Downy had a much "waxier" consistency and more easily gunked up my softener disensers than Snuggle did. And Snuggle was a nice change of pace for me. I've been using the blue snuggle for a good 10-15 years.

I use Downy but have to agree it gunks up my dispenser. To combat that I put in a little white vinegar first and then add the Downy. Maybe I should try the Snuggle.

Neither. wool dryer balls. :)

Hey design girl, that's actually a pretty helpful tip. How much vinegar do you put in the dispenser and do you ever notice a slightly vinegary smell on your clothes afterwards? Just curious.

@MWJ '90 - I have a front loader and as they use a lot less water than the top loaders I put about half vinegar and the other half Downey. It seems to keep the gunk out of the dispenser. I do NOT notice a smell of vinegar afterwards. When I fill the dispenser with all vinegar I do sometimes notice a smell. My neighbor who has a top loader uses about a cup full in each load.

@Designer Girl- Thank you again for the tip. I have a top loader and I never even thought about the vinegar. I will definitely keep that in mind.

For me, Downy is too sweet in their fragrances and I don't like most of them. I prefer Snuggle over Downy, all except Blue Sparkle because it is too sweet also. As far as softenest goes Downy seems to leave a waxy covering on some of my clothes.

Hey thanks for the input. I agree that Snuggle does have a better scent than Downy in general. Their dryer sheets last a lot longer than both the P&G brands (Bounce and Downy) from my experience in terms of scent. But softness seems to be a bit of draw in my opinion.

I actually hate the smell of Snuggle products when they dry. Not sure why. The new EcoBox April Fresh Downy smells great.

I respect your opinion.

My preferred scent is Snuggle's Blue Iris & Ocean Breeze.

Interesting reading this thread. I use Downy FS in the washer and Snuggle dryer sheets (blue sparkle-sorry folks!) in the dryer. I clean the dispenser frequently because of the build-up. I have a few bottles of Downy to go thru, and then will experiment and buy Snuggle FS next. I read all the advice years ago about not using FS in the washer, but it is something that works for us.

I used to exclusively use Downy (clean breeze scent) as my default FS for the wash and Bounce (clean linen) as my default dryer sheets for years. But recently, I started using Snuggle and noticed that the scent lasts so much longer after drying. After cleaning power, Scent is REALLY important to me when it comes to laundry. My wife could care less but I care! lol.

Both are good fabric softeners and I've used both. I prefer the scent of Snuggle Blue Sparkle over Downy April Fresh. BTW, I don't use the machine's dispenser. I add it directly to the drum with the last EXTRA "rinse & spin" cycle.

Hey thank you for your input. I appreciate the tip!

Yeah, Snuggle's scent is very strong and does linger. I actually like the old Tide April Fresh scent detergent and Snuggle Blue Sparkle when used together.

Tide had an April Fresh scent? Do they still make it?

Yes they make the April Fresh scent (it's the original scent) but it has been "updated" through the years and it's not the same as the true original April Fresh.

interesting 🤔
I had no idea.

MWJ 90', the new scent is not nearly as good as the old one.

Cost cutting?

This very topic was quite hot around here for a while a few years back.... proctor and gamble did not own the rights to the April Fresh Downy scent and had to change it. It went from a fresh clean powdery scent to candy or cotton candy as some members here described it. A lot of people were hot under the collar about it.

I don't typically use softener on bath linens because I wash them with kitchen linens and socks and prefer not to have softener on dish towels ... otherwise I would use a light dose on bath-stuff. I usually use softener on bedstuff (for the scent, for however long it lasts) and wear-clothes (helps with wrinkling/smoothness).

I don't use fabric softener at all. I use dryer sheets for loads w/ synthetics to combat static cling. I used to use dryer sheets for all loads all the time, though & never experienced the reported problem of dryer sheets clogging up the dryer screen. Maybe those reporting the problem use multiple sheets per load? I've only used one per load forever & sometimes even reuse one if it doesn't look all used up. And, yes, I checked the screen after hearing about the problem and even scrubbed it for good measure even though I couldn't see any buildup.

The reason I don't use liquid fabric softener? MIL loved, loved, loved Downy apparently so I got an early education in what too much of that stuff did to fabrics. Her dish towels looked positively greasy because of overusing it.

