I get my pink stuff at a grocery closeout store...I have seen it at IGA's, too. For my area, its those smaller stores that carry it.

I live in a suburb. Even the Piggly Wiggly here is upscale. Southerners also tend to be brand loyal. Thanks for the tip on the independent grocery store...the search will continue!

Update: the Tandil April Fresh smells good in the bottle, but plastic-y on clothes. Maybe diluting it will help. The Lavender though, smells light and pleasant. Both do a very good job at softening fabric.

About the Snuggle Green Burst that I suggested. It has a mild almost cantaloupe scent. Fresh but not fruity or yucky sweet if that make any sense.

@ Jean.....Your Snuggle Green Burst is another one that is NOT on the Snuggle website and not on Amazon. Is this yet, another Dollar General exclusive or discontinued?? I spent prob. like 15 mins searching online for it, and it seems to be nowhere! Thanks :)

YOU, YOU are a softener pusher! LOL You know my weakness. I love detergents, but I LOVE softeners! ;)

I was liking the Snuggle lavender LFS mixed with some Purex Lavender out of the dryer. Today I grabbed my towel after showering and it smelled like bad perfume. The scent had changed after a few days?

The lavender scent booster is good. The liquid FS is not my friend anymore. I'm not sure if I will even donate to my friend as I don't want to smell it again. Lol.

Blue Iris and Bamboo, both booster and liquid acceptable.

Hibiscus and rainflower is suprisingly good in LFS.

I saw green burst at Dollar General yesterday.

I also saw Green Burst at Dollar General, and it does smell like Cantaloupe. I whiffed Gain Fresh Water Sparkle, and I think it smells almost identical to the now-discontinued Downy Clean Breeze(?) FS, which is not bad. I would device describe both as fresh, clean, linen-y fragrances. I was able to get a 6 load sample of Gain FW Sparkle for $1. I'll let you know how it does on clothes.

I really do have to get my a$$ into DG... who do I thank for this Fabric Softener hunt in DG...let me guess..its our own Little Jean..LMAO..Jean I'm onto you, this is payback for the detergents you've had to hunt down, isn't it?? LOL I will travel the 20-25 minutes to DG this weekend to huff this stuff. I'm not saying I'm buying though...but I do like Gain Original mixed with a higher ratio of Downy Free. I keep a jug of Downy Free just for toning down scents, and if I plan to use Linen Spray on bedding or towels.

So I'm looking for two Gain scents at DG...hubs is gonna strangle me in my sleep...but maybe I won't buy.. (ya RIGHT)

I had no idea what Dollar General is but just looked it up and there is one less than 2 miles from where I live! I am planning to check it out tonight.

And, Sandy, I put on a freshly washed nightie last night and had a similar reaction to the Snuggle Lavender scent. I did have a migraine yesterday which makes me super sensitive to smells but it appears that the scent of this particular FS does change for the worse after a couple of days :-(

nah mama, there is a sale on Gain Fresh Sparkle and remaining bottles of old Downy AF. You can walk out of DG with medium sized bottles of both for $8.

I went to Kmart to see what they had (a hike from my house), and man, do they like their Xtra there. ROWS and ROWS of it: purple, green, blue...you name it. And Purex "No Sort" detergent (my head does 360's here). This Kmart makes Walmart look high brow.

I haven't been in a Kmart in years. The ones around here are in areas that make Mexican grocery locations look like prime real estate. So, all the Xtra makes sense I guess.

This whole convo is cracking me up. I prefer no scent to my laundry, as it can give me headaches. So I use white vinegar in the FS bin of my front loader and I am happy with it. However, my dd has been whining about how she wishes our laundry "smelled" like our good friends' laundry. So maybe I need to pick up some FS, for her clothes at least. Is there an eco friendly one that someone can recommend that will not give me a headache if I smell it on her clothes?

I love Mrs. Meyers Orange Clove hand soap and countertop spray, I should look and see if they offer it in a FS. It is a seasonal scent for this time of year only. Off to google...

This may seem crazy to you all but I like the Downy AF that is no more as of recently..no I don't like it straight up but mixed with a larger portion of Unscented it makes my towels soft fluffy and very lightly scented.

I will try the Gain from the DG..but will most likely mix it with unscented.

That mexican FS Suvital or whatever its called drives me totally SICK I hate everyone of them...well I guess the red bottle isn't quite as bad but bad enough. I just think someone ought to sell the FS fragrance in all different flavors, in tiny little glass viles right next to the unscented FS, than we can chose a scent and add a little or a lot, I think this would generate huge sales. But that will never happen.LOL

Then mama, you feel my pain everytime I have to open the top of that 10 lb. blue abomination. I bought a bunch of small FSs today including Downy AF, and I agree, the recently deceased AF is acceptable (even more so in sheet form where it is subtle almost) I just need to invest in some unscented Downy. A trip to the women's shelter is imminent, I think.

