Washing powder?

[Missingsleepandthecat]

Hey you lot :D
Right, since DS2 had a really nasty reaction to Surf (the lavender one) hes been using Fairy or Persil non bio, now, he fancies a change but he doesnt know what would be worth a try, I've been thinking about suggesting Daz or a different scent of Surf (he had the pink one before the lavender one and he was fine) but neither him or myself know what may be worth a go.
N/B: he uses 40 and 90deg washes and always uses extra rinse on a normal cottons programme.
Thanks everyone :)

Why change for the sake of it? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I just wouldn't risk another bad allergic reaction. Btw - it's likely to have been the perfume he reacted to rather than the enzymes.

I'm not a fan of strong smelling detergent for this reason. I like the smell, but I tend to find that the chemicals used can trigger allergic reactions. My rule is that I stick to whatever bog standard big box of bio powder is on offer, as long as it's the original one - original Persil, Daz, Ariel bio etc. Never had a problem with any of them and all wash well. I avoid the "with essential oils" and "scent booster" or other such unwanted nastiness. I do the same with fabric softener too and use any of the original range, but avoid the "infusions" and "exhilerations" ones.

Wow, thats what I think with regards to the perfume, but he's only now thinking of going back to using bio, which is why I thought I'd ask here.

Rabbit, how strong is daz when its in the clothes (so to speak)?

He doesnt use much fabric softener but when he does its always a "sensitive" or ecover one

Daz is fine. I don't find it smells any stronger than Persil or Fairy and it washes well.
Just bear in mind that when you change detergent, it will naturally smell much stronger than your previous one whilst your senses adjust too it.

Thanks Rabbit, speaking of strong smells, when Lenor changed the formular to the new fresh lock or longer lasting freshness one, hes not been able to use it, and this was one of the classic scents as well, and I always used it on his clothes even when he was a baby too :(
Thanks for your help both :)

Sainsbury's own brand washing powder is really good, and has a much gentler and more pleasant scent than Persil and Ariel etc. I use bio, non-bio and colours powder from their range (depending on what I'm washing) and they all work just fine. And are about 50% cheaper than the branded ones.

Just looked at Sainsbos website (how sad am I? just waiting for dinner to cook to be fair) and you can get a 20 wash box of their washing powder for £2.50.

Ah, I keep forgetting about the ones they do, another thing I forgot to add into my OP was that our GP suggested occasionally using bio but to use non bio for the bulk of the time, he did explain more but it was complicated.
Thanks mintyy

for info, here are the 2015 Which? results on washing powders:

1. Formil (Lidl) - 89% BEST BUY
2. Ariel Bio - 88% BEST BUY
3. Sainsburys Bio - 83% BEST BUY
4. Almat Bio - 81% BEST BUY
5. The Co-Operative Bio - 80% BEST BUY
6. Persil Bio - 79%
7. Tesco Bio - 76%
8. Waitrose Essential Bio - 75%
9. Daz Regular - 72%

10. Morrisons Non-Bio - 61% 11. Almat Non-Bio - 59% 12. Asda Chosen By You Tropical Paradise - 59% 13. Persil Non-Bio - 59% 14. Tesco Non-Bio - 58% 15. Surf Tropical - 57% 16. The Co-Operative Non-Bio - 57%

Fairy and Bold both got "Don't Buy's" for scoring less than 50%.

Missingsleepandthecat from experience, that's a load of rubbish. Sounds like your GP was fobbing you off. The Biological element of the detergent is not what triggers the reaction. It's the chemical perfumes used.

In the US, Australia and parts of mainland Europe, non-bio doesn't exist. Sensitive detergents are all biological, but contain little to no perfumes and no optical brighteners

I'm really surprised about Fairy getting a dont buy, Bold on the other hand I found rubbish, thanks Rabbit, I'll have a chat with DS2 and show him the Which list

Which? aren't always bang on and of course you should remember that it's all lab tested, so things will be different at home. But it's a good overall guide and there best buys are usually always very good.

Rabbit, he said it was like changing your shampoo over periodically?
Tbh, I dont really understand it, and yeah, DS2 said about the perfumes causing the reaction, he was using Ecover bio which smells just well, natural but he found it left washing with an odd "sour" smell and it was difficult to get hold of

Missingsleepandthecat, you should be thankful DS2 takes such interest in his own laundry LOL. I'm sick of asking both of ours to come off mobile phones and iPads to even put their dirty washing in the basket, nevermind put the washer on. DD1 is constantly walking around with a mobile phone clamped to her head and won't come off it, have to send her text message to clear the table :P.

Try Method stuff - really fresh smelling.

Also, I've swapped to the Fairy Gel (not powder/liquid) and it's a more concentrated smell.

Personally, I wouldn't ever recommend using a liquid or gel. They're cheaper to manufacture and more expensive to sell, so the detergent companies make more money from them, but they don't wash or rinse out as well and over time will cause residue and mould build up in your washing machine.

I've just bought Morrison's non-bio powder and I'm very pleased with it. Washes well and smells lovely. Fingers crossed it doesn't trigger DS' eczema.

Right, I've had a chat to DS2, he'll give Daz and the Sainsbury's bio's a try, and buy either one of those or Fairy depending on what he fancies when he needs powder next.
Rabbit, he's good with stuff like this, he likes cleaning too, thing is, (he gets it off me, I have no doubt) he likes to be able to have a verity of what he can use because I've always felt that sometimes it helps wash out any residues in the clothes or machine iyswim, I'm a powder user and he prefers powder because he finds it leaves the washing machine drum "feeling" cleaner

Yes, but I do use power too for my bedding and towels

And a 60c maintenance wash regularly. Can you tell I have a new washing machine?

I use the Lidl powder and it is really good - I use less than half the recommended amount and it still cleans very well

I've recently switched to Aldi capsules; with an 8kg machine I put 2 capsules in & the results at 40 are excellent (& at Aldi prices 2 capsules is still cheaper than eg Ariel)

I used to use non-bio & most stuff always came out smelling a bit musty.

Thanks for the suggestions ladies

yes, is he sticking to the recommended dose or just chucking it in?
use ond of the measuring cups and use the dosage on the box. then gradually reduce powder (they want to sell as much as they can of course). I use about half the recomnended dose, clothes still come out clean.

shared mashine in halls?

he uses 50ml, and hes really precise about it, he has his own machines in the garage, when he cant get out to use them during bad weather he uses mine.
He used to use Ecover non bio because like the bio tablets it smells natural but unlike them its easy to get hold of, he used to get 50 odd washes out of a 25 wash box, but, like with the tablets over a set period of time he got a weird sour smell in his washing, it was a bit like a stale soap smell?

IME it's better to use a bit more than suggested, not less.

Unless you actually weigh your washing it's impossible to gauge & I'd rather overdose a bit & avoid the skanky musty smell if poss. It's only a few pence per wash