This is based on this reddit post which has absolutely fantastic information on how to do laundry. If you want more information on enzymes and specifically lypase, the author also has a Lipase List in a google spreadsheet.
Edit: the first link to the reddit post was an incorrect link. Fixed that!
Double edit: Not all steps here are necessary for every load. You don’t always need to pretreat. Citric acid may or may not help your laundry chemistry, that’s fully dependent on how hard your water is and what products you’re using. I also personally don’t separate by color but, I don’t own many colors.
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I just discovered this community and I love it. I believe Lemmy needs more homekeeping content and I would love to find it here. Thank you for this post and the previous.
I just made it this week! Feel free to contribute! I don’t pretend to know everything but I did clean houses professionally for a bit.
what benefit does a long, hot wash cycle bring if you’re already using a well cleaning enzyme based detergent?
The heat helps improve the effectiveness of both the enzymes and the surfactants. The longer time it’s in the wash cycle, the more agitation it gets and the more time it’s exposed to the enzymes and surfactants.
Doesn’t high heat denature enzymes and they actually work better at lower temperatures? Plus lower temperatures use much less energy.
Enzymes are sensitive molecules, and they have some serious limitations. Ideally, the manufacturer would tell you what the optimum temperature is. The rest of the mix tends to benefit from higher temperatures though. If there’s a temperature on the box, it’s probably the sweet spot where different components do their job reasonably well.
My system:
- Check all the pockets!
- Don’t worry about any of that other stuff.
- You actually do need some detergent though.
- Put white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser.
- Dry them.
As long as people clean their washer, use a decent detergent, and don’t use fabric softener, everything is good in my opinion. The infographic was just based on those who take laundry very seriously. Which at times, we might need to do.
4b. Close all zippers, especially metal zippers. They will snag on stuff and cause small tears.
That’s a good one!
I will say that r/Laundry definitely helped me get a few stubborn stains out. I think the most important part in the whole infographic though is the whole running a washing machine cleaner part. So many people don’t do it.
I have heard of using vinegar (acetic acid) rather than citric acid. Probably cheaper? Either way isn’t the idea that it helps remove soap residue.
Hang dry is good, dehumidifier if it could cause humidity issues inside and you cant hang outside is probably the next best and most energy efficient option. Although if its not raining even in winter you get a fair bit of drying off, even if you have to finish it off inside.
Any citric acid that isn’t rinsed out will remain in the cloth and be active anytime it has moisture. Not sure what effect that might have. Any excess vinegar will evaporate out during drying.
deleted by creator
Fuck. I spelled things wrong. Oops
Fuck Reddit and Fuck Spez.
Comment removed due to reports, off topic and irrelevant. I was going to leave it until it was reported.
Cool. That was great contribution. Thank you. Really added great info.
You’re welcome. Anytime that other site comes up gets the same comment.
Ain’t nobody got time for that. Hell, I’m willing to bet the vast majority of us simply don’t have the bandwidth for laundry with more steps. 🥲
I don’t sort my laundry by color because I don’t care that much. But the rest of the advice is solid. My water doesn’t need citric acid but it’s great for a lot of people. A good detergent and keeping your washer clean are absolutely vital though.
A good detergent and a clean washer (and dryer) are clutch, for sure.
The “hottest” water, though, is a guaranteed way to degrade your clothes in quick order. If you feel the need to cook your fabrics for some reason, choose to soak (stew?) them independently, prior to washing them with the other items —better yet, wash them by hand.
The simple fact that most cleaning agents can be more effective at higher temps is not some epiphanous “lifehack”, it’s just halfbaked “logic” that flat-out ignores the scientific fact that most clothing can’t take the heat that such an increase in their efficacy’d require. ☝🏼
I mean, FFS, fellow poors. Stop destroying your clothes for perceived judgmental standards of others, and maybe you won’t be so frequently replacing clothes that would’ve lasted far longer than a few seasons. 🙏🏼
Absolutely agree. I’d also add, that using the highest spin does also not really help keeping your clothes alive. If you can afford the time to let your clothes dry for a bit longer, use a lower spin (and also beware that you don’t dampen up your place too much, but other than that I don’t see any downsides)
TBF, the whole apparatus was invented to “save” housewives’ time & effort, but (much like the dish “washer” and vacuum “cleaner”) was infested by corpo greed and their malformed “improvements” like the spin cycle.
IMHO, line hanging your wash on a line or laying it out on a drying rack (both pack down to almost nothing for storage between sessions) is not only more economical, but also am exceedingly low-effort chore that can be broken up into smaller tasks over a day or more, too.
Bonus: it’s pretty easy to blithely walk past your fresh laundry in a patiently hopeful pile (if that’s a personal obstacle; no judgment), but it’s arguably more complicated to walk through it on the line w/o noticing. 🧏🏼♂️
(this is assuming that most of us poors aren’t lucky enough to own our homes, and have to use what space we can afford* to rent.)
*heavy lifting, there
![[Laundry] Laundry infographic](https://slrpnk.net/pictrs/image/b518fbcf-3780-4c10-a817-faef02c9bf8a.png){kind=link}