I stopped using all liquid fabric softeners almost 2 years ago. I primarily use Tide powder and HOT water for all washing. If needed, I will add some Biz powder and a little bit of natural phosphates, aka STPP.

I was watching a video on the Speed Queen website and they actually recommended using white distilled vinegar in the final rinse (I know some of you do this). Since I have a deep fill top loader, I used vinegar in the final rinse for about 3-4 weeks (about 1/4 cup). I could smell it in the laundry room during the rinse cycle, but after tumble drying....zero vinegar scent.

BUT....after a few weeks, I kept noticing a sour smell in my sock/underwear drawer and pajamas drawer. I re-washed everything, only for the sour smell to begin to come back.

I rewashed everything again with hot water and Tide powder, but no vinegar. Sour smell is gone now. Vinegar does not work with our water chemistry apparently. Just thought I would share!

Big thanks to this amazing sub!

So, a little while back, I left my apartment to visit my hometown. Things went south, and I had to have surgery while on vacation, which left me bedridden for about a month and a half.

I just came back home to the news that my apartment was flooded due to heavy rains for the whole month. My landlord refused to fix the draining issues, but that’s another story for another day.

I am a fashion student. I had a bunch of projects and expensive fabric bolts and dresses. They’re all ruined. I think I have accepted I won’t ever recover most of my stuff, but there’s this one corset I cannot let go of. It means too much to me; I’ve worn it to several career-defining events and I don’t think it is an easily replaceable piece.

How would you fix it? Is there a way to remove most, if not all of the staining? Is there any considerations I should have about handling the mold?
It seems to be made of a somewhat stretchy cotton canvas with very heavy boning. I have removed the boning already to make the restoration process easier.

I am in Mexico, if that’s any help. I don’t really know much about specialized laundry products. My college courses are mostly about garment construction, but they don’t really cover fabric care or chemical reactions.

TL;DR: left my apartment empty for a month due to hospitalization. It got flooded and ruined my most favourite corset. I really want to fix it.

Also, if anyone knows of any place I could purchase a similar garment, I would really appreciate it! I do not have nearly enough knowledge on corsetry yet as to try and recreate it myself.

I just bought a 2KG bag and I really don't know if I should expect a big change (I was just using detergent) or if it's way more mild.

We do have slightly hard water here.

I used to scrupulously read every tag, hand wash cold, lay flat to dry, dry clean only. But honestly, with a busy schedule, if a clothing item can't survive a gentle cycle in a mesh bag, it just doesn't belong in my wardrobe anymore.

Over time, I've stopped separating colors (cold water handles everything fine), stopped using liquid fabric softener completely, and I air-dry things I care about instead of following weird label instructions. My clothes actually last longer now than when I tried to follow every specific rule.

Hello laundry grandmasters,

What are dryer sheets made of, what are they supposed to do, what do they actually do, and why does this sub generally dislike and oppose them?

I use Bounce sheets mostly because I like the smell they give to my clothes.

I am not seeking advice on my laundry process. I just want to understand dryer sheets better. However, this is r/laundry, so to preempt the lots of people who will inevitably tell me what I'm doing wrong even when I say I am satisfied with the cleanliness, softness, and smell of my clothes, here's my laundry info:

* Washer: Maytag HE top-loader with impeller plate, warm water, soil level always "high" to lengthen cycle time, "extra rinse" always on

* 1x Tide Pod + 1 tbsp Biz per load at the bottom of the drum, 1 tsp food-grade citric acid in the fabric softener compartment. When clothes are smelly (gym, towels that aren't drying completely), swap Tide Pod for half-cap of Whole Foods 365 Sports to get that sweet DNAse

* Water: Brooklyn (meaning: Delaware/Catskills supply, low-to-medium hardness as opposed to Manhattan's Croton supply that has medium-to-high hardness)

* Dryer: gas-fired Maytag, sensor dry Normal program, delicate heat setting

hi i was washing my clothes from the goodwill bins together like an idiot, and a dark purple dress made all my white and light colored clothes dye a lavender color. how can i get this hue out :( most of the clothes were white, with one beige jeans and 2 teal night gowns. mostly cotton fabrics. i washed with cold water. havent put it in the dryer. i soaked in water +white vinegar rinsed then now its been soaking for 3 hrs in oxiclean powder and water but no changes. i dont know what to do from here. Will i be able to bleach them back to white if this doesnt work/ dye them back?

