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Stench from Persil Bio liquid

(28 Posts)
JimGran Tue 15-Jun-21 21:07:11

Not sure if men are supposed to use this site but here goes! I came across an old thread while searching for anyone who is as dissatisfied with Persil Bio liquid as we are. We've used Persil for decades but noticed this unpleasant smell in the last year or two. At first I thought it was down to my sweaty cycling kit but this afternoon we washed some sheets that our grandchildren had used on a visit last week. No soiling of any kind and a straightforward 40 wash but the stench when I opened the machine was nasty. I rewashed them in some old non-bio powder we had under the sink and the smell has gone. Earlier posts were too diplomatic, referring to the new "fragrance". This is a stench. Yet another example of change for change's sake leading to an inferior product?

FannyCornforth Tue 15-Jun-21 21:11:04

I think that you need to do a thorough clean of your machine, a ninety degree wash. Or stick some bleach in it.
I doubt very much that 'the stench' is anything to do with Persil

25Avalon Tue 15-Jun-21 21:14:13

Never been able to use Persil due to allergic skin reaction to the chemicals it contains.

Blossoming Tue 15-Jun-21 21:16:19

Change your detergent to one with a nicer smell.

Kamiso Tue 15-Jun-21 21:40:41

Persil has changed over the last year. For years it was the only product that didn’t cause rashes on OH and DD2. The perfume is quite sickly smelling and I now use Fairy instead. It would have been more difficult when OH’s work took him into London and his collars and cuffs were really grimy.

SpringyChicken Tue 15-Jun-21 21:41:00

The smell is caused by a build up of bacteria inside the machine. It can happen with any detergent but is more prone with liquid detergents.

Switch to a powder, add a capful of household disinfectant to the fabric softener compartment (it will not make the laundry smell of disinfectant) and make sure you run a hot wash at least once per week - eg for the towels. If possible, stop using fabric softener which soon builds up a slimy gunk in the machine.

V3ra Tue 15-Jun-21 21:58:32

JimGran said they rewashed the sheets in a non-bio powder and the smell had gone, so it doesn't sound from that as if it's the machine.

My son lives with us and does his own laundry. This is a mixed blessing as sometimes his "clean" washing smells awful. Sometimes it's so bad hanging on the clothes horse I'll rewash it as I can't stand the smell in the room.
The cause of this is because he either leaves it sitting in the machine for too long after the wash has finished, or he leaves the wet washing sitting in a laundry basket for ages before he hangs it up. It's basically gone stagnant!

We use a liquid detergent and I always take the drawer out, rinse and dry it when I've finished for the day, and leave the door open.
I agree that a hot wash helps keep the machine clean as well.

BlueBelle Tue 15-Jun-21 22:18:31

I use Aldi Format never had a bad smell cheap too
If you don’t like the smell of pencil change to another

annodomini Tue 15-Jun-21 22:29:33

I have changed to using Smol, a company that sells detergent and dishwashing tablets by mail order in recyclable packaging that comes through the letter box. The laundry liquid is in little biodegradable sachets that dissolve in the machine. They leave no smell and certainly no residue. The best solution I've found so far.

Bussy Tue 15-Jun-21 22:41:37

This happened to me, it is the Persil tabs I couldn’t believe the smell everyone thought I was paranoid until they put on their clothes and the smell was disgusting. I did everything washed my machine out time and time again. It’s the Persil. Ditch it use fairy or Ariel but not Persil !

welbeck Tue 15-Jun-21 22:42:27

i wash the washing machine with proprietary products every couple of months, or after lots of dark items which might leach.
there is always some residue in a machine, which is not visible.
i have read that it is better for the machine to use powder rather than liquid detergent, and i find that aldi or lidl products are very good.
also i often do 20c wash as it is shortest, and some of the gel pods are not advised for below 30c; i guess they don't melt so well.
and of course, remember that these are very attractive to young children, who tend to bite them, as they look like jelly sweets. lots of incidents to emergency dept, unfortunately.

Bussy Tue 15-Jun-21 22:42:34

I also add dettol fabric washer to-my clothes now since Covid

welbeck Tue 15-Jun-21 22:45:48

aldi do pressed powder tablets, which are very convenient, go in the drawer like loose powder, but less messy, risk of spillage.

