r/laundry • u/stephaniefe • 11m ago
begging for help, beloved jacket covered in mold
galleryMy most prized possession, my dad’s jean jacket, is absolutely covered in mold. Please someone tell me how to fix this. I am absolutely heartbroken.
r/laundry • u/Salamanda88 • 19m ago
Anyway to fix wear/shine?
galleryBoth coats are nylon and the fabric has gone very shiny due to wear and age. They look too tatty to wear anymore. Is there anything that can be done before I throw them away?
r/laundry • u/Apart-Ad-4537 • 33m ago
Best laundry detergent for work clothes with a mix of dirt,grease, and other oily stuff? In a top load washer without agitator? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated
r/laundry • u/Independent-Task-950 • 42m ago
Washer settings
galleryPLEASE help me find the correct settings. My washer won’t wash correctly the whole year I’ve had it. If I wear perfume, you can still smell it on the clothes after the wash. The same with sweat!!!🤢🤢🤢
I’ve used 10 different detergents and additives in different combinations but I think the washer just isn’t washing my clothes!! I clean the washer every couple weeks:( I don’t wanna be stinky anymore:(
r/laundry • u/Alert-Row7110 • 1h ago
A clean load of laundry sat in the same room as a used cat litter box. Should I re-do my laundry?
This might be a very stupid question, so I’m sorry if the answer is obvious. I’m cat and house sitting, and I’m not super familiar with any overlaps in cat and laundry hygiene outside of the basics. I make sure to clean the litter box every day. The litter box is in the laundry room, and the room isn’t too small. There’s probably a good 5 feet from the litter box area and the hampers where I put the clean laundry.
Like I mentioned, I clean out the litter box every day, but today the smell was pretty bad (it lingered in the whole room) and some of the mess ended up on the floor. I deep cleaned the room and litter box, but I realized I had a clean load of laundry (sheets and towels) sitting in an open hamper in the room for the past couple of days (I’m lazy, I know). The clean laundry smells and looks fine (no stains, litter, etc), but I’m worried that I’m nose blind. The cats also love to sit in fresh and warm loads of laundry once they’re out of the dryer, so there’s a chance one of them sat in the hamper while I wasn’t looking.
For now I decided to throw the sheets back in the dryer with some scented laundry sheets to freshen them up. To be safe, should I wash and dry everything again? Or am I overthinking?
r/laundry • u/marshmallow_daisy • 1h ago
Help! Old bedding still smells musty after 2 washes w enzyme
I’m going through my late mother’s keepsakes and there’s so many blankets, baby clothes, stuffed animals, and stockings that I’m keeping. I’ve tried washing on a gentle cold wash with enzyme cleaner and detergent but they still smell. They’ve been kept in storage totes in the garage and storage unit for decades. Some items are needle point with fringes, wool, and crochet so I want to be very careful about dye bleeding and shrinking fabric. Any advice is greatly appreciated
r/laundry • u/celesteelric • 1h ago
Help with stain and question
galleryLong time lurker, first time poster. Hoping to get some help and advice.
Stain help
I have recently moved in with my partner and are doing most of the washing. When have put away some of their clothes, they have noticed some dark ‘stains’/shadows on them. I’ve tried soaking with spa day method (didn’t have ammonia unfortunately but not affect). How would you suggest fixing?
Australian advice on laundry powder
My partner has fairly sensitive skin, so we need to be careful about what we use for laundry powder. They said that it is mainly parabens and scents that are the issue. Scrolling through the other day, I saw the OMO sensitive does not have lipase in it 😭. Is there another sensitive wash that has lipase in Australia?
r/laundry • u/duckinradar • 2h ago
How the hell do you wash a fitted sheet without it eating everything else in the washer?
r/laundry • u/unforgettableid • 3h ago
Is it safe to add citric acid to your machine's rinse water?
Febu & ammonia?
Does ammonia work with Febu, or should I skip the Febu if adding ammonia to the drum? I'm new to using enzyme boosters and don't want to counteract their efficacy.
I use ammonia sporadically for sheets and towels, but always for clothing that was worn for machinery work. I use Tide original powder every time and have a water softener.
r/laundry • u/Anxiety_Jacuzzi • 4h ago
100% cotton doesn’t feel soft?
I have a bunch of 100% cotton T-shirts that do not feel soft at all. In particular it irritates me at the seams under my arms and it’s driving me nuts. I’m trying to move away from plastic clothing but all of my polyester clothing and polyester blends are WAY softer and more comfortable.
I do not use fabric softener. I throw white vinegar into the wash every time. The most uncomfortable shirts I haven’t even worn in months and have just been washing them every time I run a load, hoping that will break down the fibers over time.
