they feel so ‘chemical-y’ and their texture goes from soft to uncomfy idfk?
This feels like what you’re noticing is actually the removal of the “chemicals” (technically, the fibres are a chemical, too, even cotton - everything is chemical in nature, btw, there is no “natural”). There’s an oil on/in the fabric when you buy it to make it softer and to protect it during transport and storage, and over a few washing cycles this gets removed.
To re-apply this effect, use fabric softeners. That’s exactly what they exist to do.
Yes! Fabric softener creates a waxy coating that can actually ruin your clothes over time.
This is because fabric softener essentially applies a thin, waxy coating to your laundry which must be water-resistant to survive the washing process. This waterproof coating initially makes your clothes softer but lessens their ability to absorb water and detergent over time.
This means your clothes won’t hold up as well in the wash and will likely begin locking in bad odors. These odors defeat the purpose of doing laundry.
Fabric softener can even ruin your cloth dish towels and stop them from absorbing water. That’s because fabric softener will build up on them over time, and since fabric softener is water proof, this interrupts how much liquid they can absorb.
I stopped using fabric softener on my clothes a while back because it’s kinda ruined all my old stuff.
That also explains some of my clothing that I’ve been simply unable to get odors out of… no matter how hot they’re washed. I thought my washing machine was broken lol
Natural is typically used to mean something that occurs in nature or results from mild refinement vs. purely synthetic and novel molecules. I don’t think most anyone would call cotton a ‘chemical’ and being that specific is really a form of pedantry more than a useful label.
This feels like what you’re noticing is actually the removal of the “chemicals” (technically, the fibres are a chemical, too, even cotton - everything is chemical in nature, btw, there is no “natural”). There’s an oil on/in the fabric when you buy it to make it softer and to protect it during transport and storage, and over a few washing cycles this gets removed.
To re-apply this effect, use fabric softeners. That’s exactly what they exist to do.
https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/fabric-softener-why-you-shouldnt-use-it/
I stopped using fabric softener on my clothes a while back because it’s kinda ruined all my old stuff.
That also explains some of my clothing that I’ve been simply unable to get odors out of… no matter how hot they’re washed. I thought my washing machine was broken lol
Natural is typically used to mean something that occurs in nature or results from mild refinement vs. purely synthetic and novel molecules. I don’t think most anyone would call cotton a ‘chemical’ and being that specific is really a form of pedantry more than a useful label.