fabric softner on regular household clothing/towels

[III]

Since fabric softner makes microfiber absorb less, would this hold true to cotton towels if softner is used? I'm wondering if all those people who use softner on their bath towels are actually doing more harm than good? They don't realize that using softners are actually causing their towels to repel water?

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Since fabric softner makes microfiber absorb less, would this hold true to cotton towels if softner is used? I'm wondering if all those people who use softner on their bath towels are actually doing more harm than good? They don't realize that using softners are actually causing their towels to repel water?

Yes, it does.... basically it is taking away a fabric's ability to absorb water. For bath towels this isnt *necessarilly* a bad thing. I mean if you think about it, as long as the "excess" water is squeegeed off, the remainder will evaporate or absorb on its own into the skin. This however is NOT the desired result for vehicle toweling since the paint can't absorb any water and evaporation can still leave waterspots behind.