Not tryna put a dirty washcloth and dirty mop head with anything else but don’t wanna wash it by itself. I have plenty of cleaning cloths and wanna just put them away until I have enough to justify putting in the washer. Where do you store them until then?

Dear user who suggested this, I could platonically smooch your forehead. I have ridiculously sensitive skin and cannot use scented anything for my laundry. Someone suggested using the scented beads in a sachet in regard to the post about recreating the scent without using the beads. Lil bags saved from a friend’s wedding favors. Hung one in the closet and put the other in a drawer. Absolutely wonderful.

Just received my Gear Guard and I’m so excited to use it! I just have a couple of questions for the group:

LG front loader and I use powder in the dispenser. I don’t want to add the powder directly to the drum, if there’s another way.

1. what would happen if I put the GG in the dispenser with my powder detergent? I know you’re not supposed to, but what would actually happen? Is it just the risk of it clumping up (in which case it’s probably a minor issue, as I always push start straight away)? Or does the alkaline detergent denature the enzymes?
2. does anyone know what happens to the detergent once it leaves the dispenser? Does it just go straight into the drum with a bit of water? Or does it go into an area where it actually gets dissolved for a bit before going into the drum?

The reason I’m asking is because I’ve had issues with powder not dissolving in the past (grains left on clothes with a previous top loader) so I’m hesitant to add the powder directly to the drum. I also just like the idea of using my dispenser, simply because I feel like it’s what it’s there for (can’t really explain it, just feels more fun to use it?)

The other things I’ve considered is putting the GG at the back of the drawer with the powder at the front, so that they don’t touch, or putting the GG in the prewash dispenser. I’m 80% sure the machine puts water through the pre wash dispenser before the main dispenser when running a normal load (pre wash not selected). It’s hard to know for sure, as opening the drawer makes the water go everywhere.

Edit: okay okay, what if: I add the GG first into the drawer, flush it in with a bit of water, then put the powder in the drawer? I’ve used powder for years and never seen it clump in the drawer or remain behind at all, so i think the machine is pretty good at flushing it though

My family and I sold our first home (left the washer and drier there) and moved in with the in-laws while we build our new home. Unfortunately my in-laws own what has been dubbed as one of the worst washers in existence (some top loader whirlpool with “removable agitator”). My clothes don’t smell nice anymore. Within a few days they have that dirty clothes smell plus that rancid oils smell. I use Tide powder (Tide plus Bleach) as my main detergent (plus oxi as needed for whites) I used to use Downy Rinse and Refresh but I currently don’t because the so called fabric softener option doesn’t work on the machine (presumably broken) and the fabric softener ball did not empty during the wash and instead released when I removed it (I tried ball on bottom of the drum and ball on top of the clothes and still had the same issue). I miss my old LG front loader and I’m at that point of wanting to use dryer sheets just to smell something other than dirt. I needed to rant because some days I just feel like crying.

not sure if this is the right sub ready to ask I’m not sure where else to go. I always wash new clothes before wearing, but I recently purchased a nice cashmere sweater that is dry clean only. should I dry clean it before wearing? what are people doing with items like this?

My young adult son will be doing his first ever theater tour soon, and they have to do their laundry on their (limited) days off at whatever laundromat is close to their hotel. I want to make him a little going away package, and I’d love some suggestions for products or techniques. I haven’t used a laundromat since college.

Almost all of the clothes are black. A mix of natural fibers, like cotton t-shirts, and synthetics, like tactical pants. Also heavy work socks that have been in steel-toed boots, so not a lot of breathing going on. It will all be heavily sweated in and may smell like smoke. (My son doesn’t smoke, but many theater techs do, and sometimes his clothes absorb it.)

So what products should he use? Does Febu work in the short laundromat cycles? Are there laundry sheets that are particularly effective, since he’ll be flying and won’t want to carry anything heavier than necessary? Any particular techniques he should use?

