My name is Maggie, and I am a Bleachoholic...

[maggie~hamilton]

Complicated detergent compounds!

I use the mix of compounds in my wash that I do simply out of habit I guess, and maybe a bit of OCD hahaha.

Seriously, I do have a "thing" about my whites being "whiter than white." (Despite vulgar rumors to the contrary, I do not have a "thing" for soiled, well, you know...) The combination I've worked out, especially with Oxi-Clean now, really does the trick. I like wearing white t-shirts (Dickies pocket-Ts mostly), but the minute they start looking gray or yellowed, into the rag bin they go.

According to my mom, laundry bluing works best with clothes that dry outside in the sun, but the heck with that! Laundry is among my least-favorite household duties, so the less work it entails the better! Especially since I am still scarred for life from my childhood, when hanging clothes on the clotheslines for a family of 7 (5 kids) was one of my chores. To this day, wooden clothespins give me the willies!

 

[polkanut]

In 1975 when my great-aunt Helen passed away, my Mom & uncle inherited the entire contents of her home. She was a big user of Hi-Lex bleach. After several years when the bath towels, washclothes, etc. started to wear out, you could feel and hear the fibers breaking when you would either untangle them out of the washer or wring them out when washing up. Have never been a big fan of bleach because of this. Just my $.02 worth.

 

[frigilux]

Launderess----I've noticed that many chlorine bleaches don't list 'disinfecting' in its list of household uses. When I was managing a restaurant kitchen a number of years ago, we could only use Hilex brand bleach to disinfect----Clorox wasn't acceptable by state inspectors.

The last time I was at Wal-Mart, there was only one version of Clorox that said "Great For Disinfecting" or something like it on the label.

I was excited to see Quixtar (ne Amway) had powdered chlorine bleach when I ordered my box of SA8 last summer. When I ordered another box last week, their website said the powdered bleach had been discontinued.

 

[sudsmaster]

Once upon a time, Costco carried a fairly pricey gadget that ozonated ordinary tap water about 1 liter at a time. I think the price was close to $200 - to rich even for my blood ;-).

Anyway, there was a lot of literature accompanying the device, which I perused at length (being unemployed at the time meant I had plenty of time so to do). This literature claimed that the ozonated water would disinfect a surface in a matter of seconds, whereas a chlorine bleach solution could take much longer - up to 2 hours - to achieve the same level of disinfection. I was impressed with this but not that much of a germophobe to plunk down a chunk of my already dwindling savings account for that bit of peace of mind. And I figured if the idea was so good, we'd see cheap knockoffs at some point. So far that hasn't happened.

 

[sudsmaster]

Maggie,

Suggest that if you haven't tried it already, give some Mexican phosphated detergents a try. Ariel should do wonders plus it has a delightful aroma (in my opinion, I like bubble gum). Since you're in Southern California you should even be able to find the HE version of Mexican Ariel, "Bajaespuma", should you wish to front load some day.

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Ariel

I do see it in the stores and like the scent but have never tried it.

The best-smelling laundry detergent I've ever come across is called "PRIDE" - made in the Philippines. It absolutely is not availble in the U.S.; you can only get it over there. So whenever I hear that people are going there I prevail upon them to bring me back some. I have contacted the Filipino markets here in L.A. a number of times asking if they would start carrying it along with other imported sundries, but they don't seem interested for some reason.

http://www.acs-manufacturing.com/prideallpurpose/

 

[maggie~hamilton]

The correct link for PRIDE

is this one. I've never tried the other stuff, the "all purpose detergent."

http://www.acs-manufacturing.com/pride/

 

[brettsomers]

Funny how laundry habits, like most habits, are formed early. My mother NEVER used chlorine bleach. Whites were usually washed in warm water. If stains or heavy soil were present she would soak, maybe. Our whites were very white. I never use lcb and my white shirts are whiter than many others i see. Am i filthy? Am i uncivilized?

Btw, i think if i was doing a load of cloth diapers, maybe i WOULD use a smidge of lcb. i suspect the popularity of cloth diapers in the old days is what got people hooked on bleach.

 

[magic clean]

Don't add bleach too soon!

Clorine bleach will deactivate the enzymes and other detergent cleaning agents. So, it is advised not to add the bleach until 5 minutes after wash agitation is underway.

 

[~sudsshane]

Clorox Ultimate Care Bleach

I don't use standard liquid bleach for my whites because of the reasons mentioned by other posters. Like Joe, I do like that "hint" of chlorine scent in my sheets & towels. I have been using Clorox Ultimate Care Bleach for about 6 months now and I am very impressed with the product. It works great for pre-treating stains,is very gentle on fabrics and leaves that "hint" of chlorine scent in my white wash.
My LG dispenses the bleach in the first rinse cycle,so I don't have to worry about it affecting the performance of my Tide w/bleach powder.

