Millennials blamed for the decline in fabric softener sales. Dont know its purpose

[Liberal_in_LA]

Blame the millennials!
The generation that everyone loves to blame is being accused of killing off yet another beloved household product: this time, it's fabric softener.

The tale of yet another product dying off due to its (lack of) millennial customers is being told by Procter & Gamble. Sales of fabric softener has been declining for years, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article, and Procter & Gamble saw its own fabric softener sales decrease by 26 percent.

The reason? According to the company's head of global fabric care, millennials "don't know what the product is for."

Of course, there are other factors that probably play into the product's downturn — improvements to washers, dryers and detergents, athleticwear that can't be washed in fabric softener, as Consumerist points out — but it just seems that consumers (in general) don't see the point of fabric softener anymore.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Millennials-blamed-for-yet-another-product-s-10805204.php

[LonePirate]

1. This Gen Xer was amused by this article.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. You buy it by the bucket full?

[LonePirate]

3. No. I don't think I have ever purchased it. I just like blaming Millennials for anything.

[tandem5]

10. Me neither, but I love a good clueless Millennial anecdote!

[FrodosNewPet]

37. Was it over when the Millennials bombed Pearl Harbor?

Hell no!

[BlueSpot]

16. I buy it by the bottle full

I don't think it is sold in buckets. It makes clothing last longer and it also helps it smell nice. But I make a good income and can afford stuff like that.

P&G blaming a generation for not knowing what their product is for is just silly. If potential customers don't know the benefits, the fault would seem to lie with those responsible for informing them - the P&G marketing department.

Millennials are just out of college with lots of debt. Compared to food or rent - or even just having enough gas to get to work (assuming you have a job), fabric softener is a luxury item. P&G is is just making shit up. They either don't inform consumers what their product is for or, in a time of economic hardship, they can't figure out why young people aren't buying a luxury item. If they aren't lying, they're just dumber than a box of hammers. Since I don't believe they are dumb, they are most likely lying to appease shareholders.

[KT2000]

21. not a healthy product

the softness is achieved through chemicals that coat the fabric.

http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2011/11/dont-get-slimed-skip-fabric-softener

Fabric softeners and dryer sheets coat our clothes with a subtle layer of slimy chemicals - in fact, that's why they feel a little softer. The most common softening chemicals are called "quats" (short for quaternary ammonium compounds) and include such chemical mouthfuls as diethyl ester dimethyl ammonium chloride, dialkyl dimethyl ammonium methyl sulfate, dihydrogenated palmoylethyl hydroxyethylmonium methosulfate and di-(palm carboxyethyl) hydroxyethyl methyl ammonium methyl sulfate.

Of course, difficult pronunciation does not necessarily mean danger, but in this case it does clarify that we're talking chemicals here, not vague, wonderful softness (as the advertisers would like you to believe). Quats are in many cleaning products, including most antibacterial wipes.

So what's so bad about quats?

The Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics, a leading international authority on asthma, calls these chemicals "asthmagens," substances that can cause asthma to develop in otherwise healthy people. With asthma affecting nearly 1 in 10 American children, it makes sense to avoid exposing kids unnecessarily to asthma-causing chemicals.

[randome]

41. That's why this baby boomer stopped buying it. It's completely unnecessary and potentially harmful.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[LanternWaste]

50. Nor are perfumes and colognes.

Nor are perfumes and colognes.

[TexasBushwhacker]

53. Yup, baby boomer here. Never bought it.

I never liked the slimy feel and I didn't like smelling of Eau de Fabric Softener. Perfumed is not the same as clean.

[tblue37]

24. Or they could be buying cheaper house brands--which is what I do. nt

[Binkie The Clown]

4. This old boomer never bought fabric softener. Ever. n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. Here is what you are missing

Fabric softeners coat the surface of a fabric with chemical compounds that are electrically charged, causing threads to "stand up" from the surface so the fabric feels softer and makes it fluffier. Cationic softeners bind by electrostatic attraction to the negatively charged groups on the surface of the fibers and neutralize their charge. The long aliphatic chains then line up towards the outside of the fiber, imparting lubricity.

