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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

This Dettol Laundry Sanitiser stuff....

66 replies

AndyMurraysBalls · 09/10/2013 07:38

Does it replace the usual washing powder/liguid/tabs or is it used alongside?

Does it smell like Dettol and does that smell transfer to clothes/bedding/towels etc?

I can't believe I'm interested in something so boring as laundry but there we go .....

OP posts:
Original poster
AndyMurraysBalls · 09/10/2013 07:59

You see... I've bored you all ...

Please??????

OP posts:
Original poster
AndyMurraysBalls · 09/10/2013 09:39

I need to order my shopping and I've still not decided ..... do I want this stuff?

any advice???

OP posts:
HopeClearwater · 09/10/2013 09:45

Bump - wondering too

YoureBeingADick · 09/10/2013 09:49

Also wondering. Is laundry sanitiser the new name for washing powder?

I recently saw an ad for bathrooms that used the term 'bath filler' for a tap! Grin

ILoveAFullFridge · 09/10/2013 09:50

You don't need it. Unless, perhaps, your family are in the throes of a D&V epidemic.

You really, really do not need to sanitise your life. Exposure to germs is A Good Thing. When did you last get infected by a clean pair of knickers?

Reiltin · 09/10/2013 09:50

Bought it the other day on advise that it would take the smell out of clothes. Worked ok - hoping for a better cumulative effect though. You use it as well as your regular washing powder.

Brandnewmamma · 09/10/2013 09:52

Wouldn't think you need it if you use good quality washing powder. You could try napkins or whites either.

Brandnewmamma · 09/10/2013 09:52

Napisan !!

ILoveAFullFridge · 09/10/2013 09:53

Actually, YBAD I have a 'bath filler', not a tap. A tap is when the valves and the spout are one piece. I have the valves in one place, but the water comes out in another place, through what is, in fact, a filler and not a tap. Smile

BuzzardBirdBloodBath · 09/10/2013 09:54

It's another con for the gullible. Who eats their clothes? Confused

meditrina · 09/10/2013 09:57

You don't need it, unless you are dealing with faeces and/or vomit, though hot wash with normal powder is adequate for that too.

If you do decide to use it, be very alert to reactions. Dettol and mucus membranes can be a very bad mix in some.

YoureBeingADick · 09/10/2013 09:58

Oh i'd really struggle to call what you describe a bath filler without creasing up Grin ilove

Sidge · 09/10/2013 10:11

It's such a gimmick. Bacteria are everywhere - having them on your clothes doesn't mean you will get ill.

Far better IMO to use normal washing detergent and wash clothes at 40 degrees or higher.

Original poster
AndyMurraysBalls · 09/10/2013 10:23

You see .... I am a gullible victim of the advertisers ...

I foolishly believed it would leave my washing cleaner.

I have always wondered about germs from knickers and sports clothes (especially my running socks - yuck!). As mentioned above, I don't eat my knickers do I?

So it's more about an effective washing powder and the temperature of the water.

How do you know if a washing powder is effective enough? Obviously you can see if clothes LOOK clean, ...... but are they???

OP posts:
e1y1 · 09/10/2013 11:50

I have some, it's good. Had it a few months only used it twice though :/

You put it in the fabric softener draw, along with your detergent.

No doesn't smell of dettol, they have 2 scents I think. I got the cotton fresh and it smells nice.

NotDead · 09/10/2013 11:53

DRAWER.. jesus...

e1y1 · 09/10/2013 11:59

Just to scare you andy :p

A whole daily mail advert for the product. :@

HERE

ILoveAFullFridge · 09/10/2013 12:15

If the clothes look clean then they are as clean as they need to be. When you've bathed and your skin looks and feels clean, do you then wipe yourself down with sanitizer?

The only way bacteria are killed in the wash is if you do a 95degree wash. A 60degree wash will not kill many bacteria (if it even reaches 60 - have a look at what Which have to say about this). A good detergent and good washing action dislodge dirt and bacteria are rinsed away with the dirt and suds.

I just don't get why people obsess about killing all traces of bacteria and viruses. We need to be exposed to them in order to have healthy immune systems. One of the reasons there are so many allergies, eczema and asthma is that children's lives are too sanitised and therefore their immune systems don't develop properly.

Original poster
AndyMurraysBalls · 09/10/2013 14:14

e1y1 - you obviously have me labelled as an idiot if you are asking me to read a DM article!!!!!!

As you were kind enough to link it, I did read it.

I wash t-towels and face cloths at 90 degrees in a separate wash.

I never close my washing machine door and disinfect the inside of it (probably about once a month) and do an empty 90 degree wash with a ton of soda crystals in it (when I remember).

ILoveaFullFridge - (so do I, by the way) - I agree - we are germ-obsessed and I have clearly been caught up in the advertising of this product.

My washing looks and smells clean so I'm sticking with my Tesco Non-Bio liquid stuff (unless I start eating my socks).

OP posts:
e1y1 · 10/10/2013 03:22

Blush sorry, I did think about it being the daily mail (I even check the date somewhere else, if I have seen it on the daily mail - as I don't believe even the date of the print it)

Don't think you're an idiot :)

e1y1 · 10/10/2013 03:22

*if they print it

racmun · 10/10/2013 03:47

I've got some its good for stuff that you can't wash at high temperatures but get a build up of bacteria in them and start to smell - eg sports tops.

PottyLotty · 10/10/2013 10:58

If you really really want to disinfect all your clothes just chuck a capful of standard dettol/zoflora/any other brand of disinfectant in with your wash. It would work out cheaper than purchasing these gimmicky products.

Im happy with the usual 40 degree wash myself Grin. The only clothes i think need more are my husbands gym kit which stinks when he brings it home. That definately gets an extra hot wash (and usually shrinks) Blush

Sometimesiwonder · 10/10/2013 11:06

I'm with pottylotty!

A capful of Sainsbury's basics disinfectant in with the sports kit stops it being niffy, even if you're a tightwad like me and do the wash on a low temperature.

Napisan is also really good and much cheaper than the Dettol stuff.

Sleep404 · 11/10/2013 20:02

There was a programme on yesterday, forget what it was called, which basically showed that soap and water were more effective at cleaning hands than the antibacterial foams and gels. I'm stretching, but I guess this applies to clothes as well. It's a waste of money and I say that as someone gullible enough to have bought some. I haven't noticed any difference in my wash since I started using it and will not be buying it again.