Ultra Downy -- Clean Breeze & Ocean Mist Scents
Written: Nov 25 '05 (Updated Dec 08 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: variety of scents, eliminates static, clothes come out soft, biodegradable
Cons: not for fluffy fabrics like terry cloth or fleece (see warnings section in review)
The Bottom Line: The Bottom Line is static-free. And as long as I don’t do the washing with the liquid fabric softener, it looks fresh and ready to wear.
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| dlstewart's Full Review: Ultra Downy Fabric Softener - All Varieties |
My mother and I have different cleaning philosophies. I prefer using dryer sheets and use liquid fabric softener once in awhile. My mother insists that liquid fabric softener is the best way to go ... for several reasons. That’s why Downy Ultra Liquid Fabric Softener in the Clean Breeze and Soft Ocean Mist scents is on the shelf.
Description
Downy comes in a blue plastic bottle. The Clean Breeze scent has a blue cap, and the Soft Ocean Mist scent has a purple cap. To coordinate with the cap colors, the Clean Breeze liquid is a light blue color, and the Soft Ocean mist is a lavender color.
When the cap is unscrewed, it reveals a raised pour spout. Tip the bottle, and the liquid pours out of the spout. The inside cap has two solid lines at different levels. These lines are used to measure the amount of Downy that goes into the washing machine.
Scents are always difficult for me to describe. To me, Clean Breeze is the stronger of the two scents. The bottle describes it as a smell that will remind you of “gentler days” when grandma hung laundry on the line. Personally, I think the writers who came up with that description were reaching. If I stretch my imagination, I can smell a slight baby powder scent. The Soft Ocean Mists scent is the gentler of the two fragrances. It smells flowery and sweeter without being overpowering.
Refills are also available in the Clean Breeze scent. The refills come in a cardboard container that resembles a squat carton of milk. I have not seen Soft Ocean Mists in a refill package, and the website says refills for this scent are not available.
Using the Fabric Softener
The Downy fabric softener easily pours out of the bottle. Inside the cap are two solid lines. Fill the cap to the lower solid line for medium loads. For large loads, fill the cap to the higher line.
The directions state to add the fabric softener to the washing machine in one of three ways: 1) Add the fabric softener to a Downy Ball, 2) Add it to the washing machine dispenser, 3) Add it to the machine’s final rinse cycle. We use method # 2, adding the fabric softener to the washing machine dispenser. My neighbor across the street uses the Downy Ball. She loves it and won’t add Downy fabric softener any other way to her wash.
Our Experiences
My mother’s theory of laundry takes into account that not everything she washes is thrown into the dryer. Many of her clothes are either hand-wash only or cold-water machine wash and line dry. So why should she use a dryer sheet when not all the clothes will benefit from the fabric softener released from the dryer sheet?
Every load of laundry, therefore, receives a capful of Downy fabric softener. During the rinse cycle, the liquid fabric softener is released into the washer.
My mother likes the fact that when the wash is finished, she can remove the items that need line drying (she uses an indoor drying rack) and then throw the rest of the clothing into the dryer. As the clothes dry on the line, they soften and smell just as nice as the clothes that are removed from the dryer.
The clothes come out of the dryer static-free, soft, and both of these fragrances smell good when the clothes are finished drying. However, the scent does not cling overly long to the fabrics. We have never removed clothing from a drawer and gone “ooohhhh ... awwww!” like the actors do in commercials. I also want to mention that my mother is sensitive to some fragrances and is not bothered by either of these scents.
I seem to be liquid fabric softener challenged. My problem with liquid fabric softener is that when I use it, sometimes the fabric softener doesn’t disperse well through the water in the machine. This causes two things to happen. Sometimes the fabric softener spots the clothes, or the fabric softener doesn’t rinse all the way out of the clothing. I’ve tried using less fabric softener with the same results. I’ve also tried adding fewer clothes, which didn’t make a difference. Fabric softener dryer sheets just work better for me.
I did follow the instructions on the bottle for spotting. It says to re-wet the fabric and rub the spot with mild bar soap then to rinse and rewash the clothing. This solution did work. However, I’m all for time-saving cleaning methods. Who wants to wash the same load of laundry twice because the fabric softener left spots on the clothes? Not me.
Ingredients
The ingredients for both of these fabric softener scents are the same as listed on the bottles. They don’t even mention fragrance enhancers. The ingredients read: “Contains biodegradable fabric softening agents (cationic)”.
Cautions
The bottles list several warnings:
* Do not use this product on children’s sleepware or garments labeled as flame resistant as it may reduce flame resistance.
* Some cotton-containing fluffier fabrics, including fleece and terry cloth, are more flammable than other fabrics. By increasing the fluffiness, using liquid fabric softeners can increase the flammability of these types of fabrics. Therefore, do not use this product on clothing made with these types of fluffier fabrics.
* Do not refill bottle with other types of liquids or beverages.
Purchasing
Walgreens sells a 40-ounce bottle of Downy for $5.99. My local grocery store offers Downy in the 40-ounce bottle or $5.59 and also sells the refill (for the 40-ounce bottle) for $5.29.
Summary
Since I am liquid fabric softener challenged, using Downy is not an option for me. I only use it if I run out of fabric dryer sheets. However, my mother loves her Downy fabric softener, and my neighbor won’t use anything else. My mother must love it since she has three bottles of Downy next to her washing machine!
I hope you found this review useful.
Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Please read my other reviews:
Bounce Dryer Sheets
Cheer ColorGuard Laundry Detergent
Tide To Go – stain remover
Clorox Bath Wand
Clorox Disinfecting Wipes
Windex Wipes for Glass & Surface
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Duo
Mr. Clean Magic Reach Starter Kit
Ultra Dawn Dishwashing Soap -- Apple Blossom scent
Copyright 2005 Dawn L. Stewart
Recommended:
Yes
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