Do you use scent beads and/or fabric softener for laundry"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use unscented tide, oxiclean free and unscented dryer sheets because I was raised in an upper class white household. This is a cultural thing and I try not be judgmental but I genuinely have a physical aversion to scented laundry and while I like to buy second hand, especially kid clothes, I spend a lot of time trying to soak the perfume out of them.

What works best is oxiclean first and then vinegar. Soak in a bucket overnight for both stages.

I agree with this 100% BUT feel compelled to tell you that both my young adult sons got to college and switched to scented laundry detergent because "it makes clothes smell better." My DS2 complained about our scent-free detergent when he was home for the holidays.

IMO, they both now reek of laundry scent, but apparently they like it.

I’m never ever going to take smell advice from young men.

[Anonymous]

I have a sensitive nose. I don't mind a little detergent scent like regular Tide, but the ones where they intentionally up the smell factor (the flowery smelling ones, or "scent beads") give me a headache. Not so bad that I can't walk down the laundry aisle but I once carpooled with someone who enjoyed those smells and it was not good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a sensitive nose. I don't mind a little detergent scent like regular Tide, but the ones where they intentionally up the smell factor (the flowery smelling ones, or "scent beads") give me a headache. Not so bad that I can't walk down the laundry aisle but I once carpooled with someone who enjoyed those smells and it was not good.

Sensitive nose here too. Off topic but I also carpooled with someone who did not believe in washing outerwear. Their winter jacket had an awful combination of sweat and just the dirty smell that something well worn gets. I wouldn't want the flowery smell but the BO smell was just as off-putting to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use unscented tide, oxiclean free and unscented dryer sheets because I was raised in an upper class white household. This is a cultural thing and I try not be judgmental but I genuinely have a physical aversion to scented laundry and while I like to buy second hand, especially kid clothes, I spend a lot of time trying to soak the perfume out of them.

What works best is oxiclean first and then vinegar. Soak in a bucket overnight for both stages.

I agree with this 100% BUT feel compelled to tell you that both my young adult sons got to college and switched to scented laundry detergent because "it makes clothes smell better." My DS2 complained about our scent-free detergent when he was home for the holidays.

IMO, they both now reek of laundry scent, but apparently they like it.

I’m never ever going to take smell advice from young men.

LOL, I'm not taking their advice on scent, but they are also not taking mine!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use unscented tide, oxiclean free and unscented dryer sheets because I was raised in an upper class white household. This is a cultural thing and I try not be judgmental but I genuinely have a physical aversion to scented laundry and while I like to buy second hand, especially kid clothes, I spend a lot of time trying to soak the perfume out of them.

What works best is oxiclean first and then vinegar. Soak in a bucket overnight for both stages.

I agree with this 100% BUT feel compelled to tell you that both my young adult sons got to college and switched to scented laundry detergent because "it makes clothes smell better." My DS2 complained about our scent-free detergent when he was home for the holidays.

IMO, they both now reek of laundry scent, but apparently they like it.

Hey, it's better than the Drakkar Noir or Axe Body Spray! Thank goodness those days are gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a sensitive nose. I don't mind a little detergent scent like regular Tide, but the ones where they intentionally up the smell factor (the flowery smelling ones, or "scent beads") give me a headache. Not so bad that I can't walk down the laundry aisle but I once carpooled with someone who enjoyed those smells and it was not good.

Sensitive nose here too. Off topic but I also carpooled with someone who did not believe in washing outerwear. Their winter jacket had an awful combination of sweat and just the dirty smell that something well worn gets. I wouldn't want the flowery smell but the BO smell was just as off-putting to me.

PP here, and this made me LOL. I once went on a really fun date with a guy and then ran into him on the subway the next week. His winter coat, which he had not been wearing on our date, smelled like 5 years' worth of old sweat and weed funk. I almost threw up and never talked to him again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love oxiclean so much. The “free” is the best but the regular scent is pretty light and doesn’t linger.

There is an “odor” version though I bought accidentally and it was horrible. It didn’t last in the clothes so I used it but it made being in the laundry room unpleasant.

Question about OxyClean. I just have a box of a kind that was made for whites that you don't want to bleach.

Do you use the regular kind in every load?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use unscented tide, oxiclean free and unscented dryer sheets because I was raised in an upper class white household. This is a cultural thing and I try not be judgmental but I genuinely have a physical aversion to scented laundry and while I like to buy second hand, especially kid clothes, I spend a lot of time trying to soak the perfume out of them.