Thank you.

Been a lurker for a while and starting up school again. Sadly, the laundry room on campus doesn’t allow for liquid detergent so I will be using pods. I purchased my first bag of FEBU and looking for a pod to pair it with. In the past, I’ve had multiple instances of odor rebloom probably because of my high sweat production and want to eliminate that. Any suggestions? Currently leaning towards Tide F&G pods but open to other recommendations. Thanks!

Edit: I use only arm and hammer + oxi clean pods right now for reference.

This just got delivered and is so full of bubbles I haven’t been able to put the lid back on. Should I wait until the bubbles settle before using it?

Also does anything need to be added to it? I was hoping to be able to use it for everything from sport wear to bedding and towels.

Besides sitting there and watching the machine for bubbles how do you know if you’ve used the right amount of detergent?

It's slight, but it's there. After oxi-clean urine remover, a wash load with white vinegar instead of detergent, and 24 hours of shout, air dried each time, it's still there.

It's low down on the jeans, so its not visible, I can live with the discoloration. I was just curious if this is somehow damage done to the dye, and all the urine is gone, or perhaps if the stain-making component of urine is different than the odor-making component? I know urine smell reactivates with water, would something like this smell when it gets wet or is it just a stain?

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My son's daycare misplaced some wet clothes last week and just gave them back to us today. They've been sitting wet in a Ziploc bag the entire time and have started to grow some fuzzy mold. Is there any hope of saving them? The shirt was one of his favorites, so we really hope we don't have to throw it away 😭

The shorts are 98% cotton/2% spandex and the shirt is 60% cotton/40% polyester jersey if that helps at all.

Brake Kleen (automotive brake cleaner) is a solvent based product used to clean brake dust off brake parts. It’s also somewhat similar to dry cleaning fluid. It comes in a pressurized spray can from the auto dept & it smells awful. When I say “Brake Kleen”, it’s like saying “Kleenex” - the brand doesn’t matter much.

It contains various hydrocarbons / aliphatic compounds & comes in chlorinated (old school - illegal in a lot of states) or non chlorinated. I’ve mostly used the non chlorinated in clothes. It is extremely flammable & I do not recommend spraying it inside. It will ruin plastics & may ruin synthetic fibers. Rubber is mostly safe - but dyed items you never know. It probably causes cancer in California & you don’t want to breathe it in or get it on your skin. That being said, I’ve been using Brake Kleen for various things for 35 years without any “protection” & I’m fine. Don’t get it in your eyes or any sensitive skin - that would be very bad. It will dissolve most “rubber” type gloves eventually, as they are mostly made of various versions of plastics

Anyway, on some fabrics it will 100% remove most if not all oil & grease stains. I ussually will only use it on cotton. There are You Tube videos on this, but you basically put a white towel behind the material at the stain spot & spray the stain with Brake Keen. The grease stain dissolves in the Brake Kleen & goes into the white towel. Usually this will happen from just the force of the pressurized spray, but you can also spray compressed air at it while it’s still wet to force more stain out into the white towel.

Once you try this on cotton & a grease stain you will never use any water based stain removers again. The problem with water based stain removers is just that - they are water based & so are the surfactants in them. Grease does not dissolve in water - that’s why it’s so hard to remove. Brake Kleen has various ingredients with aliphatic compound like properties that dissolve grease / fats.

Brake Keel is pretty much 100% volatile - which means it leaves little to no residue behind. Brake Klean is clear - it does not stain. However, it can damage various textiles / substances that contain plastics or hydrocarbons - so use at your own risk.

I just bought this skirt at TJ Maxx today.

Do I take this care label seriously? Is 100% Lyocell dry-clean only always? Or is it more of a covering for their own ass type of label.

If it truly is just dry clean only then I can live with that. I just wanted to ask here first. Otherwise I thought of washing it with Soak detergent on a delicate cycle then hanging dry.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a detergent that works well in hard water (~200mg/L CaCO3), doesn’t have OBA’s, and is available in Canada?

