Washing powder / Detergent

Makeup_Jeans

The fact that I am asking this question is a sign that I'm getting old.

I'm just wondering what washing detergent/ powder do you use?

I've tried lots of differnt brands over the last 6months and none of them give me that really lovely scent that I smell from others clothes.

Thanks
Makup_Jeans x

Sarah Bear

its all about the fabric conditioner!! i use loads of it..!you have to make sure also to hang your clothes out as soon as they are finished in the washing machine.. id recomend comfort fabric conditioner its lovely

Electric

What Sarah Bear said, it's the fabric softener that makes all the difference. I use the yellow Lenor and it smells amazing. Love taking clothes out the washing machine.

Azureus

Yeah I discovered fabric softener (loads of it!) last year after asking my mam why my clothes never smelled as nice as hers after washing

Blue comfort is my fave

Sugar Free

Comfort cotton fresh, if only it was edible!

pow wow

Ecover, the natural smell doesn't confuse the wildlife (seriously!!). Persil on it's own smells lush though...lovely and detergent-y

Storminateacup

I use Bold Gel Infusions - White Diamond.
and mthe fabric softner I use is Lenor Infusions, the sunshine one.

lorebringer

Ariel gel, the purple one (bio for coloured clothes) is fantastic at both cleaning and getting clothes to smell nice. I have tried loads of washing powders and liquids over the years and it's the best one I have found - Bold, Surf, Daz (which, to give it credit, is great on whites), own brands, Lidl/Aldi stuff, Persil, Ecover, Tide (not available in Ireland but very good), Fairy, Woolite... the list is endless, but I always go back to Ariel. I did, at one point, attempt to make my own but that did not turn out well Just to note also, I always use biological washing powders/liquids (unless the brand does not do them) - they clean much better and tend to smell nicer - but if you are allergic to them or have very young children in the house, it's probably best to stick to a non bio powder/liquid.

2 in 1 powders/softener combos (eg. Bold) tend to smell a bit like air freshener (sorry to anyone who likes the smell!) so if you want an extra kick of smell, use a fabric softener. Personally, I like Comfort Pure (the while one!) or (surprisingly ) Tesco Pure, but the best way to know what one you would like (some are really strong and others just smell nasty) is to have a sniff in the supermarket before buying - just remember, they won't smell as strong when diluted down in your washing machine!

Good luck!

ceadaoin.

Ariel Excel Gel is the best I've found for leaving a nice smell on clothes. Don't get the one with 'Febreze Effect' though, for some reason it does the opposite of what it says and leaves no smell whatsover!

Malari

I normally use Bold or Ariel bio. Haven't used fabric softener in a while, maybe I should get some as everyone seems to recommend it! Nothing like that fresh clothes smell.

Oh, and we don't call it detergent in our house, we call it "clothes shampoo"

Makeup_Jeans

Fabric softner is on this weeks shopping list

Do you just put it in along with your powder at the start of a wash?

A lady I use to work said she use to put it in near the end of the wash cycle? I'm thinking that might make clothes a little sticky and maybe harsh on your skin??

lorebringer

Makeup_Jeans wrote: »

Fabric softner is on this weeks shopping list

Do you just put it in along with your powder at the start of a wash?

A lady I use to work said she use to put it in near the end of the wash cycle? I'm thinking that might make clothes a little sticky and maybe harsh on your skin??

The washing machine drawer should have a section for the fabric conditioner - it's usually smaller than the one for the detergent (and may have a flower symbol). If you put it in with your detergent at the start of the wash it will be washed out - usually it is used just before the last rinse so that there is no residue (if you find there is some residue, you have probably used too much) but the clothes still smell nice and are soft.

Tayla

I thought fabric conditioner wasn't good for clothes?

I only use it on baby clothes because they are only used for a short period anyway before they grow out of them and things like towels etc.

My all time favourite smelling washing detergent seems to be discontinued, It was a tesco own brand non bio one, used with a combination of the tesco pure fabric conditioner......my babys clothes smelled so frickin' good, I can't find it anymore in any of the tescos so I have to go up to the hot press every so often and have a sniff of her smaller clothes she's grown out of

For those of you who don't want to use fabric conditioner this one Daz summer flower power smells fab and has a nice strong scent that lasts!

pow wow

It's not good for anything elasticated as it makes elastic wear out quicker. I usually only use it for sheets and towels.

Lunaarli

I make my own and my clothes smell yum and it's not bad for my skin :P

This is pretty much what I do

http://www.ehow.com/how_2331685_homemade-fabric-softener.html

I add different oils for different times of the year.

At the moment I'm using grapefruit and lavender.. yum!

You're also doing your wee part for the environment.

lorebringer

Tayla wrote: »

I thought fabric conditioner wasn't good for clothes?

I only use it on baby clothes because they are only used for a short period anyway before they grow out of them and things like towels etc.

My all time favourite smelling washing detergent seems to be discontinued, It was a tesco own brand non bio one, used with a combination of the tesco pure fabric conditioner......my babys clothes smelled so frickin' good, I can't find it anymore in any of the tescos so I have to go up to the hot press every so often and have a sniff of her smaller clothes she's grown out of

For those of you who don't want to use fabric conditioner this one Daz summer flower power smells fab and has a nice strong scent that lasts!

This is still available - my mother uses it, and sometimes the bio one too (unless you are referring to a change in formula or something)! I think they changed to packaging a while ago though...

ncmc

I use whatever is on offer in the shop at the time .

The key is fabric softener as others have mentioned, all the Lenor Infusions smell gorgeous. I will also use Comfort thought-again, whatever is on offer Comfort have a yellow one that smells like a summers day, it's gorgeous.

If this is just a recent problem, there could be something wrong with your washing machine. This is happening to us at the moment, nothing is smelling nice coming out of the machine, so we are getting a plumber in. I miss that fresh clothes smell, there's nothing nicer!

lorebringer

Tayla wrote: »

My all time favourite smelling washing detergent seems to be discontinued, It was a tesco own brand non bio one, used with a combination of the tesco pure fabric conditioner......

Just thought of this thread today - was in Tesco and there was definitely Tesco own brand non-bio washing powder there! The box was totally different to the bio one but it was right beside it.

ha-ya-said-what

Bold is 2in1 so you have detergent and fabric softener in it so be careful if you add softener to it cos I noticed it wasn't doing nice things to the clothes they started to look a hell of a lot older than they were after a few washes. You only need to add a small bit of the softener

Pythia

I used to use a lovely Bold 2 in 1 which had a great smell but it got discontinued. I use Ariel and find the smell nice but I also love the smell of air from line washed clothes. It's very fresh!

Do fabric softeners generally just come in liquid form? I'm used to using the little sacs things each time for my washing.

Tayla

Lorebringer thanks for the reply about the Tesco non bio, it's actually the liquid detergent I used rather than the powder and I've checked a few Tescos recently and they have the bio version of the one I use and the colour version but no Non Bio, there's no space for it left on the shelf either so it didn't look like they just ran out of it but then again I suppose it would be weird for them to have a particular range of liquids and just have no non bio one so hopefully they will have it back soon!!

ann0

someone here mentioned tide detergent not being available in ireland.but i used to buy it in j.cs in swords.that was about 15 years ago.great stuff pity its not available anymore.

dudara

Please do not resurrect Zombie threads.

Closed - dudara