Electrically conductive fabric softener chemicals may also prevent static charge buildup in clothes dryers. Other functions manufacturers claim include less friction during ironing, increased stain resistance, reduced wrinkling and pilling, and lower drying time. Most contain fragrances. Cationic fabric softeners are added during the rinse cycle rather than the wash cycle because they can interfere with detergent cleaning action.[citation needed] 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.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabric_softener

[Buckeye_Democrat]

8. Thanks. n/t

[Binkie The Clown]

9. I own nothing but jeans and T-shirts, and I don't iron them.

O.K, so sweat shirts for winter, but I don't iron them either.

[burrowowl]

11. and it isn't good for you

might be a bit toxic too.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. What part is toxic, and in what way?

[Hugin]

40. The surfactants are toxic to pets.

Especially, cats... Ironically.

My rule of thumb is, if it isn't good for pets, it probably doesn't do me any good, either.

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/detergents/

Anything they dump on oil spills to break them up... Can't be healthy.

In me, they cause my eczema to go nuts. I break out on my shoulders and it's not the scent, because the unscented sheets cause a reaction, too.

[hatrack]

43. Somehow I've survived so far with insufficient lubricity in my clothing . . .

[RobinA]

44. This Middle Boomer

always uses fabric softener. Wouldn't be without. Less static, easier to get wrinkles out, softer jeans. The difference is stark when I help my non-softener-using mother with her laundry and unload a washer full of sandpaper that is determined to stay wrinkled.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

6. What IS the purpose?

Reducing static cling?

If so, the stuff I've bought in the past didn't work well in that regard.

[cyberswede]

7. I've never used it; neither has my 86 year old mother, or any of my 4 sisters.

None of us are millennials.

Not a thing in our family, I guess.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

12. My washing machine doesn't have a fabric softener dispenser

I was completely oblivious to that fact until my parents moved into my house.

[tblue37]

25. I use dryer sheets. Cheap ones. nt

[brewens]

26. I hate dryer sheets too! I just use the "free and clear" unscented stuff. Whatever seems the best

quality and buy. Costco's lately. I don't want my clothes to smell like anything except clothes!

I also hate driving down a street through someone's dryer exhaust and getting a good dose of the dryer sheets! Freakin' things don't taste anywhere good as you'd think!

[tblue37]

27. I use them because of problems with static cling--and with fur from 4 cats. nt

[OregonBlue]

63. They should never be used on cotton. Only on synthetics and they are helpful in the winter

with very cold and dry air. My grandsons wear basketball shorts with long socks even when it's 10F out and if I don't use them on their shorts, they stick to their legs and look really ridiculous. Only dryer sheets and never on cotton (like sheets and towels) as it coats the fabric, making it less absorbent.

[otohara]

60. Those Are Worse

I stopped using them when I was making a cup of tea at a house with a gas stove and my sweater caught fire from the chemical residue sheets leave on clothes. It went out quickly - but traveled from the cuff to my shoulder

The chemicals end up in our air water bodies -

[TlalocW]

14. I'm 44-years-old, been doing my own laundry since middle school

And have never used it.

Other things that Millennials are having an effect on according to articles I've read
Napkins - Why buy napkins and paper towels? I've also been doing this waaaay before Milennials were
Golf Course Membership - Fully support this and eagerly await the day that we put George Carlin's idea of turning them into homeless shelters into practice
Corked wine - apparently there's no difference in how you seal your wine, with a cork or a screw cap, and they've been going the easier route. I honestly don't care since I don't drink
Vacations - They're not busting their collective hump working for the man just so they can go on a big vacation once a year but are finding a more healthy work-leisure time balance. I've also been doing this for several years.
Diamond wedding rings - Never married and probably never will be, but I think the diamond industry is evil, so if Millennials kill it off, that's fine by me.

