Tag Archives: fabric softener

What Is Static Cling?

static cling

Pulling on a T-shirt or other item of clothing to find out that it is full of static cling is so annoying. It inevitably happens when you don’t have time to deal with the problem or the clothes affected by it are the ideal choice for the day or the occasion. Static cling is so annoying because the more you pull the item away from you, the stronger it clings. Knowing what static cling is, how to prevent it and how to get rid of it will keep it from ever being a problem again.

Static cling is an electric attraction created by two items when there is low humidity. When the items rub together, a transference of electrons occurs. When this happens one of the items becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged. In this situation the items adhere to each other. Typically it is the lighter weight object which adheres to the heavier one. It is a very common problem for clothes which are dried in a clothes dryer, especially during winter months when humidity is low.

You can prevent static cling in a variety of ways. You can use fabric softener liquid in the wash or a fabric softener sheet in the dryer to get rid of static cling. There is a chemical buildup on the clothes which prevents it from rubbing together and forming static cling.

For a more natural method of preventing static cling, you simply add a cup of vinegar to the rinse of your laundry. Of course, keeping the humidity up in your home will also help you to reduce the occurrences of static cling that you deal with because static electricity cannot thrive in conditions that are not dry. You should also remove clothing from the dryer before it is completely dry and hang it to finish drying. Another tip is to avoid synthetic clothes which tend to have many more static problems. Natural fiber clothing like cotton is much better in terms of static.

There are also static reducing sprays on the market that allow you to treat an item that you want to wear immediately. Another quick fix when time is of the essence is to rub a fabric softener sheet inside your clothes until the static cling is gone. Spraying a mist of water in the air and walking through it to get rid of static cling is another great, quick remedy.

If you are ready to invest in some clothes that are low risk for static cling, get some brand new custom-made cotton T-shirts. Customized shirts are always a good choice because you can truly get exactly what you are looking for. If you have a tee that goes great with a certain outfit but the fabric it is made from tends to get a lot of static cling, replace it with an identical cotton one. With custom-made shirts you can choose that perfect color, style, weight, quality and design to replace those shirts that you always have to fight with because of static cling.

Get custom-made cotton T-shirts today and care for them using the above tips, and you can say good-bye to static cling.

How to Get Clothes Soft Without Using Fabric Softener

Getting clothing soft is one of the most sought-after effects of washing and drying clothes. However, fabric softener is avoided by many people who have sensitive skin or who don’t like the smell of most fabric softeners. Some people also have concerns about the chemicals used in fabric softeners and what their possible effects on health and the environment may be. To solve this problem, there are ways to get soft clothing without using harsh chemicals as fabric softeners.

Vinegar is a substance long known to soften clothing. It is inexpensive and it is a completely natural substance. To use vinegar as a natural fabric softener, use plain white vinegar. Wash the clothing as usual and wait for the first rinse cycle. Then, during the beginning of this cycle, add about a cup of the vinegar to the clothing. This will soften the clothing without leaving any harsh residue, and it will be rinsed out during the final rinse at the end of the washing cycle.

Another method is to use less detergent on the clothing. Stiff clothing is sometimes caused by simply using too much detergent. This can leave residue in the clothing that makes them feel stiff or heavier than they should be. If your clothing often feels like this, experiment with how much detergent you really need. Cut the detergent in half and see if the clothing still comes out clean. If so, it will likely feel far softer than it did when you were using double that amount.

To get a fast softening effect, try ironing the clothes with steam and then rolling up the clothing. This keeps the humidity in the clothing and keeps it softer. After about 10-15 minutes, the clothing will have cooled and will be soft and ready to wear.

Another easy method to add a little softness is to always use the second rinse on your machine. Many people overlook the second rinse or don’t think it’s necessary to use it. However, a second rinse will get more detergent residue out of the clothing and will take out any small particles of dirt that have been left behind. This will leave the clothing in the load feeling far softer than if they had been denied that final rinse.

Baking soda is used by some people to soften their clothing. This can be used in several ways. It can be used as a substitute for the detergent, though this might not get rid of all the dirt and grime that detergent would. It can also be added along with the regular detergent. This allows the detergent to do its job, but it will keep clothing softer at the same time.

If you dry your clothing on a clothes line, this will contribute to stiffer clothing. To make the clothing softer, use a dryer. It may be more expensive to use than using a clothes line, but using a drier will make a big difference in the way the clothing will feel against your skin.

What Does Fabric Softener Do To A T-Shirt?

