What Makes Liquid Fabric Softener Work?

Reasons to Use Liquid Fabric Softener

• The main reason to use this product is given in the name; liquid fabric softeners soften the tactile feel of textiles. They were not as necessary before the advent of mechanical washing machines. The mechanical action of automatic home laundering is more wearing on clothes, causing fibers within the clothes to tangle. This effect is exacerbated by repeated washings. Liquid fabric softeners reduce or prevent these fiber tangles, keeping the textiles feeling soft and new.

Side Benefits of Liquid Fabric Softener

• You can use liquid fabric softener for reasons other than to keep your clothes soft. Liquid fabric softener helps clothing wrinkle less and makes ironing easier than it normally would be. You may enjoy the pleasing scent that liquid fabric softener imparts to your clothing. Liquid fabric softener helps clothes retain their new appearance longer, keeping the fibers from pilling or appearing ragged and allowing colors to stay bright for an extended period. Liquid fabric softeners also lower the amount of static charge buildup that accumulates in laundered fabrics.

Chemical Makeup of the Average Liquid Fabric Softener

• The main active ingredient in liquid fabric softener is a quaternary ammonium compound. Typically, this is dialkyl ester ammonium chloride. The ammonium chloride part of the compound is a group with a positive charge that will be attracted to the fabric and anchor to it. The diakyl esters are neutrally charged fatty acid chains that will be oriented in a perpendicular direction to the run of the fibers in the cloth, which will provide a spacing effect that will prevent tangles. Inactive ingredients of a fabric softener usually include water, fragrance, a colorant or dye and an electrolyte of some sort.

Silicone-Added Liquid Fabric Softener

• Silicone-added liquid fabric softeners contain the same inactive ingredients that regular liquid fabric softeners do. They also contain the same main functional ingredient, namely the dialkyl ammonium chloride. However, liquid fabric softeners that also incorporate silicone compounds greatly enhance the side benefits of liquid fabric softeners, such as wrinkle reduction, fragrance retention and ease of ironing. It also maximizes the fabric softening effect of traditional fabric softener formulations.