Does anyone know the secret to long lasting, lovely smelling washing?

[strawberrisc]

Just that really. I’ve copied everything my Mum does - particularly for bedding and it works for a bit but my bedding never keeps the lovely smell for more than a night!

I don't like too much of a washing detergent smell on clothes, I use enough to clean the things and that's that, but the bold powder is quite subtle and lasts well.

I've used fairy non bio for almost 20 years and I can't smell it at all I always think my washing smells of nothing, but I suppose it smells of something to other people.

I'm pretty sure Cellebelly is not planning to labour in the middler of the A&E waiting room :o it will be fine.

OP I think it is having a tumble drier which makes things smell in a lasting way. Also you must get it out if the machine immediately and dry as fast as possible.

We’re all supposed to be switching from liquitabs to powder, aren’t we? Can anyone recommend a good powder?

I'm pretty sure Cellebelly is not planning to labour in the middler of the A&E waiting room it will be fine.

What about the staff?

They'll probably be asking for a shot of my wee bag of scented fabric beads when I shit myself.

Perhaps that’s where you should keep them.

@PoutySprout it's a good job I'm not doing your laundry then, isn't it?

Missing the from the end of my last post.
Sounds surprisingly arsey without it!

I have started using these they do work the green one smell amazing.

@Bowchicawowow
How would Lenor Unstoppables make people ill?

Im pretty horrendously allergic to it. I am to most artificial chemical scents but defo that in particular. An ex used it in copious quantities. My eyes were red raw itchy, bad sneezes etc (so just like hayfever). I cant use scented washing powder or id have unbearably itchy red skin.

I use a supermarket own brand sensitive skin washing liquid, no fabric softner. Keep machine fresh by using small loads on a quick wash, towels on hot wash. Keep machine clean run the cleaning cycle every so often.

Small loads dry quicker which is the main key. I have a heated clothes horse its great.

@Venus

We’re all supposed to be switching from liquitabs to powder, aren’t we? Can anyone recommend a good powder?

Im allergic to the liquitabs too 😂 i dont use those. Aside from the liquid i get from a supermarket thats in a recyclable bottle theres a box powder called Acdo i think. Dead cheap in home&bargain. I liked that.

Do they strip the lining of your lungs though Waves?

Like my late mum used to do, I've started keeping unwrapped bars of soap amongst the bed linen and in my clothes drawers, clothes smell lovely especially when you pull a t-shirt out that has been up against the soap!

@Bow

I have no idea if they affect my lungs 😂
All i know is alot of chemical artificial scents have me sneezing and the itchy eyes is unbearable. Depends on what, where & how much ventilation in the room. Cant deal with plug ins or aerosols for same reason.

@Bonkers
Thats a lovely idea

Wow thanks everyone! I’m going to work my way through these! 😃

Well I've discovered something amazing op!

For full disclosure I have diagnosed OCD and love smells, I love trying out new products especially laundry related.

After watching one too many cleaning blogs on YouTube that were American I kept noticing the same product coming up all of the time and decided to look for it.
It's a fabric softener called Downy in April Fresh and it's the most beautiful smell in the world :) I buy it from Amazon and have been using it for around 6 months.

It's super concentrated and it costs around £13 but I only use it for the dc's school uniforms and all of the bedding ( 3 beds ) and it lasts me around 3 weeks.

I tend to switch between Daz/Ariel and Persil for washing powder and combined with the Downy the smell is just gorgeous and lingers.

I know that's quite extreme but I do not buy any unstoppables etc anymore which do add up over the month and feel like it's a small luxury that I can justify.

Waves The comment to you about the lungs was because another poster claims that being in the vicinity of Lush and fabric conditioner ‘strips the lining from her lungs.’ Utterly ridiculous. Of course these things are not great for asthmatics and can cause an allergic reaction as they do with you but I can’t bear idiots who overstate things when discussing this topic.

We use distilled white vinegar to give the washing machine a good clean, as detergent builds up in washing machines over time.
I found this out on good old Mumsnet.

We put 50/50 of fabric conditioner and the vinegar in with the wash (a very small equal amount of each) in the fab conditioner drawer to keep the machine clean, plus I hate the smell of too much fab conditioner. (The clothes don’t smell of vinegar afterwards, by the way).

I forgot to add, we’ve been using Ariel and Comfort Pure for a long while and could do with a change, so reading with interest.

Tesco fabric conditioner. My faves are the blue one and the green one. I like my clothes to smell like fabric conditioner. I know that's a bit controversial but it's one of my Joy's in life to fold up the washing having it smell so lovely. Make sure you clean out powder tray and filter. Run a cleaning cycle. Also dont use too much powder as it will build up and go smelly.

Has anybody bought the Aldi Almat washing powder tablets?
Any good?

We use distilled white vinegar to give the washing machine a good clean, as detergent builds up in washing machines over time.

Keep an eye on the seals - vinegar degrades them. (Learned the hard way. Now only use vinegar with a towel wash and nothing with anything else.)

I used to run a hot vinegar wash once a month to clean and our door seal went too. I use soda crystals now.