Top 10 Best Smelling Fabric Softener: Comparison Chart
Best Overall: Snuggle Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets Review
- Snuggle's original Blue Sparkle scent is a fresh and clean blend of white floral and bright green citrus notes that snuggle up to warm woody notes and soft musk for a comforting, long-lasting freshness your family will love.
- In addition to using in the dryer to make your clothes feel softer, fabric softener dryer sheets can also be used in a variety of places like closets, gym bags, suitcases, and cars to make them smell fresh.
- For long-lasting freshness and static reduction, add a Snuggle brand dryer sheet to every load you dry. Place the sheet on top of wet clothes and start the dryer cycle as usual. Discard after use.
- Safe for standard and HE dryers.
- Includes one box of 230 dryer sheets.
Maximum Scent: Gain Liquid Fabric Softener Review
- You Will Receive (4)Gain Liquid Fabric Softener, Original, 41 fl oz
- Use with Gain laundry detergent and keep your laundry smelling great even after six weeks
- Now in matching scents across Laundry Detergent, Scent Booster Beads and Dryer Sheets
- Regular Washer and HE Compatible
- You know that thing you would never do when you're really happy, because that's too over-the-top? Sorry, but when you smell Gain Original, you're gonna do that thing
Up to 12 Weeks of Freshness: Downy Unstopable Lavender and Vanilla Scent Review
- Downy Unstoppables In-Wash Scent Booster adds 12 weeks of freshness that elevates the everyday (freshness out of storage)
- LUSH is a bright lavender scent mixed with cedar-inspired undertones and sumptuous vanilla layers.
- Downy Unstoppables In-Wash Scent Booster can be used on all colors and fabrics, and is safe to use in all washing machines.
- Shake a little or a lot of Downy Unstoppables laundry scent beads into the cap. Toss into the washer at the beginning of the wash-before clothes, laundry detergent, and fabric softener
- Unstoppables LUSH In-Wash Scent Booster. Phosphate free
Premium Pick: Downy Unstopable Fresh Frais Review
- Downy Unstopables In-Wash Scent Booster adds 12 weeks of freshness that elevates the everyday (freshness out of storage)
- Shake a little or a lot of Downy Unstopables laundry scent beads into the cap. Toss into the wash drum at the beginning of the wash-before clothes, laundry detergent, and fabric softener.
- Downy Unstopables In-Wash Scent Booster can be used on all colors and fabrics, and is safe to use in all washing machines.
- FRESH is a bright, vibrant, and airy scent.
- Toss as much as you like in the washer before clothes, detergent, and softener. Usable in HE and TL machines
Reduce Static on Your Fabric: Method Fabric Softener Review
- Contains (4) 53.5 ounce bottles of liquid fabric softener
- Naturally derived fabric softener
- Hypoallergenic formula for both he and standard washers
- Leaves laundry freshly scented, soft and fluffy
- Reduces static cling, makes ironing easier
Long-lasting Freshness: Snuggle Concentrated Scent Pacs Review
- Find your happiness with Blue Iris Bliss, an invigorating mix of bright citrus nuances blended with hints of fresh red berry and finished with warm woody notes and soft musk.
- Great for all types of clothes, including active wear and sleepwear, these concentrated pacs conveniently dissolve completely in your wash with no messes or spills.
- Simply place a scent pac into the washer drum before adding your laundry, adding detergent as you normally would.
- Scent boosters are safe for all washing machine types, including HE.
- Includes 1 tub of 56 scent booster pacs.
Delightful Fragrance: Suavitel Fabric Softener Review
- Incredible softness. Irresistible fragrance
- 45 Days of Freshness
- Compatible with regular and HE washing machines. HE fabric softener with Morning Sun fragrance
- Includes a handle for easy pouring
- Contains 135 fluid ounces for 102 loads
Affordable Price: Purex Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets Review
- A convenient way to add a refreshing scent while reducing static cling to any load of laundry
- Keep your whole house smelling fresh; Just choose your favorite fragrance and tuck a sheet in hampers, in the linen closets, and any other laundry storage areas.
