Washing . . . Again

I have never used anything but washing powder and these days use the 15 minute or 30 minute 30degree wash. Nothing gets dirty as I live alone now and no dog. My washing is clean and smells just fine.

I use a 2 in 1 powder plus scoop of cheap Oxygel stain remover and about 50 grms of Soda powder which softens the water and does the same job as the expensive Calgon by keeping the washing machine clean and descaled. I am not swayed by advertising.

Sorry meant don’t - no doughnuts were involved.

Oh! Donut get me started on whirley-gig contraptions.
Work of the devil (or a lunatic)

My most useful washing tool is my bar of Vanish (or, when it's not available, Elbow Grease) and use it on any stain, sweaty areas, etc a few hours before switching the machine on so it has time to work before washing on the quickest and coolest cycle that the clothes allow. Then line dry on a high west facing line when possible. Getting a replacement wasing line has been my biggest problem recently - manufacturers mostly presuming you want a thin rotary replacement not a long, thick one.

MissAdventure

Allira

I've been hit by one, it nearly felled me!
I nearly put it in the bin.

I wouldn't bother.
They always come back.

😁

Mine don't!
My boomerang won't come back 🎶🎵🎶

NitWitt I too use the colour catchers having been caught out once when someone , who will not be named, left a red paper napkin in the washing and everything came out pink. Wonderful. I have also have had one stuck in the machine so pop one in a net each time.

Im with VisGirl. I use Ariel Liquid , both colour and white washing versions. Conditioner, and Calgon. I live in a very hard water area and my washing machine is in the garage and uses a macerator to pump the water away. It helps that from blocking up with scale. I also use a 60 degree wash for my whites and a 40 degree wash for coloureds, occasionally use a 30 degree if the item requires it. My washing machine never smells.

To just complete my 'confession' I dry (if it allows) most things in the dryer. That's it.

I don't like clothes to smell of the detergent.

I do use colour catchers and they sometimes come out quite mucky so, I hope, saving that dye from going into the clothes.

I put the colour catcher sheet in a net bag because one got stuck in the filter, which wasn't good.

I usually use Aldi’s Almat powder for most things, and Persil silk and wool liquid with Surcare fabric softener for wool jumpers and scarves. None of the Aldi stores locally have had Almat powder for several weeks, just the capsules which I won’t use. I found Tesco own brand powder bad for fading dark clothes. It’ll be a shame if Almat is discontinued.

Allira

I've been hit by one, it nearly felled me!
I nearly put it in the bin.

I wouldn't bother.
They always come back.

Most things are washed at 60 here (40 for socks and jumpers). I use ecover liquid and take the empty container to be refilled. I've never used conditioner or scent boosters and line dry if at all possible. If I wash other things at 40 there is sometimes a smell when I iron them, so I've gone back to 60. I know 40 would use less power but I avoid bringing more plastic packaging in, and the power, plastic etc. used making conditioner etc. I could weep when I look at the shelves of plastic bottles in the supermarkets full of scented chemicals. If there is animal fat in conditioner that must contribute to fat bergs in the drains.

I've been hit by one, it nearly felled me!
I nearly put it in the bin.

I don't think my boomerang smells..

I worry about boomerang smells although I've never put a boomerang in the washing machine.

I have used Aldi box powder for years and years.. I am very eco conscious so use the lowest temperature cycle .
I hang everything out, even on grey days if there is any hope of a little drying.
I have no problem with odour at all.
Everything smells clean but not chemical perfumed.
I never use fabric softener.
I think there is a lot of commercial hype about laundry, personal hygiene and odours.
A lot is totally fabrication and unnecessary.

I consider myself a little bit obsessive when it comes to washing! I’m another fan of Lidl’s Formil - the bio powder for lights/whites and the bio liquid for darks. We have very hard water here so I also use their Doussy fabric conditioner (the white one which is very lightly fragranced). Most of the year, everything is line-dried but we do own a tumble dryer, which is also great for giving towels a quick blast to soften them after drying on the line! I never wash at lower than 40 degrees (I just can’t imagine it gets things clean!) and I don’t use those scent booster thingies either - they’re SO expensive for one thing! My washing machine gets a tub clean every month using Dr Beckmann washing machine cleaner … reading this back, I think I definitely need to get out more!

Advertisers would not spend millions on pushing unnecessary chemical additives and “aromas” in washing and cleaning products if there were not some gullible, easily persuadable consumers, ready and willing to buy.

Most wash clothes far too frequently anyway, whatever is used. On a similar thread recently I read that some wash towels daily, and also wash clothing after each wearing!! The only item of clothing I wear only once before washing is knickers.

I can remember my Nan boiling underwear and handkerchiefs in a huge pan on the stove. As I have 5 sons that played cricket and rugby I'm very happy to have a washing machine to do the job.
My OH was a washing machine engineer for many years and he swears the best way to keep the machine clean is to to add a little bleach to the drawers and do a 60° long wash. Make sure to do a rinse 2-3 times after and wipe out the rim with a cloth. We do this every couple of months and never have a problem with gunk build up in pipes or mouldy smells.
All these extra smelly potions companies advertise we should be using are in my opinion not necessary. They only damage our pockets and the world we live in. Oooops, sorry for the rant. I'll get of my soapbox ( excuse the pun) 😁

Clothes smell bad if not dried thoroughly and stored where they can't fully air. I'm sure the scented washing stuff is frequently to mask that smell. I think lots of people don't have to means to get things thoroughly dry and sometimes blame the washing process for the smell.

🤯

Witzend

Doodledog

Most fabric conditioner contains rendered animal fat, which is why I prefer Tallow & Ash, as it is vegan.

I had always thought that tallow was made from animal fat! Hence in former times ‘tallow’ candles being considered very much inferior to wax ditto. (Presumably they were unpleasantly smelly).

Yes it is. It's a strange choice, I agree, but it is a brand name.

MaggsMcG thankyou, but it is the powder tablets that I can’t find anywhere. 🙂

Oreo

There are lots of clothes that can be worn multiple times without washing, in my view we wash too much as a nation.
I still use powder in the machine, cheaper and with no goo to clog things up, the machine always smells clean.
If you live in a hard water area like me then a shot of conditioner is necessary but ditch anything else.You don’t need much powder either.
Skirts/ jeans/ trousers/ jumpers/ cardigans just don’t require constant washing.

Washing things too often is bad for the environment - all those detergents going into the waste water - and it causes more wearand tear on the clothes too.

When I was still teaching a cheeky student once pointed out that I was wearing the same top I'd worn the day before, as if this was a crime. If I'd thought quickly enough I'd have pointed out that she was wearing her same school uniform! After that |I started a system where newly washed were on hangers in the wardrobe while worn already but still clean enough went on my bedroom chair to be worn again after a day or two to avoid such remarks. Since I retired I don't have to worry if I wear something a few days in a row. The sniff test is pretty reliable, as is the check to see if I spilt last night's gravy down the front! I'm pretty sure my clothes will last longer and the environment and my bank balance benefit in equal measures.
I use water softner tablets as we are in a hard water area but since I can no longer get the powder form, I cut open the plastic wrap, which supposedly dissolves, and empty the contents into the drawer to prevent more microplastics getting into the water system. Hopefully every little helps.

I use one Tesco non bio capsule per load and usually do the Bosch hour wash at 40°. My washing comes out clean & smelling of nothing particular which suits me fine. If I then hang it on the line, as I do when the weather allows, it has that gorgeous fresh smell which money can't buy. I don't use anything in the drier, I don't like fake smells of plants, cotton, mountain air & whatever other weird & wonderful smells the advertisers think we might need in our lives!!