A really rather disgusting question

pigpen

camNolliesMUMMY wrote: »

Well I've used 2 cap fulls of zaflora bouquet from my local bargain shop for 75p a bottle in my wash instead of fabric softner and the clothes no longer smell musky and smell lovely. I guess I can wash around 30 or 40c washes and still kill bacteria on the clothes and in the machine? Anyone rose use this?

CAPFULS?! That would last me years!! I use about 5 drips and it smells plenty!! I do only use it on the boys things tbh.. and cat beds.. the boys smell more I would want it rinsing after running through my clothes, I want germies dead not my body parts, I'd be concerned about the residue on fabric causing irritation.

I used to use it on my cloth nappies otherwise DD3 got really sore.

I use a capful in a bucket of water to clean my bathroom/loo.

honeythewitch

pigpen wrote: »

CAPFULS?! That would last me years!! I use about 5 drips and it smells plenty!! I do only use it on the boys things tbh.. and cat beds.. the boys smell more I would want it rinsing after running through my clothes, I want germies dead not my body parts, I'd be concerned about the residue on fabric causing irritation.

I used to use it on my cloth nappies otherwise DD3 got really sore.

I use a capful in a bucket of water to clean my bathroom/loo.

I am confused because on the Zoflora website they say you need three capfuls to wash dog bedding, but according to their recommended dilution that only makes 1200ml of disinfectant and I am sure washing machines use a lot more water.

geri1965_2

morganlefay wrote: »

Please can someone tell me if a 30 degree wash is sufficiently hot to eradicate germs etc lurking in 'undergarments' ie just the normal drips and stains left in both ladies' and gents' pants ?

I don't have any drips or stains in my pants since going onto the depo.

Before that I used pant liners.

All my washing goes on the same programme which I think is 40 degrees. Anything badly stained gets rubbed with household soap before it goes in.

allybee101

For me it's
Towels at 95; undies; pjs and bed sheets at 60 and clothes at 40. Non-bio powder and some vanish for any serious stains (baked bean sauce, grease etc). White vinegar instead of conditioner.
Line dried outside.
It's not just 'germs' and bacteria you need to get rid of but grease, dust, dust mites, dead skin cells etc. Hot water dissolves these so they get washed away.
Dettol have recently started advertising a product to get rid of the grey sludge you might find in your machine if you wash at 30. That's the above soup of delights that haven't been dissolved in the water and washed away.

As others have said, sunlight is a great disinfectant. I work in waste water treatment and some sewage treatment works use UV treatment to kill off faecal colliforms (aka poop) in treated sewage. It's used for treated water that goes into rivers which end up passing through Shellfish Waters and Bathing Waters

ravingandsaving

I use vinegar as a a fabric softener, and I often add a few drops of tea tree oil or lavender oil. Both act as a disinfectant. I was at 30 and never any problems in that department!

morganlefay

I think it's amazing that the soap/detergent ads seem to suggest that we all do the same things, and that we'd be OK washing almost everything at 30%. I have been suspicious of this for a while - why otherwise would they have had to invent febreze if we weren't all a bit stinky due to inadequately hot washes. I am completely rethinking how (with what powder and at what temperature) I do all my washing as a result of reading all these posts, and am really grateful to everyone :beer:

pigpen

honeythewitch wrote: »

I am confused because on the Zoflora website they say you need three capfuls to wash dog bedding, but according to their recommended dilution that only makes 1200ml of disinfectant and I am sure washing machines use a lot more water.

4

Of course they do.. they want your money.. Same as with wash powder for example, they tell you to use 4 or 5 times what is adequate because they want you to buy more and boost their profits.

Geri.. I think morganlefay was meaning urine and sweat, not just vaginal secretions... I doubt the depo interfered with those

geri1965_2

pigpen wrote: »

Geri.. I think morganlefay was meaning urine and sweat, not just vaginal secretions... I doubt the depo interfered with those

Well, I've never in my life had urine stains in my pants and whilst I sweat, I don't generally find it leaves stains.

GwylimT

You'll find that the bacteria simply burst in the wash due to osmosis, to kill bacteria with temperature alone you would need to wash well above 60.

morganlefay

Thanks pigpen and geri - I was thinking about ANYTHING at all that might get onto your pants - so all the possible 'human' stains, but also marmelade if ( as I have a s-i-l who does) you like eating your breakfast in your pants (only in the privacy of his home and NEVER when I'm there, thnak goodness), so egg yolk , tomato etc etc. I only ever wear black pants so have no idea if a) they get very dirty or b) if I get them really clean. But I am suspicious of OH's lovely new coloured ones which have to be washed at 30 degrees and then not dried in a dryer. Huh ! He'll be lucky....