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Laundry Question on detergents/softener

cookingmylife

cookingmylife

Pizza would be my last meal, except ...
Joined
Aug 1, 2012
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Ah @AnneofAlamo your thread about appliances reminded me to ask these questions. Because we have a stack laundry pair near the doors of two rooms (bathroom and my studio), the front load washer door doesn't get left open much as could be done with a top loader. It can get smelly.

I read that this kind of washer would do better with a powder rather than the gel that is kind of normal now. I don't see powder for sale in most grocery stores and while the pods might be better I think they are even more expensive. Just my gut feeling.

Am I missing powdered detergent or just not seeing it available any more? thoughts? fwiw, I was also told not to use dryer sheets on a regular basis because the 'stuff' can coat the dryer holes in time. I usually use a plastic dryer ball that holds liquid softener but darn...the stuff has turned to a thick gel and I do a small laundry load every day! I'm thinking I can just add water to it?? and get it pourable again? oh such upscale issues...eh?
 
I would put a towel or something to keep that door open even a little bit. It is the only thing that helped our stackable front loader...air..
 
Great idea Anne as Dick will never be doing laundry unless I'm hospitalized! LOLHe has a chart I made on the Primary Washer Door when I had my knee replaced. :clap
 
cookingmylife said:
Great idea Anne as Dick will never be doing laundry unless I'm hospitalized! LOLHe has a chart I made on the Primary Washer Door when I had my knee replaced. :clap
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I went to California for 3 days. Laundry up to date. My hubby and boys thought they would surprise me and wash my son's suits.
Surprise!
 
cookingmylife said:
Ah @AnneofAlamo your thread about appliances reminded me to ask these questions. Because we have a stack laundry pair near the doors of two rooms (bathroom and my studio), the front load washer door doesn't get left open much as could be done with a top loader. It can get smelly.

I read that this kind of washer would do better with a powder rather than the gel that is kind of normal now. I don't see powder for sale in most grocery stores and while the pods might be better I think they are even more expensive. Just my gut feeling.

Am I missing powdered detergent or just not seeing it available any more? thoughts? fwiw, I was also told not to use dryer sheets on a regular basis because the 'stuff' can coat the dryer holes in time. I usually use a plastic dryer ball that holds liquid softener but darn...the stuff has turned to a thick gel and I do a small laundry load every day! I'm thinking I can just add water to it?? and get it pourable again? oh such upscale issues...eh?
Click to expand...

Maureen, I get SURF and ALL in powder form for sale at Walmart. I have never used the pods. I have a top load machine, and my entire life have never left the washing machine lid open nor had smells coming from it. I also use a dryer sheet only in our clothes load, not the towels/sheets as then the towels don't absorb water correctly. I have not used liquid downey softner in the ball or in the machine in years, so I don't know what else to say. I hope you get sorted :)
 
I have a front loader and leave it open as much as I can... or at least until it's dried out after a load of laundry (our washer is in a closet, not a room, so the door has to eventually shut so I can shut the closet doors). I use Method Concentrated detergent and use very little... I think one issue I was seeing with HE washers is that people use too much liquid, so I try to watch that. I do regularly run a cleaning cycle as well.

For the dryer, I use wool dryer balls that I add drops of essential oils to (currently lavender).
 
I've read that wiping the door and gasket can help with the funky smell cuz you're just manually helping to dry the washer. Also, while I'm able to always leave our front-load washer's door open, I still like to run an empty wash cycle (meaning, no clothes) with CLR instead of detergent. It helps break up gunk and definitely helps if it starts to smell. I then do another full wash cycle to get any leftover CLR out. (It also helps to empty that little trap, which I had NO IDEA a washer has until after a collar stay--from DH, of course--got stuck in it and made the whole thing smell.)

As for the dryer, I don't use dryer sheets very often, but I do use two rubber dryer balls to help fight wrinkles and to cut drying time. Maybe that would work, at least for some loads if you want to cut down on dryer sheets? IDK what to do if your dryer already has build-up, but I'm going to go check out my dryer lol!
 
Thanks everyone. I don't think smell is much of an issue for top loaders unless you have teenage boys...or it was when I had both a top loader AND teenage boys. :D

@cfile I'll have to check Walmart on my next excursion. Unfortunately, it's 25 miles away in either direction so it's not a weekly trip.

@tkradtke I too use very very little detergent especially as our clothes really don't get dirty. I have three of those wool balls in the dryer and I think I'll smear a bit of my jellied softener on them. I have always bought the big jugs of both All and a softener at Costco and never had the gel issue.

@Tree City Yes, I think I'll run a quick load with vinegar. I don't use bleach because when I wash whites I wash them at 120°. My little cups for detergent or anything else are above my head because of the way we raised the duo to have laundry bin cubbies under them so I decided I didn't want to stand on a stool to pour bleach.

