It is time to move on from Fairy.

[JustFab]

I have been using Fairy liquid capsules for years thanks to my MIL buying them for me but some clothes are not coming out clean. What actually does the job it needs to do??

Do you/our family have sensitive skin ?, if not, then just switch to a biological powder - I ditched liquids a fair few months ago now and found that my washing is definately cleaner ( using persil for whites and tesco's own brand for colours).

are you using a cool wash? there tends to be an accumulation inside the washer and on your clothes from long-term cool with no occasional hot.

agree, bio powder does a much better job.
if you have sensitive skin try to avoid stongly fragranced detergent, bio/non-bio doesn't have a big effect on skin ime.

DS1 has had sensitive skin the past and I wash at 40. I have also used non-bio as I was told that was what I should do and I know my MIL would have a blue fit if I used bio stuff and then be all I told you so if DS1 had a rash again. But their uniform needs to be clean.

A good tip I saw on here was to wash towels at a higher temperature to get rid of all the build-up in the machine?

yes, cotton towels especially will stand up to a 90 degreee wash, and if white (or the dog's towels), no need to worry about colour fading. It is also very good if anyone in the house has been ill as the high temp will kill infections.

Lots of people use non-bio Persil as it has a good reputation for eczma and other skin sensitivities, though you don't hear it so much now.

I had read that you shouldn't do a full load of towels as it isn't good for the washer .

I do a maintenance wash once a month a-la-mumsnet and that supposedly gets rid of the build up.

surely if within the 6kg or 8kg would be all right? It's usually heavy things like rubber-backed bathmats that can make the spin unbalanced.

where did you see it?

I can't remember, it was ages ago.

if you are worried about skin reactions you can try bio and do an extra rinse.

I use a washing liquid called 'halo' . I get it from tesco. It looks like a really cheapy brand but it's really good - kills all the nasty bugs etc at low temperatures. Also I stick some napisan in for stains/stubborn marks which helps.

just saw in today's "Which" that non-bio Fairy powder is better that non-bio Persil powder.

It is a soap powder though, so I think it will need a hotter wash than the bio liquids, and black/coloured garments usually fade less with a Colour liquid.

The Aldi Bio powder is still their Best Buy, though, if you don't mind bios.

I have loved my MIL buying it for me as there is just too much choice and I never know what to get.

Aldi own make powders/liquid. Great on 30 degree wash. Won Good Housekeeping tests. And unlike fucking Proctor and Gamble shite like Fairy/Bold/Ariel it is NOT tested on animals.

Daz makes me itch. Only use on non contact things now.

I'm very happy with Method non-bio liquid and Ecover softener - clean well and good for sensitive skin and the environment!

The towels thing is just that they can be heavy when they have a lot of water - if you do a smaller load with towels, it's alright.

I have read that a non-bio product can actually be worse for sensitive skin than bio - because it has bleach in or something? can't remember details. anyway after using Aldi & Persil non-bio & bio, I have recently tried Ariel & have to admit it is the best cleaner so far

if you can opt for an extra rinse with your machine, & you use Surcare fabric rinse, you can possibly negate the bio thing if it is an issue

(DS1 does have eczema & he's back from uni this weekend with a load of washing, bless him so I've tried the Ariel + Surcare but haven't told him. I'll wait to see if he complains!)

(those are all liquid capsules, not powder or tablets)

I will give a few a try and see what is up to the job, thanks.