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

Darks, brights and whites are washed separately. Lights go in with whites.
I wash mainly on 60 degrees unless it's a delicate or woollen item.
I tend to dose directly into the drum so dispenser drawer doesn't get clogged up.
Nothing is hand washed. There's a program for everything!
I do sometimes pre wash certain clothes on a quick wash before putting on a long wash.
Grease stains on plain fabric were a nightmare until I discovered scrubbing it with an old toothbrush and fairy dishwashing liquid!

Clothes rarely get separated (don't have much whites anyway), get chucked in together at 30 or 40 degrees (30 if there's any wool in the pile). Towels and bedding go in at 60 degrees. I set a timer on my phone so I remember to empty the machine straight away (I forget otherwise as it's in the basement so out of sight, out of mind) and then hang everything up to dry.

Have to do a load every single morning these days with new baby that sicks up on his clothes and muslin clothes multiple times a day sigh and if I want to get a towel or bedding wash done I have to put it on overnight on a timer, to hang up first thing in the morning, so it's dry by evening so I can put them away and do the normal clothes load and hang up to dry over night. Can't bloody wait for summer so I can hang clothes outside and do a few loads in a day and get some days off!

Only white wash or dark washes for me. Can't do inbetween no time. But fairy my buddy all the way. Can't beat it. Love love the softness smell and how my wash comes out

Everything gets separated:
whites;
dark darks so navy, black, brown and dark grey;
not so dark darks with patterns and then
reds and pinks
Whites on 60 others on 40 other than if its just towels and/or bedding which goes on at 60.
I tend to ignore hand wash and sometimes dry clean only labels and put them on a delicates wash.

I only separate whites, everything else I do together. Usually at 30. If I'm doing bedding, I tend to do it at 40. Desperately need a new washing machine, but need to wait for a bit of extra cash before I can buy it. Hopefully mine won't pack I'm totally before then!!

Everything washes at 30 with stain remover if necessary. Way to many comfort pearls each wash and straight in dryer 😳
Exception is my uniform has to be at 60 (nhs) and husbands a chef so his whites are in at 90 with bleach, Ariel powder and 2 cups of vanish white gel 😳 Pristine whites every time 😂

Pales and darks, rarely have enough white stuff for a white wash!

Hand wash stuff goes in the hand wash setting - if it ends up in the bin, that's no worse than sitting in the bottom of the wash basket for 6 months.

I do make sure that anything that says "dry clean only" does go to the dry cleaners though, and therefore try to limit purchase of dry clean only clothes to coats or DH's work suits...

"Hand wash only" gets looked at, sniffed to see if it can survive another wear, and then goes in on a very gentle wash

"Dry clean only" doesn't get bought.

Whites/almost whites in one wash, darks/coloureds in other washes. Darks are mixed unless an item is very new, in which case it gets washed with same colour (e.g. new black jeans).

I always wash whites/almost whites separately. Everything else largely bunged in together on 40 degree wash. I actually usually put everything through on the quick wash cycle unless it's particularly dirty (DS, I'm looking at you).

My everyday was goes in at 40, towels and bedding at 60. I wash darks together and lights together but never do whites on their own. Never had any problems so I can't be going far wrong :D

I don't buy anything that is white now that we have no school shirts. Jumper/bra wash and an everything else wash only.

There are few laundry rules in our house.
Almost everything gets washed at 40deg, separating lights and darks (with small moments of existential angst wondering which category grey belongs to). Towels and bedding usually done at 60deg.
Always washed in non-bio.
Any noticeable stains sprayed with a pre-wash spray.
Most things tumble dried, except those things made of man-made fabric like tights, bras and sports gear - which are dangled gracelessly over radiators.
The main rule really is that a load goes on when the lid of the laundry basket no longer shuts.

I have three types of wash ‘lights’ and ‘darks’ are washed on 40 with non bio and my other wash is the bio wash on 40. This consists of towels, tea towels, school tops and dh’s Shirts.

Handwash items are washed on 30 on a quick 15minute wash

I always use a softener and try and dry on the line when possible.

My rules are all white clothing,bedding is washed separately at 40° with a tablet and special white vanish powder. Everything else is at 30° packed in drum til there's a hand space left so it all can move freely with a tablet and normal vanish powder. Then after cycle I do a further spin and drain water then straight to dry.

I separate into darks, lights, whites, delicates. Bedding, towels and DH's clothes go in at 60. Everything else either 40 or 30. Whites get a scoop of oxi-action intelligent whatever. For DS's sports gear, my washer has a programme for soaking stained clothing plus I throw in some Vanish. DH's washing and the dog beds get a liberal glug of Zoflora.

I love the sound of my washing machine. I think it's because if I can hear it, it means I'm HOME, not away working.

Most things get washed on 40 except towels and bedding

Everything has to be turned inside out

Separate wash for dark/colours/whites

Hand wash..... never

Dry clean only, DH suits, my best coat, and anything that I consider cost a fortune:)

I ignore practically every laundry rule there is - bung all my DS things in one wash, all my DD in a another, regardless of colours. I've only ever had one disaster when purple leggings stained everything pink. But in 11 years, I don't think that's bad! I use the same hour long wash for everything too. Probably also guilty of overloading the machine too...

I'm not a great advert here am I? Never ever said I wanted to be a domestic goddess!!

I am fairly militant about washing my whites seperately. Towels get a good 90 degree wash and my bedding goes on a wash dry cycle. I regularly break the hand wash only rule and shove these items on a delicate or wool wash. No accidents so far!

I have a hosepipe in my utility room to add extra water into the washing machine. Eco friendly washing machines might be OK if you have an office job and your clothes are just slightly soiled, but properly dirty clothes don't get clean without enough water in the wash.
I also make my own detergent which doesn't irritate my family's skin, doesn't require fabric softener, costs less to make and doesn't have the cloying smell of most detergents. If I have anything greasy or with food on, I also add in a good squirt of Lidl own brand washing up liquid. Clothes have never been cleaner.

I do most things on a quick intensive wash. Separate colours and whites. No other rifles.

I am a laundry nightmare ha ha - I basically make the rules up as I go along.....Fortunately I do not have many disasters but it is not unheard of.
I go by the fabric and the size of the item. If the item could do with a little shrinkage then I don't mind risking the dryer etc etc....
I am not a fan of the laundry room and go for speed and scent. As long as my washing is clean and fresh then Happy Days

Wash hubbys work wear, darks, lights all seperate. Try and look at labels if unsure. Used to have washing nightmares but since our new washing machine they seem to be a thing of the past.

I rarely do a white wash or wash by hand... and we are all still alive!

I ignore hand wash only & put them in washer

I nearly always separate colours and whites....

Whites & Darks separate, apart from that, anything goes!