Fabric softening compositions, preferably in liquid form, for use in the rinse cycle of home laundry operations are improved by: (a) using certain protected water sensitive materials, especially particulate complexes of cyclodextrins and perfumes, which are protected in fabric softening compositions and/or detergent compositions, by e.g., imbedding said particulate complex in relatively high melting protective material that is substantially water-insoluble and, preferably, non-water-swellable and is solid at normal storage conditions, but which melts at the temperatures encountered in automatic fabric dryers (laundry dryers); (b) using soil release polymers to help suspend water-insoluble particles in aqueous fabric softening compositions; and/or (c) preparing the said protected particulate water sensitive materials (complexes) by melting the said high melting materials, dispersing the said particulate complexes, or other water sensitive material, in the molten high melting protective material and dispersing the resulting molten mixture in aqueous media, especially surfactant solution or aqueous fabric softener composition, and cooling to form small, smooth, spherical particles of the particulate complexes, or other water sensitive material, substantially protected by the high melting material.