Downy Fabric Softener

[jerrod6]

I bought a new bottle of Downy Honey Flower fabric softener.  This is one of the scents of Downy I can actually stand to use.

 

When I opened it I came face to face with a new cap.  Oh yes... it is deeper, so now you can use even more. The good news is that line one will still do 48 medium loads...whatever medium means.

 

The bad news is that you can't find line one like you use to.

 

OH NO....yes P&G is now using the same type of lines as Henkel is for Persil Pro clean.  The lines are bars, and once you get the product in the cap..you may not be able to find them, however line 3 really seems to stand out and there looks like a larger difference between all of the lines after line 1.

 

The old cap will still fit into a new bottle, so I took the cap from the previous bottle and put it on the new bottle.  If you want to continue to dose with the old cap lines maybe better save them now.  Otherwise start hunting for lines. 

 

[yogitunes]

forget all that measuring and trying to find those almost invisible lines....

for detergent, I use a shot glass....for a FLer, it's the perfect amount, and I leave it inside the dispenser to clean it...

for softener, I use those little cups you get with cold medicine(Nyquil, allergy med, pepto bismol), once you measure and add to the dispenser, it fits on top of the bottles pour spout, and then place cap on top...

I think this would save you many headaches.....

 

[twintubdexter]

Chronic Complainer or Concerned Consumer?

That new cap is certainly no surprise to me. A few months ago I noticed Downey had really changed. It was like half fabric softener and half water. I emailed Procter and Gamble and complained...in a business-like manner of course. They told me they had changed it (but avoided using the word diluted) in order to make it more free-flowing for the dispensers in front-loaders. I politely said my current bottle would be my last. A few days later 6, $8.00 coupons showed up in the mail which I promptly used before their expiration date. Sometimes the squeaky wheel gets the cash.

 

PS...the same thing happened with Crest Toothpaste and they were even more generous although they simply asked for the UPC code and said they would "investigate." 

 

[yogitunes]

believe me, these companies love feedback, good and bad......

the difference is what you get out of it......

give a compliment, you may get a few 50 cent coupons.......

call and complain, and you will get a lot of coupon for closes to, if not free product....

now they send coupons, years ago, they were sending me cases of product....

now for my mother who has a hard time reading those caps, I dilute the stuff for her, and now she just uses a full cap for everything....and it doesn't thicken over time....it actually is better for the dispensers as they don't sludge up.....

 

[ea56]

I stopped buying Downey about a year ago because I don't care for the new April Fresh scent since they changed it. I used Snuggle for awhile and liked it very much. But one time I needed some more and they were out of it at Safeway, so I thought what the hell, I'll try the Safeway brand, turns out I like it best of all. To me it smells almost like the original Downey and it seems to do a great job. But this may not be an option for people in other parts of the country, as I believe Safeway is not in every state, but could be wrong.
Eddie

 

[cuffs054]

I recently started using liquid softner again, usually Downy. Yes I know I'd be paying for water and killing the planet with the bigger bottles, but I wish softners came pre-mixed, you know, like good ole Sta-Puf.

 

[appnut]

The last Downey I used was Free & Clear because I didn't like the scents my grocery store carried.  Then they discontinued carrying that "scent", replacing it with All F&C.  I began using Snuggle.  B-sides, it has a bear on the label. 

 

[DADoES]

 
Haven't used Downy since the Downy Advanced Wrinkle Control product was discontinued.  Softener of choice for some while is Snuggle Exhilarations White Lavender & Sandalwood.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I don't measure at all

Remember the way Downy used to smell years ago? Oddly enough, I find that the most cheap generic blue bottle watered down Fab Sof'r smells the most like Downy used to and I use so little that I've had a bottle for over a year now. All I do is pour 1/2 fab softener in the dispenser and 1/2 distilled vinegar. And my fab softener dispenser in my Duet doesn't hold much AT ALL anyway, so it takes me FOREVER to use a bottle. I use about a shot glass of powdered detergent too.