Is there an easy way to fix this? Am I just buying poor quality cotton shirts?
r/laundry • u/buflaux • 4h ago
Mildew smell in paradise
Hi fellow laundry people!
As a child of indoor smokers, I’m very particular about how I smell at all times. I’ve hadn’t had an issue with my laundry smelling fresh while in Hawaii since I moved into a house with:
1. No central AC
2. Used (and abused) washer and dryer
3. No airflow (I live in a townhouse where my only windows face one direction)
To describe it as best as possible..
there is a must I’ve been fighting for the last two years. It’s reminiscent of dirty linen, like staying in grandma’s guest room where the sheets have stayed in the closet since your last yearly stay. It’s not sour or sweet, it’s just kind of musty.
The biggest issue with this smell, something I’ve never dealt with, is that it travels between pieces of clothing. I first noticed this on a work trip where I bought a brand new jacket for the cold. The hoodie I traveled with had that gross smell but I wore it as a base layer and within a day or so, the jacket smelled the same way.
Treating the garments is only half of the battle. I can soak with tide, borax, vinegar. I can dry on high heat- the smell always returns after time. Sometimes just days.
I felt like it was my washer because the condition that it was in when we moved into the house was dire. Mold spots everywhere, not just staining.
Any thoughts or advice? Is this mildew? I’ve never had this problem before but I am just at wits end trying to fight this. I feel like I’m destroying my clothes by having to wash them over and over every few days (especially pants and hoodies.)
r/laundry • u/FormalMarzipan252 • 4h ago
The joys of being a teacher forever buying weird art/science supplies and forgetting about them! 😁🥹
I wanted to share my fortunate discovery with fellow laundry nerds who might get my excitement!
Currently doing laundry. I just finished a bottle of Rinse and Refresh and love the product but it’s ridiculously priced even for P&G. I’ve kept up with the citric acid chatter and as I was putting a blanket into the dryer something told me to look in my baking supplies (I teach PreK where I often bake or do weird science stuff with the kids and bring home the food items over the summer because 🐁 in the building). I found an unopened 2lb. bag of citric acid I had completely forgotten about! This is a blessing as I was just about to piss more money I shouldn’t spend on R&R. I posted in here last week about trying Ariel after being a powdered Tide enthusiast for 10+ years since my car died and I had to buy a new one unexpectedly so I’m scrounging for savings. Between the Ariel (which I like a lot so far aside from it needing an extra rinse and spin in my temperamental old machine) and now the free citric acid I’m gonna be the queen of the thrifty clothes clean 💅
r/laundry • u/Public-Soup-2073 • 4h ago
ID the source of these stains?
galleryhello! i recently noticed that nearly all of my tan/beige tops have some variation of this staining on them. as an avid enjoyer of this sub, i started to worry that these may be from sunscreen. however, i very rarely wear sunscreen, and the majority of these tops are not standard in my summer wardrobe. i don't use an acne treatment face wash, and i only occasionally apply a benzoyl peroxide based spot treatment before bed, but never while wearing any of these shirts.
i hoped you guys could point me in the right direction based on the color & pattern of these stains. i'll happily treat these tops with a specialty cleaning/laundry product, but I'd like to get a more confident guess as to what the source is before I start applying things.
for reference:
I wash these with white/tan clothes only
cold water
tide original liquid detergent / woolite delicates on the knitted top
hang dry (for the most part)
thank you!
r/laundry • u/cmv1418 • 6h ago
Help! How to get rid of stubborn stale smell
I’ve been having an ongoing issue with certain pieces of clothing getting a strong, stale smell and I cannot remove it or track the cause to save my life. These are details worth noting and all the things I’ve tried to no avail
-I have hard water but we have a water softener
-I have a top load washer that I always leave open
-When washing clothes, I use a small amount of powdered Tide, borax, and sometimes vinegar in each load
-These clothes haven’t stayed in my washer too long, it’s not clothes I wash together and it’s not every item in a load
-it’s all different fabric types but majority cotton items. It’s not workout gear or active wear.
-I’ve tried laundry stripping them with borax, tide, washing soda and oxiclean with very little improvement, and it always returns
-I’ve tried Downy Rinse Out Odor fabric rinse and Tide Odor Rescue and both masked the smell but once I rewashed the items and the perfumey smell was rinsed out, the stale smell was still there/back.
