How many products do you put in with a wash?

[PatPhelansRedVan]

On a Facebook group someone asked if her 5 products she put a photo of was too much. Now others are saying they also put 5 or more different products in the machine.

Am I missing something,? Does EVERYONE do this? I just do a laundry capsule. Unless it's maybe heavily stained/special type of wash etc.

I use soda crystals if I want to scour the machine out. I shove a ratty old towel in the drum with a decent cup full of crystals and set it to a boil wash. Do it every couple of months or so. The powder tray goes into the dishwasher every now and again, though I don’t use it for powder as that goes straight into the drum too.

Jeez, no wonder some people's clothes smell so overwhelmingly strong!

I just put in Aldi washing powder (about 1/2-2/3) recommended dose and a capful of fabric softener. Unless it's something that doesn't benefit from softener like e cloths or towels, then I don't bother with the softener. Hanging stuff on the line gets rid stains, DS2 is v grubby but I never need extra stain removers. We have soft water though.

Very occasionally I will add in some of that laundry disinfectant stuff (eg the trainers I washed earlier that got soaked in a flood and the smell was filling the entire house! They've come out smelling great, phew).

We live in an area where the water is so hard it gets a bit lairy and offers the laundry outside if it gets looked at funny! Due to this a bit of stain remover or pre treatment is sometimes advisable. :o

We live in a hard water area and I still only use washing powder... things come out clean. I didn’t realise hard water didn’t get things as clean?

Soy it’s not that they don’t get as clean, but the softer water makes soap products more effective. So in a harder water area you may need more powder than in a softer water area. I use a quite small scoop of powder. In a soft water area I’d use much less.

I tend to pretreat stains, as it’s more effective than expecting an in-machine stain remover to work.

Fairy non-bio wash liquid.
Maybe vanish on the odd occaision if there is a bad stain that wont come out with a quick pre rub before washing machine.

Havent used conditioner since eldest (teen) was born as it aggrevated his exema and its bad for clothes anyway.

I always wondered Why when wash powder/liquid, softer and 'unstoppables' all have diffetent smells do people use them one after the other?
All those adverts about how amazing fabric conditioner smells then they tell you to put sonething else in to stink clothes out for weeks! How strong must it be the first week? Genuine question.

1 Almat powder tablet andabout half the recommended dose of fabric conditioner. That's it.
Whites sometimes get soda crystals added.

On the subject of strong smells I find Lenor unbearable. I once had a variant whose smell was so objectionable that dh made me feel so guilty that I had to rewash the bedclothes and throw the stuff away. I never use as much as recommended, either.

Liquid washing powder (but never the ‘recommended’ dose, I use 3/4 of what they say - plus a dose of comfort (but again I half it). It’s more than enough. I never buy vanish etc, a £1 pack of soda crystals lasts me several months and is as good any Vanish.

I use Aldi’s fake vanish as I like having something in a sensible tub with a dosing scoop:o

Quite amazed that people use so many products - not only concerning environmentally but an awful lot of chemicals to be exposed to. A single wash with all of that product will not rinse properly and there will be chemical residue left over. More alarming for children being exposed to this than adults. Also not good for the fabric of your clothes, they will become dull very quickly, bobble and you will have a much shorter lifespan for the items in your wardrobe. I'm really conscious of unnecessary chemical usage and sceptical of heavily marketed cleaning products. If this comment reaches anyone, please look into the effects of cleaning fluid chemicals (for washing machine and general household) on marine life and environment and health effects for humans. It's actually a really serious problem now for society, exacerbated by these social media characters who punt these products to make money from the companies large marketing budgets - causing unnecessary allergic reactions due to chemical build up in the body and continuous damage to the planet. Had to reply to this and will likely meet some raised eyebrows with this message as it will be seen as 'too serious' and people don't like to face that what they're doing is actually wrong. It's not too serious. Keep doing it and you will eventually feel the effects. Find your own way but 5 products is too much. All you need is a small drop of a gentle washing liquid to get clean clothes - preferably an ecological one. Towels and heavily soiled items at 60 degrees and the rest on 30/40 degrees.

Washing liquid (or powder for whites), vinegar to soften. The end.

Only ever use colour catcher sheets if something already ran and I'm trying to rescue it

Washing powder. Whatever is on offer that month.

I usually use washing liquid/gel either Aldi or Ariel when it's on offer in Wilko. Will be using Lidl powder soon as it came as a freebie whèn our Lidl opened. Use the 30 min programme on the washer, no fabric conditioner and our clothes smell of.....well nothing really so thats good, they dont smell bad, if i want perfume i will wear it, they are clean and that's what natters

Companies marketing seems to have worked! At least you all keep people in jobs

Just liquid and fabric softener here although towels I don't add softener as the tumble dryer does that bit

Own brand, unscented non-bio. And if clothes are especially mucky (or if I'm doing towels, bedding etc), a pre-wash cycle with a scoop of biological powder.

I'd rather smell of perfume, or soap, than fabric softener. Some of them seem excessively highly scented.

Soft water area here. Scoop of Ecover only. Will spot treat stains with Vanish or own brand remover if necessary. Can’t stand scenty washing.

Companies marketing seems to have worked! At least you all keep people in jobs

If you hit the age where your armpits are like battery acid and normal washing doesn't work on pit smells then you'll be happy there is a choice.

I've never regretting anything more than appreciating my 20s when I had them.

Bloody hell, I had no idea this sort of shizzle was going on. Not very good for the environment, is it? 😔

Totally agree Anerak

Recent news articles about how little time we have to reduce our impact on our planet have been so upsetting and alarming that they can keep me awake at night. I can’t relieve people are so blase about it. Likewise, people changing towels and bedding frequently.

Obviously, if people have particular physical conditions or issues which necessitate special products or more frequent washing, that’s a different thing.

could be unstoppables, a liquitab, colour catcher, fabric softener, laundry cleanser (dettol), water softener and vanish.

Why though?

I get using a disinfectant with say soiled nappies or vanish with stained whites but why all that shit?

Powder and sometimes conditioner depending how rich poor I am when I do the shopping.

Fairy non bio and softener, half dose. No softener for towels or bedding, but a capful of oxy instead. 40° for colours, 60° for whites. Once a month chuck in a handful of coarse salt to kill the slime.

Just washing powder/a capsule. Nothing else.

Just my unscented hypoallergenic liquid. I find it so alarming that people use all these chemicals. The environmental impact, the plastic waste, and (personal gripe) everyone walking around smelling all synthetic.