What laundry rules do you follow or ignore? Share with Fairy Non Bio for a chance to win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

With laundry stacked high and always increasing, it can be tempting to break even the most basic of laundry rules in order to keep on top of the task. Fairy Non Bio would like to hear about the rules you implement (or ignore!) when you’re doing the laundry.

Here’s what Fairy has to say: “We want to know what’s important to you. Have you found a way to save time? A way to get the best stain removal? A way to keep clothes huggably soft? Or even just a way to not lose matching socks! We would love to hear your tricks of the trade.”

What’s your perspective on laundry rules? Either way, Fairy Non Bio wants to know. Do you obey temperature regulations or simply stick everything in at 40? Perhaps you’re the kind of person who avoids overfilling and never fails to air-dry fine fabrics. Or, maybe you fill the machine to the brim and adopt a one size fits all approach to drying that would make manufacturers weep. Whatever they may be, divulge your laundry indiscretions.

Share the rules that you follow and those you ignore on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Sorry that should have read 30 for pakwa and darks. Just towels at 40 and occasional 60 and sheets are done on 60.

I do a lights rather than whites wash, and hope for the best

I do a whites and baby clothes wash I think that's probably a 90 cycle.. I do a darks wash at 40 which is quick. I use sensitive powder and fabric conditioner whichever is on offer. I over fill the machine all the time.. I dry it in an airer indoors or line if its nice out... No tumble dryer here. I never iron a thing. My partner sometimes irons his work clothes.. I find with shirts if you hang them up as soon as they come out they dry lovely. I put trainers in the wash with clothes all the time!

I chuck everything in the same wash with some powder and fabric conditioner and put it on a 60 minute quick wash. Occasionally I'll do a white wash when the kids get their judo uniform dirty. So I probably break most of the rules. I've had no issues so far.

I try to stick to the rules, but unfortunately I have never learnt what those symbols mean (beyond temperatures) so I probably do make some howlers. I don’t overfill the machine and I am strict about whites and darks. I tumble dry most things, sometimes with a sad ending.

Pretty lazy - everything at 40

A load a day to keep on top of the laundry pile!
I always separate whites from darks and colours to keep the whites whiter for longer.
40 degree for a dark/ colour wash.
60 degree for whites
Line dry! To prevent shrinkage and I love the smell.

I'm quite strict at separating my whites from coloureds and darks, they all go into separate washes. I also do a regular 'towel wash' as I don't like putting them in with clothes. I try not to overfill my washer and I always use fabric conditioner.

White sheets and towels are washed separately on a 60degree cotton wash - usually with some stain remover. Woollens are washed in wash bags on the correct wash with delicate wash detergent. Everything else is in together on a 'mixed load' wash - usually at 30degrees.

I used to put everything in the same wash regardless of colour, then I was sick of having grey whites and figured you need to separate them. I also used to put everything on a quick wash but discovered that doesn't get stains out or make the clothes smell nice so that changed also. I put baby clothes in one wash on their own as they are to cute to be ruined. I put what I can on the heated airer to dry, anything that has no chance of drying on it goes in the dryer.

Age has definitely made me wiser when it comes to laundry.

I stick bibs in on a hand wash cycle because I can't get the smell out of them through washing up. Woollen items have to go on a wool wash other that that 40s light, 40s dark and a hot wash!

I have no rules. If something wool's in there, it all gets done on a wool wash. Not much washing at the moment, as the DC are living in pyjamas, and they get changed every 2 days.

What’s your perspective on laundry rules? Either way, Fairy Non Bio wants to know. Do you obey temperature regulations or simply stick everything in at 40? Perhaps you’re the kind of person who avoids overfilling and never fails to air-dry fine fabrics. Or, maybe you fill the machine to the brim and adopt a one size fits all approach to drying that would make manufacturers weep. Whatever they may be, divulge your laundry indiscretions

I dont really do rules 😁

I tend to wash at 40 except for whites like bedding and towels..they go on at 60

I totally over fill my machine - bad habit

I do try to be careful with delicates and air dry them but with a hay fever sufferer in the house bedding in summer is always tumble dried

Tip: don't wash cashmere at 60 😣😣

DH does the washing and follows all the rules.

I used to tease him about it but noticed recently that a colleague and I purchased the same dress in different colours - after six months (of roughly the same amount of wear) mine still looks new and hers is bobbly, faded and misshapen so perhaps he has a point

The only rule I really follow is whites go on their own. Otherwise I am a laundry slattern. We don't iron - everything is dried on hangers over a dehumidifier and it works great (if you have our low standards). DH even has non iron shirts now which are great

Try to keep whites serperate, but that is about it!

I always wash blacks and whites separately but am less strict with coloureds. Prefer separate softener. Usually a 60C wash but am trying to reduce to 40C. Probably overfill my machine. Fairy non-bio wash and softener are my favourites.

I chuck in 1 or 2 fairy tabs (depending on load size) wash everything together at 30. If it is dog stuff or been soiled by my baby then it goes in at 60. Everything then goes in the dryer (except knitted cardigans and bras) my husband has wrecked 4 knitted cardigans by shoving them in the dryer so he's been banned from doing it for now 😂

Anything new with a strong colour gets a soak in the sink for a couple of hours before it goes anywhere near the washer

All I do is make sure my sons white school tops aren't in with colours. Everything else is bunged in together. My laundry pile never seems to go down so I don't have time to look at labels and follow the laundry rules 😂😂 it's all or nothing! Though I do make sure the kids uniforms aren't put in the dryer as I have a tendency to shrink things ha ha x

Yeah I just chuck it all in. DH clothes get a wash of their own because his smelly armpit smell is hard to get out so his clothes get washed at 60

Whites wash, lights wash, darks wash. Separate washes for bedding and towels. Everything washed at 40c irregardless of washing instructions (I never check anyway) apart from towels which get washed at 60c.

Anything hand wash only is usually chucked in the washing machine on a delicates cycle, so far never destroyed anything.

Baby clothes are washed only with fairy pods and fairy or comfort white fabric conditioner. Adult clothes are washed with colour safe pods and a nicely scented fabric conditioner. Baby clothes with stains get a dose of fairy stain remover, adult clothes get a dose of Vanish.

I must admit, I do overfill my machine on occasion when I can't be bothered to do multiple washes.

Unless it was expensive or a favourite item - it usually goes in the tumble dryer even if the washing instructions say not to tumble dry. Only exception to this rule is anything with beads, sequins, transfers, etc

During the warmer months, I prefer to hang the washing out to dry. Up until recently, I had a washer dryer that was rubbish at drying - I now have a separate dryer and it's much better and clothes come out far softer!

All the above is post baby. Before baby it was stick it all in at 40, tumble dry everything - hope for the best

Most washing gets separated into lights and darks and washed at 40 on the ‘wash plus’ and ‘aqua plus’ cycle. Anything claiming to need a handwash or dry clean still gets put in the machine but on the hand wash cycle. I don’t overfill the machine. My OH, on the other hand, just stuffs in a mixture of lights, dark and delicates on the shortest cycle possible and hopes for the best!

I separate whites, darks and colours as well as school jumpers, jeans, towels and bedding. I do most washes at 40 degrees and the jumpers on synthesis cycle, the towels and bedding on 60 or 40 degree wash but always with stream wash on. I only tumble dry towels, bedding and clothes that can be tumble dried but never t-shirts as I think this does them no good. I love it when the washing can be hung outside especially the bedding as it smells so fresh after being hung outside to dry.

I'm a laundry rebel, I mix colours, wash everything on a 40 cotton wash, use hardly any detergent, no laundry additives, no maintenance wash, and i only iron for special occasions