Apparently, I was Millennial before Millennials. Still, I've had the neck-bearded little snots criticize the kind of sandwich I get at Subway (while they're making it) so there is a chasm between us.

There was a brain teaser I read about how the muffler industry went out of business when the automobile started getting more popular at the turn of the 20th century. The muffler they were referring to were the furry thing women put their hands into to keep them warm while riding in buggies, etc. Damn millennials are no good no matter what century it is!

TlalocW

[Freddie]

78. Napkins and paper towels...?

I'm a boomer and buy these things, as does my Millennial daughter. Are you supposed to use cloth?

[TlalocW]

80. No

They're just using paper towels.

TlalocW

[Freddie]

81. Understandable

I hope they're still using TP and not paper towels on that function

[TreasonousBastard]

15. Accordingto the article, millenials don't like...

soap, deodorant, sex, or work, either.

There may be a pattern here...

[handmade34]

32. ...

[Kilgore]

51. I will take the portion of sex they dont want

The work, not so much!!

[demigoddess]

17. toxic chemicals in the fabric softener scent have given people migraines. It did me.

It sometimes makes fabric feel greasy instead of soft. Not all clothes are the same fabric. Permanent press fabric does just fine without fabric softener if you launder it well. Such as warm water instead of hot so the fabric doesn't get wrinkles from the heat and putting too much in a load. also dryer balls today have the ability to make fabric soft without the chemicals and without the scent. Thank you millennials!! thank you!!!

[silverweb]

18. There's a good reason.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]There are known toxins in both liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets. Why use them, when other products are available, like Mrs. Myer's fabric softener, a cup of white vinegar in the final rinse, or dryer balls and a few drops of your favorite essential oils on a square of cloth in the dryer? Millennials are not stupid and are rightly concerned about toxins in their environment. This baby boomer is with them!

See: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/greener-laundry/

[Kilgore]

52. Dryers have balls???

I never knew.

[silverweb]

67. lol

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]You did click on the link, right?

[Kilgore]

71. I did, but could not resist a smart assed comment.

[silverweb]

75. Just checking.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Your smart-assed comment did make me laugh. Thanks for that.

[Kilgore]

83. Post 70 and 72 may be of interest

[silverweb]

92. Yes, I saw those.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Very interesting. I'd look into those if I didn't already have a set of dryer balls.

[Warpy]

19. A lot of the ones I know are using felted wool dryer balls

Yeah, they make a lot of racket in there, kind of like a Stones rhythm line, but things come out soft and remarkably static free.

Silicone balls made for the purpose are cheaper and do the same thing. I've used them for years. The only thing I use fabric softener for is an Aran throw I knitted years ago out of acrylic because the stuff is washable.

[LeftyMom]

20. Technically a millennial and I don't buy P&G anything.

And I don't really want my clothes to smell like anything, or to coat my towels so they don't absorb, or to put a thin sheen of tallow on all my clothes.

[madokie]

22. The shit makes me itch

use fabric softener in my wash or dry cycle and I get to thinking I've got the cooties
I found that a splash of white vinegar does wonders for the clothes in the front loader

[Grey Lemercier]

23. If you dislike us millennials, you are going to HATE what follows us, iGen

iGen are roughly those born 1995 and onward. They are (in the US) as group much more conservative, MUCH (more than double us Millennials, more than Gen X, even Baby Boomers) more church going, and are more white than us. I can only surmise they will be less tolerant as well.

Bodes ill for the left in the USA.

[Achilleaze]

35. aka Generation Z

Wikipedia:
Generation Z (also known as Post-Millennials, the iGeneration, Founders, Plurals, or the Homeland Generation) is the demographic cohort after the Millennials...

...A significant aspect of this generation is the widespread usage of the Internet from a young age. Members of Generation Z are typically thought of as being comfortable with technology, and interacting on social media websites for a significant portion of their socializing.

