In addition to fabric softening chemicals, fabric softeners may include acids or bases to maintain optimal pH for absorption, silicone-based anti-foaming agents, emulsion stabilizers, fragrances, and colors. Another approach is a polymeric network, an emulsion polymer. Manufacturers often use a mixture of cationic and non-ionic surfactants as an emulsifier. Microemulsions provide the advantage of increased ability of smaller particles to penetrate into the fibers. However, there are also microemulsions, where the droplets of the hydrophobic phase are substantially smaller. The emulsions are usually opaque, milky fluids. In the early formulations, manufacturers used soaps as emulsifiers. These groups improve the softener's binding to fabrics.Īs softeners are often hydrophobic, they commonly occur in the form of an emulsion. Manufacturers use derivatives with amine- or amide-containing functional groups as well. New silicone-based compounds, such as polydimethylsiloxane, work by lubricating the fibers. Some work better on cellulose-based fibers (i.e., cotton), others have higher affinity to hydrophobic materials like nylon, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacrylonitrile, etc. Softening compounds differ in affinity to various fabrics. Fabric softeners Įarly cotton softeners were typically based on a water emulsion of soap and olive oil, corn oil, or tallow oil. Additionally, they can also impart a pleasant fragrance to the laundry. In addition, they reduce drying times so that energy is saved when softened laundry is tumble-dried. Also, fabric softeners make fabrics easier to iron and help reduce wrinkles in garments. The long aliphatic chains then line up towards the outside of the fiber, imparting lubricity.įabric softeners impart antistatic properties to fabrics, and thus prevent the build-up of electrostatic charges on synthetic fibers, which in turn eliminates fabric cling during handling and wearing, crackling noises, and dust attraction. Cationic softeners bind by electrostatic attraction to the negatively charged groups on the surface of the fibers and neutralize their charge. Liquid fabric softeners may also be poured onto a piece of laundry to be dried, such as a wash cloth, and it will be distributed as the laundry is tumbled.įabric softeners coat the surface of a fabric with chemical compounds that are electrically charged, causing threads to "stand up" from the surface and thereby imparting a softer and fluffier texture. Liquid fabric softeners can be added manually during the rinse cycle or automatically if the machine has a dispenser designed for this purpose. Fabric softeners are usually either in the form of a liquid, which is added to the washing machine during the rinse cycle (either by the machine itself or through use of a dispensing ball) or as a dryer sheet which is added to the moist laundry at the beginning of the dryer cycle. Therefore, fabric softeners in the US are used rather to impart antistatic properties and a pleasant smell to the laundry. In the US, laundry is mostly dried in mechanical dryers, and the tumbling of the laundry in the dryer has its own softening effect. Adding a liquid fabric softener to the final rinse (rinse-cycle softener) results in laundry that feels softer. The fibers at the fabric's surface are squashed and frayed, and this condition hardens into place while drying the laundry in air, giving the laundry a harsh feel. Washing machines put great mechanical stress on textiles, particularly natural fibers such as cotton and wool. Ī wrinkle releaser is a similar, more dilute preparation meant to be sprayed onto fabric directly. In contrast to laundry detergents, fabric softeners may be regarded as a kind of after-treatment laundry aid. A fabric softener (American English) or fabric conditioner (British English) is a conditioner that is applied to laundry during the rinse cycle in a washing machine to reduce harshness in clothes that are dried in air after machine washing.
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