There's been a few new laundry helpers hitting the market lately and what's most intriguing about them isn't just a new smell for an old favorite, they've been reinventing the way laundry is done. The latest, a stick on fabric softener bar. Will it yield less waste or more packaging? Either way we're excited about not having dryer sheets roaming about our laundry room. Details after the jump...
Bounce is soon to release a stick on fabric softener (with bars lasting 2-4 months) that attaches right inside your dryer door. As wet clothes graze across it's surface, small bits of fabric softener are released and "make your clothes soft and static free."
Normally with this type of product, we're able to google some sort of first hand use or a review, no matter how small. But not this time. It's locked down tight and we came up empty handed for a review, flickr photo, youtube video or facebook mention.
Although we love the idea of not having dryer sheets running around our laundry room, this isn't friendly to those who are toting their laundry to the laundromat, using shared facilities or aren't into the effects fabric softener has on their clothes in the first place.
What are your thoughts on doing away with fabric softener sheets or liquid all together? Good idea? Bad idea? Or you'll just keep on using white vinegar the way you always do?
(Image: Bounce)
Comments (26)
I have never used fabric softener, & probably never will.
I love the smell of bounce and how soft my clothes and towels feel. I know it makes the towels less absorbant, and I don't care. I'm not giving it up.
Looks like you guys broke the story. Kudos to you!
It sounds great b/c I FORGET to put the sheet in every other time.
Only downside might be if you don't want softener on, say, your bathroom rugs... NBD.
never used fabric softener and never will; the stuff stinks and the clothes feel all funny afterwards. Plus, it just adds extra chemicals into the atmosphere. yuck.
never understood the big deal with softener...i've done laundry both ways and never noticed a difference or understood why i'd want my clothes softer than they already are. plus, the one thing id want soft, my towels, are rendered useless with it.
I wonder if it leaves a residue when you remove it. It seems weird that they give its lifetime in months, rather than dryer cycles or something.
I only use fabric sheets when I have something extra-static-y to wash. Otherwise, I really can't tell the difference.
I have a lot of synthetics (and silks) in my wardrobe for work which absolutely require fabric softener if machine dried, and that's pretty much my only option. So I use Bounce sheets, now. I'd be interested in reducing the waste from the used sheets as long as the new product was equally effective. There's not a lot more embarrassing as a wardrobe malfunction than slacks crawling up your socks!!
This idea isn't entirely new as someone did something similar years ago, I think back in the 80's and it was designed differently but did essentially the same thing and was mounted in the drum itself.
I don't always bother with dryer sheets to be honest.
I love fabric softener on my sheets. Mrs. Meyers Geranium smells divine as is Method's Water Lilly and aloe.
I never used fabric softener until I came across some Mrs. Meyer's scented sheets. They don't seem to make my laundry softer or scented, so I don't think I'll buy them (or any fabric softener/dryer sheet) again.
I think it's a cool idea. But, unless they're coming out with multiple varieties, count me out. Skin allergies require the "free" version. I would guess that if the product caught on, they'd come out with other scents or types, but I don't see it gaining enough market share for that (especially considering all the people who use communal laundries or go to laundromats).
Still, I give a thumbs-up for innovation.
The latest way to make yourself extra-flammable!
Ugh. Another gimmicky redesign of a product we don't need. Even if I were interested in using this, I second the thought that this will leave some seriously icky residue on the dryer door. However, dryer sheets really are awful. I won't get on my soapbox (ah, ha.. ha..) but I implore those curious about them to do a few google searches.
Also wc_canuck is right- once you spend a few wash cycles without them, you realize how gunky and grimy your clothes feel when washed with them. Since I switched to eco friendly laundry products I'm completely overwhelmed and grossed out by the intense smell and the tacky feel of standard, chemical laden laundry products.
i've noticed a big difference between the amount of residual cat hair that stays on my clothes now that i am back on the Bounce wagon.
LOL, the first time I used them (in years) I was amazed at how soft and slightly slimy my clothes felt and how much i liked this slimeyness.
Oh, geez. Another chance for people to tell us all how terrible/awful/horrible fabric softener is.
Personally, I need fabric softener in the winter. Chicago winters are dry, dry, dry. Without it, I can barely peel my clothes apart after they come out of the dryer.
Still, I usually use the unscented or minimally scented kind. Too much scent is never a good thing.
most standard dryer sheets have animal fat in them. hence why your clothes feel greasy and waxy.
i have always used dryer sheets and recently switched over to method's wet sheets (no animal guts!). they make the clothes and towels feel less sticky for sure (and i love anything by them in the sweet water scent). i've never used liquid fabric softener though, and i don't know many people that do anymore, to be honest. i thought it was kind of a thing of the past? maybe not?
i'm not sure if using softeners even makes the fabric noticeably softer. i just like the smell they give laundry :D
I like the way bounce smells, but I don't like the slimy feeling fabric softeners leave.
I applaud them for being inventive, and reducing waste. I just think you can do a little better.
I use those little lavendar sachets you can get at Trader Joes. I've been using the same 4 for months.
