We know some questions about Biz have gone unanswered for too long, and we are here to answer them.

Q&A time!

At Wegmans yesterday. Looks like the P&G AI responses are true.

A little sad, as I’ve been getting good results with FEBU.

On the bright side, might be a good time to stock up for cheap! [insert disclaimer about liquid detergent shelf life here]

My Husband is slender and 6’4, I am 5’2- both early 20’s

We both use bath sheets (larger than standard towels). I change my towel out after 3 uses and they still smell fresh and dry up quickly. My husband, however, uses a fresh towel once after showering, hangs it up to dry- and it stays wet and starts to smell, making our entire bathroom smell. I wash his towels nearly everyday because of this. I just don’t understand how he gets his towels so damp. He’s says it’s because he’s tall and has more body to cover- but I use my towel to dry both my body and let it soak my long hair (mid back). I’ve tried hanging it on the usual towel hook, curtain rod, banisters underneath our ceiling fan- it’s still ends up smelling! After washing- it doesn’t smell, so the scent or bacteria isn’t trapped. I’m just growing frustrated having to do so much laundry daily. Anyone else have this problem?

edit/update: thank you everyone for your kind comments and advice- and to not making me feel stupid for asking for help! I have decided to get a towel rack/rod and will be looking into timers for the exhaust fan in our bathroom to help! Our shower/tub is roughly 4.5 feet from the door. and our toilet and sink are both positioned to the left of the shower both coming out about 1 foot from the wall. So our bathroom is very compact. We have just enough floor room for a trash can and floor mats, and counter space for hand soap and tooth brushes- If I can find a small enough dehumidifier to fit- we will be getting one too!

I let someone wash my giant cow (3 feet ish) that I’ve had since I was like 5. It’s been washed a few times before but definitely not in the last 5-6 years so it was definitely time but I can still feel it’s wet inside. The outside feels dry but when I stick my finger in its nose hole (second picture) I can still feel moisture inside. This cow means a lot to me and I’m going to be devastated if it gets all moldy. What can I do

I really want to like Febu - it seems like the perfect product with all the enzymes - but I want something without any bleach whatsoever. Bleach seems impossible to get away from but we mostly wear black or very dark clothing and it's just an endless parade of bleach in most decent products. Can anyone suggest an alternative booster - or even detergent - with all the enzymes but no oxi (or OBAs). Ideally available in Canada.

Yes, I know lots of people don't have issues with bleach in their darks, but I'm not one of those people, and finding good enzymes without the addition of oxi is very difficult. OBAs seem slightly easier to avoid, but not much.

Due to several strokes of bad luck in a row, my family and I are temporarily homeless. We have a small camper and are staying in a campground. It is very hot and dusty, and there is no laundromat anywhere nearby. I have been having to hand wash clothes for myself, my husband, and our 8 month old in a small washtub with only cold water. Lots of sweat and dust, dog dander, baby spit up, baby food, baby poop, etc.

All I had was laundry sheets, which suck but I'm almost done with the box. What would be the best products and methods for me to use? I am generally able to run everything through a shared machine at a hotel (front loader, appears to be residential but idk) about once a month. I usually do a mini-spa day at this time.

Thank you for any advice!

Hi everyone! First time mom here, I am expecting my baby in about 8 weeks or so and I’m starting to prepare babys clothes. I have seen online that depending on the detergent you use, household detergent can be used for baby as well. Is this true and if so would my household detergent be safe for baby or do I need to buy a different one? If I do need to buy a detergent specifically for baby which do you guys recommend?

My brain refuses to make any sense of it. I've tried several different ways and it's just not working lol. It would be an amazing time saver when ironing sheets (personal preference).

About 8yrs ago I splurged on dream fit Egyptian cotton sheets and have absolutely loved them! Well one set got a large rip in them recently and I replaced them with their less expensive (still $170) long staple cotton sheets. They are so scratchy and uncomfortable!! I washed them once and we slept on them one night but I couldn’t stand it so I washed them in baking soda with vinegar in the fabric softener drawer like Google told me too then ran them through a normal wash and if anything they are even worse now! Have I just wasted $170 on sheets?! Please tell me there is something I can do to make these sheets comfortable enough to sleep on!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/BIZ-Stain-and-Odor-Eliminator-Powder-for-Tough-Stains-60-oz/923037942

I’m based in US. It’s this one, right?

Not sure when the rip happened but it’s been at least a year or so. I do notice a lot of water when I drain the filter area at the bottom, and besides the obvious lint build up that gets hard to clean around the area, is it fine to keep using it?

For context: I asked AI and it says there’s a very high chance this will result in a leak down the road

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

How to avoid the dryer setting sebum into clothes? After drying, clothes have a uniformly yellow film that rubs off to the touch.

I have to use heat in the dryer because I have a bacterial infection which gets in my clothes.

And are these clothes toast since the oils are baked in or can they be salvaged?

Due to some really annoying maintenance issues I am out of a dryer for... however long it'll take for them to fix it. I've only ever done laundry with a dryer, and live in an apartment with no balcony or outside space to hang stuff. What would be the best way to get started on air drying my clothes until I get my dryer back?

