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

I always turn things inside out to wash and do up buttons and zips to stop things losing their shape.

I have a lot of baby clothes to wash and pretty all of it gets soaked before a wash and an extra rinse.

Also no softener for towels or jeans. Not sure why for jeans but it's something my mum always told me!

Everything in @ 40 degrees using fairy.

Wash white and light colours together everything else is the darks wash.
Avoid overfilling the machine and hang outside in the air if st all possible.

Probably every rule everything goes in on a 30 degree quick wash together

I’m terrible for leaving stuff in the washing machine and totally forgetting about... I’m sure I walk around sometimes smelling musty!

I only have one rule and that's separating lights and darks.

I do separate all washing into colours . Don't over fill machine. Use slightly more detergent than I should. Wash on 30 to 40 . Wash every day to keep on top otherwise it all gets too much . Easier to dry when there are not a lot of wet loads . Dry on pulley. Only tumble dry socks

Do you obey temperature regulations or simply stick everything in at 40 ?
I think if you have a good detergent and the clothing is lightly soiled it will be fine at 40.
Otherwise I look at the washing instructions and try to stick by them.
I love the non iron school uniforms, they are a godsend - these on 40 with a fairy tablet come out looking like new.
Underwear is always at a higher wash, and washed separately.
I capful of conditioner helps with the ironing.

my tips are
Don’t wash towels with clothes at it makes clothes bobbly.
Baby clothes are washed only with fairy pods and fairy or comfort white fabric conditioner.
I wash jeans and heavy trousers separately and add a colour catcher (just in case any of the dye lingers for your next wash).
If is says handwash - then HANDWASH it's there for a reason, don't gamble on your delicate wash (I know from experience of my husbands Christmas cashmere jumper).

I love washing... it's my favourite job. I pride myself on never losing a sock... I have two boys and a DH, it seems - talking to other mums- this is an achievement.
I love clean bedding and freshly laundered clothes. I always use non-bio one of the boys has eczema. I stopped using fabric conditioner for the same reason.
I wash most things at 40 degrees, but occasionally do a hot bedding / towel wash.

I just bung everything in together. I can’t buy any posh jumpers as I will shrink them.

I separate whites and colours, and I wouldn’t tumble-dry wool, but that’s about it. I find that things labelled hand wash only do fine on a cool wool/delicates cycle.

Darks sand colours separate on 40 degrees, whites separate 60 degrees, towels separate 90 degrees no conditioner for towels drying on ALDI heated dryer no tumble dryer

Everything goes in together on a 30 degree fast wash. Hung outside unless it's chucking it down all day. Got rid of tumble dryer this year. Clothes all look better, we are saving a fortune and helping the environment

I'm not really sure what all the rules are, so I don't know if I obey them all or not.

I always separate lights from colours.
I always use different detergent for lights & colours.
I wash darks at 30, lights at 40 and towels and bed linen at 50.
I always put wool on the cold cycle with no heat at all.
I have no idea how much a load weighs, so I try to make sure that the machine is not rammed full and the clothes still have room to move around and therefore get clean.
I never use fabric conditioner because I don't like it.

Any mixing of colours with lights is a beheading offence in my household.

I separate my clothes diligently. No shortcuts because replacing them would be too expensive. It's worth being careful to keep clothes looking nice.

Always have a white wash. Towels/bedding on 60 degrees or more. And then a rough sorting of pale and dark laundry.

I don't pay much attention really I do separate whites but that's about it everything on the same daily eco setting I think it is! I do put woolly jumpers on the knitwear setting.

I do dark wash, light wash at 40 - I tried 30 but they still smelt. If it needs special treatment it isn’t going to get worn.

I always separate Darks, Lights, Coloureds, whites.
And I use separate detergents for them.
I always wash bedding and towels at 60 (used to be 90 but my new washing machine maxes at 60)

I used to stuff my machine way too full but clothes weren't getting clean and there was powder residue left on the clothes.
Most things go in at 40 But I try and put more delicate fabrics on a woollen or hand wash setting. I'm also trying to use the 30 degree setting when I remember to help the environment.
After ruining a couple of items I don't Ignore a dryclean only instruction anymore,especially for a well loved or expensive item.

Most things at 40.
Low grade colour sorting.
No fabric conditioner.
No tumble drying except for applying heat when re-waterproofing goretex jackets (tumble drier buried under boxes in the garage).

I find it best to wash lots of things on a wear once quick wash basis, with the odd long wash. This works well for school uniforms. Bedding always at 60 degrees, though.

I have far too many laundry rules.

Clothes are sorted to keep colours and conditions good so I have darks, lights, reds, pinks, whites, whites with colour, handwash (which goes on machine handwash setting) towels, sheets, washcloths (like tea towels etc).

I usually stick to temperature guidelines but if the clothes aren’t too mucky then they’ll be washed at 30. Towels and sheets at 60 unless coloured in which case they are 40.

Stain removal wise if it hasn’t come out with a bit of extra powder or liquid on then I’ll either soak in Vanish (whites) or will use a spray I have. Can’t remember what it’s called but it works on nearly everything.

I try and use powder for whites to break up the amount of liquid in the machine as it does it no good. I also don’t believe in non-bio. Colour care or bio only at my house.

I need to get out more.

As an active family of four - soon to be five - laundry is a never ending "activity" in our house. We stay caught up by loading the machine as needed throughout the day, then running the wash cycle at night. We transfer clothes to the tumble dryer or hang them to dry first thing in the morning, so as to start the day off on the right foot. A bonus to this is our children love to help transfer the wash in the morning, and are offered a small allowance overtime they help load the dryer, so it not only gets the job done, but enables family time and reinforces the idea of them helping out and earning something on their own.

We separate coloureds and "lights," generally doing lights once to every two or three days of coloureds.

Sheets and dog bedding are all washed separately, generally every other weekend.

By using the ultra concentrated Fairy liquid fabric softener in each load, we keep things soft and cozy, so there are never any issues with starchiness or scratchiness. This is not only important for our kids, but to my husband and I, as well!

I wash whites and darks seperate. Always use non bio. I put nearly everything into the tumbler which I know I shouldn’t. I use fairy fabric softener but not on towels! In a basic kinda gal