buildup. After 3 years my clothes always felt wrong, kinda greasy, looked dingy, and would never smell clean. The homemade detergent eventually builds up so that it holds in odors and dirt instead of releasing them. I had to basically deep clean and strip all my family’s clothes and the washing machine. Use Tide and save yourself some sanity. Also, I don’t use fabric softener and I’m not a millennial. Perfume for your clothes. Pointless.
Fabric softener makes my clothes' fabric brittle, socks won't last longer than a few washes and then tey tear when I put them on. And mind, I was using the expensive stuff. Since I stopped using fabric softener my socks and shirts stay though enough to last years.
This is why I have never used fabric softener, nor did my mother, because it might make your clothes a bit softer for a few washes, but it is really bad for the fabric fibres and causes them to wear out much quicker.
Load More Replies...I use it to detangle my cosplay wigs. They should market it like that!
Probably the only useful application of fabric softener...
Load More Replies...After some research (as a person, who is actively trying to avoid toxins etc.) I've ended up buying borax & calcined soda... Thanks BoredPanda, for making my life better, I hope :) One step closer to getting rid of all of that poisonous s**t. YAY
Totally! With all the technology the companies use to make the scent last forever, imagine how long those chemicals stay floating around in the environment after they go down the drain.
Load More Replies...Looks like they really don't know what fabric softener is, as most of the comments are about detergent.
Yea I think ... they dont really know lol honesty it's not that expensive
Load More Replies...Most people would rather die than switch detergents. This is serious stuff.
Load More Replies...I use to make my own laundry detergent using the above recipe until I had a kid and dirty laundry went up exponentially. Now we buy unscented powdered laundry detergent because the kid and the husband have sensitive skin. Tip: you can nuke an Ivory bar of soap, which will puff up like a cloud and crumble it into powder for the laundry detergent. This only works with Ivory soap though. I use distilled white vinegar as my fabric softener. Works beautifully and removes almost all bad odors , even cat pee and mildew. No, your clothes will not smell like vinegar (promise). If you want a scent, add some fresh herbs to the vinegar bottle and infuse.
I have an HE washer. I use maybe a tablespoon of laundry detergent on a half load (I am an empty nester now). I wash my clothes in cold water, linens and towels in hot water. I maybe buy a small bottle of laundry detergent twice a year - and I use the unscented for sensitive skin. And use zero fabric softener. Dryer sheets can actually leave a film on your dryer sensor and cause issues with your clothes over drying because of it.
Look, I'm 45 years old, firmly gen X with the apathy to show for it. I don't give a s**t about fabric softener and I never have. With all the honest to God issues going on in this world is this REALLY what we're choosing to focus on right now? Gimme a break.
I'm a 95-model, moved out a couple of years ago and I tried to use fabric softener but after a few days I was colored tomato-red... Even the "allergy friendly" ones destroy me... So, as long as my laundry gets clean with regular powder (also allergy friendly but this one actually is!) I can live without fabric softener. Not sure if I can live with it
I'm a Gen-X'er and definitely in the pro-softener camp. Downy was one of the most comforting scents of my childhood although I don't use it anymore as I switched to more natural products from 7th Generation and Mrs. Myers and think the scents are better. Honestly I couldn't do without it. For what it's worth, I think the real issue may be convenience- put Down in a pod that you can just toss in the washer and people will start using it again. No one wants to mess around with pouring it in the rinse cycle.
Whether necessary or not, many fabric softeners are quite toxic. Downy brand in particular gets a "D" for every one of their various products on EWG.org (if you don't know what this is and care about the chemicals you come in contact with daily, welcome to the rabbit hole, friend). Besides the ubiquitous "fragrance" ingredient, which is comprised of who-knows-what because it's a "trade secret," another recurring "D" rated chemical in Downy is DIPALMITOYLETHYL HYDROXYETHYLMONIUM METHOSULFATE. Thanks but no thanks, skin is a big sponge and that's one ingredient I'd prefer not to absorb.
