this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2023
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AskBeehaw
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You may want to stop using fabric softener if you do. This wears down your clothes, fast, socks included. You'll find your things wear through much slower if you stop using it.
Use low heat for the dryer. I've noticed a major reduction in dryer lint on the filter, which is empirical evidence that it's beating less material out of my clothes per cycle.
I suspect this is also true for the wash cycle, and most modern detergents work just fine with cold water anyway. Plus it saves energy.
Why use a machine dryer at all? I’ve heard the lifespan of anything elastic (esp. elastic bands on underwear) is shortened by using a machine dryer. I air dry everything now for the environment & for my clothes.
OTOH, I’m a skeptical as well that this solves the OP problem because how do you explain socks wearing out so much faster than all other elastic materials? Surely most of the damage is done by wear and tear.
By air dry do you mean hanging clothes outside? Where I am I wouldn't be able to do it half the year due to weather. I did air dry inside for a while, but that lead to a lot of excess moisture.
I always air dry indoors close to a window, which I open ¾ of the year. In the cold season you need some kind of ventilation. Even if you use a dryer you’re still going to get moisture in the air that needs to escape the house.
A ventless heat pump dryer is the best if you need a dryer because the moisture is condensed either into a tank that needs to be emptied, or it’s connected directly to the drain. Ventless dryers also operate at a much lower temp which is gentler on the clothes.
Fabric softener doesn't wear them down leading to tears; what it does is build up material on the surface that can eventually make your clothes feel different, can make towels less absorbent, can strip other coatings from your fabrics (like fire-retardants) and can leave deposits in your washing machine that can get moldy. It actually makes most natural fibers, like cotton, more elastic allowing them to hold their shape better and gives them a little bit more resistance to being torn.