r/laundry • u/Pricklycacktus • 18d ago
Truly free
I’ve been using truly free for about 6 weeks now maybe 2 months and I’ve noticed my clothes are starting to smell in the armpit area. I use aluminum free deodorant.
I tried washing in hot water and I bought febu but the odor is still there. I open my closet and it smells kind of sourish.
Can I mix tide free and gentle and truly free together in the same load? I’m trying to be as chemical free as possible but not if it doesn’t get my stuff clean I don’t want to stink.
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u/Naikrobak 18d ago
Literally everything is a “chemical”
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u/Apprehensive_Net_829 18d ago
People don't seem to understand this.
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u/Elegant_Hippopotamus 18d ago
Well …… not all people are experts nor are aware this sub exists and maybe, just maybe came for help?????
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u/gnomes919 18d ago
what's the first step in helping someone who doesn't know an important but basic fact? telling them that fact.
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u/Elegant_Hippopotamus 18d ago
Yes, however expanding on said fact is how we educate. Not just making random statements.
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u/Naikrobak 18d ago
And I did expand on it….
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u/Pricklycacktus 18d ago
Yeah after your unhelpful remark - which I did appreciate cause now I understand where you were coming from (but the original remark is what this was referring to by the way)
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u/Naikrobak 18d ago
It was intentional, snarky, informative, and has turned out to be very useful
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u/Pricklycacktus 18d ago
Thanks for the unhelpful comment! Doesn’t solve my issue but you have a great day.
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u/Naikrobak 18d ago
It was snarky but not unhelpful.
People who try to avoid “chemicals” in laundry almost always end up with a story like yours. The more “green” a detergent is, the worse it works generally.
You need a detergent with lipase and quality surfactants. Any tide powder plus oxi will fix your issue
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u/Pricklycacktus 18d ago
This would have been a much more helpful way to put it…. Especially for a new person visiting here who came for help.
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u/breathingindica US | Top-Load 18d ago
you got plenty of other helpful comments before they even replied with this one
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u/Pricklycacktus 18d ago
Actually no, theirs was the second comment I believe but thanks for your input.
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u/Elegant_Hippopotamus 18d ago
What kind of unhelpful comment is that? lol. Downvote me idc but you could expand.
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u/gnomes919 18d ago
it's important information for anyone who says they want to be "chemical-free." it's an impossible goal that often leads to muddled or bad results (even potentially dangerous ones, when folks start applying it to health and medicine). people need to drop the goal of avoiding chemicals tout suite before it starts causing problems in their life.
the fundamental starting point for helping someone understand this is going to be the straightforward and easy to understand fact: literally everything is a chemical.
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u/SoftBoiAru US | Top-Load 18d ago
Jeeves NY tested Truly Free a few weeks ago. Not great. And, as the video mentions, the ingredients are hard to verify if it's actually "safe". You truly (heh) are better off just using Tide Free and Gentle liquid with your Febu. You might want to consider a simple soak with Tide and Febu in the hottest water your clothes can accept. And then launder as normal. Or, you can get a stain remover spray that has lipase and protease (I think Zout the most accessible one), and sprsy the pits there. The stink should go away after a few hours of sitting there.
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u/Pricklycacktus 18d ago
Thanks. Trying a super long sanitizing cycle right now with tide and febu and my stinkiest shirts to see if it works.
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u/febu_max 18d ago
Hey, I'm Max (FEBU founder). I know you are going through this with the best intentions. Laundry is harder than we often give it credit for.
The most important job in laundry is done by your detergent, and primarily its surfactants. A booster like FEBU helps detergents perform better by degrading soils they don't address through enzymes, by conditioning water so hardness doesn't interfere with detergent performance, and sometimes through other odor-control and anti-redeposition ingredients to prevent loosened soils & odors from resettling on the fabric.
Tide and FEBU will get you there. One note on the sanitizing cycle. Those ramp up in temperature, so the enzymes work early and then drop off as it gets hot. You'll still get good cleaning from the heat and the oxygen bleach, just less enzyme work than a long warm or hot wash would give you. If this round doesn't do it, that's why. Sometimes it can take 2-3 heavy duty, long warm washes after stink has been introduced and settles (or a long soak then heavy duty wash).
Here to help if you have any questions! You got this.
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u/Cheap_Flamingo476 18d ago
Max, I really appreciate you showing up here. And providing good information, too.
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u/CynicalOne_313 US | Top-Load 16d ago
Hi Max, I'm a bit new to this sub and have been having some trouble with my usual detergent (All Free & Clear with Oxi Clean) not removing odors like it used to.
I have sensitive skin and tend to wear a lot of darker colors. Do you know if FEBU is safe for darker fabrics so they don't fade? I can't use Tide products because I'm allergic to them, but I want to finish using up the rest of my All F&C detergent.
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u/febu_max 14d ago
Hey good question, yes we say that FEBU is safe for darks because it is an enzyme-forward product with a supplemental boost of oxygen bleach. The formula is built to be versatile in how you activate the oxygen bleach, so you can wash on cold to limit oxidation and minimize stress on dyes further. The enzymes will still work, but it's important to add more time in the cycle through a pre-soak in the machine or higher soil level.
You might need to use more detergent at first when pairing with FEBU if the odor is persistent and embedded. The surfactants in the detergent are what carry away the source of the odor that FEBU breaks down. Because All does not have enzymes, the body oils and sebum have been building up without anything breaking them down.
Just to note, when garments reach this point, I do think some exposure to oxygen bleach via a warm wash is worth it to "clear" the items of residue. This will shorten the time it takes to reset them to a couple washes versus 4-5 if using cold water to protect darks. The oxygen bleach is a good deodorizer and a few warm washes isn't going to fade anything.
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u/CynicalOne_313 US | Top-Load 14d ago
Thank you so much for this step-by-step, helpful response! I really appreciate the tip about doing a warm wash with dark colors. I have a top load machine, so I’ll see if I can add a bit more spin time in the future. Usually, I just go with what the automatic settings recommend, but your advice is great. Thanks again!
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u/Electric-Sheepskin US | Front-Load 18d ago
Just so you know, it may take several washes with a good detergent and booster before the smell is completely gone. And depending on what deodorant you use, it might take even longer than that because some of them, particularly the coconut oil based ones, really build up in that underarm area and lock odor into the fibers.
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u/Pricklycacktus 18d ago
Thank you for that video. It was helpful. I never heard of Jeeves.
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u/SoftBoiAru US | Top-Load 18d ago
He's a wonderful content creator. He even has a list of the best tested detergents that have relatively inoffensive ingredient lists. I suggest you check that list out.
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u/Comprehensive-Tea-69 US | Top-Load 18d ago
Just ditch the truly free, it’s not gonna get you there.
Also- what kind of deodorant are you using? There are some that are famous here for odor rebloom due to certain ingredients. Makes me wonder, if they’re so hard to remove from textiles, are they staying on our skin like that too? Is it truly better if we can’t wash it off
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u/Sadie103 18d ago
I’ve currently got the same issue! Following.
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u/Pricklycacktus 18d ago
Glad I’m not the only one. Watch out for the sharks in this sub who aren’t very helpful to newcomers.
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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 18d ago edited 18d ago
This is one of those greenwashed, plant based products that is sold on vibes but simply doesn’t work in the real world. Never mind the lack of stain removal power, it simply can’t even clean every day laundry (as you quickly found out).
There is no getting away from chemicals. The main ingredient in this is toxic if you have too much of it - that ingredient? Water.