Interesting that you are making a distinction between dryer sheets and (liquid) fabric softener. Dryer sheets, of course, are softener in a different form. :-)

The trick for successful use of liquid softener, of course, is not overdosing. I've seen people fill the bottle's measuring cap to the top when the designated dosage line in the cap is less than half that much. The Max or Fill level in a washer's softener dispenser also shouldn't be taken as an indicator of the proper dose.

Dryer sheets, of course, are softener in a different form. :-)

I know that. I meant to type 'liquid fabric softener' and did make that distinction later on in the response. I fixed it now. Thank you for pointing it out to me!

I have no doubt that MIL way overdosed the softener. That, & I don't know if she used hot water washes, for that matter. What I know is that I could barely stand to pick up one of her dish towels--with that much build up in them, no way could they be really clean. Skeert me off liquid softener for life!

I'm loving all of the input and perspectives that are being presented here. Please keep them coming!

Thank you all for your input. I am most grateful!

Hey I respect that. To each their own.

I love Felce Azzuro. Not terribly expensive, considering it's an import, here in Canada. https://felceazzurra.it/en/perfumes-your-laundry/fabric-softener/lavender-and-iris

I have not used fabric softener or dryer sheets for probably almost 20 years. About 12 years ago I started using the wool felt dryer balls. https://www.loo-hoo.com/ Love them. They reduce the drying time a bit. Everything comes out super fluffy and soft.

Ok so it's been a full month and a half and I can say without a doubt that I am switching to Snuggle as my default FS. The scent last so much longer and I feel it does a much better job softening my towels.

I am in a quandary about whether to stay with Snuggle or go back to Downey. I used a freshly laundered bath towel this morning and it was not quite right. I am wondering if the price to pay for waxy buildup in the dispenser is softer fabrics. I was at a Sam's Club today and was so tempted to buy the big bottle of Snuggle but I could not get past that feeling about the towel.

armjim which variation of Snuggle do you use? is it the original?

MWJ it is the standard Snuggle, blue sparkle fragrance.

I have only used liquid fabric softener a handful of times in my life. I do use one dryer sheet per load. My nana used Downey forever and everything smelled wonderful but the towels weren’t very absorbent and felt almost sticky.

I use Snuggle Exhilarations Lavender & Vanilla Orchid.

Recently bought Downy WrinkleGuard to try. It's definitely more goopy. There are little globules of product stuck to the top inside of the cap, which didn't wash away swishing warm water in it. Can say it seemed to have a reasonable effect on a load of shirts ... but the residual scent is VERY sweet with Persil liquid detergent.

Snuggle has released two new scents in their SuperCare line which seems new.

Lilies and Linen, and Sea Breeze. Both are supposed to help with fading and have wear and tear protection. Both are carried on Amazon and I saw it on the Walmart website also.

Jerrod, I recently started using the Snuggle Supercare Lillie's and Linen dryer sheets, but I haven't tried the liquid softener yet. I'm currently using Snuggle Exhilaration Blue Iris and bamboo scent for the liquid softener. Almost out though.

*UPDATE*

Sooo....I have a confession. Since about May 2021 I've decided to go back to P&G softerners (specific Gain original and island fresh). Been using Gain softerners from the to now. However I just ran out of the island fresh and decided to  starting to using Downy Sea Breeze (this was what I used as my default FS for years). So back to Downy I go!

I am still using Snuggle MWJ. I can't get past all the pictures dadoes posts and the discussions of Downey being more apt to gum up my washer.

I'm still using Snuggle and am using lesser amounts of additives with my new LG front loader.

Snuggle Exhilarations Lavender & Vanilla Orchid but sparingly. It's less goopy than Downy. The formula apparently was recently changed to increase the scent strength. I use it primarily on bedding, and lightly on (most) wear-clothes to smooth them. Never on bath linens and socks since they're washed in the aggregate whites load with kitchen linens.

I bought a bottle of Downy Wrinkle Guard, Fresh scent, several months ago to try on shirts. It does seem to have some effect, but may not be appreciably different on the whole than Snuggle. It's very goopy. Blobs of residue were in the cap upon purchase so I swished & scrubbed it with a brush and hot water to dissolve and use the residue. Residue also collects in the collar of the bottle.

I always mix the softener dose with hot water for the dispenser although the dispenser flushes with cold water and does need occasional cleaning. I never wash in cold water. The go-to warm is 115°F to 122°F and I use plenty detergent to keep residue clear of the machine innards.

I prefer snuggle as it doesn't gum up as much as downy does. And snuggle smells better paired with persil.