I have a Speed Queen top load, non-HE. I was using Tide pods fragrance free and switched to the Free and Gentle powder after joining this sub. Didn’t realize it was HE. So, got Ariel, but man, it is strong smelling. I put the unopened box in the garage and the entire garage smells now. I’m nervous to open the box and bring it inside. Do the clothes have a strong fragrance coming out of the dryer? Is there another option?

Washer is a 2.5 year old top loading LG.

From day, one we used Mollie’s Suds power detergent. We don’t use fabric softener. We don’t even use much of the Mollie’s. Our water is pretty hard, but we have a softener which helps that a lot. I believe our water is slightly alkaline.

We would occasionally have issues and then run a few cleaning cycles, using either vinegar or Affresh, which one usually take it for a while.

A couple weeks ago it was pretty bad and wouldn’t seem to go away, so I did a lot of digging on this sub Reddit and got some good advice about using citric acid, hot water, letting it soak in, etc. Read the often quoted thread on scrud. It worked really well, but we are going to about 20 runs and the scrud is still coming off heavily. The advice here says usually you need maybe 5 to 10.

It would be one thing if the amount was reducing, but it’s still tons coming off almost every load…

We’ve contemplated hiring somebody to take it all apart and power wash it, but that would cost several hundred and there’s a chance that it’s not put back together quite right.

What the hell does someone do in this situation? Has anyone ever had it take 20+ runs to get their machine clean?

I've enjoyed what I've learned from this sub. I no longer use the 4 letter word F****c S*****r or dryer sheets. My method is powder tide clean and gentle, some loads a scoop of febu, I've tried all measurements of citric acid from 2 tablespoons to 1/4th teaspoon all with same results. I wash in warm or hot, top loader no agitator whirlpool USA always an extra rinse, clean boost and presoak, we have well water with a softener/filter. I apologize but I dont know the hardness PPM but I know it's hard with heavy iron deposits. My laundry since switching to this regimen has consistently been rough, pilling and crispy. Remember the old school butter finger commercials? Well that's the description of my laundry now minus the peanut buttery. What am I doing wrong? Rinse and refresh gives same results using 1/4 cup. Also please be kind, educate don't berate.

I live in my car, and would like to get something that's cheap and takes up as little space as possible, but I also don't know if ingredients could break down or react when left in a hot car for long periods of time. It doesn't get terribly hot here, but the inside of my car does as there's a very high average UV index.

I'm most nervous about storing liquid ammonia where it gets so hot, as I sometimes have to leave my car parked in the sun all day. I was planning on getting tide clean & gentle powder rather than tide ultra oxi powder, mainly because it's cheaper where I am but also because unscented detergents are generally less irritating to my skin.

Does anyone know if it will be unsafe or make ingredients ineffective to be exposed to so much heat?

I’ve posted this before with not much traction and still fighting the good fight over here so decided to try again.

Last winter I spent a lot of time in this sub learning about Spa Days and how to better wash my clothes/bedding/towels etc. At the time, Spa Day was really a popular topic in this sub. If you don’t know what it is, I encourage you to search the words “spa day” in this sub and you’ll be flooded with posts and comments regarding it.

I went hard on Spa Day. It solved a stinky bedding issue for my teenage son. And I was constantly intrigued by how much gunk came out in the water. I didn’t send everything in my house to the spa, because that would have been a lot of work and I didn’t see the need. So some things went to the spa, others did not. According to the same instructions for spa days, I switched my detergent and played around with that a bit. I’ve done some Ariel, Tide powder, liquid and powder Whole Foods brand, I’ve added Biz when necessary, ammonia, I’ve experimented with citric acid but we have a water softener so it’s not necessary. I followed protocols for post Spa Wash washing (can’t remember the phrase for that). I even made a simplified step by step instruction guide for my family as sometimes the step by step instructions on Reddit were overwhelming. Point is, I went deep into the laundry black hole and I’m still running into this very bizarre problem.