 

[jerrod6]

For me Downy doesn't soften any better than Suavitel or any better than anything else.  This technology is mature.  Every company knows how to produce a softener that works so the only way to differentiate is by scent.  Many of the current new Downy scents are nothing but renamed older scents.  I found that out when I purchased a new scent only to find out I had the same scent in an previous bottle but named something else.

 

The honey flower or Botanical mist are two of the scents I don't mind to use once in a while...other than that it is Suavitel Island splash or Sunset Rose.  Now one thing I wish Suavitel would do is to thin the formula...yes I thin it.  P&G is correct to thin out the consistency because thick liquids fail to flush out of the FS dispenser as well. 

 

Still  - I am offended at the increase in the size of the cap.  I will continue to use the amount I use and not be bothered with what P&G is trying to do - get people to use more so they can buy more.  It is just smarmy consumer treatment. 

 

If you have a FS dispenser on your machine you can make your own judgments about how full the dispenser is instead of bothering with the cap..lines...this is my usual practice.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

When using Downy:

I only use 1/2 of a line one dose in my WP DD TL. That is plenty and there is no residue. A good thing to keep in mind when using ANY liquid FS is to mix it with hot water in the dispenser. This helps keep it from gumming up. I should mention that I only use Downy on certain things. Otherwise I find that 1/2 sheet of Bounce is just right for most loads.
WK78

 

[askolover]

no Downy

for us...it makes the towels way too soft no matter how little we use. I don't like the new smell either. When using Gain (almost as bad with the towels) I keep an empty bottle, pour half the new bottle in and fill the rest up with water. Pretty much makes it like the non-ultra strength. But lately I've been using Snuggle/All free. Doesn't clash with my Persil and also doesn't make the towels so soft.

 

[arbilab]

towels so soft.....?

You mean waxy/waterproof. Yeh it does that.

My 1998 FL instructed to dilute FS in half before putting it in the dispenser. I did until the dispenser grew mildew and that put me off LFS altogether. Never looked back.

 

[twintubdexter]

You need to respect how many people are sensitive to scents. I generally like almost all of them. Years ago when dryer sheets were fairly new my neighbor used them. His dryer vented very near my patio and the smell was awful. I told him it was like hanging around the "ladies" who frequented the corner of First Street and San Carlos in downtown San Jose.  He had no sense of humor.

 

I guess fabric softener really does keep towels from absorbing, but I still like it. I'm usually right around the corner from my laundry room when the machine is on so adding softener directly at the start of the rinse is no problem. I add 2 cap fulls for that extra "burst" of freshness. The dispenser doesn't hold enough. Once when I was at the doctor's office he told me I smelled good and I assumed it was the fabric softener. Fortunately my doctor is "family." A finer physician you couldn't find.

 

[mrsalvo]

I quit using Downy, the scent had changed and I do prefer a more lighter scent. I do, however, found Final Touch and I will use that on occasion for sheets, but not towels. My mother used to use Final Touch, and it brought back memories.

 

[gusherb]

The watery Downy is like how it used to be, before they turned it into what I could best describe as sludge - that clogged the dispenser of our FL and never rinsed out all the way from it. Back in the Spring I bought a bottle of Snuggle Blue Sparkle, the scent is so strong and really leaves things feeling waxy, especially compared to the unscented Downy I have which didn't seem to make anything feel that much softer. I won't use that Snuggle now, the scent is just too potent for me. It took 8 washes to get that smell out of a load of towels I did! If I had washed my clothes in that my nose would've been burning for weeks!

Now that it's summer I'm not using any softener at all.

 

[mark_wpduet]

It sounds like the moral of the story

is that if you like liquid fab softener, buy the generic blue bottle and mix it with hot water before putting it in the dispenser. I don't do that. I pour half vinegar and half fab softener. You would think that the already watered down fab sofn'r watered down even more with white vinegar would keep it from leaving residue in the dispenser, but it doesn't. I still have to clean it occasionally but it's never been a big deal. I never thought about mixing it with hot water.