Washing machines woes

I was taught to sort whites, light colors and darks/jeans... Do a load of towels first, then do whites. But now that I do my own I tend to wash everything together, warm water, regular detergent, medium heat dry. If something needs dry cleaned it um simply never gets cleaned lol. For whatever reason my mom could never get us to remember to check our pockets before washing clothes, and finally moving out on my own and ruining multiple sets of scrubs by leaving lip balm in the pockets forced me to learn that habit on my own.
 
Try Dryel. It helps extend the time between dry cleaning visits, unless there are serious stains. That and Febreze cover a multitude of sins.
 
wonderwoman said:
I was taught to sort whites, light colors and darks/jeans... Do a load of towels first, then do whites. But now that I do my own I tend to wash everything together, warm water, regular detergent, medium heat dry. If something needs dry cleaned it um simply never gets cleaned lol. For whatever reason my mom could never get us to remember to check our pockets before washing clothes, and finally moving out on my own and ruining multiple sets of scrubs by leaving lip balm in the pockets forced me to learn that habit on my own.
Click to expand...


Oh yeah and a couple things. I also do whites last, because I've had a few dark garments ruined by bleach residue. So now I do darks first, then do whites, then run a rinse cycle (cold of course.)

And if you're going to mix everything, have you tried those color catcher sheets? I forget the brand name but I can check tomorrow when I go shopping. Those sheets really do absorb a lot of color bleed. Mixing whites with reds and darks? Nope. Not for me. But then I have the luxury of a washer and dryer at my disposal. If I was paying somebody else per load, I might be tempted to mix. Eh *shrug*
 
Other way to avoid ironing: put the offending garment in the dryer, wet a washcloth pretty well and toss that in there, and then run the dryer until de-wrinkled. Ask me how I know. (Count me in with hating to iron, and having parents who do it religiously. My dad irons his jeans, and irons and starches t-shirts. I'd pretend not to know him, but the resemblance is too strong.)
 
That is hilarious. If you were to drive to my Dad's house right now, you'd see him wearing a starched dress shirt and a tie. Under his robe. He and I couldn't be less alike, in that area. I won't disown him despite the fact that I look like my Mom, though. I'm stuck with the old dude. He'll turn 88 on Wednesday, btw.

Just curious, folks. What kind of detergent do you use and (if you have a strong preference) why?

FD mentioned powder/tablets. I don't think tablets are sold in the US anymore. I know they were test marketed 20-ish years ago. I tried them. But, for some reason, the idea didn't take off here. So the choices here are (loose) powder or liquid.
 
I only use liquid, after a couple cases of the powder not dissolving fully and ruinIng clothes. Never had that happen with liquid. As for brand, I am partial to All, but Only becuz it's what I first used when I started buying it for myself in college. Mostly I get whatever is cheapest. For dryer sheets I only like bounce.
 
I like liquid too. Much less oooky detergent residue to deal with. It's gotten to be a real project over the past couple years, though. It used to be that you had one choice to make -- powder or liquid.

Now it's regular, high efficiency, the cold water formula, the super concentrate, the formula with added color-safe bleach, the one with febreeze, the one with fabric softener, and probably some others I'm forgetting. Oh yeah and I forgot about the environmentally friendly, "green"' detergent that you can buy at health food stores, Target and a few grocery store chains.

I like to wait for a good sale, and then buy the three or four that best fit my needs. Then I use them as needed for each load.

Laundry used to be a lot easier. I'm lining up with FD to take that course. :wink: *grin*
 
I just figure that most of it is marketing hype and gimmicks, and don't pay attention to it. Cheapest liquid detergent. Period. I prefer big jugs of it so that I don't have to buy it too often. If I can, I'll get it at Costco or similar. The only thing I don't care for too much is the jugs with the spigots, because they always seem to leak. But even then, if it's cheaper I'll get it and just be sure to always turn it spigot-side-up after I've used it.

I also use bleach only extremely rarely. Very extremely rarely.
 
I hear you. I am 100% with you on as cheap as possible. Detergent can be a big ticket item. So I used to go as cheap as possible, until about five-six years ago, when I was using a baking soda brand and realized it was fading my dark clothes within a couple of washes. Eh.

So now I approach cheap from the other angle and wait for sales. I do pretty well with a middle-of-the-road brand that has all the variations I listed above. I wait for a sale, then buy a bottle of each formula. And for things that are absolutely can't-afford-to-let-fade-happen, I run an occasional load with top-of-the-line, fade resistant detergent by P&G. It costs an arm and a leg, detergent-wise, but is a lot cheaper than new clothes.
 
Oh yeah and in terms of marketing hype, you may well be right. What the heck is the difference with high efficiency detergent, anyway?

I can attest to the effectiveness of the febreeze, fabric softener, and color safe beach formulas, though. Those puppies do what they're advertised to do. Maybe not enough to make it worth buying a billion different detergents, but they do work.
 
Peaches said:
I I also use bleach only extremely rarely. Very extremely rarely.
Click to expand...


It's clear to me that you don't have a teenage boy with all the attendant stains. Don't ask. But let me tell you that old fashioned bleach is a good thing. If I could make him wear stain-resistant jeans and plain white tees all the time, I would.

Mustard on a graphic tee= color safe bleach. Impromptu skateboard showdown in plaid shorts = febreeze AND color-safe bleach.


Grownups are easier.
 
I would guess that HE detergent has something to do with the fact that HE washing machines use much less water

Considering how much of detergent is water itself, maybe it's less watered down, so there's same ratio of detergent to total water in machine?
 
Probably, etp.

The color catchers are by Shout.

And I forgot all about sensitive skin/dye free formulas.

Really!?! Is it any wonder that some detergents are now bragging that they're good for any type of washer? The whole thing has just gotten too confusing.
 
liquid and cheap for laundry detergent. Cheap dryer sheets for dryer. Cheap powder detergent for dishwasher. Notice a theme? :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Dance Ads

Advertise on Dance Forums Reach dancers, teachers, studios, event organizers, and dance-friendly brands. View ad options
Back
Top