- Heighten your senses with the refreshing outdoor scent of crisp mountain air and springtime floral blooms.
Premium Formula: Presto! Concentrated Fabric Softener Review
- Fresh scent
- 2x more softening power (softens with half the dose of a standard-concentration fabric softener [0.8oz])
- 60 days of long-lasting freshness
- Controls static
- Helps reduce wrinkles
Contains Plant-derived Softening Agents: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Dryer Sheets Review
- Paper dryer sheets reduce static and add freshness to your clothes
- Compostable dryer sheets soften fabrics and are made from plant-derived fibers
- Garden-fresh Honeysuckle has a tempting sweet scent – a charming mix of flowers and fruits
- Contains plant-derived softening agents made without parabens and phthalates
- Mrs. Meyer's produces cruelty free dryer sheets. None of our products are tested on animals.
The Merits of Cloth Conditioner

- Softens the fabric. When rinsed with textile conditioners, clothes become softer and feel more comfortable against the skin.
- Give clothes a great fragrance. While older brands of textile conditioners were focused on giving your clothes that ‘freshly washed’ fragrance, popular good smelling softeners today have a wide range of lovely smelling fragrances like vanilla, jasmine, among others.
- Maintains the color of clothes. Cloth conditioning makes their colors last longer and keeps them looking fresh and bright.
- Reduces friction between fibers. Textile softening reduces abrasion during washing and drying cycles and slows down wear and tear as well. All these keep your clothes looking new for much longer.
- Eliminating odor and bacteria in clothes. Clothes like towels, which are often used and left in humid conditions, tend to have a bad odor and a lot of bacteria. When a cup or two of the best smelling softener is added, it prevents this and keeps them smelling fresh for longer.
- Clothes dry faster. Fabric softeners reduce the amount of water in a laundry load when it spins, which makes them dry faster.
- Prevents static and wrinkles in clothes. Fabric softeners prevent static clinging and wrinkles or creases in freshly pressed clothes.
Factors to Consider When Buying Textile Conditioners
To choose a good smelling fabric softener, there are a few factors that you should consider. If you have read multiple fabric softener reviews and are yet to decide on this, we will guide you on how to use cloth conditioners for the best results.
What is in a Textile Conditioner?

A typical textile conditioner has two primary ingredients; conditioning agents and emulsifiers. Emulsifiers ensure the conditioning agents “stay put” in water as these are oily and would otherwise not dissolve in water.
While a lot of people will be worrying about how much chemical is contained in these textile conditioners, organic-based brands like Ecover, Method, and Mrs. Myers work just as good, and some even have better fragrances.
We advise being careful when going through the ingredients on the emollient before purchase.
Key Considerations for Buying the Best Smelling Textile Conditioner
So, how do you know the best cloth conditioner for you? Multiple factors make the best smelling fabric softener. Besides the ones we have earlier stated, there are more things you might have to consider.
Safe and Good for Cloth Colors
While you shouldn’t pour any liquid detergent on your clothes directly, you might have to check and read the instructions on each regarding the color of clothes. Some are gentle on light colors, while others will mess the color of your clothes. Ensure you pick one that is gentle on your clothes and maintains its colors to keep them looking fresh and new.
Static Reduction
One of the reasons we use laundry softeners is so our clothes will not have wrinkles or static cling when folded after washing, drying, and folding. If a textile conditioner then does not have this feature, it is best to keep off it and find a better one.
Fragrance
Laundry conditioner fragrances are an intensely personal preference. Everyone prefers a specific scent, so before purchasing, smell them on the store to find out the smell you will have on your clothes.
Hypoallergenic
When shopping for a cloth conditioner, get a fabric softener for sensitive skin that smells good as the wrong detergent will cause you problems and irritate your skin.
