Congealed Fabric Softener

[iheartmaytag]

I don't use fabric softener often, but keep it on hand.  Today I was going to add a dose to the towels I was going to hang out and found that the half bottle of Downey Free & Gentle had congealed into one big block of muck.

 

Can it be saved at this point?  Should I add water, or just toss it?

 

 

[frigilux]

Toss it---especially if you use it infrequently. Softener is relatively inexpensive if you pick it up on sale.

I recently started using liquid fabric softener again after six years of abstinence; mostly in loads of bed linens (Snuggle White Lavender and Sandalwood) and shirts/shorts (Downy Free & Gentle). Tried it on bath towels but found absorbency was compromised and scent became very strong when the towel became damp.

 

[launderess]

Time To Say Goodbye......

Once FS congeals it is more about the chemicals breaking down that caused it to be a smooth emulsion; rather like curdled mayonnaise or Hollandaise sauce, you *might* be able to rescue the thing but better off starting over.

Years ago stocked up on several bottles of Downy *Free* because it was on sale. Like you rarely use the stuff so the first opened bottle sat sitting for some time. One day opened the bottle and it was curdled hot mess. Called P&G customer service and was told their products have a definite shelf life, and mine had passed. After giving a code from the bottle the representative was able to tell when it was made/should expire. Was told to chuck out the offending bottles but received some coupons for free replacements.

Mind you have a vintage bottle of Downy FS that is decades old and it has not "turned". Ditto for a few gallon jugs of commercial stuff had had for years now.

 

[donprohel]

But if you want to try...

...mix the softener with a few spoons of vinegar (I use citric acid, but vinegar will do): it works (well, almost...) for my Seventh Generation fabric softener

 

[iheartmaytag]

Thanks for the replies

I will toss it, I will cry as I don't like to waste, but I'll toss it.

 

 

 

[launderess]

Well you can try using...

But there is a risk globs of the stuff won't dissolve and thus cling to your laundry. These will likely make a nice dark "oil" mark when coming into contact with heat (tumble dryer). OTOH for a load of towels it may not much matter.

Get a good sealing mason jar and pour a capful of the FS in, then add hot or boiling water (use good latex gloves for the latter), put on the lid and shake well, then pour in to wash at once.

 

[liamy1]

Agree,

Toss, it does seem a waste. But best way to think of it is that it could cause a lot more heartache if (however unlikely) it wrecks any clothing, or worse, your machine.

I have a bit of detergent/softener fetish and the amount of products I've trashed over the years has been criminal. So am really trying to cut back.

I emailed P&G a few months back and they gave me the shelf lives of all their products on the UK market (can't imagine the US product forms being vastly different as whilst there maybe a few ingredient differences, the chemicals are basically the same).

Also, if it helps. It is easy to decipher the exact date a P&G product is made.

On the serial code (usually printed in ink, or engraved into the bottle/cap) look at the first four digits - the 1st digit is the year, the next 3 digits are the Julian day.

So if it shows 5273xxxxx (the other numbers will be things like the factory line it was made on/ship lots - ignore them, it's just the first 4 numbers)

So

5 = 2015
273 = 273rd day of the year = September 30th.

Using both UK and US P&G products, I can definitely tell you it applies in both cases.

Below is the email I got, so working from the manufacture date, you can work out when it's past it's best.

 

[liamy1]

Email

Hi, and thanks for your email.

It is absolutely wonderful that you are such a fan of our laundry products! You’ve certainly been fortunate (or perhaps just particularly shrewd) to have so many, and I’ll be happy to advise you on their shelf lives. You’ll be pleased to know that, in the main, they do tend to have similar shelf lives.

• All of the powders have shelf lives of 12 months, and their production codes can be found on one of the sides of their boxes, where the first digit will tell you the year of production (so a 4 would be 2014, a 6 would be 2016, and so on.)
• All gels are 9 months, and their production codes can be found under the dosing device.
• All pods are 15 months, except Fairy, which is 12 months (and the production code is on the back of the box, printed on the plastic of the box itself, under the label).
• All liquid detergents are 18 months, and the production code is on the back, below the label.
• All liquid fabric softeners (Lenor and Fairy) have shelf lives of 12 months, and the production code on these is also on the back, below the label.
• Lastly, the Unstoppables have shelf lives of 12 months to 18 months, depending on the temperature where they are stored, and the production code is printed on the little dosing cap itself.

Note that after this shelf life, they may be less effective, or not smell quite as they should, but they should still be safe to use up to three years.

I hope this clears everything up for you, but please let me know if you need any more help – I’ll be happy to advise further.

Kind regards,
Kyle
Procter & Gamble Consumer Relations

Need to get back in touch? Please do not change the subject line, just hit reply. This makes sure we receive your message.

 

[launderess]

Meanwhile back at the ranch

Myself as with many other members of this group are using products 10, 20, 30 or even forty (or more) years old.......

Lack of lingering scent one does not miss at all. Much prefer the fresh clean scent of laundry recalled from one's youth than the whiff of cheap Chinese knocking shop you get today. Besides heavily scented laundry products clash with Ma Griffe.

 

[launderess]

Another thing

Much of what you see on eBay, discount shops, and so forth when it comes to low priced laundry and other cleaning are "expired" products.

P&G, Unilever, Henkel, etc... take back or more likely the distributors products that have not sold, and the stuff has to go somewhere, so it is off loaded at usually a discount.

If you look closely at a good number of the eBay auctions for various Henkel or Unilever products much are formats/products that didn't sell well and or otherwise is surplus to requirements.

 

[lordkenmore]

I also don't miss a lingering scent. As I've commented before, I've reached a point of using unscented detergent almost all of the time. It used to be only an issue in summer, when I wanted the fresh line-dry scent. (Even then, I only cared about selected items, such as sheets.) But I've gotten to a point of using unscented even in dryer season. A bit of scent would be nice (again on sheets), but many modern detergents don't do a "bit." Laudnry reeks of the scents used.

Indeed, during the 2014-15 winter, I had a period of no dryer. [Shudder!] I was forced to air dry inside, which doesn't work too well in this climate. I was concerned about picking up odd smells form cooking, and the like. So...as a compensation mechanism, I used a supply ol detergent that was strongly scented. The items, even air dried, still smelled strongly--reeked?--of that detergent scent.

 

[dixan]

Microwave one dose of the thickened softener for 5 - 10 seconds - it will be thin and usable. Use immediately because it will thicken again once it cools.