Fabric softener has been around for about 100 years and is a very popular product in many homes. Many of us use fabric softener on our T-shirts and other clothes to eliminate static cling, to make clothes softer and to give them a great scent. In fact nothing smells as good to some people as the smell of freshly laundered clothes that have treated with fabric softener. Whether or not you are a lover of fabric softener, you’ve probably asked yourself exactly how it is that fabric softener actually makes clothes softer. It is all a matter of chemistry.

Fabric softeners are a combination of water, oily conditioning agents, fragrances, dyes, emulsifiers to hold it all together and preservatives to maintain it. This combination coats the fibers of the T-shirt material with a type of lubrication, which causes it to feel softer, smell better and reduces static cling. Without this lubrication, the fibers of a T-shirt are rougher and feel more uncomfortable to the touch and for the person wearing it. The most important part of the fabric softener is the conditioning agent. This substance is positively charged and therefore adheres well to fabric that is negatively charged and subsequently makes all the difference to the feel of the item of clothing.

Newer versions of fabric softener even offer extra bonuses for your wardrobe. They can provide stain protection. They can reduce wrinkling that occurs in the washer and dryer. They can even facilitate ironing. Fabric softener can solve problems we didn’t even know we had.

Fabric softeners do a great job of making a T-shirt extra soft, however there are some downsides to their use. Their environmental impact is questionable. Some of the chemicals in them are even known to be dangerous. Therefore, it makes many people wonder about the wisdom of putting such chemicals next to their skin all day, every day.

Luckily there is more than one way to ensure that you have a nice soft T-shirt next to your skin. By buying higher quality T-shirts you will have softer more luxurious cotton in what you wear. Cotton grown in certain parts of the world, like Egypt and Arizona, is known for its softness and high quality. In addition, combed cotton, another high quality product, is cotton that is combed through more than usual before being made into fabric. This ensures that the harder parts of the cotton fiber are removed, leaving touchably soft cotton only.

If you want to minimize the use of fabric softener and still have irresistibly soft T-shirts, invest in custom-made T-shirts of high quality. By choosing to go with custom-made T-shirts you can choose the design, color and style you want in the quality cotton you want too. In fact, you can even get a T-shirt made that educates others on the use of fabric softener.

Get your super soft custom-made T-shirt today and be free to choose whether or not you want to use fabric softener.

How to Make Your T-Shirt Soft

T-shirts are so popular because they are comfortable, easy to wear and are likely one of the softest items of clothing you own. The soft, combed cotton that is used for t-shirt has a feel that is unlike any other. There are some types of clothing care, however, that can take away some of that softness. If your t-shirts are starting to feel a little stiff or if you just want to make sure that they never end up feeling that way, there are several ways to take care of it and ensure a softer t-shirt.

Fabric Softener

Using a fabric softener may seem like a simple thing, but there are an enormous number of ways to use it. There are the well-known dryer sheets that can be added to the dryer along with the wet clothes, but there are a number of other types. There are fabric softener balls that are added to the washer. These balls add a liquid fabric softener into the wash at the right time. Another way to use fabric softener is to pour in a liquid type that is poured in during the rinse cycle.

Drying

The key to the softness of any item of clothing is usually the way it has been dried. Line drying a t-shirt will leave it far stiffer than putting it through a dryer cycle. Many people choose to use line drying anyway because of the energy savings or the cost of a dryer. Some simply prefer the way clothing smells after it has been line dried. If you like line-drying your t-shirts, try using a quick 5-minute drying cycle after the t-shirts are mostly dry. This will result in a t-shirt that has still saved energy and still has the smell of line-dried clothing, but it will have the soft feel of t-shirts that have been dried in a dryer.

Softening the Water

If your clothes aren’t getting softener, it may the water itself that needs softened. If you have hard water, it can take a serious toll on your clothing every time it’s washed. To soften the water, add a little bit of vinegar into the washer during the rinse cycle. Some people also use two rinse cycles when washing their clothes to ensure that all of the soap has been removed and to make sure that the vinegar is having an impact on the t-shirts.

To make sure that any t-shirt doesn’t get hard again, also make an effort to keep it clean. Some t-shirts may harden when they are left dirty for long periods of time. Sweat, body oils, dirt, deodorant and other substances can harden the fabric if they are left on it for too long. Wash t-shirts as they become dirty and then make sure to take a step or two to ensure that the wash will lead to softer t-shirts. This will ensure that the comfort of a brand-new t-shirt goes on and on, even when the t-shirt has been worn and washed many times.