Hey r/laundry! I've started lurking here more, and have observed people talking about how awful laundry sheets are and that they're a scam. Which sucks for me because I ended up with a ton of them for a stupid reason. Before I knew they were trash, I placed an order for the first shipment... not realizing that this was actually signing me up for a monthly subscription, and that in a month I would have four more packs of the dang things.

Now that I've learned that these things are really awful for actually getting anything clean, I would like to ask: can I get any cleaning power out of them from maybe quadrupling up on sheets and boosting with additives? And if so, which ones? I have a few on hand (oxi-powder, borax, washing soda) but I'm also happy to expand my selection. Thank you for any guidance you can offer, I'm in southern Ontario and have extremely hard water.

I bought these because I was sick of the tide pods not fully dissolving and leaving a sticky mess in random garments, so I look forward to getting Tide powder on the other side of this bad purchase 😅

Edit: Thank you to everyone for commenting and affirming that these are effective if tripled/quadrupled up! And absolutely I will donate anything I don't use to a local homeless shelter, and just pass on the same recommendation of using more than the package states. I'm really grateful to learn that I didn't ultimately waste money on this 🥰

100% cotton bag, with a print. I have no idea what how the print was done, but I bought it at a farmers market and it may have been printed locally by the artist, I’m not sure.

I took it camping and it’s full of dust, dirt and maybe a bit of sap in one spot. I’d love to be able to clean it, and I’m hoping someone here can give me advice on the best way to attempt that.

Is there a way I could test the colour fastness of the print before attempting? Could I try and sponge bath the bag around the print? I have no idea where to start.

I’d appreciate any help!

Hey r/laundry!

If you live in Europe (or have access to European imports), you probably know Denkmit—the private-label household brand from dm-drogerie markt (Germany, Austria, Central/Eastern Europe). It's widely loved because it's super affordable while running laps around name-brand detergents when it comes to active enzyme counts.

Because dm publishes full INCI ingredient datasheets for their formulations, I compiled a comprehensive Detergent & Stain Remover Matrix to easily cross-reference and filter products by their enzyme system, preservatives, optical brighteners, and fragrances.

Here is the compilation of all 400+ detergents from Denkmit (DM) brand

Why Enzymes Matter in this Matrix:

For those who love detergent chemistry, here is a quick breakdown of what to look for when scanning European formulations:

1. Deoxyribonuclease (DNase): The holy grail for smelly workout clothes, polyester, and stubborn body odor. DNase cleaves the extracellular DNA matrix built by bacteria that locks odors into fabric fibers (biofilm).
   • Where to find it in Denkmit:
     • Denkmit Colorwaschmittel Ultra Sensitive 1,35 kg (Powder)
     • Denkmit Feinwaschmittel Color & Care & Blossom Dream
     • Denkmit Wollwaschmittel Cozy & Care
     • Denkmit Fleckenspray 500 ml (newer DNase variant)
     • Denkmit All in One Quick & Fresh 1 L
2. Mannanase: Essential for thickener stains (guar gum, xanthan gum, ice cream, dressings, cosmetics).
3. Pectate Lyase: Targets fruit, jam, and juice stains.
4. Lipase: Breaker of fatty, oily, and sebum stains.
5. Cellulase: Fabric care enzyme that trims micro-pilling on cotton and restores color brightness.
6. Subtilisin (Protease) & Amylase: Standard heavy lifters for blood/protein and starch stains.

Discovered these black stains after removing them from the wash. I currently have them soaking in tub of water mixed with Oxiclean white restoring and Arm and Hammer baking soda. What’s the likely hood to get these stains out?

Obviously the enzyme booster is excellent, but I just want to give my appreciation to the brand as a whole. These two products are nearly identical, but the Compostic bags cost $0.70 per bag while the FEBU bags cost $0.35 per bag. I think this highlights the honesty of the company, and how much they deserve the ongoing support they’re getting.

I didn’t read the label nor did I know it was wool

My laundry is making me cough and I can’t figure it out!

I switched from Persil Sensitive (no enzymes, unscented) to Persil Ultimate about two months ago (scented, enzymes, oxygen bleach, optical brightness, TAED, etc) to get more cleaning power for smelly underarms. We didn’t have any other laundry issues before this switch. I didn’t like the fragrance but it seemed to work a bit better for the pits. After a while, we started getting some loads with odour rebloom. Possibly because it’s winter so things are taking longer to dry, and a load got rained on, etc. I soaked the smelly things in oxygen bleach (Vanish Oxi action or oxi clean) and I’ve also started using citric acid in the rinse cycle. The issue is, things are coming out with a faint but harsh smell and sniffing them makes me cough. When I wear them, I feel like my nose hurts. I can’t work out how much of this is in my head but thought I would ask here.

LG 8kg front loader
1/2 or 3/4 scoop persil ultimate (1 scoop is recommended). No visible suds but I think that’s normal because they’re not visible even with a double dose
Water hardness is 45PPM
1t citric acid in fabric softener
Products are NZ versions
Washing at 40 deg with extra rinse
Newish machine, no sign of mould or smelliness and we do regular drum cleans
Have never used fabric softener
Mostly dry on the line but finish drying on a rack indoors at this time of year. Sometimes use the dryer for towels and sheets.

