I have used no washing powder all month and it has made no difference at all

[Idasonions]

Well said it all in the title really.

I use a tablespoon of washing soda (hard water area) and a bit of fabric conditioner and no powder and there is no difference at all. The washing is all clean.

Have we been had all these years by the washing powder / liquid / etc people ? Is it a huge scandal that needs exposing ?

My children are not babies so we don't have lots of food on clothes but we have mud and usual dirt and I use a 40 or 60 wash.

Hmm will continue the experiment.

That's very interesting, I have the opposite problem as I'm finding I have to wash some things twice to get all the mud out using a 40 wash and whichever powder is on offer at the supermarket.

I'm not sure if I have hard or soft water - the kettle gets a bit furry but not very much. I'm wondering if I put too many clothes in a load. I read on here once that people weigh their washing to get it right, maybe I need to start doing that.

Yes never pack in the washing. I think the clothes rubbing up against eachother gets the dirt out so they need room to do this.

I have found a blob of washing up liquid is fine for oily / food stains too and much cheaper than stain removed.

• disclaimer - no washing up liquid has been used in place of powder or for spot stain treatment for the duration of the experiment

Good on you! But, even if you were using less than the manufactures recommended dosage of detergent before it's usual for there to be quite a build up in the clothing and the machine. In effect the laundry you've been doing this past month will still have been washed in a (low dose) of washing powder as well as washing soda, even though you didn't actually add washing powder to the machine. You may well see worsening results soon. Hopefully not, but I suspect you will.

They do tell us to use MUCH more detergent than is necessary - it's bad for the clothes and the machine, as well as being a waste of money. In fact, cloth nappy users have to 'strip wash' the nappies quite regularly because the detergent build up, even at halved dosage, is detrimental to the absorbancy of the nappies...

lifesalongsong - it does sound like you're overfilling the machine. The drum should be about 2/3 full. A couple of clean tennis balls in the drum adds extra agitation which really helps shift mud and the like.

lifesalongsong - overfilling the washing machine is a very common mistake. The clothes should be able to move around freely - no stuffing!

OK, belated new years resolution for me will be to not put as much in the machine. I don't fill it to the top but sometimes it is more than 2/3 full. I don't know why but that always seems more like half empty to me

I have cut my powedrer by a third (after similar thread) just as clean!! Shocking rip off .

or cut it completley it looks like you dont need it at all !

Probably more than half the cleaning power of a modern washing machine is via it's agitation, not the detergent you put in it. I halve the dosages on laundry products and have never noticed a difference.

We only use half the recommended amounts I can't abide feeling that knd of creamy/yucky feeling that comes with DH doing the washing too much stuff going in - and as for that stuff that releases smells all day - bleurgh!

I'd love to go no-detergent but have a 2yo DS who seems to get dirtier by the day! Might try the laundry balls, what do they actually have in them?

I always use a spoon of washing soda (like the OP, I'm in hard water area) and always no more than half the recommended dose of detergent.

I use about a third of the detergent they recommend on the pack. add the same amount of soda crystals for dirty stuff.

works well and clothes come out softer as well.

yes what are laundry balls ?

can we use the hard ones for the dryer in the washing machine ?