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 think you can always tell when clothes haven't been colour separated and so I'm a strict separator - black, dark colours, lighter colours, whites which have some colour and pure whites. I only tumble dry towels and bedding, whenever I have tried to rumble clothing it always seems to shrink so I've given up on that. If we've got visitors due then I don't do any washing for a couple of days so it's not hanging around the house on show!

Hand wash, schmand wash! If it can't cope with a delicate cycle it doesn't deserve space in my wardrobe.

Another one that doesn't hand wash anything. I don't have the time or inclination for that. I just put it in as delicate and hope for the best.

Always careful not to overfill the machine as I don't like the idea of things not being cleaned properly.

My mum has this crazy idea that the best way to wash sheets is by putting them in the drum already folded! Cannot understand that logic at all.

One of the best tips I've ever seen on mumsnet and since followed was to wash your mop head in the machine.

I separate lights and darks but not whites. They get bundled in with lights. I'd struggle to make a load of whites alone!

I have a new machine and just use all the heat/spin presets that come on it.

Wish I knew what all the symbols on clothing labels mean!

I tend to ignore rules and wash everything at 40, a mixed daily wash with a colour catcher. Towels and sheets on a 60 degrees wash, and underwear again separately at a 60 degrees wash and tumble try. The only time I stick to the rules are with wool and silk, not worth the risk.

I don't separate anything, whites and colours all go in together. I wash clothes on the babycare cycle. I wash bedding and towels at a higher temp and I do a towel wash and a bedding wash. Having 6 children I just can't be bothered with separating clothes by colour! We have a wash going at least once a day.

I always split darks and lights, but just put everything on 30 degrees!

I split by dark/light (we don’t possess much in the way of white garments so I’d be waiting forever to do a white wash with more than one item in it!) which is usually mine and DHs stuff (dark) and then baby clothes with the odd few bits of mine in and amongst (light). I also split by temp- so bedding and towels get 60 regardless, sometimes DHs stuff gets a 50 but more often a 40. My stuff gets a 30, dark jeans get a cold wash or they soon become not dark. Baby clothes get whatever temp seems most appropriate after a cold soak if necessary. Usually a 30.

Hand wash I usually do actually hand wash but I use judgement- not everything that says hand wash will drop to bits if you wash it in the machine!! I have a tumble dryer but I try to only use it for towels and emergency “crap I need that right now” items. Everything else goes on the line when I have chance or on the pulley maid in the utility if it’s wet out or I’ve only got 5 minutes. I iron the absolute minimum but I do really enjoy a set of ironed bedding and matching tea towels with lovely crisp lines in. Because I’m sad! Everything else gets folded well or hung strategically so it doesn’t need ironing!

I wash hand-wash clothes in then machine, on low or delicates wash. I sometimes even put dry-clean items in too, I don’t have the time or budget to dry clean most items so into the wash they go!

I'm a stickler for colour sorting. Whites, darks, reds and many loads of the mishmash of Grey's, greens and blues. Delicates and non tumble dry stuff go in a separate bag so they don't accidentally end up ruined. Towels are also washed separately with less detergent at 60. Extra dirty stuff gets saved up for a long wash with a prewash. Doesn't take long to save it up, tbh!

I always make sure I check all pockets before washing.

I sort washing into dark, white, and brights.

I use a low temperature economy wash most of the time, but do use a higher temperature cycle for towels.

I don't use the tumble dryer very often, but hang everything on hangers to dry, to avoid the need to iron.

I bung everything in at 40 and simply separate into lights and darks.

I never measure the amount of power to put into the machine.

If I'm in a hurry it could be a cup full for a full load. If I'm not in a hurry it could be three for a full load

I sort into piles of colours - cannot stand mixing them!

The washing powder is mixed out if I am not in a hurry. I do have a habit of overloading the machine though - god knows how they come out so clean

Towels are washed separately. Bras always go in lingerie bags. Everything else is bundled together with a colour catcher and washed at 40c. If something is stained, I will scrub it first before chucking it in the washing machine.

quick wash for some of youngsters clothes.they aren't hardly ever muc worn or really dirty and its more they "cant wear more than once" effect.
same for some of toddlers clothes that just need a a refresh.
coloured and whites can be shared more than the labels have you believe.
things that we always thought need 60 actually don't.
sheets and towels and blankets do always work better with the white powder.it seesm to clean them better.

