Environmental tip: Save on fabric conditioner

If you are putting a load of washing into the washing machine and you know you will be drying it in the tumble dryer, do you still use fabric conditioner? We always have done, but tumble drying naturally softens the fabrics so fabric conditioner shouldn’t be required.

I tested this out yesterday by washing a load of towels without adding fabric conditioner. When they came out of the dryer they felt no different to when using conditioner. Testing them against towels already in the airing cupboard showed no difference at all.

Of course using the tumble dryer instead of hanging laundry out to dry naturally is not environmentally friendly, but most people will be tumble drying some of the time. Using the every little helps philosophy it’s still good to save something whenever possible.

Related:

I wonder if there are still housing estates where hanging washing out on the line is banned in the lease or tenant agreement purely for aesthetic reasons? Many people in that situation will be forced to use the dryer. Is that imposition tenable these days? Surely it’s extremely environmentally un-friendly?

Addendum:

Fabric conditioner also has a water-proofing effect, which isn’t ideal for towels as it affects their absorbancy.

Written By Washerhelp on March 4th, 2008 with 4 comments.
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