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

Wash whites separately and everything goes on at 40.

I do dark and light colours separately. I use about half of the recommended detergent and do an extra rinse as I found it wasn't rinsing out well and giving us trouble with dry skin.
Im also bit over the top about having a clean machine. I run high temp runs, wipe the trims and clean the detergent drawer to remove any yucky stuff regularly.

I wash everything on quick wash 40 unless it's got err bodily fluids on it! I separate, but only into pale and dark. Ignore handwash unless it's a very expensive item. Never used fabric conditioner. Soak blood first. Put biological laundry liquid direct on teenagers armpits of shirts. Everything gets hung on line or heated airer. Never iron...DH does his shirts and the odd thing every couple of weeks.

Our usual cycle is a mixed load on at 40° - regardless of what any labels say!
So yes, I mix whites with colours, different fabrics, etc.
I think we've only had 1 or 2 mishaps - a woollen jumper shrunk and some white underwear can out slightly pink thanks to a red football shirt!

Whites go separate, darks/blacks separate but I also do reds together and blues/browns. All the clothes at 40 degrees in a 60 minute fast wash. Then I do bed linen separate and towels are separate too. Them I wash at 60 degrees.

I don't separate by colour but by 'adults' and 'baby' clothes. Adult clothes go on a 30 and baby clothes on a 50 with a spoon of vanish. I've never used non bio with the baby clothes. Bedding and towels go on a 60 together.

I find the best stain remover for whites is to hang them out in the sun, so bring on the summer!
I always separate colours and whites but don't bother separating dark and light colours. I always use a fabric conditioner so they smell nice. I don't have a tumble dryer but swear by my heated dryer in the winter. Seeing the bottom of the laundry basket is a good feeling (sad!)

Whites
Whites with colour trim -washed with colour catcher
Colours- pinks reds nudes
blues greys greens
Darks- black navy dark grey brown
Delicates

All above done separately
Usually at 40*

Dishcloths, cleaning cloths mops etc done at 60** or 90 degrees

All underwear/ socks go in little net bags for washing.

I much prefer Fairy powder tablets to liquids or liqui tabs. Difficult to get though

I line dry in summer.
Otherwise I dry in my large garage- I have a line in there and metal airers.
I rarely use my tumble dryer. I use it for 'emergency' drying or to 'finish' off sheets before they go in the airing cupboard.

I never handwash anything, delicates cycle if it's lucky. Likewise everything gets tumble dried. Otherwise it never gets worn!

Baby clothes must be washed together only. I do not want husbands underwear in with it!

Bath mats get washed separately on 60 degrees

Bed linen is also separately at 60 degrees

I also add a capful of dettol laundry every 2nd/3rd wash , as I figure over the month or so everything gets a proper clean.

I use fairy non bio for my baby's skin!

I use net bags for bras, and pairs of small socks. I also realised they were great for bathrobe belts and apron strings. Otherwise they tangle around the rest of the washing so it ends up as a huge ball.

I mostly wash on 20 or 30 (my washing machine has a fantastic eco cycle on 20 degrees that is supposed to be at good as a 40, and I've had no reason to disagree so far).

If clothes are really dirty (eg food, heavy mud or baby poo) I rinse them in the bath first to get rid of any matter. If they're stained I rinse them as soon as possible and then apply stain remover to the stain (or surface cleaner or bicarbonate of soda if I don't have any stain remover) and leave to soak in a bucket (cold water for blood) before machine washing on 40 or 60 depending what the stain was from, how bad it is, how delicate the item of clothing is and what else I'm planning to wash in the same load.

I wash whites separately.

I wash jeans and heavy trousers seperately.

I wash black and very dark colours separately.

I wash the kids' clothes separetly from ours (but only because we have 3 kids and it's a simple way of separating loads).

I wash sheets, towels and dish clothes/cleaning cloths separately. Sometimes I wash these on 60 (or occasionally 90) if they're heavily soiled or someone's been ill. Otherwise, I think 40 is fine.

