New dryer cloth bests softener competition 3 col fea story third xxxy xy xy

Upside: Easy to use if you have a washing machine with a rinse cup. The jojoba essence fragrance is soft, not overwhelming or too sweet. The tapered neck of the bottle is designed with grips, making it easy to pour without spilling.

Downside: The loads of laundry rinsed with Snuggle included bath towels and T-shirts, and these came out of the dryer feeling as if no softener was used. The towels were especially disappointing and not soft at all. Although the softener is billed as 3X concentrate, you wouldn't know it because it's written in a tiny font near the bottom of the bottle.

Bottom line: Snuggle was creamed by a sheet.

Arm & Hammer Total 2-in-1 dryer cloths

$3.99 at most mass merchandisers

The rundown: Arm & Hammer offers a new concept in fabric softener with these thick one-time-use cloths infused with liquid softener. They resemble pre-moistened wipes and even come in the same type of soft packaging resting inside a flip-top plastic box. They're available in classic fresh, lavender & vanilla and wildflowers. Forty sheets per box.

Upside: Easy to use since you simply toss one sheet into the dryer with the wet laundry. Clothes and towels came out noticeably softer than the other two softeners, without leaving any tell tale residue on the fabric. The laundered items were free of any static and the fresh fragrance lingered for several days.

Downside: It includes quite a bit of packaging that has to hit the landfill. Streamlining some of that plastic might be a good idea.

Bottom line: Delivered soft, fragrant and static-free laundry with ease. I'd buy it again.

Bounce Awakenings dryer sheets

$4.97 at most mass merchandisers and supermarkets

The rundown: The idea behind Bounce Awakenings infused with Renew-Refresh beads is that the scented beads will revitalize the freshness of your clothes as you move throughout the day. It comes in boxes of 100 sheets and is available in Paradise Thrill and Renewing Rain scents.

Upside: The scent is potent out of the box. The sheets are easy to use and the laundry was pretty soft and static free.

Downside: Obviously, if you're sensitive to scented products, this Bounce isn't for you. The scent beads look like tiny red dots stenciled onto the dryer sheets. How they refresh or have any impact on your clothes throughout the day is a mystery because the scent went away shortly after removing clothing from the dryer. It didn't return.

Bottom line: I'm calling advertising gimmick on the powers of the Renew-Refresh scent beads.

I'm one of those people who takes fabric softeners more seriously than laundry detergent. I want my laundry to be soft, static free and fragrant as well as clean. So, I'm always on the lookout for the newest in fabric softeners, hoping to find a product that works better than the last. Liquid softeners are my favorite, but I'm open to new softening ideas. With that in mind, I recently hit the laundry room with Snuggle Creme liquid, Arm & Hammer Total 2-in-1 dryer cloths and Bounce Awakenings dryer sheets. I was surprised to find a clear winner, and not the one I expected. Results follow.

Got a product for a pro to test? Let us know at ajc.com/buyersedge