AIBU to ask what washing powder/liquid you use, would you recommend it and why?

[BackToBeingMe]

I have noticed over the last year I have been ruining all or dark clothes, black things turning a greenish colour in particular and jeans losing colour in places, my whites however are sparkling! So what do you use and in what form? Same for everything or different products for different loads? I have lost 3 stone so need all new autumn winter clothes and my fav jeans are Next 360 Jeans which are £45-£50 a pair depending on rinse and style so I would like for them to not fade and go a funny shade of green after a few washes. Oh and the dark care cycle on washing machines does it actually work?

Are you using non bio?
I use it and just buy whatever is on offer,I use the quick program for clothes,white cotton for white shirts and knickers,eco wash for sheets so have never tried the dark one which I think is just a cooler wash.

I am guessing that you use a washing powder that contains some kind of bleaching agent. You need to use one for colours. Do you use more than the recommended amount? Are you washing at a high temperature? Do you turn your jeans inside out before you wash them? Do you wash them after one wear? You can wear jeans for at least 3-4 days, washing really wears them out, also the colour. Are you in a hard water area? Limescale can be a factor as well. Use vinegar in the rinse cycle, not fabric conditioner.

I use Lidls Formil for colours with enzymes (biological). I make sure I don't overdose. I don't use fabric conditioner, I use white vinegar. I wash at 30 C. I turn my clothes inside out. My dark coloured clothes doesn't fade.

I Just use whatever super markets own brand non bio (not value just their own make.) Have used everything from £20 super posh ones to those and never made any difference. Short, cold gentle cycle for darks that fade easily to preseve them.

If your dark colours are fading you could use a liquid (bio or non bio) or a powder designed for colours as these don't contain bleaches. Normal powders (bio and non bio) contain bleaches so that helps keep your whites brighter but can fade dark clothing. I think a dark wash setting has a slower spin and maybe more water in the cycle. You could try that too

I currently use Persil biological powder for everything and fairy fabric softener. No I don't turn the jeans inside out to wash and wear them once usually possibly twice as have small dc that use my legs as a face cloth! I use the daily wash cycle for the clothes and adjust the temp and spin cycle accordingly, bedding and towels on the cotton cycle at 60 degrees. I wonder if it is the powder? I have always used Persil in one form or another.

You could try the Persil for colours for your jeans. I always turn clothes inside out too.

Yes will get some Persil colour is the powder ok or is liquid better? We live in a very hard water area and have been using the hard water dose which is a lot more than the medium water dose, do you think I could cut down on the dose and things still come out clean?

I prefer powders as I found liquids made the machine gunky. But if you aren't using it at every wash using liquid should be ok. Why not try reducing gradually and assess if the clothes are still clean

Good idea, I will reduce the colour powder dose to medium water for darks, leave it as a full dose for light colours and stick with Persil bio powder full dose for whites. Will turn things inside out from now on and try the dark care cycle for jeans, nothing else as it take 3 hours!

There was a brilliant AMA thread on laundry the other day. The OP worked in laundry detergent development an she had loads of great hints and tips.

I use Aldi Almat powder tablets. I think they are great. They do one for coloured, whites and non bio. My DS has just switched to them as he was impressed by his washing when he came to stay . I always use less than the recommended dose even though I'm in a hard water area. Always wash jeans inside out and don't wash them too often. Don't dry in direct sunlight.

Aldi you say, how much is that? Persil is about £8-10 a box and if I now need two types might be worth a look

Re the hard water, use vinegar (it will smell of vinegar when your first take it out of the machine, but it evaporates as the clothes dries) in place of fabric softener, you don't need to use more powder. You can also get anti lime scale powder/tabs to use with your washing powder.

Also you can add some soda crystals to your laundry powder if you are worried about lowering the dose. Soda crystals boost your washing powder, it's great for grease, but very mild on the clothes (and the environment).

Do you use a tumble dryer? Could be part of the problem, it wears clothes out quicker.

What is this? Market research on the cheap?

I have a Sainsburys (I think) colour liquid and so far it is good.

In my quest to find the perfect detergent I have a cupboard which contains:
Lidl Formil powder, the lavender one which is great for heavy duty sheets and shirts and boxers.

Woolite liquid, good for delicates and fleece items

Surcare (unperfumed) and Waitrose sensitive (also unperfumed) Surcare because Waitrose had added some kind of smelly allergy inducing stuff a while back so changed but it has now been put right so am going to use it instead of the Surcare.

Surf liquid, lavender and something or other because the smell is delicate and doesn't make me sneeze or feel sick.

A bottle of liquid soap flakes, although how they can still be flakes one they have been made into liquid I don't understand. Bought for delicates.

I remember fondly the days when one powder washed everything without changing the colours or wrecking the fabric, and hand washing was done with soap flakes.

once not one

No not market research just don't want green jeans! I had to nip out for milk so had a quick wander down the laundry isle and spotted Surf black. It is a liquid that says it is for black and dark coloured clothes so grabbed one of those along with a box of Persil colour powder. I guess only time will tell if all these different products are needed. I didn't realise you could get water softening tablets, I used the limescale tablets for a while but they did wreak the clothes. And yes do tumble dry in the winter otherwise things take so long to dry.

I used Persil Small&Mighty Bio, Non-Bio and Colour for years and years. I now use the Aldi liquid version of the Colour and Bio and they are brilliant. Having said that, I always stick a scoop of Vanish Oxy-White in the drawer for a whites wash, especially for school tops and socks. I've noticed no discernible difference in performance between the Aldi and Persil versions, only the fragrance is different. I'm also in a hard water area so use the Dr Whites washing machine cleaner every couple of months or so.

I recently went back to using powder after years of liquid. Done in order to reduce use of plastic. We have very hard water. I never use fabric conditioner as I feel it's more unnecessary chemicals.
I use whatever non-bio is on special offer and wash on the lowest temperature. Never had problems like you describe.

I use Aldi 2 in 1 and live in a very hard water area.

Been using this detergent for 3 years now and no problems at all.

Did the limescale tablets wreck your clothes? How awful. I never had that happen when I used them.

I've always used Sainsburys own Green Bio and Purple for colours.... I use powder and liquid (not together!)

Look in Ask me Anything. There is thread by someone who used to make laundry detergents... it has some great info.

Wreck my skin that was meant to say! I have eczema and the Calgon tablets made me flare up terribly, I didn't use them long enough to notice a difference in my clothes cause the itching was terrible. That is when I switched to Persil powder from the small and mighty Persil liquid and thinking back my green tinge jeans started! I read the side of the Persil box and it contains bleach agent and optical brightens where as the bio liquid doesn't contain the bleaching agent.

I switched to the powder as mil told me they powder contained a water softener and using the hard water dose would prevent limescale build job on my machine, do I will blame her for my green tinge jeans!