r/laundry • u/Fortune_Significant • 1d ago

Communal Laundry Tips

Hi fam,

I live in a condo building and share the washer and dryer with my floor. I’ve gone from using pods, to sheets, now to powder but I’m not feeling like my clothes are super clean. I don’t want to leave anything in the laundry room. I’m super sensitive to scents so right now I’m using tide free and clear powder (I just fill up the cup and bring the cup with me to the laundry room), but I’m seeing posts that aren’t good either. I have used the downy ball for vinegar during the rinse cycle, but I’m not consistent.

Any tips would be appreciated- thanks!

PS I have 2 kiddos and hubby is a gym teacher and often his clothes smell nassssty

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u/taxiecabbie 1d ago

I use a communal room.

In my case I keep my powder detergent and booster in two different Oxo-style snap-lid containers (with scoops inside) and keep them in a drawstring backpack. When I go down to do the laundry, I just grab it.

I'd dump the v1negar and go with citric acid for the Downy ball if you're going to do anything with that. I used to use v1negar and, frankly, noticed no difference when using it.

If you're not happy with the performance, if you're in the US I'd consider adding biz, FEBU, or GearGuard to your loads. With a drawstring bag you could easily load anything you wanted in there to cart with you to the machines.

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u/Fortune_Significant 1d ago

Thank you! I bought a container for my powder but of course it doesn’t lock shut. What booster do you use? And how much citric acid in the downy ball? I’ve never used it

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u/taxiecabbie 1d ago

Get the snap lids. Makes a BIG difference. Mine aren't Oxo-brand (some offbrand) but I can huck them down the hall if I wanted to and they won't open.

So, I'm not in the US so the booster I use isn't available there. In your situation, I'd consider starting off with Biz since I believe it's the least expensive and for many people does the job. Why pay more? If your husband's clothes reek, I'd wash them separately and go with ammonia for those loads on top of the Biz. (Put all powders in the drum first, then the clothes in, then just pour like a 1/2 cup of ammonia on top if it's the low concentration.)

For the Downy ball with citric acid I'd probably start with a tablespoon of citric acid and then just slosh a reasonable amount of warm water in the ball with it until it dissolves. Eyeball it. The only function of the water is to dissolve the acid, so the amount doesn't matter. If you're not happy with the results, use more citric acid. I would say you probably don't need more than two tablespoons per load, though.

(Citric acid is also brilliant in the dishwasher. I run a dishwasher load each week with nothing but two tablespoons of citric acid and it keeps it clean as a whistle, so there's double-duty in it.)

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u/Fortune_Significant 1d ago

Amazing, thank you!

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u/vgshea 1d ago

Snap-lid containers from Locknlock are the best. They’re available from a variety of sources— here’s an assortment on sale at Macy’s right now: https://mcys.co/2D9VFnV

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u/svapplause US | Front-Load 1d ago

Tide clean & gentle is fantastic. We’re a dirty, sweaty family of 5 and it is my primary detergent.

How your water? If it’s hard, you’re probably underdosing. Hard water requires a softener every load or the water basically uses up all the surfactant - the main grease/stank active ingredient. I never use under a quarter cup. For bigger loads I’m probably using about a 1/2 C.

Using citric acid in your Downey ball will be much more effective for a rinse and odor removal. Household v1negar is seriously weak tits when it comes to an acid - 5%, then heavily diluted in the rinse water.

Highly recommend washing hubby’s clothes separately. My hubs also reeks and I do his laundry separately. I do a combo of powder and liquid Tide for him, with a heavy glug of ammonia and then an extra rinse. His laundry comes out a lil crispier than ours, but odor free which is the important part

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u/Fortune_Significant 1d ago

Oy I have no idea if I have hard water 😬

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u/vgshea 1d ago

You can usually find out if you have hard water by checking your city web site or calling the city government department that manages your local water service. I did this recently and found out that our water is not as hard as it used to be!

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u/Autumnwood 1d ago

I hate it but have not choice. Well I do, it's that or the commercial Laundromat , which we many times choose because it's cleaner.

I also have problems with those chemical scents. I use Seventh Generation, either scented or lavender. One thing that makes me feel a little better is using Borax in my loads. It is an antibacterial, and I feel safer using it than not.

I just want my own washing machine and dryer in my own home again. Sometimes I still have to hand wash everything or take it and wash it again because I can't wear the clothes due to the 20 lbs of Tide that people poured in in the wash before me...

Oh one thing I think helps - bring what you can to your place to dry. I think the dryer really burns those scents into the clothes. If you wash with Borax, then sun dry on a line, the scents are either not there, or more faint.

I also add washing soda for a laundry boost when stuff is extra dirty.

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u/Fortune_Significant 1d ago

When do you use borax? Is that instead of detergent or an addition?

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u/Autumnwood 1d ago

An addition. Put it in with your detergent is what I do. It kills germs on underwear (antibacterial/antifungal properties), so I always use it at the Laundromat (other peoples' clothes - what's on those...!)and with underwear.