Millennials blamed for drop in fabric softener sales

We'd rather save money and the planet

Do a good turn: fewer washes means fewer harmful materials reaching the waterways (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It seems we millennials can’t do anything right.

Earlier this year, it was revealed our disinterest in cereal was causing problems for the market (because sugar is our enemy and who can be bothered to wash up a bowl in the morning?), it’s our fault the diamond industry is struggling, and we’re not having sex which is just bad news for the future of mankind.

We’re ruining everything, or so we’re told.

And we’re at it again, now being awful people for not buying fabric softener.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Procter & Gamble’s sales of the sweet conditioning liquid have been on the decrease for over a decade, and it’s the millennials who are to blame.

From 2007 to 2015, fabric softener sales dropped by 15 per cent in the US.

Shailesh Jejurikar, P&G’s head of global fabric care, recently said that most millennials “don’t know what the product is for,” presumably because we all grew up in such a cushy bubble that we never had to do our own laundry and learn the importance of properly conditioned clothing.

The consequences of our fabric softener abstinence will clearly be severe for people of all ages, as anyone who ever brushes past a millennial will likely be bruised by the hardness of their lumberjack shirts or dungarees, possibly even scarred for life.

Apparently it’s because millennials dare care about the planet, and because of our eco-conscious tendencies we simply don’t want to use more chemicals than are necessary.

And there’s also the argument that we just don’t need fabric softener. Most of us simply don’t see the point in it.

Last year, P&G rebranded their fabric softener as fabric conditioner, hoping the new name would appeal to younger customers who were just forming their laundry habits for life.

The trouble is, most millennials are poor. As we keep wailing, we’re the first generation in the history of ever to be poorer than the previous generation. And fabric conditioner or softener, albeit not a pricey indulgence, is a cost we just don’t need.