MerylStreep Tue 15-Jun-21 23:13:44

annodomini
I’m the same as you but I use a laundry detergent Eco sheet by
Earth Breeze. It’s literally a square of ‘thick’ paper.
I stopped using the ‘gunk’ products as I call them a long time ago.
All commercial laundry products come from oil ( the thick black stuff) ?

Savvy Wed 16-Jun-21 01:32:15

Bit out of left field but could it be a mixing of the perfumes from both the Percil and the fabric softener that's causing the problem. Some scents really don't mix well.

nanna8 Wed 16-Jun-21 01:38:12

Use Aldi cheap stuff. Those Germans know about cleanliness and household maintenance! I can never forget the dreadful pink foam on the river near Warrington in the 1960s where they manufactured that Persil stuff.

vegansrock Wed 16-Jun-21 06:12:59

Laundry liquids are more expensive and worse for the machine than powder, no idea why people use them. And all that plastic packaging.

Lin52 Wed 16-Jun-21 06:16:14

I use a dishwasher tablet in my washing machine, once a month, gets rid of smells, and any dirt that is hidden.

grandMattie Wed 16-Jun-21 06:40:59

Could well be.
Many years back, I remember a doctor saying to a friend whose child had a rash “it could be German measles or it could be New Persia Automatic” as rashes had proliferated suddenly.
Do try to give your empty machine a very thorough clean by using a cup of washing soda and the very hottest, longest cycle. Also, leave the door open for at least two hours after finishing the laundry.

lemsip Wed 16-Jun-21 07:07:09

come on now,, you don't think any detergent would be manufactured and a stench added do you? I've looked at this product and all reviews are excellent. have a look.
it is of course your washing machine as others have said already.

Sago Wed 16-Jun-21 08:17:17

I don’t know if any of you have noticed that when your in Spain the fresh laundry smells so wonderful.

I found this company, they deliver all my laundry and some cleaning products, the quality smell and value is amazing.

It’s the closest I’m going to get to Spain for some months!

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjOs7GfzZvxAhWiBmMBHaltD_kQFjAAegQIBhAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsenoritasparkles.co.uk%2F&usg=AOvVaw1VOIR_dKbN-_WEVOD1_yyY

MamaCaz Wed 16-Jun-21 08:24:45

I wonder if this is what my neighbour is using - when her laundry is hanging out to dry, the smell actually turns my stomach!
It started a couple of years ago, and to begin with I thought it was from her pets, but then I realised that it was definitely from the newly-washed clothing etc.

And no, it is not the stale machine smell, or that of things that have stood wet or damp for too long.

If it is from the detergent, it must be one of those smells that not everyone can smell, otherwise it would never have made it through testing and onto the supermarket shelves!

FindingNemo15 Wed 16-Jun-21 08:57:19

I have used Persil non-bio capsules for years. They seem to have taken them off the market and now only sell 3-in-One type.

JimGran Thu 17-Jun-21 10:13:37

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I tried a 60 c cycle with just a dishwasher tablet, thought a 90 cycle might damage the pump or valves as I know dishwasher products are much more alkaline than other detergents. It seems to have helped, drum smelt much fresher and we've just done a 40 load which seems fine. So there is something in the idea that gunk might build up in the pipework. Also, modern machines operate below the stated cycle temperatures and this will make solubilisation of any residues more difficult. But I can't help feeling it's also linked to the product. We've used Persil for decades and never had this problem until the last year or two.

Lizpem Sat 20-Nov-21 11:09:40

I too have experienced the awful chemical stench from Persil non bio capsules and liquid this awful stench pervades the kitchen for hours afterwards it seems to contaminate the washer, washing and drain for hours afterwards and if you use conditioner as well it’s worse I use ecover conditioner because it doesn’t slime up the drawer I washed towels not using the conditioner yesterday and I still have the awful smell in the kitchen. I bought persil because it says it uses plant based ingredients but it never smelt like this before they changed the formula, I will clean the machine use some drain cleaner and am going to try soap nuts in the next load.