I use regular dryer sheets....which can also be used for static control and dusting. I guess I would give these a try just for something different.
i wonder how well the bounce bar will work? it does sound convenient.
i heard that too -- that most dryer sheets have animal fat in them. i use grabgreen's wet dryer sheets to get the static out. uses canola oil instead, which is a better option in my opinion than animal fat!
their detergent is pretty cool too - already has fabric softener in it and comes in these dissolvable packs which are pretty sweet. great for people like me who have to trek to the laundromat & don't want to lug detergent. :)
There are toxic chemicals in fabric softeners. Some people have respiratory and or contact reactions to them. Not to mention that the toxic chemicals are making their way into your water supply. Given the distress this planet is in, and ipso facto the distress we are all beginning to recognize we are in, I wonder if static electricity or gooey softness is actually acceptable. This isn't a flaky treehugger issue. NIH has published articles on the human toxicity of fabric softener.
I have friends who live in Chicago. They don't use a dryer at all. They hang their clothes on a rack near the heater in winter. They dry overnight. If you have something heavy like jeans that need a dryer they really don't need fabric softener anyway. I live in a cold climate and never got a static shock from my jeans.
It's another one of those latter day "inventions" that we've all been told we need to live happier lives. Pathetic.
i like the overall idea but i'm one of those folks who have to tote all my stuff to the laundrymat and would love a portable version of this, but then again at the LM i use 4 dryers at once, so it seems like a waste of money if i had to get 4.
I don't use fabric softener because I'm lazy and cheap, but I used to and I definitely noticed the difference in the beginning. I don't feel like I need it though so I don't think I'll ever go back to using it.
Oh, geez. Another chance for people to tell us all how terrible/awful/horrible fabric softener is.
Personally, I need fabric softener in the winter. Chicago winters are dry, dry, dry. Without it, I can barely peel my clothes apart after they come out of the dryer.
Still, I usually use the unscented or minimally scented kind. Too much scent is never a good thing. -- AMEN WELL SAID!
we're excited about not having dryer sheets roaming about our laundry room. you guys seriously need to get a grip.
I live in Hungary, and I don't have a dryer. I don't think I've ever seen dryer sheets here.
Still, nice idea. Seems practical and creative. If you use dryer sheets, it seems like a better alternative; if you don't, then I guess it won't really change your life.
SOLUTIONS:
Buy and wear clothing made of natural fibers like cotton, silk, hemp, linen, wool, etc.
Hang Dry clothes, especially in winter or dry summer days, they will dry fast enough for you! During humid days make sure clothes have plenty of ventilation while drying to prevent mildew. Get a whole-house water filter if using tap and your clothes should come out smelling FRESH AND CLEAN rather than needing to be 'freshened' with chemical scents! Clean has no smell!!!!
Bathe regularly, switch to eating natural whole foods, lose weight if needed, don't smoke/drink/takedrugs, drink pure water, breathe clean air, and get plenty of sleep, and B.O. will not exist, so there'd be no need to cover up with such strong scents! First impression I get when one drenches themselves in fragrance is that they're hiding something!
Let me add: These unnecessary laundry products on the market today make life miserable for anyone with MCS or who just desires and appreciates the natural world! The sense of smell is greatly affected and destroyed by harsh synthetic fragrances! I can verify that after spending 5 months lingering around synthetic fragrances and going back home to my natural environment and NOT being able to pick up the delicate scents of my natural aromatherapy oils!!! In fact, they smelled totally different and sickening!
I also could not enjoy the smell of the ocean while walking along the shore, and many other precious scents found in nature that contribute to our well being which most don't realize! Because I greatly value my well being via my sense of smell, one with rational mindset can clearly understand why I fight to avoid breathing this toxic $#!
These companies of toxic laundry products are getting carried away. It's bad enough this stuff lingers on just about everything in our environment, do we need a bar that lasts 2-4 months, creating a toxic health hazard in one's dryer each and every time they turn it on for unfortunate folks neighboring to be toxed-out by that annoying vent? I was forced to move MANY times because of this!
And worse, anywhere I go, you sit on a chair in a waiting room, or any public place and sure enough you'll track this stench from the seat of your pants onto whatever you sit on in your own vehicle or home!!! I need to bring a towel around with me everywhere I plan to sit! And airing this stuff out of your clothes will take days washing & baking them in the sun!
You use a public pay phone and it's all over your ear and in your hair forcing you to 'wear' their toxic perfume you wouldn't normally use, until you can get home to wash it out a few times!
And what about the money we all need? I carry around a debit card now because I refuse to stink up my handbag/wallet with the heavily saturated smell on money! No doubt it's from keeping money in the pockets of clothing treated with this fabric softener!
It's getting WAAAAYYYYY out of hand out there... people should NOT support stronger and longer lasting products put out by these companies that are already destroying our environment and health! If you need a stronger scent or if you can't detect the ones that aren't as strong, that should tell you right there that your olfactory nerves in your nose are deadening from breathing this on a daily basis. So these companies are making their products stronger because they know many people have lost their full sense of smell due to breathing their scented products! Try doing without it and see if your sense of smell doesn't improve? Mine did!!!!
Those who don't believe me, just do a google search on here about toxicity of fabric softeners and fragrance and see for yourself if it doesn't make *scents!*