Newbie questions - washing machine

Noctu

I got my first washing machine a few months ago (finally!) and have some really silly questions about it.. hope you don't mind me asking.

1. We have a cat, and her hair gets everywhere :mad: The thing is, the hairs don't seem to come off in the wash. What can I do to get rid of them? Is there anything I can put in the machine to help?

2. I've been washing at 40 degrees for everything. Would it be better to switch up to 50/60? What are the benefits and disadvantages? What could I definitely not wash at 60?

3. When I started washing, I used biological powder 2 in 1 - but some of the clothes had powder residue when they came out of the wash. I'm assuming I put too much in?

4. What is the big "deal" regarding bio and non bio detergent?

I feel rather embarrassed now!

Thanks
Rachel

Zed42

Never feel embarassed asking a question

1. Cat hair - I use a lint roller on clothes / sofas etc. which suffer from cat hair prior to putting them in the washing machine, as otherwise all I seem to experience is that the cat hair goes even further!

2. You can wash a lot of things at 30 degrees with success. Towels and bedding I always do at either 40 or 60. I, personally, wouldn't wash synthetics at 60 ... I do tend to look at the care labels.

3. Not sure what 2-in-1 is? I use Persil bio (colour and white) and non-bio liquid. I use half of the amount that they recommend, which cuts down on the residue left behind. I also use white vinegar for my fabric conditioner which makes my washing softer, and of course doesn't render towels non-absorbent, like "regular" fabric conditioner does.

4. Bio or non-bio .... I tend to think that bio gets rid of stains better ... but having cloth nappied my DD for 2.5yrs and successfully washed them purely in non-bio .... I am not quite so convinced, and am about to change my washing powder (liquid!)

Good luck, and happy washing ...

Zed42

If you do have a cat (or a DH who does dirty DIY ). ..... I would regularly check the filters on your WM ... and clean them out, it's amazing the things that can get stuck and hence affect the efficiency of your WM.

Gingermonkey_2

Sorry I have no idea on the cat hair but on the other things...

I wash everything at 40 with the help of a bit of Vanish for really dirty things and never have any problems, its all to do with the amount of energy you are using/wasting and I haven't noticed enough of a difference in results between 40 and 60 to warrant the higher temperature

I use liquid detergents in a ball directly in the machine (partly because my machine is a little on the old faithful side and doesn't like taking powder in from the top!!) but it also means no residue. As Zed42 says you do not generally need to use the amounts advised, play around for yourself.

Non bio detergents are kinder to sensitive skin, I know there is way more to it than that but personally using bio detergents makes me itchy and its not a good look!!!!!

finally... definately try using white vinegar as a softener, the wise people on here have said all about it, its cheap and works wonders!!

johnbfan

How much white vinegar should be used?

I use it to clean the bathroom etc and was wondering what else I could use it for.

KerryHawk

Hi Rachel
Congratulations on the new machine
I have two cats (now - we have just been adopted by a stray!!) and try to encourage them to sleep on cheap throws. The fur can be removed from these quite easily by hoovering or putting in the tumble drier for quick spin - the fur sticks to the filter. Not very OS but does the trick. Then they can go in the machine for a spin without clogging up the filter.

I also use one of these from JML which is great for getting fur off the furniture, you can get them in Woolworths:D

Magic Brush Set
The quick and easy way to eliminate fluff, lint, dust and crumbs
www.jmldirect.com

I find that using a liquid detergent (Tesco own colour type) is better than powder and you get no powdery residue, but this is down to personal preferance. As for the Bio/non bio thing - no idea , I just use what I like and what works. :T Oh and I generally wash at 30 with slightly hotter for bedding.

HTH

K

Gingermonkey_2

There are various recipes around, including my favourite of a 'glug' and couple of drops of lavender oil.

There is lots and lots of info about vinegar on the site...

Squeaky brought together a lot of the vinegar things at

White vinegar threads

you can find 1001 things to do with it and how much to use. Hope you get some more ideas!

TomsMom

You can also remove cat hairs with a rubber glove (wearing it on your hand of course ). It gathers all the hairs together so easy to pick up. For my cat's blanket I get hubby to vacuum it when he vacs the living room (I've got him well trained ), he used the small nozzle attachment and it's amazing how nice and clean and hairless moggy's blanket is. You can also use the rubber glove trick for clothes - sticky tape works well too.

As for temperatures, I just follow the instructions on the washing label, if anything goes out of shape you can return it and say that you honestly followed the washing instructions to the letter.

My very honest washing repair man once told me that you don't need anywhere near the amount of washing powder that the manufacters recommend (the more you use, the more you buy, the more they sell!). Overdosing can clog up your washing machine. Powder, used in the right amount, will be a lot cheaper than liquid or tablets.

I second white vinegar for fabric conditioner and no, it doesn't smell. Just use a small amount, say 30ml for a normal size wash (maybe less, experiment), any smell you notice when you open the washing machine door will vanish when the clothes are dry.

soappie

I have animals who seem to delight in shedding their fur everywhere. I have throws over my settee etc.

I've found the easiest way to get rid of the pet hairs is to put the throw (dry, not washed) in the tumble dry for 10 minutes on the low heat setting. Gets rid of 99% of the pet hair no trouble.

floyd

I wash most clothes at 40 with either colour non-bio liquid or bio tablets for whites/grey stuff. The only exceptions are pants (as in underwear), socks, towels and bedding which all get washed at 60 because 40 degrees isn't hot enough to kill the beasties that live in warm dark places and I don't iron anything!
I saw something on here recently that said that bedbugs are very common now because people don't wash their bed linen at a high enough temp whereas years ago, it was all boiled, bleached and ironed hot.

FBThree

Hi,
Our 5 cats, most of them longhaired, shed loads too, as well as bring in dust they've rolled in. We have to hoover every other day or so and that includes any bed, blanket, chair or other item they've chosen to sleep on. If we don't I get rhinitis! We've got one of the Dyson animal hoovers, with mega-brush on it. Hoovering means we don't seem to get the cat hair wash problem.

I also hoover the sheets when I strip the bed as I find cathairs that get washed seem to get woven deeper into the material. Plus I hate the thought of dust mites growing in the bedding!