In an effort to reduce plastic in the bin, I recently bought a box of washing powder, after years of using liquids from plastic bottles. A cardboard box is far more environment-friendly than all those huge plastic bottles, thought I.
OK - the liquids are also available in plastic bags (at least, they are here in Germany) but the brands that do that just don't get the washing clean.
I have tried using the powder by
- putting it in the washing powder drawer, as the washing machine is designed to do it that way
- sprinkling the washing powder on the washing before switching it on
- pouring the washing powder in the bottom of the machine before filling it
- dissolving the powder in a jug of water and putting that in the machine with the washing
But with all methods I still get white, bleached patches on the clothes, and often find little clumps of powder which have bleached spots into the fabric.
I have ruined about half a dozen of my own tops like this and 2 of DH's sports shirts.
Don't want to throw the powder away, but I am at a loss as to how to use it up. It's only a gentle powder for woollens but I usually use this for dark colours and, in liquid form, it's always been fine.
Next time round it's back to the big plastic bottles in the hope that one day you'll be able to fill them up from a barrel in the shop.
I'm sure the powder didn't leave these marks back in the old days before liquids came on the market, but this may be due to the modern machines which use far less water and the powder isn't getting diluted as much.
For the last few washes using the powder I'll have to try and remember to run the extra rinse at the end of the cycle, but this is definitely not the way to help the environment.
Any other ideas as to how I can use up the powder?
New house and a sloping garden
How do you acknowledge Easter.
Water Pollution -“ A National Disgrace”? A case for renationalisation?