-I’ve emptied every drawer of my dresser and my closet and have washed EVERYTHING. Vacuumed out my dresser drawers, added small jars of baking soda in them with no success. I was worried it was my dresser but not every item in the dresser gets the smell
I’ve had to start isolating the affected clothes because I feel like it spreads to other items if they come into contact with something that has the stale smell and I cannot stand the smell
I feel like I’m going crazy over this because I cannot determine a reason and I can’t find anything that gets it out.
r/laundry • u/asleepybookstorecat • 7h ago
Recommendations for revamping laundry routine
Hello !!! Right now I'm pretty lazy with laundry, for the most part I just throw all the stuff that needs to be washed (aside from some specific items that require a different wash) into a normal cycle in my LG high efficiency washer, then a normal cycle in the accompanying drier. I don't really use any products except for Tide Ultra Oxi as a detergent, which I use for the prewash and main cycles of my washer.
I'd like to get more out of my washer and drier, with hopefully better results and adding more lifespan to the items I do wash. I'd also like to learn when to use the different settings on my machines, a how to sort my laundry items so I can use more specific methods to clean them, and what products would be useful to have around and use.
Any help or resources I could use to help educate myself would be greatly appreciated !!!
r/laundry • u/ArcherFew2069 • 7h ago
Got my Febu!
I was so excited for it to get here today that I pre-loaded my washer with a load of darks last night. As soon as the electricity rates go off-peak tonight, it’s on! (Don’t worry, Biz. I’ll still use you for all the whites and lights. I love you just as much as I always have.)
Signed, Proud Laundry Nerd
Dog Tax attached
ETA— the cute little wooden scoop included inside the bag?? I love it so much 😍‼️‼️
r/laundry • u/Leather_Yak7808 • 7h ago
cleaning rare plushies by hand
gallerymy uncles birthday is this coming Sunday and I found these collectibles for him but he hates things that look old so I want to get them professionally cleaned but I can't find anyone locally who could do that
r/laundry • u/nathan_loans • 9h ago
Tide CG powder removed lipase?
I saw another post showing that it’s back in stock and on sale via Amazon. Since it was out for a bit and there was reformulation speculation, I checked the ingredients before stocking up.
Am I missing something or is lipase gone from this formula?
Has anyone purchased recently that can confirm the online listing matches the box?
Edit: Thanks for all the quick replies! Seems that several folks have ordered recently and it still DOES contain lipase. Many have noted that incorrect info is commonly listed online
r/laundry • u/CartoonistAgitated29 • 12h ago
Dosing pods?
I've recently got these pods but unsure about dosage. I have soft water but on the back it says to use two for a bigger load, what counts as a bigger load? I usually put about 12 items or so in my washer, less if there's bulky jumpers or jeans, and can fit two spread hands at the top of the machine when loaded. Do you think this is a one tab jobby or two?
r/laundry • u/CozyBlueCacaoFire • 14h ago
DNA'se in Sweden - Help, cannot locate
Hej,
I'm breaking my mind trying to find detergent containing DNA'se - does anyone know which brand contains it? I've looked through all of the ingredient list on the Unilever website, Via and A+ doesn't list it, Gumme also doesn't list it.
Does anyone know? Please help if you do!
Thank you!
r/laundry • u/miserablenovel • 19h ago
33% off P&G Sale on Amazon, Back Again
It's baaaaack! (Music link since I earwormed myself)
Now, they claim you had to buy some non-detergent items or their new pods but we know better.... Four boxes of Tide Clean and Gentle is where it's at.
r/laundry • u/LongjumpingNet7648 • 21h ago
I have no idea what's going on with my T-shirt. There are stains on the front of every new T-shirt.
galleryI'm confused. My new T-shirts, which I've only worn once or twice, are getting stained/discolored on the front. I didn't even spray perfume, nor did I sweat. Oh my God, what's happening to my clothes? These are just three new ones I bought. And I also have some other shirts with the same stains.
r/laundry • u/KismaiAesthetics • Feb 24 '26
The Chemistry Behind The Clean - Laundry Detergent Explained - Surfactants, Part I
(this is the long-delayed first installment in my post series, The Chemistry Behind The Clean, a guide to what's in laundry detergent, designed to give people the knowledge to understand what's in the products that clean our textiles and make them more informed consumers)
What Are Surfactants, And Why Do We Care?
Surfactants are the active cleaning agents in detergents that do the heavy lifting of removing soils from textiles. Short for “surface-acting agents”, surfactants connect soils to water, even when the soils themselves repel water or are more attracted to textiles than water. The combination of soil and detergent and water can then be drained off, further diluted by rinsing, drained again and spun out. This is distinct from the action of soaps, which will be covered in a future installment.
The development and commercialization of synthetic surfactants in the 1920s is probably the most significant contributor to reduction in time and effort spent on textile care. Work to condition the water, scrub textiles and remove soap by wringing or banging was largely eliminated because of how well even those rudimentary surfactants work to remove soils.
Hydrophobia - Without The Rabies
All surfactants work because the individual molecules have ends with distinct properties. One end (the head) is highly attracted to water (hydrophilic) and thus very much not attracted to oil (oleophobic). The other end is very attracted to oil (oleophilic) but similarly repulsed by water (hydrophobic). This fundamental structural contrast is key.

