A bit of background.

Using a Whirlpool Cabrio top load washer with auto sensing for water load. (Silver ball looking thing in the middle of where there would usually be an agitator arm.)

Live in the city. No hard water.

Wife and I decided to go all in on Tide. We usually use the liquid detergent, but I picked up pods and powder just to switch things up.

As I stand here watching the washer- I don’t see anything indicating my clothes are actually being washed in detergent.

Put in a small scoop directly into the wash tub, added clothes, and the washer does the rest. (Washing in cold water for this load.)

Washer does this routine where is sprays and spins the clothes and spins them around for the first 7-8 mins. Tub fills with water and the agitator takes over. In this case, a small, bordering on medium load.

No suds, nada. If I didn’t know better, it looks like my clothes are literally just being swished around in water.

Machine is about 10 years old. No issues with the machine. My experience with liquid detergent is suds.

Am I missing something here? I’d take a photo but the reflection with the ceiling light is awful.

Scent beads and tide powder mixed together because for some reason my brain couldn’t stop thinking about it

I’m really triggered by scents so I use tide free and gentle. But I also hate it when I cannot tell if my laundry is clean. I want to be able to smell that they are clean as “evidence”. But I know if I use something scented I’ll be forever attaching that smell to memories I have in one place, which I do not particularly enjoy.

Anyways, I think I would prefer something tangy and fresh, not sweet/floral/soft at all. Think…Aesop.I did not like downy folia (not a fan of eucalyptus).

Anyways, maybe I’ll just stick to f&g.

Last bath day was in april

(Sorry if this has been posted before; I searched the sub but might have missed it.)

I live in the US, where I can only get washing soda online. The cheapest bulk price I can get is usually around 35¢/oz (1.24¢/g), but then I found out that you can get washing soda by putting baking soda in the oven at 400°F (200°C) for an hour. You get about a 30% reduction in volume so factor that into the cost, but I was able to find bulk baking soda on sale for 8¢/oz (0.28¢/g). It usually runs about 24¢ so ymmv. It gets dusty so I recommend wearing a mask, but other than that the only byproducts are water vapor and CO2, so there’s nothing dangerous. The equation is 2NaHCO₃ —> Na₂HCO₃ + H₂O + CO₂. The only real consideration is the alkalinity (11), so don’t use aluminum baking sheets as it will corrode the metal. If you’re like me and have no idea what they’re made of, see if a magnet will stick. Aluminum is non-magnetic, so if it sticks you’re good (if it doesn’t stick it still might not be aluminum, but it stuck to mine so I didn’t google how to get further than that haha). I knocked out 24 lbs in a handful of days off, super simple and easy.

Meaning using all four of their products simultaneously: basic laundry pods, oxi booster pods, odor removal pods, and fabric softener pods.

I'll spare the life details, but switching to pods at least for a bit makes sense for me. I'm almost out of my current detergent and Borax, some FEBU . I have some coupons and credit card offers, and they're having a discount on their site. Might be worth trying again.

Hey guys I have been buying metallic leggings for the past few months. I have been washing and drying them on the delicate setting with a gentle detergent. I have recently had to toss two pairs of leggings because the metallic finish has worn off. Both were in places of wear, one pair on the butt and backs of thighs (assumably from sitting) and one on the knees. I have started foregoing the dryer all together for my metallic leggings and only air drying them. I have been almost exclusively wearing my metallic leggings, I have about 6 pairs in rotation. I do not have many clothes but I've been wearing the few other bottoms I have more often just lately to help avoid the wear. I am also planning to get more metallic leggings so I have a larger rotation.

I'm wondering whether anyone has experienced similar? Does anyone have any tips? I've been buying a lot of clothes with metallic finish and now I'm concerned that this will happen to all my metallic clothes.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks juggling mum duties, DIY and life yada yada….

So, for the first time in years I’ve fallen behind with washing. Today I’ve taken clothes out and a few pairs of trousers have mould on. One pair very bad so I threw them away but the others just a handful of patches. My toddlers trousers and another pair of mine. Is it possible to remove this mould totally? Or is it best to throw away?!

Whenever I wash my clothes with my boyfriend's, they get this sort of slightly sour dude funk smell. I've pointed it out to him and he agrees he wishes it wasn't in his clothes either. Does anyone know what it is, how to get rid of it, and how to prevent it in the future? If it helps, he uses a laundromat and the provided box of tide laundry detergent.

