Do any in washing machine stain removers work? Plus general laundry advice please?

erichamster

Hi I was just wondering if anyone had tried the stain removers that you add to the washing machine and are supposed to "stain insure" your laundry? I suppose I'm thinking of Vanish specifically, but there must be others that I don't know of.

You see my OH has started bringing home his chef whites for me to wash as the company that used to do it keeps tearing them etc, but some of the stains I just can't get out with spot scrubbing and they don't come out in the wash. At the moment I'm just using normal concentrated washing liquid. I have tried the biological kind but didn't really notice a difference.

To be honest I'm not that good at washing in general , especially whites and would like some general advice. Is powder better for getting things clean than liquid, or should I be going through everything before washing and scrubbing out any stains? Also generally I do a light wash and a dark wash as we have very few white or even light items and it wouldn't seem worth it to do a dedicated white wash, but perhaps I should hand wash some stuff? If anyone can help I'd be really grateful, as I don't want to waste money on stain removers/new types of washing stuff if they're not going to work. Sorry for being so clueless, thanks.

nuttywoman

Must admit, i`ve been using Vanish powder & noticed it does get rid of stains , if anything is too stained i soak it in vanish for a while first then put it in the wash.
I`ve tried other brands but not found them as good.

bonsibabe

I am another one that uses vanish. You can get one specifically for white items and it does work. My hubby used to be a chef so I know exactly how you feel (specially with dried in curry and bolognese!!!).

For hard stains I used to soak the whites in boiling hot water with soda crystals. Once the water was just hand hot, I used to just transfer the soaking wet whites to the machine, bung in the normal powder, vanish, and put it on a 90 degree wash. He always managed to have the whitest whites in the kitchen. I had people asking if I would do their washing as well!!!

Sue-UU

I can't really add too much to what nuttywoman and bonsibabe have said, but if you're doing chef whites then it's never worth the risk of doing coloureds in with them. Always do a coloured wash and a white wash, far better, far cleaner!

Sue

Fire_Fox

erichamster wrote: »

You see my OH has started bringing home his chef whites for me to wash as the company that used to do it keeps tearing them etc, but some of the stains I just can't get out with spot scrubbing and they don't come out in the wash. At the moment I'm just using normal concentrated washing liquid. I have tried the biological kind but didn't really notice a difference.

To be honest I'm not that good at washing in general , especially whites and would like some general advice. Is powder better for getting things clean than liquid, or should I be going through everything before washing and scrubbing out any stains? Also generally I do a light wash and a dark wash as we have very few white or even light items and it wouldn't seem worth it to do a dedicated white wash, but perhaps I should hand wash some stuff? If anyone can help I'd be really grateful, as I don't want to waste money on stain removers/new types of washing stuff if they're not going to work. Sorry for being so clueless, thanks.

You will need to do a hotter wash than normal with chef whites for hygiene and use biological powder which will help loosen food stains (check what temperature the powder advises). I have washed Mr. Fire Fox's jackets and trousers together and never had any bother with the colour running. I don't find the trousers really show the marks which is lucky. I just soak the jackets in 30p Asda Smartprice bleach and water in the bath every so often or spot bleach on to small marks.

david39

We use Vanish and find it works OK but lately, being a penny-pincher, when I have been left in charge of the washing, I've rubbed Stardrops into the stains before putting them into the washer, without Vanish, and this works pretty well, too.

I think it depends on how bad the stain is.

jfdi

When my OH's whites were particularly bad (he's in a kitchen now where for some reason he doesn't get as mucky!) I always used Ariel Biological powder - & did a pre-wash followed by a 90 degree boil wash. If they were REALLY bad they got a bleach soak first (overnight).

If they're greasey too, do be careful of your drains - ours blocked a couple of times (over a 10 year period) and had to get the drain man out.

This was all pre MSE days - so try the cheaper suggestions first!

And if you're washing them at home, don't forget to get him to claim the extra tax allowance!

carolinosourus

My boyfriend happens to be a messy eater, I'm not sure how he manages it but there are often stains on the front of his white t-shirts. One of my friends recommended the vanish oxi-action powder that comes in a little pot, Sainsbo was doing 2 tubs for £4 (I think) so I got one of the white and one of the coloured tubs. She makes the powder into a paste by adding a little water then spreads onto the stain and leaves it to dry, she then puts the item into the machine with the scraped off paste added into the drawer of the washing machine, adds powder or liquid then washes.

I tried this yesterday using biological liquid (watch for sensitive skin though) on a 40 degree wash and the stains came out. Washed-in mango and Nando's are now no longer in existance! Not sure how well this would work on chef's whites though. Also you can use 'bluing' to make the whites seem more white if they start to look a little dull and grey.

erichamster

Thanks so much for all the replies, hopefully my washing will be alot whiter from now on! I think I will risk the vanish and see if I see a difference and probably start soaking the whites in bleach beforehand. Thanks so much for all the help, I just have a few more questions:
Bonsibabe, can I ask what are soda crystals and where can I get them?
Carolinosaurus, is the "bluing" you mentioned a brand name of something or a type of product? Do you know where I can get it?
Also do people buy separate washing stuff for whites than colours? i.e. do you buy say bio powder for whites, and then liquid for colours, as I've heard bio powder can fade items and leave powder stains (I've never actually used powder only liquid). Thank you all so much :A:T

erichamster

Ooh also do you put the liquid/powder in the drawer or use a ball? I use a ball in the machine at the moment and wondered if it made any difference putting it in the drawer, the only thing I think I've heard is that you have to use more, not sure if that's true though. Sorry about all the questions, you must think I'm a bit dim , I'm only 22 so haven't been doing this for that long (I know, sheltered ). And my boyfriend's never actually used the washing machine (he has enough trouble putting stuff in the washing basket lol) so needless to say its down to me! x

basmic

Biological powder (or the powder tablets, which I use) for whites, is a must for truly white whites.

You can get get colour powder for your colours - basically the difference between biological and colour powder, is biological contains bleaching agents and colour powder does not.

I have never had a problem with soap powder residues on my clothes - ever. Maybe it's people's machines, or the powder they use.

You can buy soda crystals from most shops - I know for a fact that both Morrisons and Wilkinsons sell them, at less than £1 for a 1kg bag. I like to use these to add a little extra softness to my bedding - after all, I don't fancy my delicates touching rough sheets. :eek::D

For extra tough stains, I like to use Oxy. I might try Vanish one day, but it's so expensive! :eek: