plain-water laundering

[Sawney Beane]

Yesterday after washing and drying my laundry, I discovered that
the liquid detergent was still in the dispenser. My clothes do
smell better than if they'd been exposed to detergent. Should I
wear them as usual? Should I use detergent in the future?

[Rod Speed]

Sawney Beane <beadleXX@qwickconnect.net> wrote

> Yesterday after washing and drying my laundry, I
> discovered that the liquid detergent was still in the
> dispenser. My clothes do smell better than if they'd
> been exposed to detergent. Should I wear them as usual?

If they are clean enough.

> Should I use detergent in the future?

They'll get rather smelly if you never use detergent again and
you'll find that they dont get as clean without the detergent.

Corse how dirty they end up depends on whether you do
your own work on the car etc or just laze around as a
couch potatoe in front of the TV on a clean couch etc.

[Shaun Eli]

There's usually so much soap still in the clothing after the rinse
cycle that you could wash them again without soap and still get some
benefit.

If you don't believe me, just try putting your wash through a second
rinse cycle and see how foamy the waste water is.

However, tests by folks like Consumer Reports seem to indicate that you
do need to use the recommended amount to get the most benefit from the
detergent.

Shaun Eli
www.BrainChampagne.com
Brain Champagne: Clever Comedy for the Smart Mind (sm)
Brain Champagne-- now with free (clean) comedy video on the site!

[Dottie]

I believe it....we have a water softener and can only use a fraction of
the recommended detergent or I would never get all the soap out. I use
white vinegar in the water softener dispenser and still have left over
soap...

[TT]

As another poster said, doubtful that your clothes were truly "dirty" and if
you go heavy on the detergent it HARDLY gets rinsed out completely.

On another laundry frugality off-shoot.... I wear my over-shirts and pants
at least 3 or 4 times before washing, and they're still not really "dirty"
unless I spill something on myself or get dirty somehow else. I mostly just
wash them to get the wrinkles out from wearing them.

A couple years ago I found out that fabric "softener" is really a fatty/oily
waste product (animal fats i think) that is emulsified to stay suspended in
a waterbased carrier. When you add softener to your rinse cycle, the
oils/fats bind onto the fibers of your clothes, thereby making them feel
"soft" when in fact they're just "greasy". Haven't used softener since the
day I read that and haven't really noticed a big difference in softness when
drying completely with a dryer.

After doing some more research on detergents I switched my detergent to Arm
& Hammer powder. SUPER CHEAP ($2.99 for 30 loads) at Target, and low impact.
It also truly gets rid of odors (with baking soda) instead of masking them
with some perfumy smell.

Just my 02.

-Tom

"Sawney Beane" <beadleXX@qwickconnect.net> wrote in message
news:43A08FC4.A353BCC7@qwickconnect.net...
> Yesterday after washing and drying my laundry, I discovered that
> the liquid detergent was still in the dispenser. My clothes do
> smell better than if they'd been exposed to detergent. Should I
> wear them as usual? Should I use detergent in the future?

[Janie]

"TT" <mrsol@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:7B4of.80304$2k5.58124@dukeread09...
> As another poster said, doubtful that your clothes were truly "dirty" and
if
> you go heavy on the detergent it HARDLY gets rinsed out completely.
>
> On another laundry frugality off-shoot.... I wear my over-shirts and pants
> at least 3 or 4 times before washing, and they're still not really "dirty"
> unless I spill something on myself or get dirty somehow else. I mostly
just
> wash them to get the wrinkles out from wearing them.
>
> A couple years ago I found out that fabric "softener" is really a
fatty/oily
> waste product (animal fats i think) that is emulsified to stay suspended
in
> a waterbased carrier. When you add softener to your rinse cycle, the
> oils/fats bind onto the fibers of your clothes, thereby making them feel
> "soft" when in fact they're just "greasy". Haven't used softener since the
> day I read that and haven't really noticed a big difference in softness
when
> drying completely with a dryer.
>
> After doing some more research on detergents I switched my detergent to
Arm
> & Hammer powder. SUPER CHEAP ($2.99 for 30 loads) at Target, and low
impact.
> It also truly gets rid of odors (with baking soda) instead of masking them
> with some perfumy smell.
>
> Just my 02.
>
> -Tom


Agree with you, Tom

Consmer Reports listed Arm & Hammer as a best buy when compared to several
other detergent brands. It is an excellet choice and can be found a bargain
prices too. I generally buy liquid because I do most of my laundry in cold
water. JMO, but the bottle is easier to store and the cap makes a handy
measuring cup.
>
> "Sawney Beane" <beadleXX@qwickconnect.net> wrote in message
> news:43A08FC4.A353BCC7@qwickconnect.net...
> > Yesterday after washing and drying my laundry, I discovered that
> > the liquid detergent was still in the dispenser. My clothes do
> > smell better than if they'd been exposed to detergent. Should I
> > wear them as usual? Should I use detergent in the future?
>
>

[bob@coolgroups.com]

use borax

[jtnospam@yahoo.com]

I use detergent with every other load (about 2/3 the recommended
amount), and alternate with washing soda. Works fine.
In one of the places I lived, the chlorine content of the tap water was
so high you could smell it, and I stopped adding bleach for whites, and
for colors, I read that most of the large detergent makers add a
chemical that neutralizes it. So I would let the washer fill up without
clothes, only the detergent and water, and let it sit for 1/2 hour
before adding the clothes. The fading of the colors went away.-Jitney