I can’t do laundry.

[WhyIRayLiotta]

I’m 38, soon to be a mother of 3 and I am rubbish at washing our clothes.
I don’t know what I do wrong. For the last few years I blamed my washing machine for the fact that stains didn’t come out, sometimes clothes got holes in after washing, whites are only white while brand new, and sometimes baby clothes have black marks (mould?!) that I can’t get rid of.

I now have a new washing machine. But my laundrying is no better. I read the machine instructions front to back. But I’m still not sure what the sections in the powder drawer are for?!

How do I get lovely soft towels? Clean clothes that look new AFTER they’ve been worn once then washed, also, that lovely clean smell on clothes and sheets that everyone else seems to be able to get.

Any help appreciated.

Never put owder or liquid in the drawer.
It goes mouldy. Straight in the drum.
Never wash under 40° -the powder /liquid doesnt dissolve properly

that is all just not true at all.
Powder is not designed to go in the drum. You will get white spots on clothes where the neat powder hits the clothes before it is fully dissolved.
Modern powders and liquids are designed to be used at 30, so they dissolve fine. I don't wash at 30, because I find the stains don't come out, but the powder dissolves fine.
Drawers don't go mouldy if you use them and the machine regularly, and they are easy enough to clean if you get a build up of powder.

With the golden rules I forgot

• make sure you don't use too much powder, 2/3 scoop is enough for a wash (Ok I know that scoops are different sizes)
• don't overload the machine, it wahses better when 2/3 full, not jammed full

Sockworkshop mn added a link to washing machine in mine too. Odd isn't it (I bet it's done it again too!)

Laundry is my favourite chore. I absolutely love it and all the potions that are needed

Some things I've learnt;

• Washing liquid/powder works best if put straight into the drum.

• Colour catchers are a god send for random colours which you don't have enough of to make a load.

• Washing up liquid is an amazing stain remover for things like blood/tomato soup/red sauce as long as you get it on the stain whilst it's still wet.

• Also, prewash is your friend when you have stains.

• Vanish powder in every white wash! Dr Beckmann does a box of little pouches you put in to your white wash also. They bring things up beautifully.

• Dettol laundry cleanser if anyone has had sickness/diarrhoea/colds - anything infectious. I use it on tea towels/dish cloths too.

• This one isn't going to be popular. I use two doses of fabric conditioner. One I put in at the beginning of the wash when I load all the products, the next I do before the final rinse cycle (just after the first dose has been sucked into the machine.) Clothes are beautifully soft, not in anyway greasy and the scent lasts a lot longer.

• On the topic of fabric conditioner. I have around 8 bottles at the moment (all different scents.) I rotate them so the smell doesn't become familiar. Plus I have an addiction to the stuff, I buy a new bottle pretty much every time I'm in a shop (especially if there is a new scent!)

• I also use scent beads on things like bedding and towels.

• To keep towels fluffy I use my tumble dryer and a couple of dryer sheets.

• I use a Dettol washing machine cleaner once a month on a maintenance cycle. Plus clean out the rubber seam after every wash and pull the drawer out once a week to give it a good scrub with a toothbrush.

• I had problems with holes too. Now I separate loads into items/fabrics/colours. So jeans go in on a denim wash, heavy things or things with clasps/zips go in their own wash.

My washing machine broke down recently and I had to use a laundrette whilst waiting for my new one to be delivered.

I was almost tempted to cancel my delivery (if it wasn't such an inconvenience) because of how much better the machines were.
And you could put as much softener in as you wanted

Actually OP, that's a shout.

If you're really not getting on with laundry, have you got a laundrette nearby?
They could do it for you. Service washes aren't too expensive and you're clothes are washed and tumbled ready for you.
You just need to provide the products.

It was my lovely washi ng machine repair man who told me that steppe
Hes fab and taught me loads.
Current machine is going strong 9 years later .
He said 30° washes are a disaster as the machines get clogged with undissolved liquid. Hes making a killing on callouts.
Never had white spots on anything either.

Im going to leave a space in anything MN might link to . Its ridiculous !

I love laundry!

Unless you/your family are sensitive to it, bio powder cleans much better than non-bio - and I stick to the bog standard ariel/persil as I find they clean better than the ones with fancy fragrances/2-in-1 etc.

Powder is the best for your machine. It does dissolve better at 40 than 30 IME and always better in the drawer than the drum. Agree with all the PP who cautioned against overpowdering/using too much fabric conditioner.

Soaking stains beforehand helps a lot and whites wash separately. The only darks I separate from colours are very dark jeans that I know will run (generally you can tell as they dye your legs too!). If a lot of things are heavily stained I don't fill the washer as much as I would with unstained clothes.