Just got home and am catching up in this thread!! Hysterical! And so grateful my Kmart and Dollar General's aren't in the crackhead part of town! Larsi, Snuggle even had a Orange FS-smelled wonderful! Just for the heck of it I got some Sun Triple Clean powdered in the Fresh and CLean scent from the Dollar General. That's exactly how it smells too but the suds woo-hoo! You know how I HATE suds.(lie) Mexico Suavitel is the gaggiest I don't care how you dose it. jess-orange clove oh my I love that scent! mama-you won't have to mix the Gain SParkle whatever-it's light. Serves everyone of you right for sending me on wild goose chases all over my part of the state looking for all of this detergent, FS and lord only knows what else! If hubs let me use the CC online I would be living on that overpass! I'd ask what kind of coffee everyone likes but I'm afraid to this close to Christmas!

Serves US right? I do believe that you are the neighborhood FS peddler, Jean! I wouldn't have Gain FW Sparkle without you ;)

el camino-you got me there! Sure hope everyone likes that Gain FWS or no one will listen to me ever again!

Stopped at Dollar General last night. All I can say, the store was interesting..., but I'm not likely to become a regular customer.

Anyway, they had Gain Fresh Water Sparkle which I didn't buy - it smells good, just like traditional, old fashioned Gain from years ago. I have Mr Clean cleaner with Gain fragrance and it smells just like Fresh Water Sparkle FS. Gain fragrances are generally just a bit too intense for me. I did buy Snuggle Green Burst which seems to be a very mild gentle scent. I will try it over the weekend.

Miele softener arrived yesterday (with the down wash -- need to get started on those pillows). In the bottle, it smells like nail polish remover. I'm trusting pinky and larsi that the residual fragrance on the towels won't make my laundry room smell like the local nail salon. LOL!

Roc..it smelled nothing like nail polish remover for me..it smelled kinda like April Fresh without the sweet and much lighter. I hope they didn't change this stuff, I had planned to order some after the holidays, but now I'm not so sure...

Larsi what do you think of this? Could Miele have changed it...

Roc, I don't know what to say, this isn't what I expected. The Miele FS that Larsi sent me was very nice and like you I only like light soft FS scents. Please let us know how it goes...I'm going to try to get this pink FS in the mail Friday..........now lets talk again about Downy unscented...in the bottle it has a slight chemical scent that can transfer to the clothing...I really do think that you are the perfect person for this mixed with a scented FS....are there any FS that you think you could like if only the scent was much lighter? That's what I would use for mixing...I'd do like 80% unscented and 20 % scented and than go very low doses. A normal dose is going to soften but a light dose is going to condition and fluff up and just leave a scent so mild you arnt sure your smelling it or just fresh and clean. I haven't exactly measured my mix, yesterday I ran out of my mix..so I just whipped up a small amount in a canning jar..I used 1/4 cup unscented and 2 teaspoons April Fresh ( the newest one to leave us) the scent was very very light and the chemical scent from the unscented was gone. I used 3 Tablespoons in a full load of towels which would be way to much for you but I was rinsing in 27 gallons of water LOL. But on top of this mixing its important to find the correct low dose so your towels are somewhat soft, more conditioned without that yucky feeling FS can leave and fluffy at the same time....am I making any sense? Lol. It always amazes me how some people dose FS expecially on towels..I have found more than a tiny bit leaves towels not just feeling like their coated but limp and flat..flat like the loops are flattened instead of springing up and making the towel fluffy. I'm very picky about my towels, they must be fluffy and when their fluffy they are soft. Ok I just wrote a book LOL.

Anyway let me know how the Miele works. Good Luck Roc.

@ Rococo....Miele Fabric Softener, IMO, smells chemical in the bottle, but not like anything nail product related. I hope Miele did not change it!!! Using a 1/2 cap to 1 cap during the final rinse...towels will not smell like BaiLing's Hanoi Nail Emporium!! I promise!!! LOL

I don't think FS ever smells the same after drying. That's part of the game. Gotta try it and see.

Roc,I'm nervously waiting the results of the Miele FS.

Miele softener to me smells exactly like the nail salon. I swear. It's bizarro. However, technically it gave better results than Mrs. Meyers in terms of texture but only slightly. As Sandy says, it changes after. The fragrance after drying is faint/neutral/unscented as mama and larsi said. Do see why it didnt get great enthusiasm.

Will try the Ecover tomorrow.

Pinky, I can't stand synthetic fragrances. So I have nothing to mix with the Downy clear. Still hoping to find one that softens well and makes the towels smell great and won't muck up my septic.

