Please talk to me about laundry like I’m an idiot

[Goostacean]

Eldest just about to start school, and I struggle with stains on the kids’ clothing/ knowing which temp or cycle to use etc. After ruining a brand new dress by getting an unidentified stain on it, I’d love to be a bit more in control of the laundry.

We have a new Samsung WW90T534DAW_WH washing machine that does auto dosing so I’ve just switched to using Ariel detergent liquid instead of pods.

What does everyone find most effective for whites / darks / food stains / other stains / silk or cashmere (bane of my life…)?

The basics:

You can wash most things at 30 degrees (better for environment/energy usage).

Separate whites/lights and darks.

High temperatures will set stains, never use a hot wash for stain removal (loads of people make this mistake).

I like to use a Vanish spray, or a scoop of Vanish powder (or own brand oxy action powder) in the wash to get rid of stubborn stains. You can soak in a Vanish solution overnight (but never do this for dark coloured items - they'll fade).

Sunlight is a highly effective stain remover and is usually my "go to". Hang your item on the washing line or an airer on a sunny day and the stain is usually gone a few hours later (or barely visible and will be fully removed in the next round of laundry).

Soaking in cold water with salt will remove blood stains (but will set everything else - beware).

Wool and cashmere - use wool/delicate detergent and the handwash/wool cycle. Always use the lowest spin cycle possible (I usually pick 400), the high spin settings cause felting and shrinking.

Beware of using products (like Persil) with optical brighteners for anything other than whites and light colours - they fade fabrics fast.

Thanks @Poppins2016, didn't realise that about hot temperatures and stains!

I use washing soda crystals to soak stained laundry in first, which helps, especially with my baby (aka Sir Poopsalot).

Thanks, that’s helpful. I knew a few of those already which is a positive!

I think I need to reread my machine manual because as far as I can tell, I can’t add a scoop of anything at the same time as the liquid auto dosing. I may be wrong! The scoop you’re referring to goes in the drawer not the drum itself, right?!

How do I know what has an optical brightener…?

Brilliant tip re the sunshine, will try that on the dress

I deal with stains before I put things in to wash. I have a 14yo boy who destroys clothes 🙄and I find this approach is more successful.

I do all the basic washing first - sheets, towels etc. While that's running, I sort through the rest and use Vanish spray or if a really stubborn stain, Vanish bar soap. I work up a lather over the stain with a drop of warm water and then leave it for the hour that the other wash is running. Then put the heavy soiled load in next. I only wash at 30 degrees.

Sunlight removes tomato stains so ketchup, pasta sauce, pizza oil etc. Just hang them outside on the line.

Vanish gold gel, it's expensive, but when it's a serious station nothing else works as well, I've tried the dupes and alternatives. Don't get it on your fingers though our of you do wash immediately and very thoroughly. Apply directly to the stain, I usually leave it while the previous load is on, with whites you can even leave it over night

Agree with doing stains before the wash and always using cold water. I use co op stain remover powder as it is cheaper, but also use washing powder neat on the stain. if it is a fatty stain I use washing up liquid .
Whites I use neat bleach but you have to be careful not touch anything with colour and not leave it on very long.

I second the vanish soap bar. I can never find it in shops, but order online. Really rub it in and leave for a few hours for stubborn stains.

I don't buy things like wool and cashmere on purpose because it's just asking for a washing disaster. This is also why a buy lots of cheap school uniform, so it doesn't matter if it gets ruined. If you can, get your DC changed when they get home from school to save washing.

I'm old school with bad stains and soak them in the sink with a scoop of Vanish poweder. Leave it for an hour with colours or longer for whites. Then wash it in the machine as normal. Agree line drying in sunlight is good for stains.

Ok ok this is the only thing you need …

fairy liquid dish soap on stains. This is the only thing that works. Fact. Squirt it on the affected area, a good healthy squeeze on all clothes with collars stains armpits etc
tada. Clean.

put in your normal washy stuff as per . Don’t go too nuts in soft water areas / water softeners in situ

thank me later .,

I am no expert but I do red/pink separately and usually put yellows in too - I find yellows and pinks go a bit grey if washed with blue/greys even if light shades.

So I have a one year old and too much stuff stains to bother dealing with it all beforehand. I also have a Samsung washing machine that doesn't want you to put powder in with liquid (but not the auto-dosing one) so am experimenting with a scoop of Vanish for the pre-wash cycle instead. Also, I read that washing powder is better at getting whites clean but will fade colours so I'm gonna start separating whites from light colours and washing the whites with powder. Also just moved to a house with a garden so I'm hoping some sunshine will help. But not sure I've solved it yet, so mostly here for tips!

