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What detergent/softener and wash/rinse temp do you use?

16 years ago

What detergent/softener and wash/rinse temp do you use?

I use All Free Clear liquid detergent and Snuggle Blue Sparkle Cuddle Up Fresh dryer sheets and Warm Wash/Cold Rinse.

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Comments (12)

ebear1271
16 years ago
Right now I use Bio-kleen detergent with vinegar in the softener cup. I am trying the new dryer sheets from Arm and Hammer. They are supposed to be natural and better for the environment but I'm still not sure if it's a marketing ploy. As for wash temp it depends on the items being washed. I always rinse in cold though.
jcrowley99
16 years ago
I use All Free and Clear HE liquid and Downy Free liquid softener. I also use Spray and Wash stain stick or Clorox 2 Free as needed. Temp depends on the load. Hot/warm/cold for the wash with a cold rinse.

Are the Arm and Hammer sheets fragrance free?
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chuckwagon - Lots of reasons to use vinegar in the rinse. 1. It's cheap and effective. 2. It eliminates the soap residue. 3. Vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics but strong enough to dissolve alkalis in soaps and detergents. 4. Vinegar also breaks down uric acid, so adding 1 cup vinegar to the rinse water is especially good for babies' clothes. 5. To get wool and cotton blankets soft and fluffy as new, add 2 cups white vinegar to a full tub of rinse water. 6. Vinegar softens clothes without a bunch of harmful chemicals. Fabric softener is toxic. Softeners make clothes more flamable. For sensitive folks, the perfumes and chemicals can cause a plethora of problems (skin, breathing, etc.). Softeners make towels less absorbant. Here is a list of just some of the chemicals found in popular fabric softeners and dryer sheets: Benzyl Acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant Ethanol: On the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA's Hazardous Waste list Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled And don't think you are avoiding the toxins by choosing unscented brands of softeners/sheets. You're not. -Grainlady
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Good morning, I knew there would be people who were as obssessed as I am with this data! To respond to the questions (in no particular order): Yes, my DH reports that we will be able to break out the machines' components (motors vs heater) individual electrical draws. My machines have at least two motors: drain pump and drum rotator/spin. It was easy to see them in the graph as it was happening, but we will need more experience to be able to accurately capture all the data. As far as the efficiency of energy used by an internal heater vs a DHW appliance, Dadoes is correct. It's a theoretical wash (LOL!). Our DHW is electric, not propane, so fuel is identical. There is also no loss of temp in the pipes (though that heat wouldn't be wasted as it's under the house, anyway). In theory, allowing for age and any scale on the calrods, it should take precisely the same energy in both appliances. Functionally as livebetter pointed out, however, beefy internal heaters fed only cold water provide the very-useful "profile wash" characteristic. (Profile washes are a deliberate stepped rise in temps that improves washing perferformance.) In addition, an on-board heater also allows the machine to maintain the desired temp throughout the whole wash phase, which I believe improves washing performance as well. As far as loopholes in the mandated energy ratings, I believe that may be at play these days, particularly for the newest generations of machines (mine are 15-19 years old). However I think heating water is less of an issue there than overall water use requirements. Nunyabiz noted my use of high temps as being atypical. I agree, but point out that I also use very little detergent compared to many. That's obviously a function of my good water quality, but I also can get away with using less partly because I use higher temps because temperature, time, agitation energy and detergent are all wrapped up together in the cleaning equation. Of course, I almost never wash clothes at 190F, just linens, cleaning cloths and pet bedding which can stand it. In addition to the profound cleaning these items get, the regular use of higher temps keeps my washer clean of bio-film and product build-up, etc. No small thing for FLs, it seems. (Overnight, I did another load similar to #2 & 3 and it's energy cost was 22 cents. But that's without the extra "starch" cycle which has to be selected manually after the progam is finished. I will check and see what it costs, all by itself.) It seems to me that heating the water, particularly for people who choose more "more normal" max temps, is not the cost driver on each load. My DH reports the machine's vampire load is a stable 3 watts; let's see, 3 x 24 x 365 = 26 KWH/year or $3.90 year. Except I have more than one washing machine .... Anyway, now that I know that, a big ole circuit-opening switch will be high on my DH's honey-do list. More data (and more details) as I organize them. L.
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I've never used fabric softener or dryer sheets, and I never have static cling - even in the desert, where the humidity is generally around 10-15%. We do not use heat very much and even use A/C sometimes in January. The washer that came with the house in Cathedral City had fabric softener build-up in it, and so I cleaned that out. I do use Borax, and I think it has a nice fragrance, but I only buy scent-free detergent - both for the washing machine and the dishwasher. I also have no clothes that are polyester or nylon, and I mostly have silk and wool dry cleaned, although I have very little that is wool. I do wash some shirts that are a silk blend, however, but most of my shirts are linen or cotton or linen/cotton blend. I think the fiber content has a lot to do with static cling. BTW, do not use Borax with Oxyclean (which I sometimes use instead of Borax) as this combination will turn the water red, although it does make the clothes red.
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jerrod6
16 years ago
I use Persil Megaperls(white/color/and gel_the german formula) and UK Ariel for detergents