So far, Mrs. Meyers seems best for me overall. I know someone else can't stand hers. Shows how different we all are. But I need to use the Miele on the older towels. And try Ecover. Usually I love the German products. All the Henkels liquids are great. Vernel, ugh. I had to rewash those towels.

But I'm not unhappy with the Miele. If only they would merge with Caldrea.

Maybe I've misunderstood lol..I thought you wanted a FS that gave gentle softness and more of either a neutral or very faint scent?

I prefer neutral or very faint to "midnight mist" or "moon over the mountain."

roco...thanks for the Miele FS review. I was going to spring for some because I detest the current trends in FSs, but I hate synthetic, chemical fragrances even more. I wish I liked Mrs. Meyers, but her products don't soften my laundry well!

Larsi, speaking of BaiLing's Hanoi Nail Emporium (I LOVE that and I'm stealing it...), that is exactly how I would describe Vietnamese Tide. Or at least the liquid. It rinses soft, but initially all I get is fake rose. What is the powder like?

Jean, I want to thank you for the Fresh Water Sparkle referral. I am not a fan of Gain, but I like the detergent and the fabric softener, although I will dilute it on towels per mamapinky as it was eye-watering on my blankets out of the dryer. My husband loves it on the sheets, which means I may be able to retire Suavitel on lightly-soiled clothes. I am indebted to you for that.

Update: One load of towels were done with the Ecover. I am very impressed. The fragrance is vaguely citrus and not offensive in the jug. After it dries it doesn't have a lot of fragrance but the towels smell clean. Ecover did a better job with my difficult towels than either Mrs. M or Vernel.

Just putting the second Miele towel load in the dryer. This will take some time to see which one wins.

Ecover is never one of my Favs, but I also neither hate nor love it. It's weird. Although the Ecover dishwasher tabs Mitch mailed me work AMAZINGLY well!!!

Let us know who wins.....Da da daaaaaaa Ecover in one corner, Miele in the other. A battle of the softeners at Jane's house!!! lol

Larsi, you're just an inveterate huffmeister that's all. Give you that Downy AF and you're in gear. LOL

What I want to know is why the softeners can't be floral or herbal. Like what's wrong with what I like -- tuberose or gardenia? The real girly stuff. Must be a market. What ever happened to Carnation? So great.

The real test will be the sheets next week. I have these weird sets I picked up at warehouse sales. Paid very little because it was so long ago. They are a jacquard weave -- i.e. herringbone. They aren't the silky percale I love and they are a little bit scratchy. There's a lot of weave. Think I will try softener on them and see if they improve.

Took another huff of the Miele. It smells like a gel manicure if you folks know what that is.

Ecover, Vaska, Caldrea, Mrs Meyers all use synthetic fragrance. They all add plant derived fragrances and advertise those. There's also the question of where the essential oils come from. Like olive oil. There is no 2nd press. Not being virgin means it was chemically extracted - pomace. Same thing with essential oils. There is a nasty chemical undertone to Vaska and Mrs Meyers. The lavender doesn't smell like lavender. It's been a long time since I smelled ecover. P&G is fairly forth coming about fragrance and having removed dioxin. I've actually emailed Vaska to ask if the fragrance was pthalate and dioxin free. The reply was that they use plant based fragrance despite what's on the bottle. Lol.

Roc...I have smelled a gel manicure, and I agree Miele Fabric Softener does NOT smell good in the bottle, but the scent after washing and drying somehow almost goes away, and what scent that is left is soft and somewhat fresh smelling.

For me, Miele fabric softener just did not soften enough. I do not want limp or coated feeling laundry, but I do prefer on the softer side...and this is where Miele, for me, falls short.

If manufactures used essential oils as scent wouldn't it be rather expensive?

Roc...Yes a real flower scent, something soft and pretty in a FS would be wonderful. Personally I love Gardenia and White Heather would also be glorious. When I actually think about it that way it makes everything out there smell artificial and cloying.

@ sandy. You say that P&G has removed dioxin from their FS and that's a good thing. But, and I guess I'm showing my ignorance here, but does unscented FS contain pthalates? And, if not, would it not be better than scented? While they are probably in detergents, I would think that most are rinsed away whereas with FS they are left on the clothes.

When I refer to synthetic fragrances I mean made up scents. I have no illusion that there are essential oils in fabric softener. It's all chemicals I cannot pronounce -- like so much these days.

My issue is that I cannot even get near the fragrances in most laundry
products, candles, room fresheners, car fresheners. Not allergic, just
super sensitive.
I do like the smell of flowers -- as pinky says
-- gardenia and white heather would be amazing (if it actually smelled
like same).

I find nasty chemical undertones to many of these products.

Can't use the Vaska liquid Sandy -- too concentrated for my FL. I use pieces of their tabs for some loads -- that product was actually sent to me by the towel manufacturer. Had no idea it existed.

