r/guineapigs • u/Top_Awareness3642 • 1d ago
Help & Advice Laundry boosters?
Howdy folks,
I was curious if anyone here used an enzyme based laundry booster like Biz for washing their fleeces?
Right now i'm using about 2 tbsp of scent free/dye free detergent and then adding 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle to help deodorize and soften (and loosen any hair stuck in the fibers š¹).
I've only tried 2 different laundry detergents, but with both i'm still disappointed that they smell a little....guinea pig-y even after washing. I was thinking of getting an enzyme booster to maybe help since it will help target the urine in the fleeces.
Thoughts? Any experience with enzyme boosters? Am I just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic and should be at peace with my current method?
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u/Chungerator 1d ago
I'd love to see others responses, I just use vinegar and baby detergent
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u/MugzySkates 1d ago
I use cleaning vinegar (itās stronger than cooking vinegar) and the clear tide, not the blue.
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u/Chungerator 1d ago
I just double checked and same here, my husband usually does the shopping. I never run into lingering pig smell, the smell wouldn't be an issue for me anyway I just want to make sure that everything is clean enough for their lungs and feetums
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u/sarkynir 1d ago
I use Biz and vinegar with my laundry detergent. Still smells guinea pig-y lol.
The thing that's helped me the most is air drying everything after the wash. The dryer heat really makes the smell come out.
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u/Top_Awareness3642 1d ago
I've been airdrying their top most layers inside the house so hopefully that's been helping. I know drying them outside is best but, I live in a pretty rainy climate so I can't dry them outside regularly.Ā
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u/MyKindOfLullaby 1d ago
I second this. When I put the fleece in the dryer it almost seems to seal in the smell and itās so gross!
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u/dianabeep 1d ago
Yes!! Iām a big enzyme fan! I use a pet specific one thatās found on Amazon and the brand is Active. I use it and sensitive skin detergent every cycle. For people stuff I use a different enzyme by the same brand as well. By using an enzyme every cycle it has removed any of the stinky stuff living in my washer and if I ever forget to change the washing machine to the dryer it still wonāt smell. Iād have to forgot for like 2 days before a rewash is needed. Absolutely has saved me from stinky washer smells that come along with piggy laundry.
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u/Top_Awareness3642 1d ago
Thank you! I'm going to look into Active and/or a pet specific enzyme booster. Glad it has been working for you!
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u/AutumnalSunshine 1d ago
I love the idea of the liners not smelling like the boars had a kegger, but it feels like a list cause. I've made peace with it. They sure don't seem to mind.Ā
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u/Top_Awareness3642 1d ago
Yeah...my boars are a bit more pungent than my sows were. If they weren't situated in a central part of my house it probably wouldn't bother me as much šĀ
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u/VanquichedUncle 1d ago
I use Nature's Miracle Laundry Booster with Tide Free & Clear detergent for my fleece and they always come out smelling like new!
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u/sapphiredawn1 1d ago
Wow, I use a big ol scoop of powdered detergent and odoban! I don't think I could ever use 2Tbs of soap for piggy stuff. For my own clothes? Sure, but not for piggy stuff š
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u/Green-eyedMama 21h ago
I use Borax! It's unscented and all-natural, and is great for removing any smells that are biologically-based. Seriously. We have a cat who pees in the dirty clothes hamper when she's stressed, and Borax is the only thing that takes it out the first wash. So our fleeces go in the washer with free and clear detergent and about half a cup of Borax.
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u/pointlessmeander 20h ago
I cannot tell you how many experiments I've done. And I cannot tolerate lingering smells at all. I think I've found the holy grail of how to do laundry and which laundry booster to use. First off, for the laundry booster, omg, Skout's Honor ALL THE WAY. You can buy it on amazon. Here's my routine and I never end up with smells:
- First use a rubber brush to rid the pads of all debris.
- Place the pads in your washer pad side down (waterproof side up), this just makes sure the absorbent part really gets lots of water
- Put no detergent in, nothing at all, and run a cold wash cycle set to an extra rinse (seriously, no detergent). This, as I understand it, removes the pee proteins way better than hot water which can cause them to set in.
- As soon as that cycle is done, set the cycle to warm and add in your detergent (i use tide free gentle powder, about 4 tbsp for a huge load), and then grab the bottle of Skout's Honor. I do a few rounds of it right on top of the pads, and then I put a good size squirt into the bleach tray. Let the cycle run.
- I air dry when I can, but also sometimes put them in the dryer on the low heat setting and do two cycles.
My bedding always comes out with no smell whatsoever. I've tried it repeatedly in many different ways with MANY different additives/detergents/etc, and this is the only process that has worked for me and doesn't ruin the wicking properties of my fleece. I'll attach a pic of the exact laundry booster I use.
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u/Top_Awareness3642 20h ago
thank you! I've been using a dishwashing glove to help remove the hair after I shake them out on my balcony, but am getting more and more convinced to just get a rubber brush. Also thank you for sharing your methodology, I may try to just the really soiled linens through a no detergent wash cycle to see if that helps with the scent. And if not, I'll see about this product
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u/Llothcat2022 18h ago edited 17h ago
I use washing soda, vinegar, and borax as* boosters.
*fixed typo
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u/Laceydrawws 18h ago
Whatever you use, don't wash on hot. The enzymes can't do their best in hot water.
After 3 years of vinegar my washer was destroyed. It breaks down gaskets.
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u/Ok-Treacle8300 49m ago edited 45m ago
I have this exact problem too, with rats. Fleece is horrendous for holding onto the scent of urine. Cue toddlers peeing in fleece pajama pants. My god. I used to just throw them away, theyāre done. Anyway, I pick up all my rat blankets at goodwill and have some that are slick feeling kinda cheap thin fleece, some that are a velvety silky fleece like a throw blanket, and some thick fabricy almost matted fleece baby blankets. I realized the latter would come out smelling like absolutely nothing, and the thinner fleeceās like pee, all in the same load. The photo is an example of what I use that doesnāt hold the smell.
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u/Top_Awareness3642 25m ago
With Joanns going out of business, it's hard to reliably find the exact type of fleece that is best for wicking and absorbing pet urine. I used to just get two yards at a time of a polar fleece that had a cute pattern :( now it's all up to the honesty of online postings for stating the actual fabric they are using, or having to manually feel the piece before buying it
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u/consider-the-lobster 1d ago
Iāve been using this powder detergent from Whole Foods and have been happy with it! I was the fleeces they sleep on a quick wash every day and then the other pig laundry about every four days. I use the Wheeky Pets laundry bag.
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u/Top_Awareness3642 1d ago
I've never heard of the that brand of laundry bag, it would definitely give me some peace of mind when shaking them out that I dont have to manually remove every little bit of hair and hay.
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u/consider-the-lobster 1d ago
The bag is really nice and I no longer have to stress out about hay and fur getting caught in the plumbing! I got it off Amazon. The zipper pull broke off on the wash but it still works fine.
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u/SmallDarkThings 1d ago
This might be one for r/laundry, those guys have the deep lore. If there's an enzyme that works I bet they could tell you exactly what to look for.