Thank you in advance! :))

My husband and I (it’s only the two of us) both work from home and we only do laundry once every two weeks (outside of towels and sheets). Do you think this is normal?

I’ve read here that all free and clear doesn’t actually clean your clothes so I’m planning on switching but there is so much information in this sub that I’m getting confused.

It seems that people recommend tide + febu booster so first question is will that actually clean my clothes? I also have a baby and sensitive skin so I don’t want anything heavy on fragrance.

I’ve also seen people say to add citric acid but I’m not sure what that’s for or when/how to use.

I just want a simple laundry routine that’s safe and effective.

Edit: forgot to ask if tide power and tide free and gentle are the same?

Hi everyone,
My wife and I just moved into a new house, and as part of the lease, the washer and dryer were considered to be “gifts” that we are responsible for should any repairs come up. Well, we discovered loads of black mold not only all over the door seal, but inside of the detergent slot. Our property management maintenance guy is hesitating because the machines belong to the house owner, but per our lease, we should just be able to toss those duds and bring in whatever machines we desire.
The reason he is hesitant is mostly due to the lack of a spot to store them. But this seems like a safety issue and not really an option for us to not have working laundry. My whole point of all of this is to ask, is there a simple way to clean out the machine from all of this neglect? Is it even worth the time to try and clean it out? It’s pretty gross and hoping to either fix this ourselves or just push even harder on replacing them. Any help would be great, thank you!

Does anyone know what would cause this? I don’t use bleach to wash my dark clothes at all, this happens from time to time only so I’m confused what would cause this?

My lovely neighbour gifted me some of her old clothes but they’ve been hanging in a closet in her attic for years so I’d like to give them a clean. Most are fibers I know but these I’m not sure about. Can I wash these at home? Or should I bring them to a dry cleaners? Thanks a lot!

How do you get rid of these stains? They’re subtle, not a different colour but they seem to be embedded. I ran them through the dryer already.

I bought this dress online and its wrinkled. Its a 60-40, polyester-rayon blend. What is the best way to get the wrinkles out?

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Hi!

I'm looking for advice with washing clothes!

I can never get my daughters school uniform white again, like stains from her socks and on her polos. She has eczema so I do have to be careful what I use for her washing!

Also my husband is a mechanic! I struggle to get his uniform looking clean for the oil stains and other dirty that comes with the job.

But also generic stains I can't always seem to get them out!

I currently use pods, mostly the cheap supermarket brands paird with a fabric conditioner. Bi for my husband and I and non bio for our daughter.

What do you recommend? What do you use? What should I be doing differently!

I appreciate anyone taking the time to answer.

after a night of soaking my pants are full of weird greenish stains, see photo. any way to save them?

I left a jacket (100% polyamide/nylon shell, polyester lining) sweaty from the gym without washing it, and it got dark gray mildew specks all over the back. Photos attached.

I've already tried several home methods and even chlorine bleach, and the spots haven't budged.
One request: if it’s possible please don't recommend brand names. I live in a country where I most likely can't find them. Instead, tell me the compound or active ingredient you used (e.g., sodium percarbonate, oxalic acid, etc.) and how you applied it, so I can look for it by its chemical name.

Has anything worked for anyone on nylon? 😭😭😭😭

Thanks!

I have horrible eczema and I'd like to remove as many sources of irritation as possible. Currently, I use Gain powder, but I'm sure that's far from optimal for those with sensitive skin. Thanks in advance.

Hey all. This sub has been another one of those delightful Reddit surprises— how in the world did I ever manage not to know about enzymes and spa day? An eye-opener and home-freshener for sure. But it made me think of a question.

When people in the old, old days washed clothes, did they have a folk version of enzymes?

I'm curious to know how (or whether) people dealt with lipids and eDNA before laboratory chemistry.

The citric acid and febu I ordered online arrived and I used it on my whites. My underwear all came out crunchy but tshirts seem fine. I’m not 100% sure if it was the febu or the citric acid. I’m afraid at this point I may need remedial training from this group. please know I appreciate all help.

Our water is hard, but we also have higher sodium levels, so a water softener is out (at least a traditional one). Can someone explain how pH and hardness effect our laundry and the best way to counter those effects?

We usually use Gain powder and we add laundry disinfectant to smelly work clothes. I feel like our laundry isn't clean. It smells mustry quickly, my husband's socks still stink.

Edit: Hardness as CACO3 is 134.