REVEALED: Other uses for fabric softener aside in the laundry room

Fabric softener has a reputation for drastically reducing the overall quality of clothing and has also been shown to be harmful to washing machines.

Instead, a quarter cup of vinegar can be put in the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine as an alternative that will soften your clothes without causing any problems, as we have mentioned in one of our previous articles.



You might be considering throwing away your bottle of liquid fabric softener now that you know it no longer belongs in your laundry room...

Hold your horses! Although it might not be useful for your clothing, did you know that you can still use fabric softener on other areas around the house?

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Donna told a cleaning group on Facebook how to clean the ceiling with a trick she had learned. Credit: Facebook.

In a popular cleaning and organising group on Facebook, Aussie mum Donna mentioned using fabric softener to make her ceiling sparkling clean. And when her fellow group members saw the results of the unexpected cleaner, they couldn't believe their eyes!

The mum claimed that she had been "mind-blown," as she had not anticipated how filthy her ceilings could be when it is not even noticeable. When asked how she cleaned the ceiling surface with fabric softener, she said she made a solution with one cup of vinegar and a splash of fabric softener and applied it using a flat mop.

"Never heard of that one before," one user commented on her post, with another adding, "I've used sugar soap and a splash of bleach, thinking I might try this when I run out of sugar soap."



Adding to the discussion, a different Facebook user mentioned that car dealers also use fabric softener as a dust repellent.

Since the cleaning agent typically has anti-static properties, using it to clean cars can help keep them clean and dust-free for longer without needing to be washed during the warmer months.

Quite a few users have mentioned in their comments that they are interested in putting the fabric softener cleaning hack to the test for themselves to know whether or not it truly lives up to the hype.

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Fabric softener can be used in every room of the house, not just the laundry room. Credit: Getty Images.

While Donna and the other members of the cleaning Facebook group are relatively new to using fabric softener in other areas of the house, it has been a common practice for quite some time.

The folks over at Considerable have compiled a list of additional non-laundry-related applications for fabric softener, and here are a few of them:

Soften up your carpets

In addition to spills and foot traffic, carpets endure a lot of wear and tear. When you have young children or animals in the house, it is essential to give the carpet a thorough washing.

To give your carpet a new lease on life while also giving it a pleasant scent, you can try mixing hot water with fabric softener and spraying it over the carpet. Then, let the solution sit for a couple of minutes. After a while, remove it using a steam carpet cleaner.

Freshening curtains and blinds

Cooking, smoking, and outside pollution are just a few of the smells that the curtains in our home can absorb. Yes, you can have them professionally cleaned, but that almost always costs a lot of time and money.

Luckily for us, fabric softener will do the job just fine!

To make a freshener spray solution, add some softener, a half-spoon of baking soda, and water to a spray bottle. Mix thoroughly and you’ve got yourself a reliable solution that can give your curtains a much-needed freshening up.

This spray is also effective on linens and upholstered items such as chairs.



Removing car stickers

Aside from cleaning and freshening up a space, did you know that fabric softener is also effective in removing stubborn car stickers?

This trick was suggested by a company that specialises in auto glass and is said to be effective for stickers that are strongly adhered to windows and automobiles.

Peel as much of the sticker off as you can first. Then, dilute the fabric conditioner in equal parts hot water and wipe over the area to remove the sticky glue residue. The sticker and glue ought to come off without any trouble after a little light scrubbing.

For other non-laundry ways of using fabric softener, check out the video below:



Credit: AZFamily 3TV and CBS 5 News.


So there you have it, folks! Even though it's no longer recommended to use fabric softeners with laundry, there are still other uses for them at home.

Are there any other applications for them that we might not have thought of? Let us know in the comments below!
 
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I have a problem with the mop cleaning the fan. I tried this method years ago, but my problem was the fan keeps rotating, and all that happens is I get sore arms and shoulders and the fan is still a mess.
Maybe I should investigate further.😂😂🤨😏
 
I have a problem with the mop cleaning the fan. I tried this method years ago, but my problem was the fan keeps rotating, and all that happens is I get sore arms and shoulders and the fan is still a mess.
Maybe I should investigate further.😂😂🤨😏
You could investigate, OR turn the fan off first :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
If fabric softener is so bad for clothing, then how could it be good for carpets and curtains?
When the Miele man was installing my new washing machine, he said not to use vinegar as it ruins the seals and pipes.
 
if you have a burnt pan or casserole dish I have found soaking it in hot water with washing up liquid and a splash of fabric softener works a treat
 
Vinegar on fish & chips but OH NO !! not in with your clothes, tried it and it took several washes to get the vinegar odour out of the Towels.
 
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