Come and talk to me if you use liquid soap in your washing machine

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This stuff made by Dri Pak. I need some tips and advice please!

It seems to be the only thing I've tried that doesn't make me itch, so I don't have any other options. (Already tried several other products, all of which are awful). But it seems to be leaving a bit of a greasy residue on some of my clothes, even though I did an extra rinse cycle at the end. I followed the amount for hard water but it was clearly too much so I washed some other stuff with a smaller amount of liquid, but I'm still getting the greasiness problem.

Also some of my clothes have still got the smell of the previous product I used and I can't seem to get rid of it even though I've done a few washes. I feel like some of my clothes (but not others, no idea why) have been ruined by the previous product so the clothes still make me feel itchy. I find it very difficult to find clothes that fit properly in the first place so I cannot just go and buy new ones.

Please help!

Use an absolute fraction of the amount it says to use; seriously, start off with a teaspoon or so. If your stuff isn’t coming clean, add a tiny bit more, and so on. Are you in a hard water area?

Yes I'm in a hard water area.

Can you wash clothes with just soda crystals and nothing else? Dri Pak seen to be insinuating that you can use it as a boost to make the liquid soap work better. Can you use them on their own, and do they work better than bicarbonate of soda which I've found very scratchy in the past?

I'd think just soda crystals would be hard on your clothes.

www.babipur.co.uk/violets-laundry-powder.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwm4rqBRBUEiwAwaWjjLM1gZSr5K1CHTy2dJE64jIYj8mlv4uEuDEOmA-HbMkGuTHBwbULExoCT1IQAvD_BwE might be worth a try?

Sounds like the stuff you're using now won't do what you want it to.

Can I ask if you have tried a powder?

We have stupidly sensitive skin and use fairy non bio powder and underdose. Just a thought.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00E4VV46A/ref=sspa_mw_detail_5?psc=1&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&ie=UTF8 is meant to be gentle on skin too.

I wonder if it would be worth looking into getting a water softener. They you wouldn't have the little tiny crystals of chalk or whatever it is dissolved in hard water, which might be scratching your skin. And also you'd need to use barely any soap.

I haven't experience of this myself - though maybe someone else on here could say more?

I realise it would be an expense, but this sounds like misery for you

I am in a very hard water area and my clothes and towels go hard after only a few washes. That is the reason I put them in a wash with no detergent or a wash with just vinegar to remove the previous detergent. They don't smell yet and I have given them 3 or 4 such washes. When they need it I will use detergent again.

I wash leggings etc. with normal items and absolutely no perfumed stuff or conditioner at all as it makes sports wear feel clammy and sticky. For golf shirts etc. (not mine) I use a bio spray on the pits or oxy of some kind, but they do not get washed with my stuff.

Hard water build up in fabrics makes them feel itchy, and I do get through a huge amount of white vinegar.

As per my previous post, the crap in detergents is the cause of all this, they add more stuff to make people buy it, it stinks, I can smell my neighbours washing and it isn't nice. Another problem is that phosphates were banned a few years ago, that was what kept stuff soft, replaced with phosphonates and they just don't work.

I have bought many of the eco friendly liquids, found that some of them make the machine smell, and never before had a smelly machine. They also are not that great at removing smells from pits and make a lot of suds, which I suspect is the reason, in part, for the build up of suds in the machine, possibly a reaction to the surfecants in the big name detergents.

Since I found my cottons were going rock hard and itchy I have done a fair bit of research on detergents and it comes down to the removal of phosphates and the addition of other crud. I am also sensitive to the fake perfumes and 'natural ones' I mentioned above, hence using Waitrose Sensitive and vinegar washes. I find vinegar removes a lot of build up, and smells, but do follow it up with a clear water wash.

Never before have I needed to run a second cycle to get stuff clean and soap free, eco machines are not eco friendly in my view, they don't use enough water to rinse anything out so I set the extra water/rinse button and put my stuff through again (clothing and towels). The household stuff and other family stuff I don't bother as it is only me that struggles.

Once a fake perfume is in a fabric it is a bugger to get it out, vinegar, lots of rinsing and fresh air, but many times might do it.

@QuestionableMouse Can you buy that in shops or is it online only?

@FlibbertyGiblets Yes I've tried Surcare and Bio D. I'm really disappointed by Bio D as I really thought it would sort the problem.

Fairy non bio contains perfume. I need a scent-free product

@DontCallMeShitley I completely agree. There is so much toxic crap in washing products, and I too can smell other people's washing. It's awful. I'll keep a look out for Waitrose sensitive.

Do you put vinegar in the detergent drawer, or straight in with the clothes?

I put vinegar in the drawer, all sections, about 3/4 of a bottle for a detergent removal load on towels/bathrobes. I also use a similar amount for a hot cycle to clean the machine. Never had to do that before the new detergents.

I think I have some of the soap in your photo, will see if I can find it, but only used it once for a handwash as I didn't trust it in the machine.

Thank you. I'll do a vinegar wash this evening with the towels that for washed in Bio D. I'm so annoyed with Bio D as it could've been such a good solution.

Is this the one? www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-waitrose-sensitive-liquid-20-washes/064471-32724-32725

Online only but they have a sample pack for a couple of quid so you could try it without a massive expense.

Ah, thank you.

Right then. I washed some clothes in vinegar last night. I hope they don't smell of vinegar! They're not quite dry yet but I'm possibly just looking for a smell rather than they actually smell. I hope.

Did you see any bubbles while it was running?

I also washed towels last night, with vinegar, then a rinse without, it was still foaming. Tumble dried them though otherwise they are very hard.

I reckon the build up of soap will wash them again you see .

Tbh I wasn't really watching the machine while the washing was going. But the clothes definitely smell better.

Oh FFS!

It turned out that half my clothes ended up smelling of vinegar. So I did another wash and rinse with nothing, just water. After drying overnight, they still stank of vinegar. Some clothes were worse than others - my leggings and a polyester skirt were the worst, but even a few viscose items smelled a bit too.

So this morning I washed the clothes again with just a couple of teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda, thinking it would neutralise the vinegar smell. Which it did, but now I'm itching all over FFS! I thought it was safe product. I actually want to scratch my skin off.

@DontCallMeShitley What shall I do now? I really need my leggings for an exercise event I'm going to tomorrow. I'm at my wits' end right now.

But weirdly I had done a separate vinegar wash with some towels, and the towels came out fine.

I use white vinegar and there's no residual smell. Is your machine rinsing everything thoroughly? Dettol laundry cleanser non scented is really good for killing bacteria and getting rid of smells, but I don't know if you'd be able to use it.

I don't know, but I'm so frustrated at the moment as I feel like I've been going round in circles for the past week and a bit, constantly washing my clothes to get rid of the previous product, only to create a new problem instead.

Use no powder at all for a few weeks

Hi ,try the Ecover zero range ,very good stuff!