That's a substitute (I think) for stearine - something that every product seems to have. It's made from pork fat.
Load More Replies...I just wish people could use proper English to express themselves instead of F F F F F ! I am so F tired of that F word that I could F faint!
I'm a boomer and have never understood the whole fabric softener think. How hard is it to peel a couple of socks apart. But then, I also make my own ice cubes the old fashioned way so maybe I'm not "with it" .
Not even remotely a millenial and never used fabric softener EVER! It's just more plastic to throw away and more chemicals in our water. I do sometimes add water softener, so my machine won't become lined with chalk, too much, but that's it. Proctor and gamble will have to get used to the idea that many of their products are obsolete and that a generation is coming that has different preferences and is more likely to waste money on electronics and online-content than useless household stuff.
I suffer from migraines with smells being one of my triggers. It is so hard to find unscented fabric softener in shops!
Use distilled white vinegar. It really works. And no vinegar smell.
Load More Replies...We don't need even more chemicals in our clothes. Thank you millenials for not adding to the toxins I am allergic to!
Someone recommends using Borax to make your own detergent. Borax is banned here in EU and some other areas because it can cause eye, skin, and respiratory irritation, and may damage fertility. When 'make your own slime with Borax and glue' recipes were everywhere some parents from EU ordered Borax from USA and let their children use it.
I don;t use it or fabric sheets, they make my skin crawl when I wear the clothes later. I don;t own any burlap shirts or coarse hide clothing so its not necessary in my opinion, and I am 53 years old.
I used to use conditioner but I stopped. I have also used vinegar in the conditioner slot and it works just as well, and no, it doesn't make your clothes smell like a chip shop
I can never remember when you are suppose to add softener so I stopped buying it. As for dryer sheets, sometimes I use them sometimes I forget them too. It's no big deal. Just don't buy the cheap laundry soap because it's mostly water. As for scent, just sniff all the brands until I find one I like.
I'm far from the millenial that P&G is targeting for "ruining" their fabric softener sales. I'm a boomer, and I never use softener (liquid or sheets) because it is totally unnecessary and I really don't like the strong, artificial perfume smell. The freshest, cleanest smell comes from sunshine when I can hang my clothes on a clothesline. Think on that P&G. I'm sure I'm not alone.
I actually do have that big of a problem with static, that I use dryer sheets in every single load. I just buy bargain brands--they work just as well as name brands.
If they want the young folks to buy fabric softener, then raise the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. Problem solved. Plus, start selling it in something other than plastic bottles. Use hemp to make the containers.
I love how the "opposed to making it" people all sound like they work for the detergent industry. Each one sounded like their commercial.
It's not the millenials' fault. It's your fault for making a product with 973 different chemicals in it to smell like 'lavender'. Effers.
Love that someone complained that their home made fabric softener did not clean their clothes, and only put a nice smell on top of the bad smell og dirty clothes. News flash: they are not meant to clean, they are meant to be used in the first rinsing water after cleaning to make clean clothes smell better. And they are totally unneccesary.
52 year old asks. What is fabric softener for? Ah, never mind. Lasted this long without it.
I always use vinegar instead of fabric softner. And I always use vinegar the fist time I wash a new piece of clothing. It binds the colours.
We all known what 'Fabric Softener' is. We just don't buy the lies about it. It's a scam. It does nothing for your clothing. If anything, it gums it up and makes it brittle. Adds all kinds of pointless gunk to your fabric that renders towels useless. We've been using white vinegar for years, and it does the same job much better. Our clothes don't smell like vinegar, and are nice and soft. Not to mention the fact that it's way cheaper, and white vinegar is good to have around the house for various cleaning tasks anyway. Added bonus that it doesn't make you itch.
Fabric softener is good for loosening pet hair off stuff. I use it when I wash cat beds and such. That's about it. One bottle will last me YEARS.
