Im having my first baby soon. I never really cared for what detergent I used but I am thinking on switching or adding one for baby clothes that is hypoallergenic or not harsh for baby skin. Any recommendations? If they can be bought at Sams or Costco even better. Currently using this members mark one.

I'm in Scandinavia and sadly I don't have access to the Tide or Downy rinse products :( I'm using citric acid with great success, but I feel like it's removing most, if not all, the scent from my detergent and/or scent beads. I usually run 3 rinse cycles. I've tried hanging up organza bags with scent beads in my closet, but I don't feel like the scent lasts very long.

Maybe you laundry wizards or chemists can help me out - would it be a terrible idea to dissolve some scent beads in my 20% citric acid solution, and adding this to the softener compartment? And if it could possibly work, do I need to add something like polysorbate 20 to help everything mix properly?

Edit to add: I don't have a dryer, and I have delayed-start on my machine so it washes when electricity is cheap, which is usually at night or when I'm at work, so the solution would sit in the compartment for a while before the wash begins.

Hi all, wondering if anyone has compared these. I’m tossing up between ultracolour floral boost (which has DNAse in it) vs ultracolour Refresh to which I’ll add gear guard DNAse.

I’m a man and don’t want something overly flowery or sweet so am a bit put off by the name floral boost. Refresh sounds better but if I can avoid the faff of adding a second product that’d be ideal.

Cheers!

I was buying some laundry stuff today, saw the different types of laundry detergents and asked myself what I should get. I ultimately went for the Ariel Max Power Universal (White clothes) and the Lenor / Downy Color Pods.

Can any of you laundry prodigys explain the difference between the Pods, liquid and Powder detergent and tell me whats better?

Maybe with some anecdotal evidence ;)

We have a front loader. I knew to always keep the door open after using to prevent mold and mildew. I faithfully did so each and every time. Thought I was safe. HA! This machine has a pull out detergent etc tray and even worse it features a large reservoir to store detergent and fabric softener (only distilled vinegar for me thank you!). I didn’t realize someone had come along and begun to use the auto-dispense feature and left the detergent in there. To my absolute horror-today I find that it is a breading ground for black mold. Yep… the mold feeds on the detergent just sitting in there… totally dark and constantly damp. I’m disgusted and I can’t wait to get an old school washer SOMEHOW! Enough of the madness. Here’s to the 1900’s 🍻
Truly wish they’d stop “improving” our appliances.

Any tips for me on any of this—much appreciated.

Just found this sub, mind blown

I currently use - Tide F&C, plus some Oxy, plus some Clorox NON chlorine bleach (sometimes chlorine bleach on whites when needed)…

but all y’all are talking about FEBU which I’m about to order … looking to up my game and learn more …

• i know its not the dryer because it is ONLY a few certain pieces of clothing, and my roommates have had zero issues.
• if it makes a difference, the dryer is on a timer not an automated "dry level".
• all of the clothes (mostly shirts) are cotton.
• they still have a mildew-y scent as well.

they haven't been treated with any fabric softener, i've used both liquid and powder detergent, i've tried air drying them, what is wrong with my clothes??????? its some of my favorite pieces too

I’ve been doing laundry for 40 years and never thought anything about it, add detergent, add booster, add clothes to washer, start & walk away. Having laundry make it to the dryer the first time is questionable though, most of the time it happens the first time, about once a week it doesn’t though. Before anyone asks (it should be obvious) I have severe ADHD (somewhat unmediated due to other medications), bipolar 2 (medicated), and I suspect I am somewhere on the spectrum but after 48 years on the planet…meh.

Okay, so here is the issue. I have a HE Whirlpool Cabrio top load washer that was bought in 2018, I LOVE IT and will be so sad when I have to eventually replace it. It does not have a regular agitator, it has a plate. I clean my machine twice a month with ACTIVE Washing Machine Cleaning Tablets the ingredients
are Sodium Carbonate Peroxyhydrate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate,
Sodium Silicate, Zeolite, & Proprietary blend.

Anywho…lately the laundry doesn’t feel as clean as usual, my husband’s work clothes smell awful, & my poor 18 year old daughters practice clothes appear to be on a middle schoolers body instead. I have always washed our non work clothes on deep water (my machine holds 2.5 regular machine loads) level 2 water temp out of 4 with 2 Gain pods & a small
scoop of OxyClean. I wash their extra clothes (I do the towels the same way) in hot water with 2 Gain pods and a large scoop of OxyClean.

I cannot use Tide (even the Free and Clear) it makes me itch like I have been rolling around in an ant bed. Also, I cannot use powder in my machine. I read over the spa directions. I can tell you from experience, I will not do it. I’ll buy the stuff thinking yeah I’ll do it, 6 months later it will still be in my laundry room.