Some commentators have suggested that growing up through the Great Recession has given the cohort a feeling of unsettlement and insecurity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z

[otohara]

85. Is This About Hating Millennials?

I'd like to see Proctor/Gamble and the other companies who put out this garbage that poisons our water/air and all living things go away.

I get migraines from chemical fragrances, they trigger asthma attacks in others.

Not sure what you're talking about....hope your generation continues the trend of healthier living.

[Grey Lemercier]

86. was more just a generic statement, not directed at anyone in particular, as we take a lot of shit

from all sides, lol

sorry if I offended

[Generator]

88. Ugh do you know any?

My teens and their friends (even the Jewish, Christian AND Muslim) ones are some of the most tolerant people I've ever met. They have grown up with bullying being not tolerated at school-and gays being allowed to have clubs and not be targeted. They grew up with a BLACK president. That makes a difference. People come out in high school which amazes me. I grew up in the early 1980's and that did not happen-same place-suburban Portland OR.

Generation Z. Of course some are bad but I'm more hopeful about those under 30 than those over.

It's the ones that are going to be in elementary and middle school to high school with orangehitler that are to be worried about. I pray he's out of there and a distant memory soon!

[Grey Lemercier]

91. I am a millennial (I just turned 26)

Last edited Tue Jan 10, 2017, 06:32 PM - Edit history (2)

I also live in London, so am not privy to day to day dealings with that many Americans born say 1995 to 2010 (there are a lot of arguments about when iGen aka Gen Z starts), other than some expats and also online.

I was basing my opinions off some studies being done so far on iGen (Gen Z). I think the jury is obviously still out, and it depends on when you make cut off dates for the Millennial/Gen Z birthdate barrier. I absolutely do think that many of the teens I meet and interact with are definitely more conservative than me and lets say people who are 5 years older than me to a few years younger. I was 10 when 9-11 happened, I was 12 when FB started (I closed my FB account in 2007), and 16 (and in university already) when the financial crisis started in 2007. I am amongst the last several years born to not be utterly immersed in social media from the pre-teen years onwards.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z

According to Forbes in 2015, the generation after Millennials, Generation Z, made up 25% of the U.S. population, making them a larger cohort than the Baby Boomers or Millennials.[34] Frank N. Magid Associates estimates that in the United States, 55% of Plurals are non-Hispanic Caucasians, 24% are Hispanic, 14% are African-American, 4% are Asian, and 4% are multiracial or other.

Generation Z are predominantly the children of Generation X, but they also have parents who are Millennials. According to the marketing firm Frank N. Magid they are "the least likely to believe that there is such a thing as the American Dream" because "Generation X, the most influential parents of Plurals (Generation Z), demonstrates the least credence in the concept of the American Dream among adult generations." According to Public Relations Society of America, the Great Recession has taught Generation Z to be independent, and has led to an entrepreneurial desire, after seeing their parents and older siblings struggle in the workforce.

A 2013 survey by Ameritrade found that 46% of Generation Z in the United States (considered here to be those between the ages of 14 and 23) were concerned about student debt, while 36% were worried about being able to afford a college education at all. This generation is faced with a growing income gap and a shrinking middle-class, which all have led to increasing stress levels in families.

Both the September 11 terrorist attacks and the Great Recession have greatly influenced the attitudes of this generation in the United States, with the oldest members of Generation Z being children when the 9/11 attacks occurred. Turner suggests it is likely that both events have resulted in a feeling of unsettlement and insecurity among the people of Generation Z with the environment in which they were being raised. The economic recession of 2008 is particularly important to historical events that have shaped Generation Z, due to the ways in which their childhoods may have been affected by the recession's shadow; that is, the financial stresses felt by their parents. Although the Millennials experienced these events during their coming of age, Generation Z lived through them as part of their childhood, affecting their realism and world-view.

