Please tell me your detergent/softener routine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are tablets you can buy to clean your washing machine. This is one of the reasons I’ll never buy a front loader again.

I used these every few weeks. They do help for a bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tide free & gentle. No fragrance. No softener, ever.

Are you leaving the washer door open to allow it to dry between washes? I'd do that and give it a swipe with a paper towel to get up any water that is puddled. Some just build up mold faster than others. I also used the Affresh tablets once a month.

All of this

[Anonymous]

Fragrance free soap. No fabric softener.
I don’t like being around being who smell like laundry soap fragrance. Or any other strong fragrance. Since I’m a physician, the amount of time I’m able to spend with you may be shorter if you have strong perfume/fragrance/smoking smells because those smells are intolerable. Your fragrance is an invasion of my personal space.

[Anonymous]

Sand and Fog (Marshalls & TJMaxx) and
Tide

Don't use fabric softener

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fragrance free soap. No fabric softener.
I don’t like being around being who smell like laundry soap fragrance. Or any other strong fragrance. Since I’m a physician, the amount of time I’m able to spend with you may be shorter if you have strong perfume/fragrance/smoking smells because those smells are intolerable. Your fragrance is an invasion of my personal space.

Put on a mask judgmental doctor.

[Anonymous]

Use Affresh a couple of times in a row.
Clean the gaskets.
Leave door open when not in use. Always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Use Affresh a couple of times in a row.
Clean the gaskets.
Leave door open when not in use. Always.

Also I use unscented softener sheets in dryer for some items.
But never for towels or sheets. Towels become less absorbent.

[Anonymous]

I use the Downy Unstoppables laundry beads (the "fresh" one). I love when laundry smells like detergent. Started using it after a friend had washed one of my son's shirts and it made my car smell so good.

I've also heard Suavitel is what our cleaners use when our washer was broken and I dropped the clothes to be washed there. They smelled SO GOOD for days.

[Anonymous]

Unscented detergent, no fabric softener - do not like fake, chemically smells and softener residue is especially terrible for sheets, towels, and technical clothing. It just amazes me when my kids friends come over and the chemtrail some of the heavy laundry scents leaves.

[Anonymous]

Do you guys just have very clean kids?!

I’ve tried tide free & clear and it just doesn’t get the dirt out of my kids clothes like the standard tide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys just have very clean kids?!

I’ve tried tide free & clear and it just doesn’t get the dirt out of my kids clothes like the standard tide.

I use a free clear detergent because I don’t like my clothes to smell like detergent. I add some of the Oxy Clean White Revive powder to my clothes loads though and I do think it helps. If your clothes are stained (food, grass, dirt etc.) you have to use a pre-treater though, like Shout spray.

I do like my sheets, towels, and blankets to have a scent though (especially as my linen closet tends to pick up kitchen smells) so if I’m washing a load of those items, I’ll add one of the various types of scent beads.

Back to OP’s question I would try one of the various commercially available washing machine cleaner products and see if it helps. Unfortunately the front loaders are notorious for mold and smells, especially over time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you guys just have very clean kids?!

I’ve tried tide free & clear and it just doesn’t get the dirt out of my kids clothes like the standard tide.

I spot treat with the tide free & clear before washing or when it goes into geh hamper, as needed. Sometimes I use a spot treater like Amodex if oil, coffee, or pen.

[Anonymous]

Try enzyme-based washing machine cleaner tablets on the longest, hottest cycle, or with the “clean machine” option. You may want to run a few in a row the first time. We have dogs that shed and I use one every 2-3 weeks, as opposed to once a month as the package suggests. I like the brand Uproot.

No softeners. It clings to towels and activewear and can make them less absorbent and smell worse over time.

I bought a new HE top loader because I hated the mold issues with our front loader, but honestly, I struggle with the top loader, too. My clothes have not been getting clean and anything not 100% cotton was starting to stink. I usually hate fragrances, but recently started using Downy Odor Out- it’s a rinse you add to the softener compartment. It definitely works! The active ingredient is citric acid, so I may try to DIY a solution that doesn’t smell so strongly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fragrance free soap. No fabric softener.
I don’t like being around being who smell like laundry soap fragrance. Or any other strong fragrance. Since I’m a physician, the amount of time I’m able to spend with you may be shorter if you have strong perfume/fragrance/smoking smells because those smells are intolerable. Your fragrance is an invasion of my personal space.

But you no longer mask for covid right? Even for high risk patients? And if someone comes to your office masked you still won't put one on for them right?

[Anonymous]

I use Arm and Hammer’s fragrance free detergent and good old vinegar as my fabric softener. I always leave the door open and remove the detergent tray between loads, and clean the space where the detergent tray slides in as well as the gasket and door every month.