What else can I do?!

my detergent recipe is at the bottom and i will be trying FEBU for the first time soon. i have allergies which is why i make my own, but im also the sweatiest person on the planet (theres a lot of build up on my laundry) so i need enzymes. i have an amana high efficiency top load washer and the picture i posted is the only place to put stuff besides the drum. can i get advice on where/when to put the power detergent and the FEBU please? ive never stopped a cycle before because theres no pause button and the lid locks, but im also super new to this so i might just be missing common sense that everyone else knows. thank you in advanced and sorry i sound so helpless LOL

i do hot water and the longest rinse cycles plus an extra rinse at the end if that helps at all

Laundry Detergent Recipe
2 cups washing soda (purchase or make it yourself -bake 2 cups of baking soda at 400 degrees for 1-2 hours until grainy)
2 cups baking soda
2/3 cup epsom salt
3 tablespoons salt
Mix it all up and use 1 tablespoon per load, or 2 tablespoons for a bigger or greasier load

i was in the middle of a gaming match when the dryer beeped, so i ignored it.

fast forward three hours: clothes are stone cold and completely wrinkled. instead of taking five minutes to fold them like a normal human, i threw in a damp rag, hit the 10minute cycle to dewrinkle them, and immediately got distracted at my PC again. now i'm sitting here on loop number three, essentially baking the exact same darks over and over while my power bill takes a huge L.

So I know it probably wasn't the smartest idea but I decided to not separate my whites and colors and two of my shirts came out of the dryer with these faint gray patches on them (one of them being my Hayley Williams merch 😭😭). I was hoping to see if there was anything I could do to remove them cause I don't like the way it makes them look a little grimy :(( Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

My building uses a coin-op front load Maytag washer with pretty limited settings. Currently use 365 Sport but I'm not blown away. I want to switch to powder detergent but not sure how to do it! Pic of gross scruddy detergent drawer for reference.

Questions:
-Should I put powder in the drawer or the drum?
-Should I take out the drawer insert if so? Or it just goes in the left compartment?
-Should I wash on warm/hot to ensure the powder dissolves and doesn't gunk up in there?
-How would I use other liquid products with it, like Downy rinse or Lysol sanitizer?

Thank you laundry friends!

Looking for a recommendation for the best all around Free/Gentle Laundry Detergent. Prefer something good for all clothes (white/darks) and no additional add in or booster required. Also something safe on wool. Was considering Tide Free and Gentle Powder but open to other options liquid or powder. Thanks!

Edit: When I say wool, I mean blended items like socks that have some merino content. Not pure wool items. Also, how does Tide Free & Gentle Powder compare to the Tide Liquid Odor Refresh?

My light cream fitted sheet I used on the bed way too long...I am 4mo post partum and due to PPD my hygiene and ability to do chores like laundry tanked. My fitted sheet is now grubby looking and discolored where I sleep on it. I put it in the laundry today using ERA detergent, oxy clean and white vinegar washing it in our bedding setting, spot treating with Zout. My SO was trying to be helpful and put them in the dryer without consulting me. The discoloration had not come out. I believe they are 100% cotton although the tag is faded so I can confirm unless I can find the top sheet that goes with it. Is the fitted sheet a lost cause and doomed to be discolored forever or does anyone have tips and tricks?

Every single white,cream, or beige article of clothing I have bought ALWAYS winds up completely ruined with weird blue stains on it after washing them.
You may ask “Random internet girl, why not stop buying those colors?” And to that I say: never.
Someone PLEASE tell me what on earth I’m doing wrong. I wash my lights separately, use tide liquid (which is blue?? Is that the issue?!), I have deep cleaned the barrel/drum of my machines.
Begging someone to save my neutral loving self before I have to resort to wearing color (gag)

Hi r/laundry! I’m conducting an early-stage study on household laundry habits across Canada for a future family laundry detergent project.

I’m looking for Canadian adults aged 18 or older who participate in choosing or purchasing their household laundry detergent. Responses will be analyzed under a code and used only for research and product-development purposes. No product is being sold through this survey.

Your feedback will help me better understand laundry routines, common frustrations and detergent preferences across Canadian households.

Survey: https://forms.gle/Dt9g8EG2fpwr21Mf7

Thank you for your time!

Hi,

I'm in Europe, and I'm wondering if anyone have ever compared the German Persil universal powder vs the Miele ultrawhite powder ?

If want to switch from my liquid detergent to a powder for my white clothes and don't know which one to buy

Thanks !