The only time I have used fabric softener was to get a judo gi (jacket) to the point where it wouldnt stand by itself, so I could move in it. That's IT.
I'm one of the older millennials that wishes I wasn't classified as one. I have a solid job, house, and life in general. If I want to use fabric softener to make my clothes softer and smell nice, damn right I'm going to. Some people DO deal with static. Dryer sheets don't have to be expensive. No name brands and the dollar store sizes work just as good as name brand. Millennials need to RELAX. Going off on a tangent about the laundry industry is just another one of their ways to lash out at something trivial.
I use a quarter of the amount of detergent "recommended" on the bottle and have for years. I use a small amount of fabric softener because I line dry my clothes and I prefer them not to be stiff as a board. My husband has several pairs of 25-year-old jeans that he wears regularly. I have a 30-year-old sweater that I can still wear to the office. The trick to keeping your clothes in decent shape is to wash only when needed with only enough detergent to clean then rinse away and avoid the dryer completely.
If your clothes are stiff off the line, once they're dry put them in a dryer on the "no heat" setting with wool dryer balls. It works really well.
Load More Replies...I made my own powdered detergent with a similar recipe, but it has powdered oxyclean in it too (I love oxyclean!) It cost about $20 for the whole batch and has lasted two years so far. We still have half of it left! But 1/4 cup is too much since it's dry, I use a couple tablespoons. We also use some of those rubbery spiky balls instead of dyer sheets. Reusable, so that's another thing we don't have to keep buying.
I am 65. I've been doing my laundry for over 45 years. I've never used softener or boosters etc. I did use some spray starch on my nurse uniforms and my firefighter uniforms.
WSJ Article DATE: Dec. 16, 2016 7:00 a.m. ET ... Why is this an issue, now? It's old news, fabric softener didn't go away, and neither did detergent. Don't need em? Good for you. Want to use them for some reason? That's fine as well, do your thing.
It’s not just ‘millennials’. I’m 45 and haven’t used fabric softener since I left my moms house at 15 and had to all my own shopping and laundry. Fabric softener is bs. I do use dryer sheets because in northeast Ohio the air is dry fall through spring and static cling is no joke.
Just tell them that they can wash down the tide pods with the fabric softener and watch sales sky rocket
@Dan H Most millennials are too old and wise to not do Tide Pod challenge. Tide Pod challenge is more Generation Z thing (people born in mid-1990's and onward).
Load More Replies...Dear Proctor and Gamble. It's called *supply and demand* economics. If there is no demand for your product, then you should be investing your company's (and your stock holders') resources in developing NEW products that WILL be in demand. 1. Many people over the decades have developed chemical sensitivities, including allergies to perfumes and artificial additives. In addition, we want to use environmentally friendly products with fewer ingredients going into our sewers, trash and waste treatment plants. Keep this c**p out of our washers and dryers. 2. Fabrics have changed. We are actually able to purchase clothing that is softer than what people wore in the 1950's and 1970's. Rayon, viscose, modal, brushed cotton, hemp, fleece, and more--are all comfortable, soft, and either natural or post-consumer recycled fabrics. So................ just get a life.
Love that someone complained that their home made fabric softener did not clean their clothes, and only put a nice smell on top of the bad smell of dirty clothes. News flash: they are not meant to clean, they are meant to be used in the first rinsing water after cleaning to make clean clothes smell better. And they are totally unneccesary.
No fabric softener might work for some, but not for those that have hard water or use well water for laundry. And it's not about scent, I have to use free & clear. It's the same thing as using conditioner in your hair! The homemade detergent works for some, as well, but not if you have sensitive skin. It might not be a must-have item for some people, but that doesn't make it obsolete; many people don't need their own car, but those aren't obsolete either.
I use fabric softener as faux Febreeze. 1/3 fabric softener to 2/3 water. I do use dryer sheets, but only in the winter. And I coupon, so I haven't paid more than $.50 for a bottle of Purex in years. I have 30ish bottles right now of Arm & Hammer & Oxiclean, all free.
