OS laundry

funkymonkey849

I'm sure there must be a thread on here already but I can't find any so here goes...

What laundry products do you use in your washing machine? I use 3/4 cap of surf small and mighty, about 3 tbsp (guess) of soda crystals and a capful of white vinegar in the rinse.

I use surf because it makes the clothes smell really fresh and yum, and soda crystals so I can cut down on the amount of detergent used. How can I get a nice smell without using chemical detergents? Will soda crystals be enough to clean the clothes properly? This is a mix of wanting to use OS products as I find myself wanting to stay away from chemical products which I have no idea what is in them, and also cost saving as I'm finding detergents becoming more and more expensive.

415SanFran

I don't use vinegar any more but have started to use just water with a little lavender oil.
use about 3 drops in each load.
I guess you could use any fragrance.

frankie1star

I use an essential oil with the vinegar, currently using cajeput, that smells nice. Have used ylang ylang, and rose du bois too

funkymonkey849

Do you use washing powder or soda crystals or anything else as well?

LittleMissAspie

You could try soap nuts but they aren't very strong. My boyfriend's tshirts smelled of BO when they came out. But they are okay for things like towels at 60 degrees. Frankly I have given up trying anything OS or environmentally friendly because of my boyfriend's tshirts.

elfen

I can't too much OS stuff as the OH has the world's stinkiest feet. So I'm currently using Sainsbury's own brand colour tablets with fabric softener (even though half the time I forget the softener)

mi_jardin

I never use softener, and to be honest I don't miss it! I just use whatever soap powder is on offer, then use less than it says on the box. I live in a very hard water area, and use less than a scoop of powder each time on a 30/50 degree wash. everything comes up fine, but I do admit we dont have messy kids or dirty jobs to get clothes really dirty.

ChapelGirl

I use one (mean) capful of a concentrated liquid bio detergent plus a water softerner tablet such as Calgon. The softener is more to help preserve the life of the machine than to make the washing softer or brighter.

I use washer balls from Lakeland.

I never ever use softener, but if I have to use the dryer I use dryer balls. I think softener is not only unnecessary but that it is a positively bad idea for towels etc. as it makes them less absorbent, so they don't dry you as well. Also, the more chemicals you put into your wash the more your skin has to cope with afterwards.

The best ever clothes freshener is a couple of hours on a clothes line in good fresh air and sunshine. Sunlight actually is an antiseptic. If you don't believe me, try Googling.

We are now in the wilds of France and on a septic tank, so that is also a consideration when you are putting chemicals in your waste water. It's a bit like the pro-biotic yoghurt adverts. If we kill the good bacteria in the tank it gets "sick" and then you end up with it backing up, blocking, and all kinds of things you really don't want to think about, trust me!

If we all had to consider how they would biodegrade when we put washing products etc. down the waste pipes in our mains sewerage systems maybe we would not buy so many.