When was snuggle fabric softener invented

Can I use the Downy Ball in my front load washing machine? No—the Downy Ball only works in top-loading—non-HE, or non-high-efficiency—washing machines. What is Downy made out of? Just boil it down and mix with ammonium. What is in downy? Known Ingredients Ingredient. What is downy ball used for? The dispensing ball is a special plastic ball used to dispense liquid fabric softener in clothes washing machines that lack built-in softener dispensers.

Liquid fabric softener has to be added at the correct time to a load of laundry the rinse cycle in order to work effectively. Did downy change their scent? It smells nothing like downy used to smell like. It is very overpowering and just has an awful smell. Do downy balls work in front load washers? The spinning action of the washer's chamber during the rinse cycle will pop open the ball's lid, and the fabric conditioner releases automatically. However, you should not use the Downy Ball in a front-loading washing machine.

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What is hand sanitizer, and does it keep your hands germ-free? You toss your wet laundry into the dryer and chase it with a dryer sheet. Most people don't know how the thin sheets freshen and soften clothes or that they were developed by a chemist who wanted to help his wife out with the laundry.

In the late s, Conrad J. Gaiser and his wife, Audrey, lived on the top two floors of a four-story duplex. Their laundry room was on the ground floor, and every time Audrey would wash a load, she had to run down the stairs to catch the final rinse cycle in order to add fabric softener.

Liquid fabric softeners, which are commonly cationic, can't be mixed with detergents, which are anionic, because the mixture forms a precipitate. Conrad, who had worked for a number of years in the soap and detergent industry, wanted to make his wife's life easier and got to work producing the first known dryer sheet.

He named his prototype Tumble Puffs, Laurel says. In , Conrad received a U. The first version of the product had several problems, including getting trapped in the lint vent and distributing the softener unevenly onto clothes, says Gordon F. The company ironed out the wrinkles and launched the product nationally in Today, many competing brands of dryer sheets are available. Each brand uses a slightly different formulation to achieve three primary goals: to soften clothes, to prevent static cling, and to deliver a fresh scent.

A blend of non-ionic emulsifiers those that have no charge and cationic emulsifiers those that have a positive charge are typically used. Anionic surfactants which have a negative charge are rarely used because the fabric conditioning agents have a positive charge which would tend to destabilize an anionic emulsion.

In addition to conditioning agents and emulsifiers, fabric softeners contain other ingredients to improve their aesthetic appeal and to ensure the product will be shelf stable. For example, fragrance and color are added to make the product more pleasing to consumers. In addition, emulsion stabilizers and preservatives are used to ensure the product quality. The emulsifiers and then conditioning ingredients are added to water. The batch is heated and mixed.

Then the other ingredients are added. The first step in the manufacturing process is to fill the tank with the specified amount of water. Water is added first because it acts as a carrier for all the other ingredients. Deionized water is used because it is free from metal ions that can affect the performance of the batch. The finished fabric softer formulations are tested using a number of different protocols. Simple laboratory tests are used to determine basic properties such as pH, viscosity, and percent solids.

These tests can help confirm that the correct ingredients were added at the appropriate levels. Other, more rigorous, tests are done to ensure the formulation is functioning correctly. One such evaluation is a water absorbency test, sometimes called the Drayes Wetting Test. This procedure involves dropping small pieces of treated fabric onto water and recording the length of time required for the fabric to sink.

This measurement is taken 10 times to obtain an average result. Anti-wrinkle properties can be evaluated by asking panelists to rate samples of fabric before they have been ironed.

They are asked to numerically rate the amount of wrinkling between the test sample and the fabric softener treated sample. The test to measure ease of ironing is also done using trained panelists. These tests are performed on swatches of identical fabrics with the only difference being that one fabric has been treated with softener and the other has been washed in detergent only.

The swatches are dried in a controlled environment at There are two formula related areas that will affect the future of fabric softeners. Dow Jones. To Read the Full Story. Subscribe Sign In. Continue reading your article with a WSJ membership.