That wet flannel smell!!

pigpen · 16 October 2008 at 3:57PM

lemonade_lifestyle wrote: »

1)Why do I regularly get white stains down some of my clothes (namely my uniform [nice green ambulance stuff!]) after I've washed it? Looks like I've spilt toothpaste or yoghurt down it! I use persil or tesco's biological powder(in the green box) and wash it at 40 and sometimes 60 degrees if needed.

Cos you dribbled your lunch? Sometimes the powder doesn't dissolve properly and causes white powdery marks. Some creams don't wash off.

2)I have been reading alot on here how people don't bother with fabric conditioner and use white vinegar, is this for real?? What benefits does it have?

I thought it made evrything smell like it had been in a chippy for a week.. hated it.. lenor all the way

3) No matter how many times i sling face clothes into wash, after few days they stink again of wet mustiness. Am I washing them wrong or what?

It is the stagnant water makes them niff.. either keep them on radiators so they dry super quick or keep them in a tub of clean water & change water between uses..
I change them after every use.. you wash your faff with them after all.. and nothing worse than washing your face on something hubby just washed his extras with.. *barf*
Towels are changed every use as well

4)Best way to pre-treat underarm areas every so often?:embarasse

No idea.. I just replace hubbys shirts I don't think anything ever gets rid of the marks. They are less obvious and develop slower with aerosol deodourants I've found.

5) How does everyone else do their washing, I'm a powder, vanish oxyaction and fabric conditioner type of girl, 40degrees for colours and 50/60 degrees for lights?? Any suggestions to change and the reasons why?

30'C 1/3rd scoop wash powder (tesco value) & a gloob of fabric conditioner. Occasionally I'll whizz a bunch of white stuff or hubbys running ger through a 60'C wash to try to neutralise some of the sweaty pong.

I never realised that there was so much more to doing the washing then bunging it in and leaving it for an hour.;)

There isn't

There's my tuppence worth

Fen1 · 16 October 2008 at 4:01PM

I wash towels and flannels at 60 with just detergent, no conditioner. The towels stay fresh all week - much better than at 40. Conditioner coats towel fibres making them less absorbent, and the water just sits on the fibres instead of evaporating, so they smell more quickly.
Rinse out flannels in hot water after each use, wring thoroughly, and dry on a rack. Don't just let them moulder on the edge of the sink - you have to give them a chance to dry out.

lemonade_lifestyle · 16 October 2008 at 4:18PM

PIGPEN, You've obviously seen me eating!!! Gottta to get it in quick before the next job comes in!!! Shove it in, swallow it then actually eat it later!! No wonder us ambulance people have got such bad digestive systems...haha

And as for the flannel comment, eugh gross...but true. I most definatley Do NOT wash with DH flannel, god knows whats growing on his!!!

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

dronid · 16 October 2008 at 4:47PM

lemonade_lifestyle wrote: »

I've had alittle peak at some older threads on here and have managed to get some good advice. But I thought I might pose these questions all together and maybe generate a few more answers/suggestions to some problems which I sometimes experience:-

1)Why do I regularly get white stains down some of my clothes (namely my uniform [nice green ambulance stuff!]) after I've washed it? Looks like I've spilt toothpaste or yoghurt down it! I use persil or tesco's biological powder(in the green box) and wash it at 40 and sometimes 60 degrees if needed.

I'd probably suggest the powder wasn't dissolving properly

lemonade_lifestyle wrote: »

2)I have been reading alot on here how people don't bother with fabric conditioner and use white vinegar, is this for real?? What benefits does it have?

My partner is rather brand obsessed so I got him to do the towels one week with conditioner and one week with white vinegar (though we use the Tesco White vinegar with caramel colouring to make it look like malt. It’s cheap and it’s never stained anything as you only use a splash.)

The Towels came out soft and fluffy from the tumble dryer on both occasions.
The vinegar ones smelt of nothing – to make them smell of vinegar people must be using loads!
The fabric conditioner ones smelt faintly of flowers.
On using them the vinegar ones were noticeably more absorbent than the fabric conditioners – and the fabric conditioners set of my partner’s eczema which he suffered from until he met me.
We had a problem with the washing machine and the repair man asked if we used Calgon as there was limited lime scale build up – we’re in a hard water area and there tends to be a lot. The vinegar was keeping it at bay.

lemonade_lifestyle wrote: »

3) No matter how many times i sling face clothes into wash, after few days they stink again of wet mustiness. Am I washing them wrong or what?

