Short answer: no, most people don’t actually need fabric softener.
For the average household doing regular loads of clothes, towels, and bedding, fabric softener isn’t necessary for cleanliness, hygiene, or even softness. It’s largely a habit that’s been passed down and heavily marketed — not a must-have laundry step.
That doesn’t mean you’re “wrong” for using it. But if you’ve ever stood in the laundry aisle wondering whether it’s doing anything useful… you’re not imagining things.
Let’s break it down calmly and honestly.
Why People Think Fabric Softener Is Necessary
Most of us learned how to do laundry by watching someone else — a parent, partner, or housemate. Fabric softener was just part of the routine. Add detergent, add softener, job done.
On top of that, there are a few powerful forces at play:
1. Marketing does a lot of heavy lifting
Fabric softener is sold as the thing that:
- Makes clothes “luxuriously soft”
- Reduces static
- Adds long-lasting freshness
- Protects fabrics
The bottles smell nice, the ads show fluffy towels, and suddenly it feels like skipping it means you’re doing laundry “wrong”.
2. Scent gets confused with cleanliness
A big one. Softener leaves a strong fragrance behind, which tricks our brains into thinking something is cleaner or better cared for. But smell and cleanliness aren’t the same thing.
Clean clothes come from detergent + proper washing, not from a coating added at the end.
3. Habit is hard to question
Laundry is already a chore. Once something becomes automatic, we rarely stop to ask whether it’s actually helping — especially when every product label implies it is.
What Fabric Softener Actually Does (and Doesn’t)
Fabric softener works by coating fabric fibres with a thin layer of chemicals that reduce friction. That’s what creates the softer feel.
What it doesn’t do:
- It doesn’t clean clothes
- It doesn’t disinfect
- It doesn’t remove odours (it masks them)
- It doesn’t improve washing performance
That coating can also have downsides:
- It reduces towel absorbency
- It can trap residue and smells over time
- It builds up in washing machines
- It can irritate sensitive skin
If you’ve ever noticed your towels getting stiff or scratchy, this explains exactly why it happens and how to fix it: Why Do Towels Go Hard After Washing?
What Actually Matters in Real Households
For most families, laundry comes down to three things:
- Clothes being clean
- Fabrics lasting as long as possible
- Not creating extra problems or costs
Fabric softener doesn’t meaningfully help with any of those.
Cleanliness
Detergent, water temperature, and not overloading the machine matter far more. Softener doesn’t remove dirt, bacteria, or sweat.
If hygiene is your concern, focus on:
- Correct detergent dosage
- Washing items at appropriate temperatures
- Drying things properly
If you’ve ever questioned whether you need extra products “for hygiene”, this ties closely to laundry sanitizers too: Do You Really Need Laundry Sanitizer?
Fabric care
Despite the claims, fabric softener can actually shorten the life of some items:
- Towels lose absorbency
- Athletic wear stops wicking sweat
- Baby clothes and pyjamas can hold residue
Clothes last longer when they’re:
- Washed gently
- Not overloaded
- Not coated with unnecessary chemicals
Smell
If clothes smell musty without softener, that’s usually a washing or drying issue — not a lack of fragrance.
Common causes:
- Too much detergent
- Low-temperature washes only
- Clothes sitting damp too long
- Build-up inside the machine
Softener covers these issues rather than fixing them.
When Fabric Softener Can Be Worth Using
There are situations where fabric softener can make sense — just not nearly as many as marketing suggests.
You might choose to use it if:
- You live in a very dry climate and struggle with static
- You have specific garments that feel uncomfortably rough without it
- You genuinely like the feel and scent and don’t have skin sensitivities
That’s a preference choice, not a requirement.
Use caution if:
- You’re washing towels, cloths, or bedding
- Anyone in the household has eczema, allergies, or sensitive skin
- You’re washing baby clothes
- You wear a lot of sportswear or gym clothes
In those cases, softener often causes more problems than it solves.
If bedding softness is something you’re worried about, washing habits matter far more than additives, you can read more about that here: How Often Should You Wash Your Bedding?
Practical Alternatives That Actually Help
If the reason you use fabric softener is one of these, here’s what works better:
“My clothes feel stiff”
- Don’t overload the machine
- Use less detergent (seriously)
- Shake clothes out before drying
- Avoid over-drying
“My towels aren’t soft”
Skip softener entirely. Wash towels:
- With less detergent
- On a warmer wash occasionally
- Without softener so fibres stay open and absorbent
“My clothes smell better with softener”
That usually means something else needs fixing:
- Run a hot maintenance wash on your machine
- Leave the door and drawer open between washes
- Make sure clothes dry fully and quickly
If you want fragrance, adding it occasionally — not every wash — reduces buildup.
So… Do You Really Need Fabric Softener?
No — not for clean laundry, not for hygiene, and not for fabric care.
For most households, skipping fabric softener:
- Saves money
- Reduces residue and smells
- Improves towel performance
- Simplifies laundry
If you enjoy using it and it’s not causing issues, that’s fine. But if you’re using it because you feel like you should, you can safely stop.
Laundry doesn’t need to be complicated to work. Clean clothes come from good basics — not extra bottles.
And if dropping one product makes laundry feel a little easier? That’s a win.