I use Vernel and UK Comfort, or Ecover or Method for fabric softeners
aquarius2101
16 years ago
All depends on what load you're washing...

I'm surprised you only stick to one detergent Rob, if I remember rightly the other day you were strongly recommending powders...
sshrivastava
16 years ago
I use Bi-O-Kleen Premium powder with Downy Free & Sensitive. The F&S Downy lacks the scents and waxy feel that its scented brethren contain, it's a wonderful product. I briefly tried Ecover FS, but it didn't soften nearly as well as Downy.

Using the Bi-O-Kleen powder has forced me to add a couple of capfuls of Pine Sol to each load to keep the machine mold-free. Since switching to a green detergent, my machine has started to express odd smells which were never there before. I always leave the door open after cycles, and I live in AZ with an average 5% humidity -- I'm hardly an ideal candidate for mold!

Does anyone know where I can get a supply of pure pine oil?
jerrod6
16 years ago
You add Pine Sol to each load? Oh YUCK. What do your clothes smell like? Eeeww...I don't want to think about it.

But I don't like the smell of pine oil, so that is clouding my thinking. Think I'd be hitting the hard chemicals if I had to do that.
jcrowley99
16 years ago
I have to agree with Jerrod about the pine sol, but then, I don't like the smell of pine sol either. I do use Sal's Suds, a natural cleaner made with a lower level of pure pine oil and no harsh chemicals, I can use it with my bare hands with no problems, and I can't even touch most liquid soaps! You might want to consider switching detergents, if you are trying to use something that is better for the environment, how safe is Pine Sol? Here is a link to a safety sheet on it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Household Products Database: Health and Safety Information
dmlove
16 years ago
Tide HE powder; whites are usually washed in hot water (not sure of the rinse temp); colors are usually washed in warm water and rinsed in cold. No bleach, no additives, no fabric softener. Machines are Kenmore HE2t.
mayguy
16 years ago
I use Tide powdered HE, Outdoor Fresh Downy, Warm wash on colored, clothes, and whites, use bleach, and hot water.

Note to poster about order, use about a cup of dish washer detergent on empty load in hot water.
cynic
16 years ago
I use whatever is cheap and effective. I used a lot of Arm & Hammer liquid but lately wanted something a little better. Overall it was fine. Tried Great Value (WalMart brand) powder and was very impressed. Long time since I had used powders but this has enzymes and works very well. Tried Sun powder, and although it doesn't have enzymes, it works surprisingly well. I'll sometimes give it a boost with dishwasher detergent as I did with A&H.

I used to use Wisk and it was probably about the best overall (that could have changed since though, but I don't know) but I haven't used it in a long time since the price became too much. Used ERA for a while and liked it, though not as well as Wisk. That's when I started using A&H. And there was also a store brand or two that I used with success that are no longer available.

I seldom use softener anymore but when I do, it's vinegar in a Downey Ball.

FWIW, I tried Tide but I itch from it. Very few brands make me itch, but Tide does it.
cynic
16 years ago
Oops and forgot to say I only have a cold rinse on my machine. Usually use warm or hot for wash, depending on what I'm washing. Used to use cold wash but then realized that tap cold is far different than "laundry" cold!
laundry_goddess
16 years ago
Don't forget Perwol for "good" sweaters 30C / cold rinse - nothing else like it:)

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