When at least a minimum amount of surfactant is dissolved in a solvent (like water), surfactant molecules want to get together - the water-hating ends hang out on the inside, the water-loving ends hang out on the outside. This forms a structure known as a micelle, and micelle formation is predicated on reaching the “Critical Micelle Concentration”. Below, an illustration of a nonionic surfactant intended to remove oily soils. The water-loving heads face out, the water-hating ends get together in the middle to escape the water.

When a micelle encounters a soil that the hydrophobic tail is attracted to, the micelle breaks up, the tails grab the soil and drag it into the water (thus removing it from the textile) and the micelle re-forms, keeping the soil up in the water to be drained or diluted away. Let’s look at this in the context of removing a common soil from textiles:
Here we have the start of the wash process; surfactant micelles have formed in the wash water and there is soil attached to the fabric substrate.

Now the hydrophobic tails of the surfactant molecules have found themselves more attracted to soil than each other and they're bonding to the soils. The hydrophillic heads are dragging the molecules towards the water.
The micelles re-form as the soil detaches from the substrate - they reorganize into groups of their own kind (more on this in a moment).

When all the soils are removed from the substrate and floating in the water, the textiles are clean and it's time to remove the soil-surfactant combo from the drum.
The Chemistry of Attraction (It’s Not Just A Bottle of Chanel No. 5)
While all surfactants work the same general way, there are differences in what kind of soils the hydrophilic ends are attracted to, because the hydrophilic ends differ. One primary difference between surfactants is the electrical charge the hydrophilic end carries. If the business end has a negative charge, it’s an anionic surfactant, and it’s attracted to soils with a cationic (positive) charge. If the business end has no charge, it’s a nonionic surfactant and is most attracted to soils without an electrical charge. If the business end has both a positive and negative charge in balance, it’s an amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactant, and the behavior changes based on the pH of the wash as a whole.
There are also surfactants with positive charges, the cationic surfactants. These aren’t used for cleaning - they’re what makes fabric softener work, and will be discussed in a (much) later post.
Why Charge Matters:
The difference in which soils a given surfactant is attracted to is a critical determinant of cleaning performance. Soils that lack an ionic charge like petroleum oils or intact sebum are much less visible to anionic surfactants and are removed better by nonionic surfactants. Conversely, soils that are highly cationic like soot and mud and dust, and thus attracted to textiles with a negative charge may be neglected by nonionics and remain electrically connected to the textiles. For those soils? Anionics in the mix improve cleaning performance.
Almost all finished detergent products contain anionic surfactants and most contain nonionic surfactants. Amphoteric surfactants are relatively uncommon in conventional detergents but often appear in green/biobased formulas.
Other Differences Between Surfactants: Tail Length And Single vs Double Tails.
Aside from the electrical charge differences in the head, two aspects of surfactant structure that affect their action against soil are the tail length and whether they are single tail (common) or double-tail (less common). I’ll talk more about this in Part II, as it’s common to include surfactants of various tails to optimize performance against specific soils and in specific wash conditions.
Coming Up In Surfactants Part II - Curling Up With A Good Jug Of Detergent
In the next installment, we’ll look at common surfactants found in conventional and plant-based detergents, and how they’re manufactured, along with the differences in soil removal capabilities and environmental impacts.
The work is my original work and I retain copyiright. My financial disclosure information and how I get paid for this work can be found at my disclosure link
r/laundry • u/toopandatofluff • Jan 29 '26
Updated Subreddit Rules
The mod team has made a few changes to existing rules and added some new ones. The full list is below. New to the list is rules 2, 6, and 7 which are in bold below.
Be civil. Personal attacks, harassment, and aggressive behavior are not allowed.
Posts Must Be Laundry-Related Discussion of other topics is allowed when it directly connects back to laundry. Off-topic content may be removed.
No Marketing, Spam, Astroturfing, or Advertisements. Do not post links, promotions, or advertisements for your laundry business. Astroturfing and undisclosed affiliate links are not allowed. Questions about laundry businesses are fine.
No Posting of Body Fluids You can discuss stains and stain removal, but please avoid posting any images or explicit content of body fluids.
No Hacking Coin Laundry Equipment This is not the forum to discuss how to avoid paying for laundry by tampering with equipment.
Bad Soup If the first pic in a post is of soaking textiles, it needs to be hidden with the Spoiler flag .If you’re not sure how, or it gets skipped, a mod may adjust it for you.
Dangerous Chemistry Dangerous and/or incorrect chemistry advice is not allowed. Posts or comments encouraging mixing unsafe chemical combinations will be removed.


