What could we be doing wrong with our new washing machine?

[newlark]

I hope the wisdom of mumsnet can help... our old, faithful washing machine died after 10 years and we bought a new one with good reviews this summer. It is a Bosch Varioperfect model. We wash all normal clothes on the standard 40 degree programme using the recommended dose of Ariel or Persil washing liquid (bio for whites, colour protect for coloureds).

Apart from being a bit annoying that a standard wash takes 2 hr 45 mins our biggest problem is that it doesn't get the clothes very clean.

One issue is dirty streaks on clothes (I suspect this is from the door seal - I have been wiping it regularly but not every wash but after a particularly bad load I noticed that there was some grey sludge in the bottom of the seal where it should be draining.

Another issue is clothes not smelling very fresh, particularly if the machine is not emptied immediately - because the load takes so long we sometimes put it on when we go to bed and it smells slightly musty in the morning which suggests there are bacteria left in clothes which are multiplying.

A third issue is that areas of white garments which are exposed to sweat are going yellow very quickly - again suggesting they aren't washing properly.

What are peoples experiences with these so-called "eco friendly" new machines (not so eco-friendly if you have to re-wash stuff!). Does a quick wash with a smaller load do any better? Is it better to use powder or liquid? What have you found to be the optimal way to use them? We do a regular 90 degree empty wash with white vinegar already. Any suggestions welcome! Thank you :)

Oxygen based bleaching agents don't fade or strip colour like chlourine bleach does... would take years to notice...

Doesn't Napisan contain oxygen-based bleaches?
Napisan very noticeably bleached our patterned nappy covers, very quickly
the items lost their bright colours (I did use the right amount, not an overdose).

This didn't happen when I stopped washing such coloured nappies /wraps in Napisan.

Trying to be open minded, but you're not convincing me Rabbit. Or maybe you're saying the amount of oxygen-bleach in colour detergent is hugely less than found in Napisan?

I still wash whites with Napisan & get good results.

non colour detergent certainly fade clothes ime.

We had this with a brand new machine- I couldn't even be sure the whites had been washed at all as all the stains and muck was still there even with a tiny load , it was that bad. With 2 small kids everything gets very dirty at the moment too. We found online people saying that that since companies started trying to reduce the water usage to get a better Eco rating the machines aren't rinsing effectively. I upped the rinse level to the top setting and set it to intensive wash and it seems much better though probably still a bit worse than our old (cheaper!) one. I don't like using more resources but it's got to be more economical than washing things twice.

ragged, I don't know anything about Napisan I'm afraid, I've never used it and it wasn't a product I ever had any involvement with through work.

Obviously people will find what works best for them, but those were the facts I learned through working with Unilever directly.

After working for them, I stopped using colour detergents and now use a biological powder for all laundry. I get whichever is on offer as they're all much of a muchness (except Bold, which is rubbish) and have noticed no increase in fading compared with when I did use colour and have noticed that the laundry is much cleaner.