D'oh! I just realised my washing machine has a special cycle for darks! What obvious thing did you not know?

[user1471456822]

How did I miss this?!! I've had it for a year!

I've been torturing myself recently (I have a dull life) over what is the correct detergent to use with darks when all along I've been using the wrong cycle on the washing machine!

Anyone else had a d'oh moment?!

Colour liquid is best for darks and bio powder is best for lights, whites, towels & bedding.

Thanks! Yes, i've added coloured liquid to my shopping list.

Lights/mixed is a bit awkward isn't it? Especially black and white stripes!

Gaah!

I separate whites, towels, bedding, woollens and cleaning cloths. All coloureds go together here. Non-bio powder for everything, as I couldn't be bothered with having more than one laundry product at a time!

I'm 38 and didn't realise until very recently that the buttons on women's clothes are on the opposite side to men's!

After five months I today figured out how to run a spin cycle on our washing machine. My excuse is that I've always had machines with a separate spin programme on the main programme dial.

That the extra bit on baby grows arms are built in mittens. DS1 is 8 and only realised with DS2 when he was 2m old, he is now almost 4m old

I spent a year thinking my rain cover was to big for my silver cross before realising a popper that fastens underneath lol

I once paid for a washing machine repair man to come out because the machine was leaking. It turned out that the dispensing drawer was completely clogged up with congealed liquid and powder. I didn't know you were able/supposed to take it out and clean it. I am blushing now remembering the state of it (and the expense).

Surely a special cycle for darks is nothing more than a marketing gimmick?! (Albeit one that was lost on you OP!).

I've got a "darks" cycle too on my much-loathed Bosch. What on earth does it do? how is it different to all the other cycles? the instruction booklet is worse than hopeless, so I am completely none the wiser.

As it is, I wash my darks on a normal cottons cycle and use bio colour powder (not liquid, powder is better for keeping the machine clean) put straight into the drum first then washing on top.

I had my machine for ten years before I realised read on Mumsnet that the 'easy iron' cycle just left your clothes damper. I thought my machine was on the blink as I began to notice that everything was coming out sopping.