Bastard white streaks on my laundry

[Vitamints]

Help!

I have a washer-dryer, and always do an extra rinse and spin for allergy reasons. Colour tablets, hard water, no fabric softener. Recently I've been seeing white streaks occasionally and wondered if the machine was overloaded but this green hoody went through on a very small wash. What's going on?

Is one of the paddles inside the drum loose? The fabric could be getting snagged within.

Our washer does this because it doesn't use enough water (argh). Solution is smaller loads, we find. If item is unimportant I brush most the white off else an extra rinse gets rid.

Oh, it's powder residue or something. I thought it was damaging the fabric.

Do you have low water pressure generally? Is the inlet tap fully open?

I suspect it's down to using tablets and how they are dissolving and the detergent reacting, or not, in the hard water.

Do the tablets go straight in the drum rather than the drawer? If so, they are probably not being broken down by the water before the detergent is in contact with the clothes plus the detergent isn't being activated as it is designed to be because it's hard water so concentrated detergent is getting into contact with the clothes and causing the marks.

Try adding washing soda to the drum before putting the laundry in to wash. It will help to soften the water and should make the detergent more effective. I would also switch to powder and put that in the drawer.

The tablets go in the drawer but there's often sludge left behind. I do have problems with water pressure sometimes but only really for hot water, and my machine is cold fill. I don't think smaller loads is going to help since the worst streaking has happened on a very small load.

Thanks for all the suggestions - I'll check the inlet tap then try washing soda and powder when the shops are open again. Although this paddle thing intrigues me, Shatner - how would I check that?

It doesn't brush off, by the way, even if I flick it.

The plastic ridges inside the drum, the catches on them can snap easily which makes them loose, and fabric can get forced underneath. Just give them a good wobble and tug to see if any aren't fully attached.

Ah, right. No, my sock-ledges all seem fully attached.

I use liquid detergent FWIW, with powder I was always getting residue on the clothes.

try using powder and dosing it straight into the drum before you put the clothes in. It'll dissolve easier that way and keep your drawer free from build up

Liquid detergent doesn't contain the same cleaning agents as powder and your machine is likely to get smelly over time, especially in a hard water area.

Oh and use a bit less powder than the packet says - you should be able to use less with washing soda anyway. That way there's no risk of powder residue.

Liquid detergent is out anyway, unfortunately - every one I've ever tried (along with many powder ones) leaves me puffed up like the Ghostbusters Stay-Puft man and blotchier than a Jackson Pollock. Hence the extra rinse cycle. Really not looking forward to finding a new detergent again Would it be worth switching to a single tablet with washing soda before going to the hassle of finding a powder detergent that doesn't make me want to tear strips off myself?

are you doing low temperature washes? Powder dissolves better in hotter water.

btw Persil non-bio is considered gentle on the irritable skin, although modern thinking seems to say it is the perfume and additive mix rather than the enzymes.

Persil (except Persil for colours) and most other powders, contains beaching agents, so is good for whites, but tends to fade colours.

I almost always use a 40 degree synthetic wash.

it might be worth giving the machine a maintenance wash. Hottest cotton cycle, no powder, no fabsoft. Add a cup of washing soda if you have it. If the water foams up and goes grey, that's old soap residue washing out. Do it again until it stays clean.

You can put white cotton towels in if you have them, as they won't fade or be damaged by the hot wash.

I usually do a maintenance wash once every forty washes, with WM cleaner, on a maintenance wash cycle, so I don't know if another wash will help.

Even Ecover liquid makes you puff up Vitamints? Or too dear?

I've never tried it - have to admit, the price put me off (I'm on ESA). But I guess using less of it it would last me longer.

I've just put the jumper through for another quick wash and dry, and the white staining is nearly gone, but still just about visible.

Thanks for all the help guys, got a lot of things to try.

Tablets are just powder that's ready dosed, so the powder equivalent of the same brand will be the same formula as the tablets.

I'm trying a blue wash today with one colour tablet and a scoop of freshly-purchased soda in the drum. Oh the thrilling tale of endeavour, joy and spectacle that is my life
I await the wash with bated breath.

Not that bated, though, cause it takes hours.

How did it go?

I could've sworn I updated! I bet you've been on tenterhooks.

The blue wash came out clean and didn't smell of anything, even laundry powder. I don't know how it would do wash after wash, but at least there were no white streaks, nothing. Then DP did a couple of washes with our usual two tablets and it wouldn't. stop. frothing. Three rinses. Three! Anyway. So it worked, but then it wasn't a heavily soiled wash.

Exciting stuff Thanks all.

Success then - I suggested powder instead of tablets as it might dissolve more easily. Sounds like it's to do with having hard water.