I do use fabric softener bc I like the way it makes my clothes smell, but I buy the $1 bottle at the dollar store.
Consumer Reports (the most honest testing organization I know of) did tests of fabric softener 10 years ago and found that by easing friction between threads it extends the life of the fabric by 20-30%. BUT SHOULD NOT BE USED ON CHILDREN'S SLEEPWEAR THAT HAS BEEN TREATED WITH FIRE RETARDANT-IT REDUCES ITS EFFECTIVENESS) (since that friction is what also what causes static build-up this stops it but that is an unintentional side-effect) They also found that there is only a slight difference between liquid or dryer sheets. This is why, after 40+ years I have begun using it. https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2008/03/best-fabric-softeners/index.htm
I buy laundry detergent because I don't have enough time in a day to make my f*ck!ng soap. If I had time to be a tree hugging, soap making, little house on the prairie type I still wouldn't make soap, because that's stupid.
Fabric softener/dryer sheets work well, but it depends on what you're trying to wash/dry. Also, don't use every time. Maybe once every 2 or 3 weeks on stuff you wash all of the time. For items that are static-magnets, you may need to use fab. soft. more often.
Isn't the point that you don't have the money to spend? The opposing arguments are just people who are willing to spend
It's true millennials suck the life out of everything. Under-educated, outclassed and easily swayed. Poor, poor "Merica"....
i was born in 1979 and I have never, ever felt the need for a fabric softener in my whole life.
I was born in 1978 and i've used dryer sheets my entire life. (well mom used prior to me doing my own at 12 yrs old but anyway) and i HAVE had clothes with static cling when we ran out of dry er sheets. And I also like the way they makes the clothes smell like the bedding and towels
Load More Replies...If we aren't buying enough of a product that the companies that make them are going out of business then it's an indication that product is obsolete and not needed anymore.
I am not a millennial, and I never use fabric softener, as I do not like these artificial flavors.
I don't think you're supposed to eat it, Olga. 😉
Load More Replies...I work in a hospital. You cannot tell me that homemade soap sanitizes and gets the germs out of my scrubs. No thank you, I'll keep buying laundry soap and fabric softener.
It doesn’t work. It eventually ruins your clothes and your washing machine. Stick to the store bought stuff.
Load More Replies...DONT make your own detergent unless you want to potentially ruin your clothes and your washing machine. I made homemade detergent and used it for years, the same recipe posted above actually. Works great at first, but over time it coats your clothes, washer, and dryer in buildup. After 3 years my clothes always felt wrong, kinda greasy, looked dingy, and would never smell clean. The homemade detergent eventually builds up so that it holds in odors and dirt instead of releasing them. I had to basically deep clean and strip all my family’s clothes and the washing machine. Use Tide and save yourself some sanity. Also, I don’t use fabric softener and I’m not a millennial. Perfume for your clothes. Pointless.
Fabric softener makes my clothes' fabric brittle, socks won't last longer than a few washes and then tey tear when I put them on. And mind, I was using the expensive stuff. Since I stopped using fabric softener my socks and shirts stay though enough to last years.
This is why I have never used fabric softener, nor did my mother, because it might make your clothes a bit softer for a few washes, but it is really bad for the fabric fibres and causes them to wear out much quicker.
Load More Replies...I use it to detangle my cosplay wigs. They should market it like that!
Probably the only useful application of fabric softener...
Load More Replies...After some research (as a person, who is actively trying to avoid toxins etc.) I've ended up buying borax & calcined soda... Thanks BoredPanda, for making my life better, I hope :) One step closer to getting rid of all of that poisonous s**t. YAY
Totally! With all the technology the companies use to make the scent last forever, imagine how long those chemicals stay floating around in the environment after they go down the drain.
Load More Replies...Looks like they really don't know what fabric softener is, as most of the comments are about detergent.