A 2014 study Generation Z Goes to College found that Generation Z students self-identify as being loyal, compassionate, thoughtful, open-minded, responsible, and determined. How they see their Generation Z peers is quite different from their own self-identity. They view their peers as competitive, spontaneous, adventuresome, and curious; all characteristics that they do not see readily in themselves.

A 2016 U.S. study found that church attendance during young adulthood was 41% among Generation Z, compared with 18 percent for Millennials at the same ages, 21 percent of Generation X, and 26 percent of baby boomers.

Generation Z is generally more risk-averse in certain activities than earlier generations. In 2013, 66% of teenagers (older members of Generation Z) had tried alcohol, down from 82% in 1991. Also in 2013, 8% of Gen. Z teenagers never or rarely wear a seat belt when riding in a car with someone else, as opposed to 26% in 1991.[46]

Research from the Annie E. Casey Foundation conducted in 2016 found Generation Z youth had lower teen pregnancy rates, less substance abuse, and higher on time high school graduation rates compared to Millennials. The researchers compared teens from 2008 and 2014 and found a 40% drop in teen pregnancy, a 38% drop in drug and alcohol abuse, and a 28% drop in the percentage of teens who did not graduate on time from high school.


snip

They don't like drugs or gay marriage, and they HATE tattoos: Is 'Generation Z' the most conservative since WW2?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3790614/They-don-t-like-drugs-gay-marriage-HATE-tattoos-Generation-Z-conservative-WW2.html

Teenagers born after 2000 - the so-called 'Generation Z' - are the most socially conservative generation since the Second World War, a new study has found. The youngsters surveyed had more conservative views on gay marriage, transgender rights and drugs than Baby Boomers, Generation X or Millennials. The questioned were more prudent than Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers but not quite as cash-savvy as those born in 1945 or before.

Sociology experts class those born in or before 1945 as the Silent Generation; people born between 1946 and 1964 as Baby Boomers; those born between 1965 and 1980 as Generation X; and anyone born between 1980 and 2000 as Millennials.
Only 14 and 15-year-olds were surveyed, by brand consultancy The Gild, as they were classed as being able to form credible opinions by that age. When asked to comment on same-sex marriage, transgender rights and cannabis legislation, 59 per cent of Generation X teenagers said they had conservative views.

snip


The First Generation Of The
Twenty-First Century
An introduction to The Pluralist Generation

http://magid.com/sites/default/files/pdf/MagidPluralistGenerationWhitepaper.pdf

[The River]

28. Soap, Water, Clothsline

and Sunshine.

[Starry Messenger]

29. I'm a Gen Xer and I've never used it.

Not a fan of fragrence.

[boston bean]

39. our kids learned something from us...

[NBachers]

30. They don't watch broadcast TV, so they don't see the little miracle dramas of fabric softener

that make up fabric softener commercials. Spring breezes and attractive women caressing their face with softened fabric and laughing children running in from a sunny nature environment.

[kysrsoze]

31. I'm solidly Gen-X and I don't think I've ever bought fabric softener. I never saw the point.

[pansypoo53219]

33. i use it on my wool sweaters only. less static.

wash everything in cold water now.

[JHan]

34. "Fabric softener" - what sorcery is this? I need an instruction flow chart.

[MountCleaners]

36. Bar soap

My nephews stayed over and didn't know what the bar soap was for! All of the soap in their house is liquid. I don't like liquid soap, I feel it doesn't smell as nice and doesn't lather as well. Especially love specialty soaps.

[Freddie]

82. Body wash is a wonderful invention

No soap scum in the shower, yucky "ends" of soap or having to bend over in the shower to pick up slippery dropped soap.

[Renew Deal]

38. I don't see the point

All fabric softener seems to do is make clothes smell. I don't see the point to dryer sheets any more either.