The face cloths, if they’re used to wash the face will end up with a build up of grease and bacteria from your skin. In warm conditions the bacteria will breed – think of your kitchen cloth – it’s much the same. You need one for each day/couple of days.

lemonade_lifestyle wrote: »

4)Best way to pre-treat underarm areas every so often?

Acids are supposed to be a good treatment. Borax paste, aspirin in the wash, lemon juice, vinegar again – though as it’s a spot treatment you’ll need to wash it well.

The main thing is do not over use deodorant. Unless it can dry properly it’s useless and will just apply itself to your clothes, make you sticky and sweat more.

lemonade_lifestyle wrote: »

5) How does everyone else do their washing, I'm a powder, vanish oxyaction and fabric conditioner type of girl, 40degrees for colours and 50/60 degrees for lights?? Any suggestions to change and the reasons why?

We wash with liquid – I don’t like the white marks either. I cut down on the amount of liquid used and top up with much cheaper soda crystals – much cheaper and seems to give a nicer – less laminated finish.

30-40 degrees for most things, occasional boil washes for towels and sheets. Different liquids for biological (‘natural stains’ the ol’ blood, sweat, gravy and egg, Non bio ‘artificial stains’ oil etc and colours for things I don’t want gray at the end!

lemonade_lifestyle wrote: »

I never realised that there was so much more to doing the washing then bunging it in and leaving it for an hour./quote]

It's simple when you know how.

Magentasue · 16 October 2008 at 4:49PM

I change flannels every day, same with hand towels for kitchen and bathroom, kitchen cloths etc.

I used to get white marks with powder but now I don't. I found liquid better but now I use powder mixed with soda crystals and it's fine.

Also, don't overload machine - laundry needs room to slosh around in hot soapy water and not just move round in a heap. Feels wasteful when you know you could push more in but stuff does wash better if you give it room.

webwalker · 16 October 2008 at 5:01PM

Your face cloths don't smell, it's the bacteria breeding on them that makes the pong, if the smell keeps returning either sling them or boil them for twenty minutes, bacteria are tough they survive in high and low temperartures for a while.

Anwen_2 · 16 October 2008 at 5:23PM

I hardly ever use conditioner OR vinegar, just use the detergent and have no problems unless I forget to take things out of the machine for a day (have a terrible memory so this does happen a bit too often). Definitely don't use fc on towels, occasionally use vinegar on them to get any detergent residues out.

One thing you could try to freshen the flannels is to get them wringing wet and then microwave until steamy - should kill most bugs. This also works well for kitchen wiping-up cloths, just take the steaming cloth out of the mw with tongs or something (so as not to scald yourself) and drop onto any dried-on muck on the counter, then wipe the counters down, cleans off all sorts of stuff without detergent.

Slinky · 16 October 2008 at 7:11PM

Anwen wrote: »

One thing you could try to freshen the flannels is to get them wringing wet and then microwave until steamy - should kill most bugs. This also works well for kitchen wiping-up cloths, just take the steaming cloth out of the mw with tongs or something (so as not to scald yourself) and drop onto any dried-on muck on the counter, then wipe the counters down, cleans off all sorts of stuff without detergent.

I blitz my J-cloths in the microwave like this, but always rinse them in cold water after taking them out of the microwave because that gunge which was making the smell is still there in the cloth, even if you've blitzed it. Surely it's best to rinse it away.

Going back to the comment about using lots of deodorant you need to be careful as aluminium salts in deodorant have been linked to breast cancer (in women and men) I understand.

parsonswife8 · 16 October 2008 at 8:06PM

I think that the smell is caused by people applying them directly to smelly armpits to moisten before they apply the soap.

Dampen armpits with water in hands first, then apply and lather the soap and then rinse with a facecloth or sponge.

A lot of people don't just use a facecloth for their face, they use them for all kinds of cracks and crevices. Sorry, but it's true.

No wonder they end up smelling.

And they don't get rinsed and wrung out properly afterwards either.

Facecloths for faces and sponges for all the other bits.

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Jane2112 · 16 October 2008 at 9:53PM

When I trained as a nurse ( many years ago) we were always told use two fc's, one for the face and body, one for the 'other' bits !! Then wring out well in cold water and air dry. Do not leave hanging around on the sink and never ( as seen in hospital) wrap the fc around the soap!! That used to make my blood boil.

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That wet flannel smell!!

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