I developed laundry detergents AMA

[LapinR0se]

For many years I was responsible for innovation for one of the biggest laundry brands in the UK.
Any questions you have on stains, wash cycles, laundry products etc you can ask me.

really? whatbin one of those little balls? and turn off the aitonatic dispensing thing? This makes perfect logical sense of course ...

Actually you can buy powder without bleach, bio d do one

I thought liquid was bad for washing machines. I thought fabric conditioner built up and caused issues on towels etc. I thought bio powder can cause skin reactions and is not recommended for babies and young children. Surely washing underwear at 60 will shrink clothes? I’ve had sheets shrink in a 60 degree wash.

Not much use because all results are
erased.

I always do up zips. I get loads of pinholes on my t shirts and tops. It’s a mystery.

@Catspyjamasfit - Yes, I've just tried that link again - one has to be a member to see the full details - time to visit the library with pen and paper.

Buy expensive sheets they don’t shrink, most cotton underwear is fine

Oddly enough they were expensive sheets. I had always had cheaper sheets before but the expensive ones shrunk.

I do sheets at 60 then tumble dry and no shrinkage, they're mainly from Ikea. Pants 50 and again no shrinkage.

I can see why OP hasn't discussed colour catchers.

They are not really a necessary item for hygiene purposes.

If washing loads are sorted properly, there isn't any need for them. Don't people seperate loads into whites, and/or lights and darks anymore?

still worth discussing that opinion though?

I sort washes into: Dark, which is pretty much all blacks, odd bit of navy, goes in with no catcher. Lights, which is whites and light shirts, underwear etc, no catcher. Towels, no catcher. Sheets, no catcher. And then 'everything else' which is pretty much coloured which I put a colour catcer in. I have a big family and so am doing at least 7 or 8 washes a week, at least 2 of will be these 'everything else' coloured washes. A lot of darker things and lighter things can end up in there though that won't fit in one of the two Darks or Whites, and by this stage I am really weary of laundry and want to avoid having to do yet another wash with light-coloured and dark-coloured so use colour catchers in that wash.

plus ds red dchool pe kit makes everything pink if not, no matter how many bloody times its been washed!

@LapinR0se Most, well all, my socks have shrunk so - What temperature should socks be washed at?

@DanFmDorking are they fancy socks? And are you tumble drying them?

@LapinR0se Fancy socks? Me? Good Grief no!
They are perfectly ordinary M&S 'Cotton Rich', 'Cool and Fresh' black socks.
Plus lots of other socks bought from various places that have also shrunk.
Not tumble dried.

Hmm. I’d do them on 30 or 40 and stretch the bejaysus out of them when they come out of the machine

I have a Samsung machine recently purchased . I hate it. My last machine took an hour and a half to do a load. This weighs the clothes and decides a normal load should take three hours . So I put it on the cotton cycle for half an hour, then turn it off and put it on the mixed load which takes an hour. So it takes an hour and a half. Will probably shorten the machines life but I have a long guarantee./

My socks also shrink at 60. I do everything at 40 .

I think some people are sensitive to it and others not

decades ago DM and I both came out in rash with one brand

clearly that brand has changed a bit because I started using it again after avoiding it for years and no rashes and it’s now my favourite brand

This is such a great thread and definitely worth RTFT because a lot questions are answered

I know this is a very old thread but please come back and do an AMA on haircare and one on skincare too😄

@LapinR0se I live in a very hard water area - what are your thoughts on 'Limescale prevention tablets' - I use Morrisons or Tescos.

These