To BEG you for your washing secrets?

[JEdgarHoover]

Some of DCs white clothes have got stains on that I cannot get out - all the white ones. Weird,’orange stains that I genuinely have no idea where they’ve come from?! I’m really fussy about washing and it’s driving me bananas. Could it be my machine? I’ve bought some stuff to clean it.

I’ve tried spray, stuff you soak it in, white bio powder, I’ve tried lemon juice and leaving it on the sun - they’re still bloody there! Faded, but obvious. Don’t want to have to throw the bits out, anyone got any magical secrets?!?

How long have you had them in the sun. I put stuff out for a week in the rain and sun and it clears after time!

I use dilute Milton to get stains out of whites. Managed to get hair dye out of DS's school shirts this way - - thanks DD1--

@FayKnights

Pink stuff do whitening powder similar to vanish, i used it on a massive red wine stain on a white t-shirt and it worked a treat. You can put it in the machine too.

This stuff is brilliant. I use it on dirty pans and baking trays too. It’s gets all the baked on marks off. I dread to think what’s in it, but it’s very effective.

Milton or that really cheap White bleach at 49p you get from Home Bargains or B and M ( Easy). It's amazing stuff. Get the white bottle though.

Ooo, I’ve got one, oh washing gurus. Grease marks on t shirts. (From greasy food and messy eaters) I’ve tried, vanish, fairy, vanish bars, sunlight, liquid detergent and they are still there.

@Noname1999

Chemical sunscreen stains are impossible to get out. Mineral based sunscreens are the way forward.

How do you know which is which? I presume mineral sun reams are better for the marine environment too?

I don't have a washing machine right now, so have to wash things by hand.. Last night I put two large towels and three tea towels in a bowl of hot soapy water,with cheap soap powder, and then a little bleach. The towels had some greasy lipstick stains on them , and some reddish hair dye. two tea towels had some splodges of wood dye stain, This morning all the items were all stain free after an all night soak.

I’m quite OCD about my washing technique…

NEVER use quick / rapid wash- it doesn’t clean clothes properly, it’s ok for a freshen up not dirt removal just make sure the temp stays around 30-40 as these cycles often run at 60 and will ruin your clothes

White wash / colour wash / black and navy wash / towels / bedding / underwear. I Do as separate washes in these categories.

Colour catcher in the colour wash

Scoop of Oxi white for whites, towels bed sheets etc

Dettol Anti bac with fabric softener in all washes

Use Lenor Unstoppables in all washes

Whites and towels at 60
Colours and blacks at 30, 40 if very dirty

Shake off lint or pet hairs before putting in the washer

Anything with zips, buttons go in a net

Everything turned inside out

Never overload it won’t wash properly

Never leave a load in once it’s finished, remove immediately

Never dry outside at night- darked upon washing is tainted

Clean the detergent drawer often you’ll be surprised at the mould otherwise, leave drawer and door open to air out

Try laundry stripping. Add to a bucket of hot water one cup of bio washing powder and half a cup of bicarbonate of soda ( from the cleaning aisle) and half a cup of white vinegar. Add the clothes and soak until the water is cold ( a couple of hours at least). Wring out and wash in your machine as normal. My friend’s daughter is a chef and had a horrible stain on her white uniform, she tried this and it completely removed the stains. Good luck.

I don’t think you can beat soaking in Vanish personally. And neat washing up liquid seems to shift almost all small stains.

Please don't use bleach with hot or boiling water. It massively speeds up the degradation of the bleaching agent. Use cold water with bleach.

I have a great secret. Don’t buy white clothes.

@MrsMoastyToasty

Fairy liquid. Most stains are grease based and as Fairy liquid does a brilliant job with greasy crockery I've started using it on stained clothing.

This! Actual Fairy brand though, I’ve found it to be the best in everything-I had a year when ds’ goalkeeper kit was white and the Fairy worked wonders If you’re washing synthetics, don’t use bleach-it eats away at the fibres and you end up with holes

Shout - I spray all white clothes (the marked bits obvs!), collars and cuffs as I put them in the machine. Wash white stuff on 40.
For getting board marker out of kids clothes (why they let them use them in school is beyond me ), I rub whiteboard cleaner into the stain before I wash it. It’s a bugger to get out once ‘set’ in after washing.

If they’re pure cotton, soak in a bleach solution. Otherwise sunlight is supposed to be best.

Are you sure your washing machine isn’t harbouring gunk? It still may be esp. if you’re using gel pods. Try a 90 deg wash with just a cup of soda crystals, no detergent.

You may be amazed at the foam that still appears - I was. I did it twice.

Fabric conditioner can cause a gunk build up too.
I no longer use pods or conditioner - just powder, and a lot less than I ever did - and soda crystals every time.

Hang it with stains facing sunshine!

I agree with the washing up liquid comment if the stain is grease/food based.
Otherwise hot and long. And powder. Not liquid or tabs etc.
Someone on here made the point that no washer has yet been invented that really gets things clean at low temperatures, surface to-the-eye clean, maybe. But not really clean. Something about a documentary showing washing stuff at 30 brings the clothes out with more bacteria than when they went in, and that sort of wash with the kind of detergents full of fats (liquid/gels) just wreck the machine.

I’ve read somewhere (possibly on here) that eucalyptus oil is meant to remove sun cream stains. You can buy it in most chemists.

F

@OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow

Ooo, I’ve got one, oh washing gurus. Grease marks on t shirts. (From greasy food and messy eaters) I’ve tried, vanish, fairy, vanish bars, sunlight, liquid detergent and they are still there.

The best thing I’ve found is a little bit of washing up liquid plus a slash of water directly on the stain. Leave it for 5-10 min, up to an hour if you have to (but the sooner the better), then wash on a normal cycle for that garment. The hottest temp it can stand is best as cool water won’t shift grease/oil.

*splash of water!

Great advice above.

I find fairy liquid will soften any stain, and vanish will lift it.

Dettol do a mould bleach in a green bottle.

On whites the fairy first and a dab of the dettol does a great job.

I put washing liquid, scoop of oxi whites, a good squirt of white vinegar with a colour catcher in my whites and Dettol liquid for antibacterial boost in my whites and it keeps them pristine.

A hot wash with a dishwasher tablet every couple of months is good. Leaving the door open between washes is good so air can circulate.

To add to above, this ideally needs to be straightaway (like after the meal).

I use the same method if I get oil splashes on my clothing whilst cooking. Never not had it work.