Laundry Perfume vs Fabric Softener: Can You Make the Swap?

Short answer: Yes, laundry perfume can replace fabric softener in your wash. Put your detergent in as normal, then add 5 ml of laundry perfume (five presses of the myBIANCA gold pump) to the fabric-softener compartment instead of softener. The difference is the job each one does: fabric softener is made to soften, by coating the fibres of your clothes, while laundry perfume is there for scent, not softness. If you mostly buy softener for the smell, laundry perfume is the easy swap, at about 38c a wash.

If you're honest, you probably buy fabric softener for the smell. From October to March, when the line is out of action and the washing spends a day and a half on a clothes horse beside the rads, that fresh smell is the bit of wash day you actually look forward to. Here's how laundry perfume and fabric softener really compare, where softener causes problems, and how to make the swap with five presses of a pump.

What's the difference between laundry perfume and fabric softener?

They go in the same compartment and both promise fresh washing, so it's easy to assume they're the same thing. They're not:

Softener works by coating the fibres of your clothes with conditioning chemicals, usually cationic surfactants and sometimes silicones, and that coating is what makes fabric feel soft. Laundry perfume goes into the same compartment and is released at the same point, the final rinse, but it's a concentrated fragrance. We call it a fabric softener replacement because of the slot it takes in your routine, not because it softens. (Wondering about scent beads instead? See scent booster vs laundry perfume.)

Can laundry perfume replace fabric softener?

Yes, if scent is what you want from your softener. Laundry perfume takes the softener's place in the drawer, so you don't need both. Your detergent still does the cleaning, and the perfume is released in the final rinse, which is what carries the scent into your clothes.

What it won't do is soften. That isn't its job, and we'd rather say so up front. If you're thinking of switching, it's probably for one of two reasons: you want a scent you genuinely love, or you'd like your towels and gym kit out from under a layer of softener. That second reason deserves a closer look.

Is fabric softener bad for towels and gym kit?

For these two, the people who make them say leave the softener out.

Towels

A towel has one job: soaking up water. Christy, the British towel maker, is blunt about it: “Contrary to popular belief, softeners should not be used on your towels!” Its care guide also warns about “reduced absorbency from using brightening detergents and softeners”, and Wikipedia's entry on fabric softener puts it plainly: softener “reduces the absorbency of textiles, which adversely affects the function of towels and microfiber cloths.”

So if your towels feel less thirsty than they used to, leaving out the softener is the first thing to try. Put five presses of Polar White in the drawer instead, for that clean, hotel-fresh smell.

Gym kit and moisture-wicking sportswear

Moisture-wicking fabrics are made to pull sweat away from your skin, and Nike's own advice is to “wash moisture-wicking shirts inside out in cold water and skip the fabric softener to preserve performance.”

Gym kit is exactly where you want a fresh smell, so if you've been leaving the softener out, five presses of laundry perfume in the drawer is an easy way to keep it smelling good. It works in cold washes too. Check the care label first, though: it's the final word on technical kit.

How do you use laundry perfume instead of fabric softener?

1. Put your detergent in as normal. Liquid, powder, pods or detergent sheets all work.
2. Press the gold pump five times. Each press is 1 ml, so five presses is the 5 ml dose for one wash.
3. Add it to the fabric-softener compartment, usually marked with a flower. Not the drum, and not straight onto clothes.
4. Leave out the softener and run your usual cycle. It works in front and top loaders, at every temperature, including 30°C and cold washes.
5. Take the washing out when the cycle ends and get it drying, whether that's the line, the clothes horse or an airer by the rads.

That's the whole swap. For more detail, see our guide on how to use laundry perfume. And if your washing smells damp after a day on the clothes horse, read why washing smells musty and how to fix it: scent helps, but it can't fix slow drying.

Which scent should you try first?

All six myBIANCA scents go in the same way, and between them they have more than 500 customer reviews. Choose by what you're washing:

• Towels: Polar White. Sparkling aldehydes and citrus, then cucumber, aloe and rose over white musk. Clean, aquatic and hotel-fresh, and made for towels, bed linen and whites.
• Bedding: Azure Blue. Our best-selling scent. Ginger, cardamom, bergamot and orange over geranium and iris, drying down to soft musk and vanilla. Lovely on crisp cotton sheets and pillowcases.
• Gym kit: Spring Green. Zesty lemon peel, pink pepper and tangerine, then peach, rose and green leaves over cedarwood. Bright and uplifting for the wash you most want to smell fresh.
• Winter bedding, throws and knits: Oud Illusion. Warm, resinous oud softened by amber and soft woods. It's our deepest scent, so it's a good one to try as a Home Mini first.

“Very pleased with this laundry scent. On laundry day there's a lovely aroma in the house if clothes are airing on a clothes horse.”

Geraldine D., verified buyer, Polar White, July 2026

Not sure which one is you? The Discovery Bundle has sample sachets of our scents, so you can try them on your own washing before you choose a bottle. Or build a set of Home Minis: 50 ml bottles with the same gold pump, up to 10 washes each, from €24.99 for three. When you've found your favourite, a 500 ml bottle does up to 100 washes. See all six laundry perfumes.

Shop all six laundry perfumes

Frequently asked questions

Can I use laundry perfume and fabric softener together?

You don't need to. We made it to go in instead of softener, not alongside it: it takes the softener's place in the drawer, and that's the whole swap.

Where does laundry perfume go in the washing machine?

In the fabric-softener compartment of the drawer, usually marked with a flower, not in the drum. Add your detergent as normal.

How much laundry perfume do I use?

5 ml per wash: five presses of the gold pump, at 1 ml a press. A 500 ml bottle does up to 100 washes, about 38c a wash, and a 50 ml Home Mini does up to 10.

Does it work with my detergent and on a 30°C wash?

Yes. It works with any detergent (liquid, powder, pods or sheets), in front and top loaders, at every temperature, including 30°C and cold washes.

Where can I buy a fabric softener alternative in Ireland?

Right here. myBIANCA is an Irish brand, and every order is packed and dispatched from Ratoath, Co. Meath, to homes across Ireland and the UK.

Is laundry perfume suitable for sensitive skin?

We don't make a sensitive-skin claim because we haven't done dermatological testing. The full ingredient list is on each scent's product page — check it first if anyone in your home has sensitive skin.

Sources

• Christy, How to Wash Towels: 10 Expert Tips for Prolonged Softness.
• Nike, Moisture-Wicking Fabric, Explained (updated 1 July 2026).
• Wikipedia, Fabric softener (how softeners work, and absorbency).
• myBIANCA product pages: dose, ingredients, scent notes and prices, checked 29 October 2026.

Written by Brendan Arthur, co-founder of myBIANCA, Ratoath, Co. Meath.