My mother in law has a dryer and I sometimes use it for towels and kids' face clothes because it makes them so soft. For everything else I prefer to line dry. To keep pairs of socks together, and for drying underwear and baby clothes I haves 3 "socktopuses" from Ikea (www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/laundry-cleaning-products/drying-racks/pressa-hanging-dryer-16-clothes-pegs-assorted-colours-art-80189663/) which are just so useful and stop small items from blowing away/getting lost or taking up too much space. And they're so quick to bring inside when the rain starts...

Handwash only expensive bras.
Spin most nonspin clothes, but on a low rotation and often stop it half way through.

Always reshape clothes before hanging.

I don't like fabric softener and use it very rarely. Sometimes I use vinegar instead.

I separate colours and types of fabric when I can.
If not, then use a short cycle at a low temperature.

Almost never use high temperatures, unless there's an intestinal virus around. In that case, I also add some diluted bleach.

Grease stains are best removed by pressing treatment with dish washing soap and hot water. Or just smear some soap on it before putting in the machine.

Delay overnight washes until dawn so that clothes don't wrinkle as much.

I did print out a laundry symbols chart to try and help me as I've shrunk so many cashemere and wool items! However I did ignore it the other day and washed my down filled winter jacket which is a bit like a duvet/sleeping bag. It said don't wash, don't dry clean, don't tumble so I thought sod that, i have to wash it or it's never going to be worn again... wool wash at 30 with no spin... about an hour drying it with a hairdryer and trying to fluff it back up again. Looks fine!! Probably cost as much in electricity as buying a new one though!

I don’t separate anything, it all goes in together at 40 on a wash that takes about an hour, then straight into tumble dryer.

I wash towels and bedding together.

Life is too short to spend hours on laundry. I never iron anything.

Best stain removal: green Fairy liquid (the one for dishes...)

Towels and bedding - two separate washes - usually 40 degrees, unless someone has been ill when it's at least 60 degrees with Napisan in it.

Once I know things don't run I do mixed colour washes.

When the weather is reasonable washing is dried outside - if raining inside on clothes racks. Hang t-shirts, shirts and jumpers on hanger immediately out of machine to avoid ironing.

I also have a separate small spin dryer that can spin things like towels etc. almost dry in bad weather.

My washing machine weighs each load and adjusts the amount of water. to the wash so I don't feel guilty about wasting water and electricity if I put in less than half a load. I use the short shirt/blouse cycle for other things which are not very dirty.

Colours,darks and whites. Mainly wash at 40. Sometimes 30. Little and often,I don't overload. When it comes to 'hand wash only' I either use hand wash on my machine or just hand wash in the sink. Bedding and towels always use a cotton wash 40. Sometimes use the eco setting but on a daily basis I use the 'daily wash' setting which is equivalent to 'half load' so it saves on water.

Hand wash only - goes on at 30%. I don't do anything special with my bras either!

I soak over night very stained clothes and put them to wash after , it does work magic.

I separate my whites, dark fabrics and coloured fabrics.

Whilst at work, I set an automatic wash so it finishes when i get home so I can then hang up to dry. I repeat that everyday and then put all of the clothes away at the end of the week when I have more time to do so. (Family with both parents working full-time)

I pretty much just wash it and hope for the best. Every now and then getting the stain remove out haha

I always follow the hand wash or wool cycle advice, I tend to ignore the wash with similar colours advice!

I love the time saving wash setting for minimally dirty stuff!

I wash most things on 40 , I will do wools and delicates on 30 wash if I am worried about them getting ruined. Never mix whites with dark or colours.
I do over fill the drum though , but with a family of 5 I need to get through as much as I can in each wash... my machine is starting to chew things though ...I am hoping that slightly less full loads will help??
oh and I always just chuck underwired bras in which I probably shouldn't do , are you not supposed to put them in a laundry bag?