Yea I think ... they dont really know lol honesty it's not that expensive
Load More Replies...Most people would rather die than switch detergents. This is serious stuff.
Load More Replies...I use to make my own laundry detergent using the above recipe until I had a kid and dirty laundry went up exponentially. Now we buy unscented powdered laundry detergent because the kid and the husband have sensitive skin. Tip: you can nuke an Ivory bar of soap, which will puff up like a cloud and crumble it into powder for the laundry detergent. This only works with Ivory soap though. I use distilled white vinegar as my fabric softener. Works beautifully and removes almost all bad odors , even cat pee and mildew. No, your clothes will not smell like vinegar (promise). If you want a scent, add some fresh herbs to the vinegar bottle and infuse.
I have an HE washer. I use maybe a tablespoon of laundry detergent on a half load (I am an empty nester now). I wash my clothes in cold water, linens and towels in hot water. I maybe buy a small bottle of laundry detergent twice a year - and I use the unscented for sensitive skin. And use zero fabric softener. Dryer sheets can actually leave a film on your dryer sensor and cause issues with your clothes over drying because of it.
Look, I'm 45 years old, firmly gen X with the apathy to show for it. I don't give a s**t about fabric softener and I never have. With all the honest to God issues going on in this world is this REALLY what we're choosing to focus on right now? Gimme a break.
I'm a 95-model, moved out a couple of years ago and I tried to use fabric softener but after a few days I was colored tomato-red... Even the "allergy friendly" ones destroy me... So, as long as my laundry gets clean with regular powder (also allergy friendly but this one actually is!) I can live without fabric softener. Not sure if I can live with it
I'm a Gen-X'er and definitely in the pro-softener camp. Downy was one of the most comforting scents of my childhood although I don't use it anymore as I switched to more natural products from 7th Generation and Mrs. Myers and think the scents are better. Honestly I couldn't do without it. For what it's worth, I think the real issue may be convenience- put Down in a pod that you can just toss in the washer and people will start using it again. No one wants to mess around with pouring it in the rinse cycle.
Whether necessary or not, many fabric softeners are quite toxic. Downy brand in particular gets a "D" for every one of their various products on EWG.org (if you don't know what this is and care about the chemicals you come in contact with daily, welcome to the rabbit hole, friend). Besides the ubiquitous "fragrance" ingredient, which is comprised of who-knows-what because it's a "trade secret," another recurring "D" rated chemical in Downy is DIPALMITOYLETHYL HYDROXYETHYLMONIUM METHOSULFATE. Thanks but no thanks, skin is a big sponge and that's one ingredient I'd prefer not to absorb.
That's a substitute (I think) for stearine - something that every product seems to have. It's made from pork fat.
Load More Replies...I just wish people could use proper English to express themselves instead of F F F F F ! I am so F tired of that F word that I could F faint!
I'm a boomer and have never understood the whole fabric softener think. How hard is it to peel a couple of socks apart. But then, I also make my own ice cubes the old fashioned way so maybe I'm not "with it" .
Not even remotely a millenial and never used fabric softener EVER! It's just more plastic to throw away and more chemicals in our water. I do sometimes add water softener, so my machine won't become lined with chalk, too much, but that's it. Proctor and gamble will have to get used to the idea that many of their products are obsolete and that a generation is coming that has different preferences and is more likely to waste money on electronics and online-content than useless household stuff.
I suffer from migraines with smells being one of my triggers. It is so hard to find unscented fabric softener in shops!
Use distilled white vinegar. It really works. And no vinegar smell.
Load More Replies...We don't need even more chemicals in our clothes. Thank you millenials for not adding to the toxins I am allergic to!
Someone recommends using Borax to make your own detergent. Borax is banned here in EU and some other areas because it can cause eye, skin, and respiratory irritation, and may damage fertility. When 'make your own slime with Borax and glue' recipes were everywhere some parents from EU ordered Borax from USA and let their children use it.