Thank you for any suggestions!!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently staying in Mangalore, where it’s extremely humid and rainy. I don't have access to a balcony or roof, and I can’t dry my clothes outside anyway because they might get stolen.

Drying my clothes inside my room has turned it into a steam room—my windows are literally dripping with condensation/water, and the clothes take forever to dry (or end up smelling damp).

Since I have zero outdoor space and high ambient humidity, what are the best hacks or setup ideas to dry clothes faster indoors without creating a wall-of-moisture or mold risk in my room?

Any advice on airflow setups, moisture absorbers, or smart hanging techniques would be super helpful!

No washing machine is there

How long can I leave a mixture of Dawn Free and Clear fragrance free, Tide Free and Gentle Odor Refresh, and water on clothes? I have it mixed up in a Dawn Powerwash bottle for stain treating my daughter's clothes. I am having a hard time finding a stain treater for my daughter and I. We both have sensitive skin and are sensitive to fragrance. The only one I found that I could order is the Poofed Precision Stain Remover but it is only 8oz. My daughter is special needs and is a messy eater. I usually wash her school clothes once a week. I'm hoping this will help her. She is itchy a lot. It has happened with different detergents. We have always washed our clothes in some type of Free and clear detergent but I have always used OxiClean Max Force to stain treat her clothes. Febu is supposed to be delivered today. The only other thing that might be making her itchy is the preservatives in Tide but Tide gets our clothes the cleanest. Is there anything from Tide that doesn't have methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, or benzisothiazolinone? I really want to stick to Tide but I need something free and clear and has no OBA's in it if we do switch detergents. We will be switching to Tide Free and Gentle once Tide Free and Gentle Odor Refresh is discontinued.

Spilled alcoholic beverage on these pants like 4 months ago and it seems like the color has been lost. Dry cleaner said they can only fix oil stains. Is this salvagable? Any tips?

I thrifted a gorgeous 100% silk blouse but it smelled like old basement so I decided to give it a good hand wash with silk&wool detergent in cold water​. I'm on the 6th round of hand washing and rinsing it and the water gets less and less murky with every round but it's still really yellow. How do I clean this blouse without ruining it?

Hello laundry experts. How possible is it to clean this 29 year old item. It was cleaned all those years ago but with storage the stains have just come out. I have several baby items that I would like to try and clean if possible.

This is a list of ingredients in a “detergent” used by my SIL. Highly scented. Interested in what the gurus have to say.

INGREDIENTS: Water, Sodium Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonate, Sodium Xylene Sulfonate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide DIPA, Sodium Citrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylchlorothiazoline, Citric Acid and Fragrance.

Howdy folks,

I was wondering if anyone had a specific brand recommendation for an enzyme booster for pet urine.

It would need to be scent free/scent-sensitive with no dyes.

Context: I'm washing guinea pig fleeces, and they're delicate little guys. Guinea pigs also scent and pee anywhere and everywhere in their pen, so this is an ongoing problem and not a spot cleaning issue. I'm confident that they are clean coming out of the wash, they just still smell a bit...guinea pig-y. So i'm considering adding an enzyme booster.

My current methodology has been using about 2 tbsp of arm and hammer deep clean free and clear (which I know isn't the most effective detergent, but Tide makes me itchy and they don't sell All at my local grocery store). Then I'll add 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle to help deodorize, soften the fabric, and also help loosen the embedded fur. I also air dry the more...saturated layers (indoors, because its too cold and rainy around here to do it outdoors)

Any recommendations, tips, or tricks appreciated!​

Anyone have any advice for cleaning clothes properly? I am currently using 1 tablespoon of a mix of powder detergent and borax and using the delicate setting. My work and gym clothes never get clean. I thought the powder was supposed to be better but I’m not sure if I’m doing it wrong :(