• Towels, flannels and bedlinen at 60 with a few splashes of orange essential oil so the come out smelling delicious! also works nicely with net curtains (40) so the room smells fresh.
• Bath mats at 60 if possible, otherwise 40 for the delicate ones
• Whites with whites only to maintain freshness
• All other items on 40
• I don't dry clean my sons' school blazers - I wash on a 30 delicate wash and hang up straight away.
• I have added baking soda to the machine before when I was low on washing powder. Cant say it made a huge difference but the clothes weren't particularly filthy in the first place.

Liking the tips on this thread though!

Laundry rules??
I don't wash anything pale I care about with anything coloured I think might leak colour.And I was anything delicate I care about on a delicate cycle.
Other than that,it goes in at 40 on a standard programme and come out clean!
(I think I can say I have never,ever considered if my laundry is "huggably soft".
And I'm not that bothered about stain removal on non important stuff (towels,sheets,underwear,old t shirts,small children's clothes...) - the effort involved in removing a stain often isn't worth it IMO.As long as people's work clothes are stain free it's all good.

I put everything on a sports wash, except if there are any delicate silk or wool or very thin organic cotton tops. I do lights and dark washes and that is about it. Nothing ever goes wrong and there's too much laundry and too little time to spend too much thought on what when at what temperature. As long as it is clean and fresh once it comes out of the machine all is good!

so in my house I do the following loads
very lights/whites- 40* to avoid setting in stains
colours 30*- usually contains DD's acrylic school cardies that shrink on anything higher.
darks-includes my boys socks/pants/school uniforms and jeans- 30 if relatively clean and 40 if muddy/filthy from, well BOYS!?
bedding and towels 60* usually at the weekends.
Until recently I also had 2 Terry towel nappy loads per week- pre rinsed and then washed at 60*
We are a family of 9, 1 adult, 2 secondary school, 4 primary school and 2 nursery.
I use a vanish stain remover soap for any food/mud/baby type stains and I wash in whatever bio powder happens to be the cheapest (usually smart price or Aldi own brand, occasionally daz/surf if the offer is too good to pass on).
I don't use fabric softener or dryer sheets but will occasionally use a few drops of essential oils on a flannel thrown in to freshen towels/ stored clothing etc.
If towels get a bit stiff I add a plug of white vinegar to soften them all and break down any build up of detergent in the fabrics.
When I shop for the kids I always look out for easy care items. I try to get the kids like for like stuff in terms of colours so I'm not having to separate so much washing.
I think in 15 years I've only had one disaster that involved shrinking an Angora cardi, it was from my late nan and I was gutted but I was 19 and lesson learnt.
once a month or so I wipe all my self down with diluted bleach and run a hot 90* wash with bicarb, soda crystals and vinegar. This has always seemed to keep my machine running tickets boo and I haven't ever had a problem with lowered wash performance unless the machine was dying.
dont tumble dry unless we are poorly and I take all the bedding and towels to be blasted in the dryer at the laundrette.
I tend to dry on a wooden airer or on the live, the sun is the best stain killer ever.
I do iron but thats only because I'm crazy. lol

wipe the seals not myself.

I wash everything at 40. Lights and darks separate, a bit of the environment friendly washing liquid my friend makes, never any fabric softener and straight out to dry on the washing line or clothes hoist. I never iron anything !

two loads a day light and dark that way not many lost socks

i rarely use anything other than one particular setting on my washing machine! It is a reasonably gentle one for synthetics so it works fairly well.

Rules I break:
I completely ignore Dry Clean Only. To me, that means: delicates wash with liquid soap, low spin. Always works.
If I get oil on silk I wash it separately at a much higher temperature than recommended, no spin. Only way to stop it being ruined.
Wool goes on the 15 min cycle not the longer wool wash and then is cold tumbled in the tumble drier. Doesn't shrink, and comes out fluffier and more even that if dried flat.

Rules I don't break:
Never wash whites with anything else
Don't overload the machine
Boil wash towels and teatowels