What works best is oxiclean first and then vinegar. Soak in a bucket overnight for both stages.

I agree with this 100% BUT feel compelled to tell you that both my young adult sons got to college and switched to scented laundry detergent because "it makes clothes smell better." My DS2 complained about our scent-free detergent when he was home for the holidays.

IMO, they both now reek of laundry scent, but apparently they like it.

Hey, it's better than the Drakkar Noir or Axe Body Spray! Thank goodness those days are gone.

Gain and Axe body spray are the same to me.

But the ultimate champion remains some horrible apple thing that bath and body works sold when I was in middle school. There were girls who were into it and it was REPULSIVE. I would rather smell dirty socks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love oxiclean so much. The “free” is the best but the regular scent is pretty light and doesn’t linger.

There is an “odor” version though I bought accidentally and it was horrible. It didn’t last in the clothes so I used it but it made being in the laundry room unpleasant.

Question about OxyClean. I just have a box of a kind that was made for whites that you don't want to bleach.

Do you use the regular kind in every load?

Okay so oxiclean is basically sodium per carbonate, which essentially turns into hydrogen peroxide in water. So it is “bleach” but unlike chlorine bleach, it won’t affect most modern colors. You should always test though. It is alkaline like soap and bleach, so it may not be a good choice for delicate fabrics and could leave them feeling a bit stiff.

Bottom line, I use it in every “regular” load so mostly cotton and synthetics I’m not babying. I also hit the soak button so it has time to work. I don’t use it on delicates or synthetics I’m taking better care of unless it’s to tackle a specific stain that didn’t come out with just detergent. It makes everything noticeably cleaner and keeps workout clothes from getting stinky a lot longer.

For whites, chlorine bleach can have a reaction with sweat etc that leads to yellowing, so I prefer oxiclean for that too. But it’s just a tool in your toolkit like any other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love oxiclean so much. The “free” is the best but the regular scent is pretty light and doesn’t linger.

There is an “odor” version though I bought accidentally and it was horrible. It didn’t last in the clothes so I used it but it made being in the laundry room unpleasant.

Question about OxyClean. I just have a box of a kind that was made for whites that you don't want to bleach.

Do you use the regular kind in every load?

Okay so oxiclean is basically sodium per carbonate, which essentially turns into hydrogen peroxide in water. So it is “bleach” but unlike chlorine bleach, it won’t affect most modern colors. You should always test though. It is alkaline like soap and bleach, so it may not be a good choice for delicate fabrics and could leave them feeling a bit stiff.

Bottom line, I use it in every “regular” load so mostly cotton and synthetics I’m not babying. I also hit the soak button so it has time to work. I don’t use it on delicates or synthetics I’m taking better care of unless it’s to tackle a specific stain that didn’t come out with just detergent. It makes everything noticeably cleaner and keeps workout clothes from getting stinky a lot longer.

For whites, chlorine bleach can have a reaction with sweat etc that leads to yellowing, so I prefer oxiclean for that too. But it’s just a tool in your toolkit like any other.

Super helpful. Thank you! I was feeling like a laundry novice because I don't use any of the extra products and was wondering if any were worth a try.

[Anonymous]

No. Tide and dryer balls. White reviver every once in a blue moon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. I started adding sanitizer for certain items in the washer. Just bought scent booster, but plan on adding sachets to my closet rather than adding more chemicals directly onto my clothes.

They really push that stuff and I’m surprised that it’s pretty expensive for a container of scent booster.

What is added sanitizer?

I think it's one of those pointless things someone cooked up during the pandemic and people latched on out of fear. Soap works. Bleach works. There's no need to buy "sanitizer" on top of the usual products.

Is it an actual thing?
I mean isn’t that the entire point of doing laundry? I am so intrigued by this.

[Anonymous]

No. Unscented powdered detergent and sometimes bleach or white vinegar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I use wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. I started adding sanitizer for certain items in the washer. Just bought scent booster, but plan on adding sachets to my closet rather than adding more chemicals directly onto my clothes.

They really push that stuff and I’m surprised that it’s pretty expensive for a container of scent booster.

What is added sanitizer?

It’s the absence of knowledge about heat and soap.

[Anonymous]

No, but I can smell that stuff coming from our neighbors houses from their dryer vents. It seems horrible to me, but I also don't have teenage kids who may need extra scent masking.