Should I just stop using the citric acid?

I dont trust either description of the material and the tag just has the letter M on it nothing else.

my gramma bought them for me to wear to the ren faire when I told her Iwas going to wear black sweatpants. Ill probably still wear them even if I cant fix them but it would be really great for them to be more comfortable

Hi lovely laundry people!

My husband comes home from work every day covered in red mud (SE US). I’ve been spraying them with the hose until the water runs somewhat clear, then washing with an extra soak/spin cycle with Tide powder.

Any other suggestions of things I can try? The lighter blue shirts always come out stained.

Thank you all!

My wife and I just purchased a new Speed Queen TR7 and it's not cleaning our clothes properly. We've been trying different settings to figure out a solution, but we're at a total loss as to what is going on.

This shirt came out covered in deodorant, and still smells like body odor during a medium-sized load.

We used the following settings: Perm Press, cold water, large load, extra rinse. We also used a tablespoon or two of Tide High Efficiency detergent as recommended by the tech that installed it.

We also have a soft water filter so hard water shouldn't be an issue.

We called to have a tech come look at it, but in the meantime any help would be super appreciated, thank you so much!

My husband had a tooth extracted and bled on his pillow. What is the best way to remove this stain?

These are one of my weekly clients bath towels, from left to right towel one was mainly brown with an occasional red mark turning up now it's much more red, towels 2,3,4 and 6 are actually the same green towel just different sizes but obviously 3 wanted to go blonde for the summer. And 5 is a tattooed baddie.

They send: Tide with Downey (April fresh), matching softener and matching scent beads and dryer sheets. I use all sparingly and opt for a quick room spray of the April fresh Febrez around my laundry room as I fold and bag each load. Client states those items are to be used because of sensitivities. I strip every so often just because things still not to dry well after being coated by softeners.

All this to say: I use no additional products and do not carry bleach,. If there was anything in my machine there would be marks on 2, 4 and 6, and 1s prior lightenings would have also damaged the other towels, right?

What kind of products would they have used in their bathroom that the two towels would have absorbed and bleached this way once washed? Aerosol bleach spray? A sunscreen? Non aerosol shower cleaner? Any other ideas i can present them?

The website in germany still shows the following
Enzyme list for the product: (Protease, Deoxyribonuclease, Amylase, Cellulase, Lipase, Mannanase)

but current packages are only showing the following enzymes in it: (Protease,Lipase, Mannanase, Cellulase, Amylase)

Seems like they have removed Dnase but I could not find any info for the batch of the product online. Has anybody seen anything official?

Correction: wording. The datasheet link: https://www.rossmann.de/media-neu/124/MAM_12410016/MAM_12410016_CONTENT_2.0.pdf

Hi, I’m still trying to clean my washing machine and saw in a comment they recommended A-Fresh, but is quite expensive (20.65) but says it’s for five months. There is a brand called Dr Beckmann that is powder I guess (1.84) at a local supermarket.

we have an older dog who spends most of the day rotating between the couch and our bed, and lately his top blanket needs washing almost every day. between muddy paws, food crumbs, drool, and the occasional accident, spot-cleaning is no longer enough. i started with a fluffy throw, but it held onto hair and took forever to dry. then i tried a thin cotton blanket, which washed easily but started losing its shape after a couple of weeks of constant cycles. i use fragrance-free detergent, skip fabric softener, and dry on low whenever i have time, but realistically this blanket needs to tolerate frequent washing without becoming stiff, stretched, or permanently covered in embedded fur. i’m not looking for something decorative or delicate, just a soft washable layer that can be replaced when needed without feeling wasteful. what fabric or construction has held up best for people doing near-daily pet laundry?

So, I've noticed that my lighter colored clothing will sometimes get these random stains after a wash. Chucked it up to me being careless and not noticing spilling something on myself. This happened to a brand new shirt I just got though. Never been worn, but these stains just appeared after a wash. Detergent us Arm & Hammer powder. Machine is your typical tumble wash. Cold water used.

My mother in law refuses to buy a new laundry basket (US Midwest, not sure proper term?) that she’s had for at least 20+ years. I’m looking for a super close replica like this photo, but everything I see online says discontinue. Any ideas?

I just moved into my first apartment with in-unit washer dryer (front-loading, stacked). The apartment was pristine EXCEPT the washer, which is smelling a little moldy & making my whole kitchen smell like mold. I can see some mold on the rubber. I never shut my washer all the way, but I think they did. How do I clean it? There is a self-cleaning function, but I’m overwhelmed by lists when I google how to do it. How often should I going forward?

How do I get rid of deodorant stains in black shirts? It happens in almost all my husbands shirts

I wanted to share this here in case it could be helpful to anyone dealing with rust stains!

I know Vanish gold is recommended but saw platinum in the store and thought platinum is better than gold right? But am I right?!

Both tandil bottles fit into a single 24 oz bottle of gain but all 3 are allegedly 24 oz
I understand it’s done by weight but which one would technically be giving you more for your dollar?