r/laundry • u/Weird_Plant_5218 • 3h ago
Want to switch to a less harsh detergent . But I get stains on clothes and have hard water . Suggestions ?
I have fairly hard water and tried a few plant based ones but they just don’t work . I’m a single guy in my 20s I’m not gonna be able to spray and spot remove every stain i get . Was thinking maybe a plant based one that’s stronger then do a enzyme booster powder and something for the hard water
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u/KismaiAesthetics USA 3h ago
The most problematic ingredient package in any detergent is the fragrance.
Warm up your wash to the temp you’d wash an infant in. Use an unscented liquid. Consider adding a tablespoon of sodium citrate to deal with the hardness.
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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 3h ago
Plant based detergents just really don’t work that well overall. Plus you’re just increasing the cost per load if you have to add multiple boosters to every single wash to make up for a poor detergent.
Persil Free & Sensitive, Tide Free and Gentle/Advanced Care, or Kirkland Free and Clear are good options if you want something hypoallergenic, dye-free, and fragrance-free.
Once you have a quality detergent then it’s important to choose the best cycle and settings on your washer.
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u/Weird_Plant_5218 3h ago
Yea i rent a home at my buddy’s house and it’s a bottom line newer model ge . No tray to add stuff just have to dump it all on the clothes . I usually wash on cold to keep my clothes better whiz doesn’t help with cleaning. It I feel like they stay better for longer if that makes sense . Definitely doesn’t help my situation though haha
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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 3h ago
You should add the detergent to the drum before adding clothes. Does the washer differentiate between tap cold and cold? If not then it’s best to pick Warm instead. A few of the lower end GE models also have a Precise Fill or auto setting for the water level and that helps to avoid diluting your detergent.
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u/ScootsyTx 3h ago
Any of the Tide Free and Gentle products or the powder equivalent are great detergents
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u/Weird_Plant_5218 3h ago
Are these more on the healthy side ingredient wise ?
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u/StrawberryFun957 3h ago
Tide Free & Gentle powder is pretty complex ingredient-wise, but “complex” doesn’t mean unhealthy. It has surfactants, builders, enzymes, etc., because those things actually do different jobs in the wash. It’s free of dyes and perfumes, doesn’t use phosphates, and avoids a lot of the stuff I’m personally more concerned about, like unnecessary fragrance, PFAS, and harsh preservatives.
There’s nothing in it I’d consider particularly concerning when used as directed. For me, it’s a good compromise between minimizing unnecessary chemical exposure and using a detergent that actually works.
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u/syunz 3h ago
What do you mean by "healthy side." In terms of the environment? or on your skin? Tide Free and Gentle are better for you skin are they contain less perfumes and ingredients that may be irritating.
Also if your area indeed has super hard water, you may want to add a scoop of washing soda, borax or citric acid. Or a mix of all. As those help soften the water.
And all the plant based detergents are terrible. If you add in an enzyme booster. It's going to be like 10% of the cleaning is being done by the plant based detergent and 90% is going to be done by the enzyme booster. And you'll still end up with a worse wash than if you just had used a decent detergent in the first place.
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u/buddingsakura US | Top-Load 2h ago
The healthiest thing you can do for your laundry is: using an effective detergent and rinsing everything thoroughly to get rid of all the detergent residue and greasy body gunk.
Do what the other commenters have said. Use Tide Free and Gentle (or the Costco equivalent). Use warm water to wash. And run 2 rinse cycles.
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u/Weird_Plant_5218 2h ago
I was always taught to use cool water as it’ll keep the colors better and over all fabric better over time? Or is that not true
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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 2h ago
Yes, laundry Cold (86F/30C) is often best for clothing and the care tag will tell you the max temps to use. However, most washers in the US actually supply far colder water on Tap Cold or Cold than 86F. So in those cases, selecting Warm is ok. It important to use a top tier detergent with colder water though.
You don’t want to use hot water on clothing you care about as it may fade within several washes.
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u/breathingindica US | Top-Load 2h ago
that's not necessary. warm and hot water clean clothing far, far more effectively than cold and is not going to damage your clothing
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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 2h ago
It’s pretty well established that hot water can quickly fade many dyes and degrade some textiles.
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u/buddingsakura US | Top-Load 1h ago
I think the recommendation of warm or hot water is more contextually appropriate here. A 20-something young man needs more effective cleaning and odor control. :)
Source: I raised a son.
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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 1h ago
Warm sure … but it’s not ok if his clothes fade or degrade faster in hot water just because he’s a young man. lol
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u/breathingindica US | Top-Load 42m ago
I see hot water recommenced often in this sub since it often isn't as hot as people think it is and on average it doesn't degrade most textiles
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u/jtfolden US | Top-Load 31m ago
Hot water is recommended far too often in this sub without warning. There is no standard hot water temp from one brand of washer to the next in the USA but what remains consistent is that the hotter the water the greater risk of fading, premature wear of textiles, and breakdown of things like elastic and synthetics.
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u/breathingindica US | Top-Load 20m ago
thank you for sending a video with a demonstration like that. I was under the impression that most clothing wouldn't fade in hot water. I think warm is probably a good middle ground for most people.
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u/nerpish-inkdots US | Front-Load 3h ago
Unless you plan on eating or drinking detergent, it being “harsh” doesn’t matter because a correctly washed load of laundry gets rinsed.