[Vinca]

42. I find without it the clothing is filled with static electricity. Especially in the winter.

[Renew Deal]

45. I used to have the same experience

It hasn't been a big issue for me the last few years unless I dry athletic type material. Maybe dryers changed. I don't know.

[Act_of_Reparation]

46. Good. One more thing I'm blamed for.

We are the vile generation that destroyed fabric softener. Guess it beats being the generation that destroyed Iraq, eh?

[Bettie]

48. And the music those young kids listen to!

Every one of us has had the time when we were blamed for all the ills in the world because we were the up-and-coming generation.

Those clothes! The way they dance! Their music!

My wish is never to be one of those "these kids today" people. I may not understand everything younger people do, but I'm old and set in my ways and don't understand a lot of what people my own age do either!

You're not vile, you are the future and it will be better for you being there.

[Bettie]

47. I'm 50 and I've never used fabric softener

though I do use those anti-static sheets in winter, because I don't like all my clothing sticking to my body due to static.

[tosh]

49. Hives.

It gives me hives.

I'm not a Millennial but I have NEVER purchased that stuff. Dryer sheets, either.

Useless and harmful products.

[panader0]

54. Could someone explain to me what the years are for

millennials and Genxers?

[silverweb]

76. Here you go:

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]Full explanations at the links:

Generation X

Millennials (or Generation Y)

[hunter]

55. Fabric softener doesn't play nice with our hard, aggressive water, and it makes me itch.

I don't like scented clothing either.

It may have a lot to do with allergies. I'm allergic to many things. Is it possible that millennials are more likely to be allergic to things like this because they are more likely to have been exposed to them as children?

My own parents never had enough money for luxuries like fabric softener. They bought the cheapest laundry detergent they could in bulk, stuff that was mostly washing soda coated with a minimal amount of cheap less-biodegradable surfactants and phosphates. It was without doubt terrible stuff for lakes and rivers, but it did get clothing clean in warm or hot water.

[yellowcanine]

56. If you use a solar dryer (clothes line) you don't need it.

And the clothes will not shrink as much either.

[crazycatlady]

57. I am most likely allergic to fabric softener

If I use a dryer that sheets were previously used in (ie a commercial one), I will break out into hives.

I use free and clear detergent and a drying rack for my laundry. I don't care much about stiffness or wrinkles.

(I'm in the February 29 generation-- smack between Gen X and Millennial)

[Heddi]

58. Gen-X'er here. Never use fabric softener or sheets. Neither did my baby-boom mom

firstly, I have never found the need and yes, I've lived in cold climates with static electricity and who gives a shit? It's a temporary problem. Talk about first-world issues. "Oh Albert, my sock stuck to my sweater. What ever shall I do??? :faints:"

Secondly, I don't like the idea of getting snuggly with superfluous chemicals rubbing on my clothes and face for no other reason than someone with wicked marketing sense was able to sell suburban house-marms on the idea that YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE when really, you don't.

Thirdly, I don't like the smell. I don't like over-the-top SMELL HOW SMELL-LICIOUS I AM I SMELL LIKE LAUNDRY FOR A FUCKING WEEK that laundry detergents have (and deodorants, and shampoos, etc). I prefer my clothes to smell like, well, clothes. Not Ocean Spring Vanilla Lavender.

I am nearly 41 and have never bought fabric softener ever, and have only purchased fabric sheets a few times, usually because it's free with purchase or something. Certainly haven't had them in my home in the last 10 years.

My mother, born in 1956 -- we never had fabric softener in the house AND WE LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT. Granted, we lived below the poverty line but still, it wasn't necessary. You just peel the sock off the sweater.

My grandmother, born in 1937, never used fabric softener, either for all the reasons stated above. She and my grandfather had more disposable income than my mom and I, but still, never used it ever. It wasn't necessary, and my granddad was a mechanic so no real need for his clothes to smell Snuggly Soft.

She did buy 409 stain spray by the pallet....

