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.

Were you based in Newcastle?

Do hotel bedsheets that are old smell of the base actives? There is a funny laundry smell that I can sometimes smell on holiday linen.
Washing powder contains a benzene ring which is a carcinogen? What about optical brightners? Is washing powder actually quite nasty?

Great thread

Do you know which powders can be safely used with a septic tank? I use just ecover and it definitely does not get my kids clothes anything like clean even at 60. Thanks

Ok so what am I supposed to use to wash baby stuff? Everyone in the U.K. seems to go baby=non-bio but if that's not the case in the rest of Europe, is it actually ok?

(Fwiw I'm starting to think people just use/are recommended way too much soap)

In terms of the footprint of laundry, the chemical and plastic etc are small compared to the environmental impact of the energy it takes to heat water in a domestic washing machine.

That’s why Ariel did their turn to 30 campaign. Manufacturers are trying very very hard to do their part by making detergents more concentrated and by making packing lighter and more recyclable etc but the biggest driver of benefit to the environment will be consumer behaviour change.
So if you have lightly soiled clothes - which counts for well over 60% of Uk washloads - use a concentrated detergent and wash at 30 degrees.

Best thread ever! Thank you lapin! I'd like to know about armpit stains too! Also about whitners (like vanish powder). DM & I often compare notes on stain shifting techniques so I'm going to enjoy passing on these tips! Also really interesting that we are the only place that has non bio!

Benzene ring I have no clue about.
Optical brightners are simple but very effective and they are exactly the same thing that’s in shampoo and conditioner for blonde hair. Not dangerous at all.

Vanish is basically bleach.

Do you know where I can get my hands on white surf?? Love, love, love it. Found it in a discount shop once but never again...

For baby clothes I would use a non bio detergent for the simple reason that they usually have very mild fragrances which are better for babies.
Also use a fabric conditioner such as comfort or lenor pure (the white ones), or tumble dry, because baby clothes tend to rightly be 100% cotton which can get very hard and scratchy when washed.

If you call the Unilever Careline or tweet them or message them on Facebook they can tell you where to find any surf product (or if it’s been discontinued)

what do you think of 'environmentally friendly' detergents?
what about soap nuts and those eco balls?

You can get surf in asda

Can you please tell us your personal clothes washing routine? ( Do you split whites, darks etc, what products do you use etc)

How can I get clothes smelling nicer from the dryer - washing seems to lose its nice smell.

Ecover is not designed to deliver a top clean on the toughest stains. It will not clean as well as Ariel or Persil.

I separate my family’s laundry like this:
Sheets and towels, face cloths (all white) - powder detergent & 1/2 cap fab con at 60 degrees and tumble dried
White clothes - powder detergent & fab con at 40 degrees
Dark clothes - liquid detergent & fab con at 30 degrees
Light colours - liquid detergent & fab con at 30 degrees
Bright colours - liquid detergent & fab con at 30 degrees
Baby clothes - pre treated for stains and washed in a cotton cycle with non bio detergent and sensitive fabric conditioner
Delicates - habdwash cycle with a silk & wool detergent

Soap nuts and eco balls are not particularly good at getting clothes clean

Thanks for that!

Which powder do you use? I just go with whatever is on offer!

Don’t you wish you invented that laundry egg, OP?

The egg is the bomb!

I disagree with your above post, OP (claiming powders work best). I’m a total eco egg convert!

Sorry- I’m tired here- you didn’t claim powders worked best but you sort of dismissed eco balls/soap nuts, which work brilliantly, imo.

My first question to an AMA! Yay!

What's the best for sensitive skin?

Step son has eczema. Mum currently uses ecover and we use Ariel non-bio. No fabric condition used in either household.

I notice my animal testing question was ignored so I'll take that as a yes.

I always use liquid but I’ll be switching to powder from now on for my whites greys . The sunshine we’ve had recently has done a lot of good too tbh.