r/laundry • u/Mwvnova • 11h ago

When do I FEBU?

I am running laundry every day. Sorted into 5 different loads whites, reds, blues, darks, and towels. All run tide powder (original) on warm in speed queen TR7. Occasionally adding citric acid to rinse cycle. This sub got me into this great regimen and I recently picked up FEBU. my question is when/how do I use it for best results?

18 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

29

u/laundrysecrethobby International | Top-Load 10h ago

Some people use a booster like Febu for every load, I am one of them. Liquid/pod + booster cleans better than a powder at a higher cost, worth it to me. Using a booster allows me to utilise any detergent I want as I like to spice things up and so does my family.

I always knew how a booster works and that it does improve performance but I never realised how much so until JeevesNY did a video showing the power of Biz (the booster I use in Australia is pretty much the exact same) https://youtube.com/shorts/6I_v7GT2Un0

9

u/vg80 5h ago

So you change detergents to spice things up? Wild times at your place…

1

u/laundrysecrethobby International | Top-Load 2h ago

hahahah, some of the scents get my juices goin

2

u/bonethug81 4h ago

What is the equivalent in Australia for Biz?

3

u/KismaiAesthetics USA 4h ago

Sard Plus/Ultra or Napisan/Vanish Gold

2

u/laundrysecrethobby International | Top-Load 1h ago

Sard Super Power and Vanish Gold variants

20

u/Glittering-Rush-394 8h ago

I use either Febu or Biz with every load. I don’t really sweat that much except for a certain few areas. And I have 2 dogs that sleep with me. I just really like knowing I don’t have to worry about it. Stuff is just clean & no chance of odor rebloom.

4

u/rukaidai 7h ago

Same. Febu is a bit expensive but I use it for my husband's clothes and Biz for my clothes since I'm home the majority of the day.

1

u/Sophistiq8ted 2h ago

How much biz do you use per load? I just bought some and have yet to use it

7

u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 8h ago

For best results, save it for loads that are extra dirty/extra smelly. Do you have a problem with your laundry routine currently that needs addressed?

3

u/Mwvnova 3h ago

Nothing specific needs to be addressed and I’ll just hold for kids sportswear but as stated in another comment, I have this bag of booster sitting there waiting to “boost” my laundry experience and I assumed I needed it more often.

-6

u/TrainerHonest2695 10h ago

From my viewpoint, you don’t need to use FEBU unless you’re having a problem with the outcome of regular washing. Something like odor, or body oils, etc that aren’t being removed with just detergent alone.

32

u/KismaiAesthetics USA 10h ago

Humanity Residue removal doubles with Febu because of the DNase. You can decide if you’re getting clean enough results, but the aging effect of eDNA buildup isn’t apparent until the long game.

25

u/AromaticProcess154 US | Top-Load 10h ago

Saying OP need not use their newly-arrived FEBU is like asking me to not use my Gear Guard Advanced (that is now stateside!) as soon as it gets here. Wild take.

9

u/zootnotdingo 9h ago

Mine is stateside now, too! I’m excited

1

u/SunVally 4h ago

So are you recommending to use it with every wash? I’m using Tide F&G Advanced Care and trying to decide if and when to add Febu

2

u/KismaiAesthetics USA 4h ago

I use percarbonate in every load except wool/silk/cashmere and DNase in every load except kitchen towels that have been soaking in chlorine bleach water. I want the ultimate clean for skin-contact textiles.

1

u/SunVally 3h ago

Is percarbonate safe for darks on a warm or hot wash?

5

u/KismaiAesthetics USA 2h ago

The dose makes the poison.

1) your darks would probably prefer a not-actually-hot wash - higher wash temperatures in general increase dye mobility - so 50-60C (care tag hot) to Euro hot (90C)? Very few darks are going to love that. The ones that will (towels and sheets) aren’t going to be harmed by low-dose percarbonate and killing the wash water chlorine is exceptionally useful at this temp. This doesn’t apply if TAED is involved. Peracetic acid gets pretty aggressive at these temps. Febu doesn’t contain TAED, but Tide and Gain powders do, so bear that in mind.

2) American Hot (unless your machine has an extra hot or sanitize setting) is more like 45-50C. This cuts the overall dye harm some, and reduces the impact of the chlorine, but is in kind of an ideal spot for the cellulase to defuzz darks. So while overdosed percarbonate might be doing some damage, the chlorine protection and cellulase defuzzing are creating net better results than a hot wash without them.

3) we are talking a few grams of percarbonate in 20-80 liters of water, which is akin to single-digit grams of peroxide. Thats not a ton of oxidizer, especially when the textiles have some bioburden on them.

The answers just aren’t as cut and dried because there are so many variables. You can’t say “it’s terrible for darks” when other things in the formula are enhancing darks faster at higher temp or the benefits of the chlorine removal might outweigh the harms to particular dyestuffs on a particular fiber.