@Angela Toucan Uh...soap nuts? I'm thinking you mean what we call soap pods? little packets of soap/detergent? I may go that route as it's the kind of thing we use for our dishwasher. I'm getting tired of pouring liquid soap into the little cup and then having to wipe it out with another piece of laundry so it doesn't dry out the film that's left in the cup. Such issues I have!:laundry
 
these little differences in day to day stuff kind of fascinate me - so washing machine powder is hard to come by over there? it's everywhere in supermarkets/grocery stores/discount stores here - the only question is really how big a box of it and what brand do you want to buy?
As to smell etc, leaving the door open is a luxury i guess having an actual laundry room affords me
 
I am on my second front loader. This one has an option to prop the door open a crack, but usually it is completely open with a wet towel drying on it until the next towel load. I have used Amway SA8 powder for 28+ years.

Oh something to check -- my washer has a lint catcher on it and I am supposed to empty and clean that out once a month. It is behind an access panel on the front of the machine. And yes, it can smell too.

I am allergic to the fragrance in dryer sheets so I don't use those or any fabric softener. I used to use hard plastic dryer balls, but now I use wool ones with essential oil on them.
 
@BevG I don't use dryer sheets either. Stopped using them when Mom's emphysema got bad. She couldn't breathe after smelling them. They started bothering me at the same time. She's been gone since 1996 so I guess it has been 25 years since they were used regularly. After she died, I did try the unscented ones but even the unscented bothered me.

I do have an old hand towel that I leave in the dryer. I read somewhere that having a small towel in the dryer that is dry actually helps things to dry faster. It does seem to cut down the drying time some. And, for some reason it helps cut down on the static.

I also don't use anything but detergent in the washer. No fabric softener ever. I would sometimes add oxyclean to an extremely dirty load but I'm out of it and the clothes don't get that dirty so the little bit of HE detergent is all I need. I switch between Tide HE (unscented) and the Youngevity Hydrowash brand.
 
@HavaDrPepper - I was breaking out in a rash that looked like a poison ivy reaction where ever my clothes pressed into me, around the waist, behind my knees, etc. My son uses Old Spice antiperspirant, soap, etc. and one time I washed my pants with his clothes and the pants picked up enough of his scent to make me itch when I wore them.
 
I have a front loader and try to leave the door open as much as possible, also have a small guest towel lodged in there to dry the rubber and prevent mould.
I used the pods but find the actual soap powder and fabric softener work better to clean our laundry. I use the softener as we have the clothes on the line outside and it needs the extra softness.
 
BevG said:
I am on my second front loader. This one has an option to prop the door open a crack, but usually it is completely open with a wet towel drying on it until the next towel load. I have used Amway SA8 powder for 28+ years.

Oh something to check -- my washer has a lint catcher on it and I am supposed to empty and clean that out once a month. It is behind an access panel on the front of the machine. And yes, it can smell too.

I am allergic to the fragrance in dryer sheets so I don't use those or any fabric softener. I used to use hard plastic dryer balls, but now I use wool ones with essential oil on them.
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oh Bev. Amway SA8 and the softner I used that forever as well (back in the 70's my parents were distributors and then they stopped the selling, but they still bought... and Dad even used it up until he passed away in 2012.. I would get a box of the powder and it would last us 6 months or more! That, the spray and the softner... and oh the LOC... I will have to tell that story one day.. it was when I was about 10/11 years old.. LOL
 
I have a top load washer. But I buy powdered detergent at Costco, Sam's Club or our grocery store (Winco). I think Smith's (Kroger) sells it too. Or do you mean the stuff called washing powder? That I buy at WinCo or Walmart.
We've done liquid, and I don't care for it. And with a top loader pods are iffy.

I use dryer sheets currently. I used the wool balls, but I found our clothes were super staticy, especially in the summer. Like, I literally conducted electricity and shocked my family. So I switched back to dryer sheets. I haven't noticed a towel absorbancy issue- which I've been watching for since the change back. So, I'm not a help there.
 
bestcee said:
Like, I literally conducted electricity and shocked my family.
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I am this person. I say it's my high energy level! I'm vibrant!!! but I really dislike little shocks. This year we've had so much rain I've been spared. Plus I sit at the computer with a diffuser on.

I am definitely going to look for a lint filter on the washer. I clean the dryer out every load and it's a wonder our clothes aren't threadbare with how much gets caught. In about a month or two I'll be hanging clothes outside and I find that if I dry them in the machine for 10 min then they don't need softer or anything. Towels are reallyextra absorbent but slightly less fluffy. Fortunately, Mr. Sensitivity doesn't mind or notice.
 
For softener we use white vinegar, you put it in the softener place before you start your washer. White vinegar kills bad odor AND makes your clothes soft. For the dryer I just bought wool balls, I have only used it once and my load has been sitting 3 days in the dryer, so I can't tell you if they are any good. LOL!!!!!
 
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