I don;t use it or fabric sheets, they make my skin crawl when I wear the clothes later. I don;t own any burlap shirts or coarse hide clothing so its not necessary in my opinion, and I am 53 years old.
I used to use conditioner but I stopped. I have also used vinegar in the conditioner slot and it works just as well, and no, it doesn't make your clothes smell like a chip shop
I can never remember when you are suppose to add softener so I stopped buying it. As for dryer sheets, sometimes I use them sometimes I forget them too. It's no big deal. Just don't buy the cheap laundry soap because it's mostly water. As for scent, just sniff all the brands until I find one I like.
I'm far from the millenial that P&G is targeting for "ruining" their fabric softener sales. I'm a boomer, and I never use softener (liquid or sheets) because it is totally unnecessary and I really don't like the strong, artificial perfume smell. The freshest, cleanest smell comes from sunshine when I can hang my clothes on a clothesline. Think on that P&G. I'm sure I'm not alone.
I actually do have that big of a problem with static, that I use dryer sheets in every single load. I just buy bargain brands--they work just as well as name brands.
If they want the young folks to buy fabric softener, then raise the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour. Problem solved. Plus, start selling it in something other than plastic bottles. Use hemp to make the containers.
I love how the "opposed to making it" people all sound like they work for the detergent industry. Each one sounded like their commercial.
It's not the millenials' fault. It's your fault for making a product with 973 different chemicals in it to smell like 'lavender'. Effers.
Love that someone complained that their home made fabric softener did not clean their clothes, and only put a nice smell on top of the bad smell og dirty clothes. News flash: they are not meant to clean, they are meant to be used in the first rinsing water after cleaning to make clean clothes smell better. And they are totally unneccesary.
52 year old asks. What is fabric softener for? Ah, never mind. Lasted this long without it.
I always use vinegar instead of fabric softner. And I always use vinegar the fist time I wash a new piece of clothing. It binds the colours.
We all known what 'Fabric Softener' is. We just don't buy the lies about it. It's a scam. It does nothing for your clothing. If anything, it gums it up and makes it brittle. Adds all kinds of pointless gunk to your fabric that renders towels useless. We've been using white vinegar for years, and it does the same job much better. Our clothes don't smell like vinegar, and are nice and soft. Not to mention the fact that it's way cheaper, and white vinegar is good to have around the house for various cleaning tasks anyway. Added bonus that it doesn't make you itch.
Fabric softener is good for loosening pet hair off stuff. I use it when I wash cat beds and such. That's about it. One bottle will last me YEARS.
The only time I have used fabric softener was to get a judo gi (jacket) to the point where it wouldnt stand by itself, so I could move in it. That's IT.
I'm one of the older millennials that wishes I wasn't classified as one. I have a solid job, house, and life in general. If I want to use fabric softener to make my clothes softer and smell nice, damn right I'm going to. Some people DO deal with static. Dryer sheets don't have to be expensive. No name brands and the dollar store sizes work just as good as name brand. Millennials need to RELAX. Going off on a tangent about the laundry industry is just another one of their ways to lash out at something trivial.
I use a quarter of the amount of detergent "recommended" on the bottle and have for years. I use a small amount of fabric softener because I line dry my clothes and I prefer them not to be stiff as a board. My husband has several pairs of 25-year-old jeans that he wears regularly. I have a 30-year-old sweater that I can still wear to the office. The trick to keeping your clothes in decent shape is to wash only when needed with only enough detergent to clean then rinse away and avoid the dryer completely.
If your clothes are stiff off the line, once they're dry put them in a dryer on the "no heat" setting with wool dryer balls. It works really well.
Load More Replies...I made my own powdered detergent with a similar recipe, but it has powdered oxyclean in it too (I love oxyclean!) It cost about $20 for the whole batch and has lasted two years so far. We still have half of it left! But 1/4 cup is too much since it's dry, I use a couple tablespoons. We also use some of those rubbery spiky balls instead of dyer sheets. Reusable, so that's another thing we don't have to keep buying.