TL;DR version: This is a clickbait, stupid article that looks to blame millennials for something stupid that doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Ooooh....they're ruining the Fabric Softener conglomerate. What's next, those little useless pucks you hang on the side of the toilet bowl? The deodorizers you put down the garbage disposal? WHEN WILL IT END, MILLENNIALS? WHEN WILL IT ENDDDDDD?

[otohara]

59. Excellent News

it's my goal to put these products out of business - useless toxic nasty smelling

[treestar]

61. I don't see why this has to be considered "blame"

it could just be an observation. Why do millennials have to be considered victims of "blame?"

If they don't like fabric softener or don't care about whatever it accomplishes, they don't like it and the companies will have to make something else.

I'm a baby boomer and never bother with it either.

[taught_me_patience]

62. I'd rather destroy fabric softener sales

Than America or the environment, which the baby boomers did.

[MineralMan]

64. They just need to change the fragrance to AXE!

The younger guys will insist on its use.

They already have it in Hong Kong:

[Xolodno]

65. Never bought it....until...

I gave in to the wife. Then she developed a skin rash to it....and now we don't buy it anymore.

[kimbutgar]

66. i am a baby boomer and never used fabric softener

My Dad did the family laundry every Sunday and I do mine every Sunday. He told me it was a waste of money. You only need it when you hang dry towels or sheets but I usually only hang or lay flat certain clothes that don't need fabric softener.

[TimeChaser]

68. I'm a millennial and I never liked the smell of fabric softener

So when I moved out and started doing my own laundry I stopped using it. That said, I also hang up my clothes to dry unless it's something like sheets or towels.

[Eleanors38]

69. Wanna soften jeans up? Wash new ones twice, then never wash 'em again.

[Kilgore]

73. Don't they get a bit gamey after a while?

[Eleanors38]

93. Never noticed.

But there is an unbecoming shine to them.

[csziggy]

70. We use alpaca balls to keep our clothes soft!

They are balls of alpaca wool. Throw four of them into the dryer and they reduce static cling and help clothes stay softer. I bought them from a local alpaca breeder at a fiber forum but similar products are available.

Vermont Country Store sells Woolzies Dryer Balls made from New Zealand wool: http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Home/Housekeeping/Woolzies_Dryer_Balls/71638

They also are supposed to help your laundry dry faster: http://thehomemadeexperiment.com/how-to-use-wool-dryer-balls/

You can also make your own dryer balls: https://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-wool-dryer-balls/

[Kilgore]

72. Do the alpacas mind?

[csziggy]

74. BWAHAHAHAA! I don't know - I never met the beasts.

The day I bought them I'd been walking around the fiber festival by myself. I got back to our table (we were representing the local chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America) and he asked what I bought. I told him "Alpaca balls." he asked if I was going to cook them for dinner.

The location for the fiber festival was at a plantation that is used for educational demonstrations and their llamas had been wandering around. Apparently where our table was set up was where they usually spent their mornings - a nice sandy spot just above the lake. The llamas had been miffed at us and when we joked about the alpaca balls, they stalked off, completely offended.

[Generator]

89. Maybe those balls are less noisy

I have plastic ones. Not good. Heh-I am feeling a Sweaty Balls vibe. Merry Christmas!

[csziggy]

90. They don't seem to make any noise above the usual

I was worried they'd sound like little tennis shoes bouncing around in the dryer!

The biggest problem is that they love to find their way into pants pockets so you have to hunt through all the dry clothes when you take everything out of the dryer.

[KamaAina]

77. Buried deep in there is the fact that millennials seem to have taken the anti-vax bait.

As they start having kids, we're in for one hell of an epidemic.

[tenderfoot]

79. Now that's some hard hitting news...

I feel so informed.

[QED]

84. White vinegar works just fine

and it's so much cheaper.

[GoCubsGo]

87. I rarely use it.

For one thing, it makes towels less absorbent. And, most of them are scented, and I can't stand the perfumes.