I don't have a tumble drier, but find doing an extra spin cycle on towels to get them as dry as possible before hanging them up makes them a bit fluffier than just hanging - though not as much as a tumble dry would.

Buy a dehumidifier and use it where you dry your clothes. My towels dry overnight if I use a dehumidifier. I use fairy liquid pods, gentle on sensitive skin and you put it in the drum, my house smells awesome as they dry.

I have been using unstoppables in my washing and a colleague recently asked what perfume I was wearing (I had no perfume on) she said it just smelled really clean and fresh.

Awww holyfuckballsbatman and sirnilsolav I wish I loved laundry as you do!

I have actually looked for a laundrette - esp in the gap when my last machine broke / getting the new one. But there just didn’t seem to be that service anywhere near me.

I am curious about the debate over whether the powder should go in the drum or the drawer... I might try the capsules that are designed to go into the drum and see what I think.

I like the advice about double spinning towels. And sirNilsOlav I admire your passion for fabric conditioning!

I will have a google about dehumidifiers, I have read before that it’s bad to dry clothes indoors, I just don’t have the space for a tumble dryer.

You lot have me feeling motivated about the mountain I have to face when I get home

You don't need fancy expensive washing products. Recent Which magazine testing showed the best for coloured came out as Sainsburys non bio. For whites Ariel capsules. But Lidl and Aldi powders came out a very cause second and at half the price amazing buy and great results. You should try and get through your washing quicker. Any stains will have longer to dry in and leave a mark. If you do see a stain treating with a rub with washing up liquid or a proprietary stain remover before going in the machine should help. Whites won't stay white especially if having man made fibres in them they attract dirt like a magnet. Softness is achieved by tumble drying. Good luck.

I think a lot of women will feel similarly to you! I treated us to a laundry basket with whites and darks sections which helps a little. Also, I have a heated drying rack (Amazon) which is a godsend in the winter as otherwise condensation and mould is a problem. Like others, I try to separate out mostly whites, other colours go together. I've just moved to splosh laundry liquid which so far I like...

Following on from Sockworkshops wise words I would recommend talking out the dispenser drawer of the machine and giving it a good clean. Then look into the space behind the drawer and see if there’s any gunk in there. Mine was horrible the first time I looked.

That would be taking not talking. If I could talk all my chores into happening it would be ideal.

Don't use capsules - powder is better at cleaning and better for your machine.

I find a 60 degree towel wash on a long cottons programme means I don't need to do cleaning washes to clean out the machine. I use minimal powder and no fabric conditioner when washing towels. I tumble dry them.

If you have an extractor fan put an airer over the bath and turn it on, shut the door. That also works to speed up drying and a modern extractor is not expensive to run.

Hero
I was shamed by the wash ing machine repair man when he pulled it out and showed me
It was revolting

Erm he pulled the drawer out

Lol @Sockworkshop
I used to make baby clothes go mouldy when I had 4 small children and didn't always make it to the bottom of the laundry pile. It's really worth declutter ing excess clothing and committing to doing at least one wash a day. Taking a wash load down with you when you first head to the kitchen of a morning is a good habit to get into.
Agree about not using the recommended amount of washing powder. I use half and my washing comes out clean.

Sockworkshop 😂
Very satisfying though...

If your towels are stinky after washing it’s because you’re using fabric softener on them, which builds up, and also makes them less absorbent. Wash them on hot, with powder, no fabric softener, and to get rid of the build up, wash on hot with white vinegar and baking powder. I like a nice hard towel, but putting them in a tumble drier makes them soft.

I always use biological powder, except for delicates I use Woolite liquid or similar for those. Straight in the drum and only half the amount of powder it says on the pack. Then add the same amount of washing soda.

I don't use fabric conditioner but I do add a few drops of lavender oil to the conditioner dispenser to make the washing smell lovely.

I dont use fabric conditioner, it makes everything floppy and the smell is awful.
Delicates and wool -squeeze of baby shampoo.

I've used fabric softener on my towels for as long as it has been around and they are never stinky.

Your major problem is drying the washing.

Check the weather reports and if forecast is fine do a couple of washloads in the evening leave them in the washing basket, as soon as you get up put on another load.

Peg out the first two washes and when done hang out the morning wash.

I find washing in the evening really gives me a head start on the drying time.

Whilst the weather is fine you can really attack the huge backlog and once you are up to date daily evening wash puts you ahead of the game.

I use Aldi washing powder in the drawer, no fabric conditioner because I hate fragranced laundry and don't like how floppy it makes everything.

Clothes at 30 or 40 if sweaty, towels and sheets at 60, once a month put the white fabric shower curtain in at 90 with soda crystals. Machine door left open when not in use - I appreciate that's not practical for everyone.

@imanamechangeninja try Halo Sports Wash from Sainsbury's for smelly sportswear, it works brilliantly