I am 65. I've been doing my laundry for over 45 years. I've never used softener or boosters etc. I did use some spray starch on my nurse uniforms and my firefighter uniforms.
WSJ Article DATE: Dec. 16, 2016 7:00 a.m. ET ... Why is this an issue, now? It's old news, fabric softener didn't go away, and neither did detergent. Don't need em? Good for you. Want to use them for some reason? That's fine as well, do your thing.
It’s not just ‘millennials’. I’m 45 and haven’t used fabric softener since I left my moms house at 15 and had to all my own shopping and laundry. Fabric softener is bs. I do use dryer sheets because in northeast Ohio the air is dry fall through spring and static cling is no joke.
Just tell them that they can wash down the tide pods with the fabric softener and watch sales sky rocket
@Dan H Most millennials are too old and wise to not do Tide Pod challenge. Tide Pod challenge is more Generation Z thing (people born in mid-1990's and onward).
Load More Replies...Dear Proctor and Gamble. It's called *supply and demand* economics. If there is no demand for your product, then you should be investing your company's (and your stock holders') resources in developing NEW products that WILL be in demand. 1. Many people over the decades have developed chemical sensitivities, including allergies to perfumes and artificial additives. In addition, we want to use environmentally friendly products with fewer ingredients going into our sewers, trash and waste treatment plants. Keep this c**p out of our washers and dryers. 2. Fabrics have changed. We are actually able to purchase clothing that is softer than what people wore in the 1950's and 1970's. Rayon, viscose, modal, brushed cotton, hemp, fleece, and more--are all comfortable, soft, and either natural or post-consumer recycled fabrics. So................ just get a life.
Love that someone complained that their home made fabric softener did not clean their clothes, and only put a nice smell on top of the bad smell of dirty clothes. News flash: they are not meant to clean, they are meant to be used in the first rinsing water after cleaning to make clean clothes smell better. And they are totally unneccesary.
No fabric softener might work for some, but not for those that have hard water or use well water for laundry. And it's not about scent, I have to use free & clear. It's the same thing as using conditioner in your hair! The homemade detergent works for some, as well, but not if you have sensitive skin. It might not be a must-have item for some people, but that doesn't make it obsolete; many people don't need their own car, but those aren't obsolete either.
I use fabric softener as faux Febreeze. 1/3 fabric softener to 2/3 water. I do use dryer sheets, but only in the winter. And I coupon, so I haven't paid more than $.50 for a bottle of Purex in years. I have 30ish bottles right now of Arm & Hammer & Oxiclean, all free.
I do use fabric softener bc I like the way it makes my clothes smell, but I buy the $1 bottle at the dollar store.
Consumer Reports (the most honest testing organization I know of) did tests of fabric softener 10 years ago and found that by easing friction between threads it extends the life of the fabric by 20-30%. BUT SHOULD NOT BE USED ON CHILDREN'S SLEEPWEAR THAT HAS BEEN TREATED WITH FIRE RETARDANT-IT REDUCES ITS EFFECTIVENESS) (since that friction is what also what causes static build-up this stops it but that is an unintentional side-effect) They also found that there is only a slight difference between liquid or dryer sheets. This is why, after 40+ years I have begun using it. https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2008/03/best-fabric-softeners/index.htm
I buy laundry detergent because I don't have enough time in a day to make my f*ck!ng soap. If I had time to be a tree hugging, soap making, little house on the prairie type I still wouldn't make soap, because that's stupid.
Fabric softener/dryer sheets work well, but it depends on what you're trying to wash/dry. Also, don't use every time. Maybe once every 2 or 3 weeks on stuff you wash all of the time. For items that are static-magnets, you may need to use fab. soft. more often.
Isn't the point that you don't have the money to spend? The opposing arguments are just people who are willing to spend
It's true millennials suck the life out of everything. Under-educated, outclassed and easily swayed. Poor, poor "Merica"....
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