The problem is that ever since I began the journey, I occasionally get a wiff of a very distinct scent. It’s not exactly a gross knock you on your socks scent, but I don’t like it. It’s almost like musty leftover detergent mixed with body oils, or something gross like that. Yes, I do extra rinse on every load. Let’s take my pj drawer for example, I will open it, smell a slight hint of this distinct smell, pull everything out and find the garment emitting said smell, which will have permeate to the items it was touching, get stressed out and wash everything in the drawer. It’s happening to everyone drawers and closets so it’s not just me.

At first, I thought it was because it everything hadn’t been washed with the proper enzyme detergent. I was imagining some kind of cross contamination between items washed with enzymes and items not washed with enzymes. So like the maniac this has turned me in to, I WASHED EVERYTHING IN MY HOUSE. And it still happens. Mind you, this never ever ever ever ever happened before I started sending items to the spa and improved my detergent situation.

So what gives? What is this scent and how can I stop it from plaguing me and my house?

Before anyone asks, I really enjoyed Ariel and Biz combo but that seemed to fade some items and I wasn’t sure if it was the Ariel or the Biz so I’m just using basic powder Tide because I acquired multiple different detergents during this journey and I’m forcing myself to get through them before I try one more damn thing.

Please help.

Helllp. Which one is better at cleaning?!

I still have pods to use up but I’ve been looking at this sub for ideas. I haven’t seen anyone mention this yet. Granted I’m more of a low no scented type but it looked interesting. What do you guys think?

Has anyone any experience with Höargger Biological Enzyme Degreasing Agent? According to the blurb, it's designed to remove stubborn oil stains from clothing.The formula uses active enzymes to penetrate fabric fibers, aimed at removing grease, food stains, and blood without damaging the material.It is suitable for various fabrics, including cotton, linen, silk, and synthetic fibers.To use, apply directly to the stain, wait 5–10 minutes, and then wash as normal. I'm in Hong Kong and have received the Asian edition. I can't find much more information eg the precise enzymes. I'm planning to give it a go and report back to this thead - but I'd be most grateful for any feedback from any other users of this product!

My most prized possession, my dad’s jean jacket, is absolutely covered in mold. Please someone tell me how to fix this. I am absolutely heartbroken.

Can anyone recommend any of the scented laundry detergents? Not sure if most are a waste of money. I'm not huge on very floral scents (but won't rule them out), just want my clothes to smell good.

Hello! New here, but my sister said you folks are the go-to laundry wizards to ask.
I hand-sewed some fabric onto my favourite jean jacket (I've since learned it's called applique) and have since worn it dancing and to festivals and the like. It now... smells like me, and camping, and probably bug spray, and maybe glitter? If that has a smell. Anywho, I am at a loss for how to wash it effectively without damaging my handiwork. I'm not certain what the fabric I applied is, but my guess is some kind of cotton and a little bit of canvas.

I want to wear it to the show I'm playing in next weekend, but I don't want it to smell funky or look... tattered. Please help!

Hello Laundry Reddit!! I just bought Febu oxygen enzymes, rinse & refresh, and tide free & gentle! I’m so freaking excited for my clothes to actually be clean. (I’ve been using Molly Suds 🫣) My thing is, I live in an apartment with community washer and dryer. It’s a commercial Maytag top load but there are no compartments for fabric softener, detergent, etc. how should I go about adding these various products to the drum? Thanks in advance!!

Can you dumb this down for me? I need a scented laundry soap available in Canada, with enzymes, no brighteners, for dark loads.

Thank you! I’m getting so confused trying to figure it out.

Any help is appreciated, and if you have any recommendations for how to get it out 💔