Washing machine - powder or liquid?

We get whatever works out less than 10p per wash. My missus is in charge of this and she has never paid more than that. Always branded stuff as well.
 
Forgive the ignorance: Would that just be normal cheap bleach as found in supermarkets?

Yes. Only problem is the liquid is so thin that it can only be used in the rinse cycle area were fabric softener goes. It will kill mold and bacteria. Thick stuff will work in the normal powder drawer but I'm not sure it is as good as the cheap thin stuff or not.
 
lol stockhausen
How reassuring that originality, imagination and sharp wit haven't entirely disappeared from the nation.

If you ever grow up, I would urge you to try and pursue a career in comedy writing. People have often mistaken comedy genius for utter stupidity - Charlie Chaplin was an exception - you really ought to try and break the mould :rolleyes:

ps - do Ducati know that people might connect you with their bikes - they would almost certainly want to disassociate themselves from you.


Absolutely nothing, seriously, a total mental vacuum expressed in random letters . . .


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Did you and Agnes meet up in the same care home?


ps - you might like to read the FAQ on signatures before Zefan gets you ;)
 
Yes. Only problem is the liquid is so thin that it can only be used in the rinse cycle area were fabric softener goes. It will kill mold and bacteria. Thick stuff will work in the normal powder drawer but I'm not sure it is as good as the cheap thin stuff or not.

You put it straight into the drum.
 
Powder detergents should give better cleaning for your money as they contain bleach and enzymes. These ingredients aren't put in to the liquid detergents as enzymes denature easily in solution and bleaches will of course oxidise lots of the other components of the formulation while the stuff is sat in the bottle. When these components are in powdered agglomerate form this isn't really a problem however so they can be included in powders/tablets. The bleach/activators used in powders are relatively mild so fading of colours shouldn't be a factor, but yes, if you wanted to be really picky you could use a liquid detergent for coloured and black loads and a powder for whites.
Liquids have the advantage that everything is already in solution so the detergent has slightly longer to act over the course of a wash cycle which is beneficial to improved cleaning. Powders are also prone to causing 'white streaks' on dark fabric at lower temperatures if the machine is overloaded or an insufficient rinse is used.
 
Surprisingly helpful thread! Just done a maintenance wash with a few powder tablets which contain bleach and the water that drained out didn't smell great. Certainly much cleaner!
 
Just use a cap full of bleach, there is no need for powders and vinegar to keep the machine mould free.
Perhaps I am misinformed, but I was under the impression that bleach in it's neat form could be detrimental to the machine as it too harsh.

The vinegar I stand by, as it removes odours and a cup ful on a 95c wash can also be used to descale the washer, when performing service washes. Exactly the same way as you use vinegar to descale kettles.
The bleach/activators used in powders are relatively mild so fading of colours shouldn't be a factor, but yes, if you wanted to be really picky you could use a liquid detergent for coloured and black loads and a powder for whites.
The fading of coloureds when using biological powder does occur, even if slowly. I believe that coloured detergents also contain brighteners to make the colours more vibrant.
Washing machines live longer with Calgon.
Never used Calgon yet, and I find it causes me irritation. The presence of a 9 year old machine still being used without ever sniffing a Calgon tablet, is proof enough that there's no need for it.
 
Never used Calgon yet, and I find it causes me irritation. The presence of a 9 year old machine still being used without ever sniffing a Calgon tablet, is proof enough that there's no need for it.

But the jingle says so?
 
Perhaps I am misinformed, but I was under the impression that bleach in it's neat form could be detrimental to the machine as it too harsh.

This was my thought hence using powder tablets for the maintenance wash. Would be nice to know for sure if straight bleach into the drum would be OK.
 
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