Before buying any good smelling fabric softener, make sure that it is hypoallergenic and will not irritate the skins of you or your family members. To check on this, we recommend that you buy a small packet first, and do a test run around the home to check its suitability.
Types of Textile Emollients

The best smelling softeners come in three types. Each type is used differently and in differing proportions. We discussed them below:
Dryer Sheets Conditioners
This conditioner works in the dryer. When you add the best smelling fabric softener sheets into the dryer with a simple laundry load, your clothes will come out static-free and with a fresh smell. We recommend using dryer sheets on towels and microfibers as unlike liquid fabric softeners; they will not soften them and make them less absorbent.
Beads/Pellets Emollients
Cloth softening beads or pellets are emollients that come in solid form and pretty much work like liquid fabric softeners. They are more concentrated than liquid emollients; hence one does not need to measure as many beads as liquids. Too much of these in your laundry will cause staining.
Liquid Types
This fabric softener is added to the washing machine during the rinse cycle and is great for softening and eliminating odors in clothes. When using it, take care to ensure it does not spill on light-colored clothes as it will leave stains on clothes.
Don’t Use These Textile Materials with Fabric Softening Conditioner

While we recommend washing your clothes with fabric softener, not every cloth should be passed through them even when you are using the best smelling fabric softener and detergent.
Keep towels and microfibers as far away from fabric softener as possible. When used on towels, fabric softeners reduce their absorbency and will in effect not dry your body that well anymore. This is also the same for doormats; cloth emollients will reduce their efficiency.
Microfibers in underwear and sportswear are built for absorption. The softening ingredients reduce their anti-sweat and absorption properties; hence you might want to skip adding a cup to your underwear and sportswear laundry.
Silk and wool will also get ruined by even the best smelling fabric emollient, so you might also want to keep these off.
Other Uses of Cloth Conditioners
While fabric softeners are great for clothes, there are a host of other household chores that can be done using textile conditioners, these include:
- Cleaning glass panes. When mixed with water, fabric softeners do a great job of removing dust from window panes, shower doors, glass tables, and other glass surfaces. They leave them looking clean and shiny.
- Removes grime in utensils. Soak pans and other grime-filled utensils in water mixed with laundry detergent before scrubbing them. When you wash with soap after this, stains and food odor goes away.
- Removing old wallpapers. If you have an old wallpaper in your house that does not seem to get off, spray a mixture of laundry emollient and water, allow it to soak, and brush it off.
- Eliminating water stains. To remove water stains, soak them with undiluted liquid cloth conditioner for ten minutes and wipe them away with a damp cloth.
Wrapping up
It is hard to talk about the strongest smelling fabric softeners and not mention downy fabric softener. After going through several fabric softener reviews, downy cloth softener is our top pick, but we advise that you try several fabric softeners to find your most preferred brand. For more tips on the best smelling fabric softener 2021, keep reading homemakerguide.com.
Contents
- 1 Top 10 Best Smelling Fabric Softener: Comparison Chart
- 1.1 Best Overall: Snuggle Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets Review
- 1.2 Maximum Scent: Gain Liquid Fabric Softener Review
- 1.3 Up to 12 Weeks of Freshness: Downy Unstopable Lavender and Vanilla Scent Review
- 1.4 Premium Pick: Downy Unstopable Fresh Frais Review
- 1.5 Reduce Static on Your Fabric: Method Fabric Softener Review
- 1.6 Long-lasting Freshness: Snuggle Concentrated Scent Pacs Review
- 1.7 Delightful Fragrance: Suavitel Fabric Softener Review
- 1.8 Affordable Price: Purex Fabric Softener Dryer Sheets Review
- 1.9 Premium Formula: Presto! Concentrated Fabric Softener Review
- 1.10 Contains Plant-derived Softening Agents: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Dryer Sheets Review
- 2 The Merits of Cloth Conditioner
- 3 Factors to Consider When Buying Textile Conditioners
- 4 Wrapping up