To wash clothes with a squirt of washing up liquid and some fabric conditioner….?!

[JemimaPyjamas]

I’ve run out of washing powder and we are due to get some tomorrow with our Tesco delivery.

However, I need to wash uniforms for tomorrow.

I really can’t be bothered going out to buy some, so I was wondering if I could get away with a squirt of washing up liquid and some fabric conditioner? None of the clothes are filthy, but they do need a bit of a wash.

AIBU to improvise?

Are the uniforms dirty or just need a freshen up? If the latter, just shove em in the sink with the fabric conditioner you have for a bit, then spin and dry them.

Why did you put shampoo in the machine?
Surely the shampoo will foam up too. 😳

You could have hand washed them in the sink and rinsed and spun them in the machine afterwards.

I'd grate some soap and use that. I don't use a lot of powder so I wouldn't know if there was enough residue left. I don't use fab cond as it makes clothes feel and smell horrible. Though, if the uniforms aren't dirty then they could just be reworn?

Yes - shampoo in the machine! I didn't deliberately use sulphate free, it's just what I had (rather than using the expensive Olaplex shampoo) and so far so good. The wash finishes in just under an hour (I did an eco wash which takes over three hours) so I guessing if we were going to end up knee deep in foam we would be by now.

I do have neighbours I can ask, but just didn't want to. The 'corner shop' is actually the CoOp which is only ten mins walk away but it's bloody freezing, I've got a bit of a cough and I also live up a really steep hill!

Hope all went well, @JemimaPyjamas !

Hand wash with the Fairy Liquid, rinse very, thoroughly and add the fab conditioner to the final rinse, this will help curtail the remains of the bubbles, and then spin in the machine. Do not add the washing up liquid to the machine unless you want a foam party.

I have also done this a few times - a teaspoon of washing up liquid and it was fine for us. Freshened up the clothes. Tbh though if they’re not too dirty, I think the warm water does most of the work. So if you are worried, just use the water.
Soda crystals are really good too if you have any.

Boring update - the washing was absolutely fine! Thanks for the pointers though!

I was about to say "Sure! Why not?", so it's a good thing nobody relies on me for household cleaning advice.

Just putting it in without any soap will do 80%

I put my special waterproof dog walking coat on a short / delicate cycle with no soap and it looked pretty clean to me.

@TheYearOfSmallThings 😂

wash finishes in just under an hour (I did an eco wash which takes over three hours)

How come an eco wash takes 3 hrs?

It heats the water slower therefore claims to use less electricity.

I have tested this and my 20/30min quick wash uses less energy than the eco setting. I know the load is meant to be less but it washes just fine.

I honestly think more people should consider using a cold wash. Detergents these days don't need high temps to work well.