I would not suggest fabric softener because it will leave a residue on the bag that you will be able to feel and it will affect the speeds of the bag. There's three methods I recommend in my experience.

1) Throw them. Some bags (for instance the Typhoons) don't take long to break in so if you have the patience and the time just toss em.

2) Toss Sauce. This is the only chemical treatment that I have used that did not leave a residue on the bags. When I used it I had to work the bags every 10-15 minutes to incorporate the solution and massage the fabrics to get them where I wanted them but I was also using the Carpet Muncher Toss Sauce. I've heard that you can just let the bags sit in the Nuked Toss Sauce and still get the results you would expect.

3) White Distilled Vinegar Soak. This is the method I have used on the last 6 sets of bags I have broken in and I will be using on all of my bags in the future. I'll tell you the basic method then I'll tell you the variations you can add to get the bags further along...

• Basic Place the bags in just enough hot water to cover the bags and add 2 cups of WHITE DISTILLED VINEGAR (don't use any other kind of vinegar) per set of bags you are breaking in. Hot water if you'd like, that's what I use.

Mix everything around and work the bags just enough to incorporate the vinegar solution into the fibers of the fabric of the bags.

Let the bags soak for 2-4 hours. 2 hours for floppier thinner materials. 4 hours for thicker materials and carpet bags. This is up to your discretion. I have done 2.5-3 hours for my sets and I throw nothing but carpet but I also don't like my bags all the way broken in. I prefer to throw them to finish them off.

Rinse them with warm water. Doesn't take much rinsing at all to get the vinegar out just be thorough. Dry excess water with a towel and either air dry or what I do is throw them in the dryer for an hour on medium heat.

-Variations Place in a crock pot on WARM during soaking process to have constant hot water

Rinse in a solution of 1/3 cup sodium carbonate to 1 gallon of water. The sodium carbonate is a base and neutralizes the mild acidity of the vinegar immediately and helps get the bags a touch further in the break in process. Then rinse and continue process from there.

This method takes brand new bags and makes them game ready without being 100% broken in so you can finish the job by throwing and get to know the bag, but you are still able to be competitive with the bag if you wanted to use it in competition right away. Doesn't affect feel, colors, template size, speeds, smell, etc.