# about fabric softener

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-fabric-softener/430871>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 21, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-fabric-softener/430871 "2007-12-21T21:54:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![NadaHappyCamper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/278dde/32.png) [@NadaHappyCamper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NadaHappyCamper)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-fabric-softener/430871/1 "2007-12-21T21:54:59Z")

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will liquid fabric softener reduce static cling? 😕

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**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-fabric-softener/430871/2 "2007-12-21T22:07:01Z")

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Yes, it seems to work as well or better than the dryer towels.

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**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-fabric-softener/430871/3 "2007-12-21T22:15:19Z")

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Yes, it will leave oil or grease or wax or soap on the fabric, which will not be as good an electrical insulator as the clean fabric. Electrical insulators need clean surfaces to work well. Fabric softeners distribute this other foriegn matter on the surface. Especially, if the fabric softener is leaving a soap or some kind of surfactant on the surface, it will tend to form multiple layers as it accumulates other contaminants from the environment and layers that so as to minimize the energy of the surfactant molecules, which generally speaking have an end that is watery and an end that is oily.