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…)?

Powder much better than liquids.

Definitely but becoming harder to buy I find. Every test I've seen of powder v liquid shows powder/tablets cleaning better than liquid detergent!

My kids are grown but spot treating of stains (or presoak with Biotex if really grimy) before they go in makes a big difference.

Separate by fabric first, then colours if you have big enough loads.

I struggled with stains until someone mentioned sunshine for tomato stains on here. My DH dropped a spoonful of harissa down a white T-shirt and I wasn't hopeful given all the spices but it was gone after a day in the sun. We've also started leaving our plastic mixing bowl in the sun and it's worked on that.

I use ace for whites on DS's school polos and they always look brand new after!

I saw the tip of leaving stained clothing in the sun to get rid of stains on here years ago and it was a game changer!

Read the labels and wash accordingly. To freshen up tops, jeans and clothes you've worn a couple of time but are clean, a quick 30 minute wash is adequate but would need a fast spin. Pretreat stains with vanish or something similar. Hot wash for towels, bedding and underwear.

For fat and grease stains use talc or similar, dust on the stain and then wash. The grease is absorbed by the powder which is then washed away.

I do lots of separate washes but all full loads. Don’t overfill the machine, the clothes need room to move in the water. I personally prefer powder.
I use a little neat fairy liquid onto stains, and some stains will fade brilliantly in the sun.
Whites only with plain whites, no stripes etc. Bio powder with them.
I separate all colours, similar tones together. I would never put a dark colour in with a paler colour. I also don’t use the max spin. I find 1200 enough.
Synthetics are best washed at a cooler temp.
I only ever wash blacks on their own.
The washing machine never bloody stops though!

Powder for whites.

Towels and underwear at 60.

If you've a new all-singing and dancing machine then it will probably clean some stuff at 30.

The bloke who came round to fix mine when the outflow tube cracked was very scathing about liquids and gels and 30 degrees for anything. But especially together. He said the composition of gel liquids (animal fat to bulk it out) means that 30 degrees just means it stays clogging up your washer.

I do use liquid for colours, but do a 90 degree once a month with a washer cleaner liquid thing in. The difference is notable.

Washing up liquid for grease stains, and Vanish white every so often in a white wash.

On MN there always seems to be competitive cold water and a drop of Sarsons malt vinegar if things are really minging though!

If you find 30 degree washes aren't getting rid of stinky armpits use some white vinegar sprayed on beforehand.

I've also seen vinegar recommended to soften towels (use it in the final rinse instead of fabric softener)

Exactly the same here, except I use Fairy washing up liquid on stains.

The good thing about using powder, apart from the fact it doesn't gunk your machine up, is that you can use half of the recommended dose. A huge box of Surf is much more economical than buying pods or liquids.

Omg stumbling across this thread is like walking into a parallel universe! I literally open my wash basket, grab and armful of whatever’s there, take it and dump in the machine, scoop of powder, glue of fabric Softener, 30 degree temp standard wash.
I take a small number of things to the dry cleaners every couple of months.
Wow 😂

I find the best thing for stains is scrubbing it with cold water and fairy liquid before you put it into the wash. Works every time.

I use Vanish on stains (with cold water).

Halo sports wash for really smelly PE kits.

Smol non bio for dark wash (usually 40 degree Eco or Cotton cycle).

Powder for whites. Also on 40 degree Eco or Cotton cycle.

I don't wash silk or cashmere in the machine even if label says you can. I wash by hand in cool/tepid water and Ecover delicates detergent.

Don't use fabric conditioner.

Do an occasional maintenance cycle on your machine (run it empty or with a bit of vinegar or specific machine cleaning stuff on a v hot cycle).

Wow so many replies!

Okay, so I already separate colours from whites. Usually end up with a colour load of kids stuff, a dark load of adult stuff, a white for adults (including our bedding and about 3 items of actually white clothing), and then a “pale colours” adult load with the whiter of the children’s things chucked in also.

Currently I wash everything at 40, except the towel/bedding loads which are whatever the automatic setting is for those on the machine… Will check.

I’ve got a spray called… Stop or Splosh or something, and I spray that on the kids’ stains and leave for 5ish before a wash.

Have heard of the sunshine and fairy liquid tips before, so will use those more in future!

@Glitteratitar · Today 09:32
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?

Why not wash odd items like this by hand and spin separately

Use powder not liquid
Treat stains with cold water
A bar of soap or fairy liquid rubbed into a stain before washing is as good as (and a lot cheaper!) than vanish
Soak stains in soda crystals (old fashioned but a lot cheaper cheaper than and as good as Vanish etc)

Just to add:

I don’t have a suitable sink for soaking though, so might need to get a special bucket or something…

I use fabric conditioner for everything except towels.

And my new all-singing-all-dancing machine (I kid you not, it literally plays a full song when it ends a cycle) won’t let me NOT do the machine cleaning cycle. It’s militant. So that’s something!

in terms of looking after your machine, leave the door slightly open between uses so the air can circulate and let it dry out

Anyone got any tips for mould stains? Found a bag of wet DD clothes at the bottom of her nursery bag and there are some mould stains on them Not a disaster if they have to be chucked as they're cheap nursery clothes, but would be good to know if I can do anything first! I happily send her to nursery with other stains but mould seems a step too far ...

I use vanish or fairy liquid for greasy stains before washing them use daily wash at 40. I tried 30 but my kids are too gross and I ended up re washing so it was not better for the environment. I’ll try again when they’re older.

This made me smile!

So many good tips here. I wear a lot of white tops, and I only wash whites with whites, absolutely no other colors, no matter how light, included. It really works to keep your whites bright.

I do that too. Works like a charm!

@Goostacean sounds like a good machine. A washing machine engineer once described fabric softener to me as "like kryptonite for washing machines". It really gunks up the motor and the pipes. I've never used it since.

Interesting…. Okay, maybe I should stop using softener?!