Bio / non-bio

[HorryIsUpduffed]

Please talk to me about laundry detergent

I use non-bio for everything. I have recently converted to gel from liquid for ease of use.

Three out of four of us have sensitive skin with eczema flare ups, so bio has just never made it into my house.

I don't have a problem with stains or fading, although I do boost a particularly foul load with Vanish, or target grease/grass stains with Swarfega.

So everything from cloth nappies and towels to smart clothes gets washed in non-bio.

Am I missing something?

Well, I can't speak for everyone but ds1 has eczema and bio/non-bio makes not one jot of difference. He is obviously not susceptible to the stuff. I would say bio is better at stain removing, but not that much better.

If what you do works, why change it?

My mother is horrified that I don't have half a dozen different bottles of detergent, is all. I mean, I don't have special wool or silk wash because (1) I can't wear wool and (2) I can't afford silk.

So this is genuinely a "what am I missing?" thread. If it's simply a matter of personal taste/preference then I'd far rather spot clean stains and use non-bio.

I've never known the difference. I'm sure the housewife's manual has a chapter on laundry detergents but I didn't get one when I qualified

You could always be horrified back at her wanton use of unnecessary detergent use

I only used to use non-bio too (or soap nuts, or homemade laundry goop, if I was feeling particularly eco, or poor!) as DS had eczema when he was younger.

However, I now use bio (Daz) on his white school polo shirts as non-bio was just not shifting the stains and they were getting dingy looking.

If non-bio and spot cleaning is working for you though, carry on!

I always post this, but I had my first baby in Canada, and automatically went to get non-bio to wash his clothes (it's just what you do in the UK right?) - it didn't exist, there was no concept of bio/non-bio - everything had enzymes in it.

Of course there I was lucky to get a hand-hot wash out of my machine, so they were probably more needed!

We all survived (including DP who has to be very careful with which products he uses because his skin reacts very badly to some preservatives)

Now I'm back in the UK I just use bio for everything, figuring I probably need the big guns with a food-spreading toddler

I always use non bio, everything washes fine with it.

I use Ecco balls. I would recommend it because it is much cheaper and no chemicals.. especially if 3 of you have sensitive skin.

Sorry I am on the phone and cannot add the link but google for more info :)

Have you actually tried Bio, do you know for sure it makes your skin(s) act up?

bio cleans much better than non bio imo and it doesn't have an effect on our eczema at all.

we use less detergent than it says on the box and use an extra rinse with certain garments.

only downside is that for wool, silk, leather, feathers you need to use a separate detergent as bio would break it down.

we have used Persil non-bio for years, on the understanding that it is better for sensitive skin.

However recent stories seem to say it's an old wives tale, or maybe the early bio powders were more aggressive than today.

In the Which tests, bio powders do generally wash best. The Aldi Almat products are astonishingly good, and also cheap.

Liquids are better for colours, but powders get whites whiter (this is true)

No, I've never tried bio, because I've never had a reason to. Since my washing gets clean (the brand new white school polo shirts are the same colour as the ones from last September) I've never been satisfied with non-bio.

Seems that there's a lot of rumour and myth on both sides, so since there's no discernible difference in price we should all carry on as we are

Last thoughts though: is there an environmental impact of releasing biological enzymes into the water table? and presumably one can't use bio on hot washes as the enzymes would denature?

Your Mum would love my laundry cupboard

I have:

Bio powder - bio to get stains out, powder for long wash to allow it to dissolve in hard water

Colour powder - to stop dark colours fading, powder for longer wash again as use less than liquid

Bio liquid - for when something needs to be cleaned quickly but is stained

Colour liquid - again to stop fades

Wool / delicates liquid - for, erm, wool and delicates

Most day to day stuff goes with liquid on a quick wash, but if I'm doing bedding, towels etc then they go with powder on the longer wash

I used Fairy non-bio on newborn stuff, but it just didn't get rid of the stains when we started weaning

Bio is better for the environment because you can wash at lower temps.

Unless you are using something like Ecover, perhaps, Bio also has the bonus of availability in a colour detergent form that doesn't include any bleaches so it doesn't fade clothes so badly as regular bio/non-bio. (does any conventional non-bio come in a colour-detergent version in UK?)

I only ask because I used non-bio for yrs because I was told to, then read on MN how effective Bio was and gave it a try; no looking back. No problems (not with babies or skin, nothing). But not suitable for wool or silk, admittedly.

Oh, and don't use Bio on items that have DWR layers, either (certain sports & waterproof items). We have

Ecover: DWR, wool or very uncertain, washed DS's neoprene wetsuit & boots other day in this
Bio: whites
non-Bio: everything else

Sorry, I am a numpty (sigh).
Last line should read "Colour Bio:everything else" (Oh the shame... )

I use eco balls but they are rubbish with stains so I use half a scoop of vanish in every load too

I wash at 30 anyway most of the time.

Either I have the cleanest DC on MN (unlikely), the best machine around (possible), or stains I don't notice (unlikely, given that I iron so actually look at clothes once they're clean and dry).

Superiorcat - you need something to wash blacks.

Can always spot clothes washed in the wrong detergent, Navy turns gray, contrast fades, red turns pink, etc. Fast way to destroy nice things.

I only use Bio 'cos nothing else seems to shift the kids' stains and I would only ever use washing powder for colours to do everything apart from my white wash. My daughter's school cardigan is navy and you can see the difference between hers and some of the other children's.

I only use aldi bio because it washes so well, apparently its only the uk that has this thing about bio aggravating eczema.

I use it as a pre-soak in a bucket too to get deeply ingrained stains out of my e-cloths.

I use persil non-bio but use the blue comfort as like the smell of them together. Does anyone else use non-bio with a non sensitive fabric conditioner? I find bio leaves a strong smell and my washing rough.

Maybe worth a change to a different brand. You do know that the ingredients in Vanish is the EXACT ingredients that make a detergent biological? (Just in the vanish its in a higher concentration, thus giving your detergent a "boost"). Read the ingredients of a box of bio and then the ingredients of vanish - there is NO difference except concentration. As sad as it sounds; one of my things is laundry detergent and without sounding pig headed; I know a bit about how they're made. Detergent manufacturers are happy to keep you in the dark about this though, so you'll spend money on the stain removing additives - the new Ariel range of stain removers springs to mind. Also there is no scientific evidence that enzymes that make a powder bio causes skin reactions, although it is agreed that non bios are more extensively tested in terms of ingredients/fragrances used in them as they're marketed for sensitive skins.

e1y1 tell us more about what the detergent manufacturers keep us in the dark about please? Is it better just to buy the cheapest product? I've also read that powder is better than liquid to prolong the life of your washing machine.