 

[launderess]

Actually LB is the worst thing for cloth diapers, and many diaper sites will state this.

As previously mentioned, chlorine bleach will wear out fabrics, especially cotton. LCB is difficult to rinse out and really does need some sort of anti-chlor rinse. Finally if there is LCB residue in the diapers, and baby wees,the ammonia and urine are not a great combination.

European mothers and else where, including commercial laundries boil washed nappies or boiled freshly laundered nappies. There are also products like Napisan, which one adds to the wash and or can be used as a diaper soak to sanitise diapers. Commercial laundries/diaper services have access to various final rinse products that soften and or sour, and sanitise in one step.

L.

 

[maggie~hamilton]

=-> Commercial laundries/diaper services have access to various final rinse products that soften and or sour, and sanitise in one step. <-=

Aren't used nappies sour enuf already!? hahaha

 

[sudsmaster]

Chlorine bleach is a strong oxidant. Oxidation is a form of burning. We all need oxygen to live, because it allows us to "burn" our food and release its energy and building blocks. But oxidation is the enemy of most inanimate objects. It causes rust on steel, corrosion on aluminum, along with UV it causes fading, powdering, and flaking paint on our houses and cars, deterioration of stored food ingredients (like oils and flours), etc. So it's no surprise that chlorine bleach causes deterioration of various fabrics - eseentially it "burns" them. This same burning action accounts for its usefulness; it burns the stains out as well. A mixed blessing.

 

[frigilux]

Here's an interesting concept: Fabric Softener that also sanitizes. Designed for final rinse in commercial laundries. That would end the whole enzymes vs. chlorine bleach and Oxy vs. chlorine dilemma.

http://www.acs-manufacturing.com/laundry/brochures/Tender_Touch.pdf

 

[sudsmaster]

Most fabric softeners are cationic quaternary ammonium surfactants, which have antibacterial activity. So most fabric softeners have some sanitizing capability. How much, don't know. Don't care

 

[maggie~hamilton]

Speaking of fabric softeners

Do any of you-all washer experts use dryer-sheet fabric softeners (Bounce etc.)? If so, what about the problem of the gunk from the sheets clogging up your dryer filter and eventually causing major repair damage?

I got one of those "urban myth scare" emails along this line some time ago and looked it up on snopes.com as I always do. To my surprise, this one actually checked out. (See link)

Not that I use the stuff, mind you. I really don't want to wear clothes that are saturated with God-Only-Knows what sort of chemical additives, especially "intimate apparel." If you ask me, the fewer chemicals introduced to that area of one's anatomy, the better. Can it really be okay for one to have one's skin absorbing all that stuff from one's clothing? I don't use spray starch for the same reason. I'd rather look a little wilted than be a walking toxic chemical dump.

When I have static cling, I've found that lightly spritzing the offending garment with water from a plant mister puts it right.

FACT CHECK: Does a Clean Lint Filter Extend the Life of a Dryer?

Can washing the lint filter in your clothes dryer help enhance the performance and lifespan of that appliance?

www.snopes.com

 

[neptunebob]

I tell everyone that dryer sheets are an evil plot to get people to buy dryers more often. We got to keep the workers in Benton Harbor busy! A dryer last almost forever (like they used to)? No way! Think of the unemployment in Michigan! So be patriotic, use dryer sheets!

 

[launderess]

Chlorine Bleach and Sanitation

Have stated this before and it is worht repeating, chlorine bleach is not the best method of sanitising if one does not know certian things.

For instance high levels of organic matter/germs will deactivate the germ killing power of LCB. This is why directions state for disenfecting one must clean a surface BEFORE, using a bleach solution. Same applies to laundry, where commercial laundries will use a ratio of soiled laundry to bleach, adjusting for amount of soils. Even better bleach is added in a separate cycle after the wash water is drained so much of the organic matter is already washed away.

Water treatment plants constantly monitor conditions and will adjust chlorine content accordingly, which is why after a heavy rain, low water conditions, etc, one usually can smell tap water mile away. This means a higher than normal presence of bacteria have been detected and the chlorine bleach level has been increased to deal with the potential health threat. Some areas the water is so bad all the time, tap water always smells like "wash water".

There is also the fact that chlorine bleaches vary in their strength. Commercial laundries have dry versions of chlorine bleach that will blast away most anything. Such bleaches are used to "reclaim" badly soiled/stained linens/items that are going to the rag bin anyway, so if they are damaged by the high level of bleaching, it is no big deal.

Anyone who gets their hands on commercial chlorine bleach, should read the directions carefully regarding dilution ratios and usage. You may end up with white laundry, but it will be full of holes and in tatters.

 

[mickeyd]

"holes and tatters"

I remember a time when my sneaker laces were heavily soiled, and in my boy's mind, pure undiluted chlorine seemed a grand solution. So, I soaked them overnight in a cup of Clorox. A day or two later, I returned to the miracle cure to find a bowl of mush.