Best Fabric Softeners

By Juliet Bickford
WSLS10 Anchor
Published: February 28, 2008

Many people swear by their fabric softener, claiming it softens their towels just so or makes their clothes smell great. But where’s the proof? In its latest tests of liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets, Consumer Reports washed more than 1,300 loads of laundry to find the best.

In all, 22 products were tested. Reusable dryer balls and dryer cloths were also evaluated.

Testers built a humidity-controlled room to evaluate static cling, which can be a problem this time of year. And sensory panelists assessed the softness of towels.

The two reusable products, Method Softener Infused Dryer Cloths and Dryer Max Dryer Balls, didn’t do well. They made fabrics stiff and scratchy. But all of the other fabric softeners rated very good to excellent.

And while it used to be that people used liquids to soften clothes and dryer sheets to reduce static, you don’t need two products anymore. Tests found liquid softeners generally do a pretty good job at both.

Consumer Reports also performed this test to see if softeners reduced absorbency—something that’s been a problem in the past. Testers dipped pieces of towels in a blue liquid, then measured how far the liquid traveled. The good news: Only two softeners noticeably reduced absorbency.

For liquid softeners, testers recommend Ultra Gain Joyful Expressions, which rated excellent. If you prefer dryer sheets, two that rated very good are Bounce and Gain.

Consumer Reports says there’s an important consideration with fabric softeners: They can build up on fabric over time and reduce the effectiveness of flame-resistant clothing, such as children’s sleepwear. Most fabric softeners carry a warning on the label, so parents should be sure to heed that warning.

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