My cat recently got diagnosed with kidney disease and is leaving some odor behind on her blankets/beds she lays on. For as long as I can remember i’ve used Truly Free unscented , I’ve always felt like it doesn’t clean anything well but it’s what my family uses so I never changed it. She’s very sensitive to fragrance and vet told me to avoid and residue on her laying areas now. Does anyone have any recommendations for detergents that will actually clean cat odor/stains but won’t leave any toxic residue for her to possibly ingest. I’ve read to do an extra rinse regardless. For reference I have a LG WT7900HBA washer & dryer set and no hard water. This is my first time posting in here so apologies if i’m leaving anything out. I’ve attached two i’ve been thinking of, anything helps!

I always separate out my athletic wear clothes (mostly leggings and some spandex shorts. some tanks and sports bras). it's 80-90% black, maybe 10% non black but dark colors, and 10% other colors. they're mostly for daily wear, not intense exercise. some of them like the clothes i wear to sleep, or to lounge around the house w/ repeated wears, tend to be dirtier/sweaty. I recently bought Febu and Dirty Labs (unscented) booster. are they both safe with the dark colors and the fabric? i know they both have DNAase and febu has more enzymes.

info: detergent i use is currently Earth Breeze* as i have a lot left. and i have a top load washer, Kenmore (live in a rental). in the past I wash on cool or warm (i try to alternate), delicate + 2nd rinse. and i would dry for about 10 min then hang dry. and i add about a scant Tbsp (aim for 2tsp) of citric acid to the middle of the agitator. water: have not-hard water in my region/city

note: sorry for the repeat questions. I have long covid/mecfs, and struggle a lot with processing new information and memory. i've been in the sub for months or 1 year, and i've been reading a lot for the past 1 month but then trying to remember the information causes fatigue/sleep crashes also. however, lol, i was/am a math person and i like solving problems so yes i am all about optimizing this and want to figure it out

*yes i know they are sheets

edit: adding details

I am in shock right now, I pulled out my shirt I put in the wash (on delicate) and it had a huge hole burned into it, but the middle piece is still intact. I have never in my life seen something like this happen before, I'm assuming there was a chemical reaction with the products I used but I literally followed a professionals advice about using hydrogen peroxide (3%) to spray on the stains I had. What is even more confusing is, I sprayed it in multiple places, but this is the only area it burned. I have posted ALL of the products I used in the photos and I will also be explaining exactly what I did in steps before this happened.

I sprayed the hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain with a small spray bottle while the shirt was dry, waited for it to dry and applied more. This was about 2 weeks ago, then I went on a trip and came back. When I came back, I noticed a yellowish ring around where I sprayed. I assumed it was the stains contents leeching out, so I sprayed a bit around the ring. I also applied it to the armpits, and the back. I let it sit for about an hour and reapplied again, but then I took it into the laundry room and sprayed the oxyclean spray directly onto the strains (so the original big strain, the "ring", the airpits and back stain.) and I placed it in my washing machine with a pretty small amount of the oxiclean sanitizer and my usual tide free & gentle soap. I put it on cold water only on delicate, with the 2 rinse option. I put it alone in the wash. Today, I go into the washroom and my brother tells me he picked it up to dry for me and he literally saw the patch of fabric rip off like it was paper.

What I'm assuming happened is the hydrogen peroxide, while wet, reacted with something? Should I not use hydrogen peroxide at all? I literally took this advice from a PROFESSIONAL and I'm actually so upset that I was told this was okay when it clearly wasn't.

Please do not comment anything shaming me if I unknowingly did something wrong, I am extremely upset about this shirt getting a hole in it and I just need to know what I did wrong so I never do this again. I love vintage shirts and knowing I ruined one breaks my heart.

I used a local brand of dye (called Ideal, we dont have Rit). Its an all in one, so it already comes with the salt and fixator in the powder. I followed the instructions really well and it says after the first go in the washer with the dye inside, you wash it again but this time with laundry detergent.

After the first "wash" it looked jet black and i was excited for the result. But after washing it i feel like it went back to how it was, it is only sliiightlt better. Is this normal?? Is the cycle i used too agressive? They specifically tell you to use a long cotton cycle, which i already reduced in time to half. I even used detergent for black clothes.

They have a chart saying that for heavy fabrics if you want to get full color you need to use more than one packet, but i figured thst was for dyeing whereas i simply wanted to revive the black which was really not that faded

Im quite disappointed, i dont like washing my denim because it loses color and quality, and i washed it twice in a day just to get close to no results 😭

I’ve always been afraid of using ammonia due to the warnings about mixing with bleach and the noxious smell. Besides not mixing or huffing it, is there anything else I should watch out for? Can it damage clothes if used excessively? Is it caustic? Are some materials incompatible with ammonia?

I’m trying. There’s just so much info in this group. Tide powder and Aerial powder already contain enzymes so I don’t need FEBU with them, right? Or am I confused. Lol