Went to a friends house yesterday was discussing the cost of fabric conditioner for clothes washing, she told me as she is ine big cheapskate that she uses dishwashing liquid, the 99cent Lemon one from the supermarkets to wash her clothes ,anyone tried this ? Or do you use something else ?
Do you actually save much money ?
she uses dishwashing liquid, the 99cent Lemon one from the supermarkets to wash her clothes
I can't help but wonder if, although it may wash the clothes okay for now, long term she might be buggering her washing machine using a soap it's not designed for. Also whether anything properly dirty (i.e. stained) would wash very well?
On the positive….at least she will always smell lemony fresh!!
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/47621/esse…
I use this one $1.49 for 2ltr. Better than Coles brand. Better suds.
Better suds.
Volume of bubbles isn't the same thing as cleaning ability. Often a "suds" generating ingredient is added purely for show.
But hey, if it's cheap and you're happy with the results, stick with it.
I'll remember that tip when ever I soap up in the shower, shampoo my hair or wash the dishes. ;-)
Yup, soap suds is pure marketing. Very old marketing at that, WWII era?
You can buy the same product in different countries, and one will make more suds than the other; adjusted to the expectations of different markets.
Here's something to ponder: Soap works by attaching itself to dirt. How's it going to do that if most of it is puffed up with air? Real cleaners aka industrial don't foam much if at all because it's a PITA.
I'm surprised someone hasn't tried the "Suds are for girls, real men use blah blah" thing. In a black package, of course, because real men are idiots, I mean don't do colours. Arrrgh! Chest thump!
@D C: All this time I thought that the bubbles had more to do with the amphipathic molecules and Van der Waals forces. Learnt something new. Thanks
had more to do with
Nah, polar / non-polar molecules & solubility.
It's occurred to me that washing detergent, shampoo etc make a lot of suds to stop you using them in your washing machine. Well, not more than once I suppose.
Conspiracy theory ahoy! To the internets!
@D C: Looks like I'll be saving more by using alot less soaps/detergents. Never been one for costly brand detergents anyway. Cheers
@UserNameAlreadyTaken: If you have a look at your cleaning stuff - shower gel, washing up liquid, shampoo, washing machine powder etc you'll find they're pretty much the same stuff.
It can be rather educational looking up the ingredients.
You need a surfectant to do the work, used to be a phosphate but the hippies complained about killing too many fish or something.
Can be good old soap (sodium stearate), though it's usually a sulphate like sodium laureth sulphate. Works well, cheap and foams up nicely - it's a winner. That's good for getting rid of oils, fats etc.
The rest of it is perfume, preservatives, anti-bacterials and so on, and as sulphates tends to dry your skin out (they are removing oil from your skin after all) they'll toss in a conditioning agent like glycol or coconut oil to stop that.
Washing powder has a few bonus things like bleach, brighteners, enzymes for breaking down proteins, rust inhibiters etc so usually not good for washing your hair with.
Dishwashing powder is the same again but often with a good dollop of lye as well. Nasty stuff.
@D C: Thanks I have learnt heaps reading here and a with few google searches. I never have spent a fortune on label brand detergents/soaps/shampoos etc but it is still confusing at times with marketing. Just as well I don't suffer any skin allergies as I would be in a bunch of trouble. I just find cheaper brands do the job.
I use water as well…
A sink, water and bar of soap when backpacking/travelling/camping.
I just use the cheapest powder for home. Really depends how much you value your clothes.
The most expensive is probably not always better …..i was told by a Coles supermarket manager once that the NonName Coles Brand brand was the same as the branded washing powder made by the same company.
Of course.
All of the supermarket branded items are made in factories making other branded products. It is just a different label / box / packet.
Not ALL no-name brands.
Some are made by no-name contract packagers who make these items for various stores.
Some are made by factories owned by big brand names. However, in most cases the product IS NOT the brand name product in a different box. This rubbish has been peddled around ever since no-name products first appeared.
Aldi, Coles et al decide to make a own brand product. They decide what the product should be, taste like, look like etc, etc, and most importantly what it will cost to make - the supermarket will already have a selling price in mind for the product. They then put that specification out to tender. Alternatively they will approach manufacturers and work with them to develop a particular product to sell at a particular price.
You only have to compare the ingredients list on a brand product with a no-name product and you will see the differences. In some cases you can see the difference in products, ie jam colour and thickness. No-name products are thnner and more watery for example. More sugar and salt etc in no-name products as well as cheaper ingredients.
I use washing liquid as it's better for my skin. Oh and water, as mentioned.
There are plenty of chemical-free options available (that are not washing powders / liquids).
I'm not sure why you would use dish-washing liquid. My understanding is that it would need extra rinsing for the clothes.
chemical-free
Everything is a chemical. Chemical-free is marketing babble.
Maybe they're using gravity, electricity, light, or tachyons?
Ultrasonic.
I use about a level teaspoon of washing powder to break the water surface tension along with one to two tablespoons of bicarbonate soda. For fabric conditioner I use two tablespoons of white vinegar. I use generic branded products. I have a front loader and have been doing this for years.
I use the pods, (I know its not great for the wallet) personally wouldn't use the dish-washing liquid as when I wash dishes my skin starts to peel after a while so it may be a bit strong for me. Still though if it works, its an interesting idea.
Never done it but you can buy soap and make flakes or something.
Can confirm that white vinegar works as a fabric conditioner. Better than something in a bottle labelled fabric conditioner even. There's no fragrance to start with which is better IMO.
I head to shopping centres with a bucket and get hand wash for.washing machine, who would in their right.mind spend 99 cents for washing liquid
nuts
damn u rich people
Lol , interesting 🤠🤠 i have a flatmate who was so stingy he used to go to the shopping centre toilets and stock up on their liquid hand soap to wash his clothes
I heard kmart mums swear by kmart reciepts are great washing agent
just one receipt (best if.purxhase more than 200 dollars of.products) cleans clothes unbelievably clean, better than expensive.wasing powder
totally swear by.it
I'm sure that's fine for Kmart clothing, but not for anything of quality, particularly anything approaching 'luxury'. We use sensitive liquid because the fragrance is far less, as well as a bit of sanitiser. I hate clothes that smell like laundry liquid/powder, it's disgusting!
We dont use fabric conditioner, used to use powder but switched to a sensitive liquid to help combat daughters eczema (changed to rice milk at the same time, and between all that and MOOGOO the problem went away), haven't tried changing anything back.
Your friend isn't the only one. But I stick to washing powder/liquid https://www.google.com/search?q=dishwashing+liquid+to+wash+c…