Articles and methods for treating fabrics

An article of manufacture adapted for providing fabric softening within an automatic clothes dryer, said article comprising:

• (a) a fabric softening amount of a fabric softening composition comprising from about 5% to about 100% of a carboxylic acid salt of a tertiary amine having the formula ##STR8## wherein R.sub.1 is a long chain aliphatic group containing from 12 to 22 carbon atoms and R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 can be the same or different from each other and are selected from the group consisting of aliphatic groups containing from 1 to 22 carbon atoms, hydroxyalkyl groups of the formula --R.sub.4 OH wherein R.sub.4 is an alkylene group of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and alkyl ether groups of the formula R.sub.5 O(C.sub.n H.sub.2n O).sub.m -- wherein R.sub.5 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl and alkenyl of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and hydrogen, n is 2 or 3 and m is from 1 to 20, and wherein R.sub.6 is selected from the group consisting of unsubstituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl and aralkyl of 11 to 21 carbon atoms, and substituted alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkaryl, and aralkyl of from 11 to 21 carbon atoms wherein the substituents are selected from the group consisting of halogen, carboxyl, and hydroxyl, said composition having a melting point between about 35.degree. C. and about 100.degree. C.;
• and
• (b) a dispensing means which provides for release of said softening composition to fabrics within an automatic laundry dryer at dryer operating temperatures.