My MIL told me this when baby was weaning and absolutely works. Especially good on oil/greasy stains too. Rub a little Fairy in with your finger, stick in the wash. Gone.

I used fairy liquid for stains too.

Another vote for fairy liquid.

White separate to any thing else.
Splosh stain remover is amazing stuff and does everything.

Daz for whites in this house. Only thing that got baby food etc stains out. Red cardboard box, powder.
30 degrees. Make a paste and put it on the stain. I used to then put that in the 1/2 sink part with the plug in. Leave it to soak in for a few hours. Then wash with more Daz.

Another one here for Fairy liquid on a stain before a wash.

@Goostacean also remember to use the ‘clean the machine’ program every month (pretty sure Samsung has one). If not make sure you’re doing a hot wash for sheets from time to time. Also - liquids and pods contribute to the grey sludge you can get between the rubber door collar thing (forgotten the name) and the edge of the drum. Especially when washing below 60 degrees. If you mainly wash at low temp consider using powder which doesn’t cause so much sludge. Wipe the machine door and collar. Leave the door slightly open to avoid smells. I wash all underwear (DP underpants) at 40 but my blouses and the like at 30. Bedlinen and towels at 50 or 60.
I don’t use any of the 4 hour programs but usually the daily wash then change the temperature or add rinses/change the spin speed as needed. There are some great articles on stain removal to be found by googling. Also always put wired bras in a zip net bag as that will possibly save you if the underwire comes out.

Don’t wash bulky items with trims with delicate fabrics (can catch). So I was jeans together in one wash, I wash fleeces together in a different wash for example.

Finally the obvious ones - wash new stuff of the same colour together, don’t mix whites or lights and coloureds, empty all pockets, zip up and button items (avoids stretching and snagging).

ColeensBoot

Daz for whites is my favourite for all my whites , plus a scoop of vanish for whites platinum, then dry on the washing line best on a sunny day, very satisfying looking at my very white bedding and sheets, one of my friends was having a cuppa in my garden last week and ask how come my bedding a towels still look so white!! She said hers had a yellow ting .

she went and bought the Daz white powder and the vanish stripped her white bedding off bed and did a 60 long wash and dryed on the line (sunny day) said she could not believe how much better they looked.

I've always used washing up liquid for stains too: a little bit dripped on to the stain and rubbed in with my finger

People's techniques will vary so you might get some contradiction in the thread!

I tend to wash everything at 40. Check for stains when I put things into the wash, and use a multi-purpose stain remover spray on spot stains. The things I find the multi-purpose stain remover doesn't work well on are grease/oil/fat stains, and blood. If you look in the luandry section of a large supermarket or somewhere like Robert Dyas, you will find an array of specific stain removers. I have one for oil and one for blood/protein (it apparently also works on egg and sperm XD) plus one for sweat and deodorant, which I use on any whiffy armpit tops, which tend to be mine (pregnancy/BF hormones) or teen DS1. DS1 used to get fairly regular nosebleeds, which is why I bought the blood remover one.

If a stain is still visible after going through the wash, I dry it in as direct sunlight as I can as the UV light helps to break down stains, particularly tomato, berries, carrot and that liquidy baby poo that gets everywhere. Also baby clothes with old milk/vomit marks that have developed in storage - sunlight gets those out too. Direct, bright sunlight is best, but a window is OK, outside on a rainy or cloudy day, even moonlight.

Certain substances are dyes, so they won't come out if you've managed to stain with them, no matter what you do. Turmeric (the bright yellow colour in a lot of curries), bleach (beware of "antibacterial" cleaning sprays, many contain bleach) and black coffee - coffee that has milk in it does tend to come out, though. Also things like hair dye and some kinds of paint/pen.

"Colour" detergent doesn't contain bleach so is better to preserve the colours of bright or dark items.

I do a maintenance wash at 90 every 6 months, or 3 months now I use pods. I've never used liquid so not sure about that. I don't know if I trust the auto dose machines but it might be I don't understand them. I found a YT channel Lord's Electrical very helpful on the topic of washing machine info.

Spot treating: elbow grease spray or vanish bar
Everything on 40 except delicates which go on 30
Sheets or anything very soiled go on 60
Every month I do a machine clean (mine is a Samsung too)
Use powder, not liquid.
Don't use softener, especially on denim

Oh, and drying outside in uv light will make stains go too :)

I also have a question…what about coloured items. I feel like a rich pink item will get ruined if I wash it with darks.

Or maybe a light pink - definitely can’t wash with darks but can’t wash with whites…but can’t wash with reds in case it runs. Am I overthinking?

Fully agree on the regular 60 degree+ wash to keep the machine clean inside. MIL proudly only ever does 30 min cold washes and her machine STINKS of mould.

Appreciate it costs a bit extra but worth it to keep the machine in good state