Washing powder better than liquid?

[Behoove]

Recently I've had to put my washing through 2 cycles as it just didn't smell clean (using recommended dose of liquid)
I bought Daz to do my white towels and what a difference.

Is it the powder effect or am I just not using enough of the liquid or is it just rubbish?

Why don't you run some bedding or towels through on a 60 degree wash? It will be good for the machine.

I've cleaned out the gunky drawer, ran a 95 degree cycle with nothing in it - it foamed up like it was full of soap!
Just washed a load of towels with Daz at 60 and what a difference.

the foam is frightening amazing isn't it!

if you get white streaks, it may be that your machine is not very hot so the soap is not dissolving well. They vary in the accuracy of temperature. Very few machines have hot fill now, so they spend most of their wash time cold or cool.

Adding washing soda crystals does help soap to dissolve (is also good for washing out sludge) so you get less residue in the clothes and the machine.

hazeyjane, if you find the performance of powder to be better but find it causes skin irritations, try using the extra rinse feature on your washing machine. Washing detergents themselves don't cause allergic reactions, it's the perfumes in the detergent that trigger such such reactions. So chances are, if your detergent is causing a reaction, it's because it's not been very well rinsed.

I'd recommend sticking with full cycles (not quick wash - quick wash only does 2 rinses on most machines), powder detergents and use extra rinse where appropriate.

Just to point out that non-bio detergent doesn't exist anywhere in the world anymore other than the UK. The US, Europe and Australia all only have biological powder available. Any sensitive detergents are biological, but contain no perfumes.

Always use powder. It works out much cheaper too. I bought a big box of Sainsbury's own brand colour powder which works out at 10p per wash (according to the label on the shelf).

i prefer powder - i just use sainsbury's own bio powder

i always use the "rinse plus" button. dd2 has eczema, and it's no worse with bio powder than with supposedly more gentle detergents.

And I wash towels and bedding on 60, so at least a couple of washes a week are long hot washes.

No smelly washing machine here

Can I just add that my drain was blocked and overflowing and it turned put to be blocked up with a clump of washing powder ! So now I just use Ariel or Persil bio liquid as they are the only products to get my clothes clean. I always bulk buy them when they are on special offer.
To stop your washing machine smelling you have to have a 60 degree cycle at least once a week to kill the bacteria. I do the bed linen on 60 degrees each week.

I've recently being using Bold liquid (it was on offer) and noticed my towels after one use have started smelling foisty/damp. I'd previously being using Lidl's Formil colour powder and had no issue's with any smell after a couple of uses. I probably should switch back to powder.

I know this is an old thread but I thought rather than making a new one I’d just carry on with this.
So it looks like powder is the way to go when it comes to washing. I’ve always used liquid but noticed that my washing machine is really starting to smell in this hot weather. It gets a 90 degree clean once a month and I always dry the rubber seal and door after every wash.
I’m going to give powder a try May I ask what would everyone recommend regarding bio or non bio as there seems to be mixed reviews?

@pinkdaydreams I always use bio as I think the enzymes probably help to shift sweat stinks.

I'm a recent powder convert - it's so much better than liquid!!

I bought a bottle of liquid yesterday so once that’s gone I’m going to give powder a try. Have you found that you use less powder than recommended on the box?

Lightbulb moment here :)

I've been using a mixture of both powder and liquid ( not together! ) and wondering why some washes smell funny.

I'm going to stick with powder from now on. I have OCD and hate bad smells and have even used washing machine cleaners etc but the answer is so obvious!

I use the recommended amount for soft water, and add soda crystals to soften the water. Its usually 105ml and I'll half it to 50ml if I'm doing a half load.

A large box (80 washes) will last me 2 months ish, and I do quite a lot of washing!

i dont like powder as it goes lumpy.

Oh no lumpy doesn’t sound good! Is that because too much is used or not on a hot enough setting?

I use a liquid ball which comes on the tops of washing liquid bottles to measure out the powder and put it in the drum. No lumpy powder...problem solved :)

I’ll try putting it in the drum, does it not stain/leave marks?

Liquid detergent and low temps = smelly machine. This is because liquid detergents do not contain any enzymes or bleaches so although the liquid detergent gets the dirt and body grease out of the clothes it doesn’t dissolve it so the grease ends up stuck around the machines turning into bacteria and smelling. If you find using a biological powder upsets your skin try using less detergent although if you do not use enough you may find the rubber door seal goes black. Most of us use too much detergent. A lot of new wm have an excess detergent light that will come on when the machine senses there is too much detergent. Regularly running a 90 degree program with an empty machine helps to clear it out. You can also do an extra rinse if you feel bio powder is upsetting your skin. If you have to use liquid detergent you should once a week do a hot wash with a machine cleaner or a bio powder tablet in. This helps dissolve the grease that causes the smells. Also it helps to leave the door open when the machine is not in use ( turn it off sat the mains for child and animal safety)

Thank you for the advice I’m looking forward to giving powder a try now! Someone further up the thread mentioned about musty towels from liquid, I’ve noticed that occasionally too, hopefully powder will help!

Just try washing your towels with no detergent and see how much froth appears.

I have been washing mine with a vinegar wash to remove the build up, also froth appearing in the machine. With the vinegar I use the soak function, turning the machine back on from time to time to move the washing around and loosen the soap.

Then run through on a wash with nothing added. Towels are softer and the colours are better.

I also alternate between liquids, some bio, some not and one unperfumed depending on what is being washed and who it belongs to. For a change I also use Lidl or Surf powder because some manufacturers say powder is best for the machine and some say liquid is.

I clean the machine on a 90 cycle with vinegar although instructions say to use powder. I have no mould and no pongs.

I swapped to powder because I wanted to cut down on the amount of plastic I am using. I now put one cardboard box in the recycling bin each month rather than 2 or 3 dense plastic bottles.

For that alone it has been worth it.

As a by-product, I have found I have saved money - with the scoop I use I seem to use less product and one large box lasts about a month. Previously I was buying two or three bottles of expensive liquid and was often over-using it. I think my washing is no cleaner or no dirtier, just the same but it's cheaper and with less plastic going into my recycling bin each month. I also don't like using the little pods as they can represent a danger to curious children who think they look a bit like big sweets...

My box of powder has no scoop