Those ingredients are: "baking soda, citrus fruit acid, SMOTaurate with Taurine derivatives, specially oxygenated boron, alanine di-Acetate, TAED, CMI with glycolic acid derivatives, maltodextrin, lavender fragrance and plant based binder."

@Larsi - Yes, agree. Softer without limp. I'm rewashing the towels I'm sending to my brother and using the Miele and Ecover again. From the first loads, those are a good texture for me. Will see if that changes over time.

Sandy...do you know of any way of using say Gardenia petals and making our own scent to add to Downy Free? Can they be steeped in boiling distilled water or just soaked in the FS...I know nothing about this kind of stuff. I know this probably sounds crazy to some people.

rococogurl, what is the variety of Ecover FS that you got and liked?

beaglenc - I have no idea if unscented FS would have pthalates. I can't think of a use outside of fragrance but no idea.

Just finished a load of laundry using Snuggle Green Burst. I like it! It is not concentrated so the FS is very thin and watery and the scent is very mild. After drying, clothes feel soft but not limp and the scent is almost gone.

I am starting to think more and more that for people who do not like highly scented FS, the old fashioned non-concentrated versions are the way to go.

The second load is in the washer right now. I am using Purex Lavender with a drop of Snuggle White Lavender mixed into it. I will report back after it is dried.

The mix of Purex Lavender and Snuggle Lavender also seems good. I will need to wait a few days before the final verdict to see if the scent changes. Snuggle Lavender in full strength was not great after a few days.

Roc, the FLORAL grabbed my attention..have you ever tried this?

Or this

Have seen ensueno in the market. I will see if they have the floral and huff. The other one must be around -- we have a lot of health food stores here though I don't know the brand.

I agree on the very thin softener (didn't know those were old-fash). Both the Miele and the Ecover work well with linen water after the dryer.

Roc I don't understand what you mean about Miele and Ecover working well with linen water?

rococogurl, I'm saying "old fashioned" because all the new laundry stuff nowadays seems to be "super concentrated", "ultra" and "long lasting" and, of course it has to contain "scent pearls" or "scent crystals", etc. You have to look really hard to find traditional, non-concentrated FS that doesn't smell like some tropical mango tango concoction. It seems to me that all this new technology did not result in better performing FS. It just creates layers of artificial scent that tries to cover up all the gunk that is left in clothes washed in cold water on regular basis :-(

And, unfortunately, people buy into all that nonsense...

@izeve - could not agree more. And there's not a lot of options. Plus I only use it on towels so I want to find one.

@pinky - To clarify: Miele and Ecover are both thin and don't gunk up the dispenser. That's a plus. Neither smell great in the bottle = negative. But both do a good softening job technically, which means my towels feel soft but not flabby = plus.

But there is no residual scent whatsoever from either of those = negative. So I just spritzed the towels with my linen water which added a scent I like. The Caldrea Sea Salt Neroli is perfect for towels. Problem solved.

I only use softener for my towels. Don't use it for sheets as it's never needed. Those are currently getting washed with the Le Blanc, get dampened with linen water then ironed. Got that down.

One thing I have noticed that's interesting. When I bought the new towels I got two kinds. One are the flat turkish waffle weave. They are very lightweight, soft and absorbent. DH, who is never enthusiastic about anything told me yesterday he "loved" them and thought they were "fantastic." Could have picked me up off the floor. So naturally I thought I would get him some larger ones since the ones he likes are hand towel size. Those don't need softener. It's weird.

There are 9000 sources for turkish towels on etsy alone!

Seventh Generation makes an excellent fabric softener that isn't thick or gunky. It also doesn't leave a filmy residue on my clothes. I use a full dose of FS and fill the remainder of the FS compartment with vinegar. The softness feels just right... takes the edge off.

Mama - just saw your comment above about gardenia petals. To infuse oils for soap I use dried rose petals, soak in oil in an air tight jar for 4 weeks shaking occassionally. Should work the same for FS.

I use lavender dryer sachets. Maybe try putting dried gardenia petals in a bag or even old sock and throw in the dryer. Make sure it's completely sealed.

sshrivastava - Nice to hear from you!!

Well I used my Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena for the first time today on bedding.

Washed in Heavy Duty cycle with Allergen option with extra rinse, max spin, line dried (very breezy partly sunny 50 degree day).

While not "lemony" the Lemon Verbena smells like crisp clean linen.

Softness is just OK, not at all overly waxy or heavy...a light softness.

I like it.

The only store anywhere near me that carries Mrs Meyers is Target, I stopped there on my way home from Pittsburgh yesterday and forgot I want to try that Lemon Verbena, just the name of the scent makes me want to try it on ny bedding.

Glad you like it George.