Washing product query

aurongrande_2

Mk14:37 wrote: »

I was reading Which? Magazine today, it rated Lidl's own brand powder as the Best Buy. I'll be giving it a go next time I buy powder.

I'm curious as to how necessary it is to put the powder in the drawer instead of directly in the drum - what makes tabs so special, eh?
I'm pretty sure I remember that the machines at university recommended putting the powder in the drum before loading the clothes.

We don't have a Lidl store within 15 miles of my town. The nearest Asda store is 8miles away.

Note: Don't believe Which? magazine. They tend to get paid to recommend certain products.

aurongrande_2

Spikefan wrote: »

Personally I like Bold - not too strong in smelling (well the Lavander one isn't) and it has conditioner in it (saves buying two products); if I am washing whites then Aerial is good - best tip I found for clean clothes was not to overload the machine. It just doesn't get them clean if there is no room to move around. When my children were young I found Safeway own brand was one of the best to remove dirt from their clothes - this is now Morrison's own brand.

my machine doesn't like being filled more than two thirds full.

aurongrande_2

sassyblue wrote: »

Hi aurongrande, blimey your machine is fussy!

Couple of points..... the calgon tablet, l know your repairman says good for using them but if they are so good at descaling the machine don't you think they'd ruin your clothes in the process? And you aren't putting calgon in the conditioner wash too so what happens to the scale in the water there......? You can tell l don't believe in them and neither did my washing machine repairman.

You can buy a fitting that goes between the connection on the water mains to the machine and that softens/de-ionises? the water, l use that and believe me when we first put it on the machine packed up after a few washes when l came to clean out the fluff filter to see if that was the cause - it was full of concave scale that had come off the inside of the pipes so l know it works. I think we paid about £25 a few years ago, it's still going strong and is repaid in the cost of calgon within a few months.

I buy a packet of soda crystals from the supermarket about 91p and mix half them and half washing powder - so your washing powder goes further too (and you can fit more in now the calgon tablet isn't there?? ). I've only found Ariel works in my machine and you might need bio (biological) powder to help remove stains better.

If you have stains that are quite bad, a Vanish SOAP BAR works best, lasts for ages you just rub the soap bar on the stain (wet it first) leave it 5-10mins and then put the machine on.

Yes, my machine sure is fussy. If the Calgon tabs don't actually work, then I won't get anymore. I've never heard of this descaler thingy you put on your pipes? Are they allowed to be used in Council homes?

My machine only has a small soap draw. Even using condensed powder, I couldn't even put half of what the suggestion said on the box into the draw, and that's without a Calgon tab.

Bio or non-bio, doesn't matter which I use, it's a matter of which is cheaper when I stock up at the time. Fortunately for me, I tend to keep clean. It's not often that I actually put dirty clothes in the machine. So it's mainly to freshen up the clothes.

aurongrande_2

Jane_Blackford wrote: »

Of course you could always use an electronic water conditioner that works on all the pipes in the house. I am prejudiced so cannot state which one, my husband developed one. We had it on test and we tested the water for hardness every day and watched it go down slowly but surely. Believe me, I was sceptical at first. He had to take ours off a while back as he was developing new programming but he did not tell me it was off, after a few days my head got itchy and my dandruff returned, so I know for sure it was working! We still get scale in the kettle, but nothing like what we used to get. We replaced our hot water tank a while back as we could not remove the immersion heater to replace it. After removing the tank we cut the immersion out and found it was totally clear of scale, and the bottom few inches of the tank was full of pieces of scale!!

Sounds like a hefty DIY job for me, and I live in a council flat.

aurongrande_2

pegginout wrote: »

I was told that powder was best, gels & liquids are not good for your machine at low temps x

Correct, the gels, tabs and liquids aren't quite good for the machine at low temps. They tend to leave a gunky residue in the machine, but every so often, setting the machine on the hottest wash cycle will clear it up.

sassyblue

aurongrande wrote: »

I've never heard of this descaler thingy you put on your pipes? Are they allowed to be used in Council homes?

Sure it's allowed it's magnetic and doesn't damage anything, you just screw it between the water inlet tap and washing machines hose, if you follow the link in my earlier post it's there.

Enterprise_1701C

aurongrande wrote: »

Sounds like a hefty DIY job for me, and I live in a council flat.

Actually fairly simple, though you do need an available power socket. You simply stick the unit to the wall (it is not a big unit 4.5" x 3" x 1.5" is what our one measures) near the mains inlet for the water (generally has the stop !!!! on it) and coil an aerial lead round the pipe, plug the aerial lead into the unit and power up the unit and away you go. It takes a while to work, but it is fantastic when it does, it even changed our drinking water into drinkable water!

nesssie1702

Mk14:37 wrote: »

I was reading Which? Magazine today, it rated Lidl's own brand powder as the Best Buy. I'll be giving it a go next time I buy powder.

I'm curious as to how necessary it is to put the powder in the drawer instead of directly in the drum - what makes tabs so special, eh?
I'm pretty sure I remember that the machines at university recommended putting the powder in the drum before loading the clothes.

I've been using Lidl's Formil non-bio powder now for about 5 - 6 years and think that it's great. I don't use half the recommended amount of powder as on the box, just a wee bit. My DH has psoriasis, so it makes a difference to his skin. I live in a soft water area though, so don't have to use a water softener.

geordie_joe

Jane_Blackford wrote: »

Actually fairly simple, though you do need an available power socket. You simply stick the unit to the wall (it is not a big unit 4.5" x 3" x 1.5" is what our one measures) near the mains inlet for the water (generally has the stop !!!! on it) and coil an aerial lead round the pipe, plug the aerial lead into the unit and power up the unit and away you go. It takes a while to work, but it is fantastic when it does, it even changed our drinking water into drinkable water!

How long does it take to work?

red_devil

i use brands such as bold, aerial and daz. i buy them when on offer so never need to spend much. Powder is my fave but depends whats on offer.