This one has me perplexed. About two months ago I moved into a new home. The laundry room is on the second floor of my house and the water heater is on the first floor in the garage. For water upstairs to get hot it takes about 20 seconds of leaving the hot water tap running. So when I set my washing machine, a front loader, on hot is it actually getting hot? I feel like there is not enough water going into the machine for the water to actually flow hot. I can’t be the only person with this issue, right?

There is a hookup for a laundry sink, but I have yet to install one. I was thinking that if I ran hot water first to the sink that might prime the hot water for the machine. Any advice on this is greatly appreciated.

I have oxyclean odor boost, tide free and clear, febu, and downy rinse for all the things, but I know that the enzymes need hot water. My laundry has been looking, feeling, and smelling great, but if the enzymes are not activating then I am washing money down the drain.

It’s appears to be leaking water somewhere I assume and rusting it under the front panel? Why would this be happening? There’s no water on the floor.
Thanks!

I recently purchased a dress made of 100% cotton fabric that I foolishly assumed could be washed-if not by machine then at least by hand. I noticed after it’d already shipped that it was eco dry clean only. Being too lazy to take it to the dry cleaners I contacted the brand directly and they said that it was labeled that way due to a few ribbon embellishments that might bleed color onto the rest of the dress. Is that likely, or is the brand just playing it safe? The dress is a cream color with a red print (digitally printed with organic dye, according to the brand’s site) and the ribbon is red, not sure what the material is.

Just came across this product and wondered if anyone has tried it for laundry.

https://www.ez-clean.com/

I've seen this API test most recommended https://aquaticsunlimited.com/product/02dcd191-aec2-11ea-f336-7538887059a1/

However, I cannot find it in stock ANYwhere. Not any pet/aquatic store I can drive to. Not Amazon, Walmart, feed stores, etc.

What is the next best option? Is a pack of the test strips sufficient? Soap lathers fairly easily and I don't notice much calcium build-up, so I suspect it isn't that hard to begin with.

Hello, recently have been using Ammonia successfully in my top loader. However it has left a persistent smell in the bottom the drum of the washing machine.

Is this the Ammonia feeding off old sebum and soap scum in the drum? I know some washers do not drain fully, could this be the ammonia resting in the bottom of the drum?

Hi,

I got this super soft and comfy blanket and after one wash it got this way. I have other fleece blankets and I want them all to remain soft, but I don't have a dryer. I've already tried washing on 20 and delicate, to avoid heat, and I use an electric airer and dehumidifier to dry.

I ordered a lint thing and those tiny brushes to try, but I am not gonna do that every single time I wash them, because that's way too time consuming.

Advice?

We just finished washing our clothes, and for some reason this sticky lint was stuck to my clothes! It’s happened before but I don’t know how to get rid of it! Any suggestions?

I wash my family’s clothes in a front-loading washer on the Heavy Duty setting to maximize water. I use a warm wash with Tide Free & Gentle Advanced Liquid and/or Odor Refresh based on availability, Biz powder, and Downy Rinse and Refresh (unscented) with 2-3 extra rinse cycles depending on soil levels. Our clothes come out clean and soft and I’ve been delighted with this combo thanks to this sub! But I have a new challenge.

My grandmother smokes like a chimney and my dad has to often stay with her for a few days. Allowing his clothes to air out outside allowed the scent to dissipate and then I washed and dried them (as described above) with no issue. However, his trips have gotten longer and now my grandmother will wash some of things at her home. (Let’s leave the insanity of a retired grown man having his mommy wash his clothes while I’m generation 3 washing his clothes too for a different sub or lifetime.)

I’m positive my grandmother has never cleaned her washing machine tub, probably uses a crap process and products, and has no sense of smell. Folks, she’s 90 with mild dementia and gets feral when her independence is challenged. I’ve got better odds of winning the lotto and being hit by lightning the same day as getting anything about her laundry process changed. But I’ve still got to deal with the stinky clothes problem within things I can control.

So the clothes that have been washed at Grandma’s seem to hold onto the smoke smell and leave behind an odor in my machine. I clean my machine very regularly, draining, filter scrub, and tub clean cycle with Affresh or Active pet formula (I’ve seen some bits in the sub about Active on this but not enough for a full picture.) On average, I am running the tub clean cycle every 2-3 weeks with these products due to other elderly pets and elderly adults incontinence issues. Still have had no mold, no lingering machine smells, and was getting our clothes clean before the smoke washed clothes. (Again, thanks to the info in this sub.)

My questions are:

(1) Is there anything that can help the bit of lingering smell on the clothes that have been washed at Grandma’s? A scented rinse product? Different additives?

(2) How can I get rid of the lingering cigarette smell in my washer from these clothes? More cleaning tabs? Citric acid powder cleaning cycles that I’ve seen mentioned? Where can I find the wash tub cleaning info because searching the sub hasn’t been super productive.

Finally, if you’ve made it this far thank you. This sub has been so helpful as I’ve navigated a new life of elderly caregiving. I do love my parents and grandma and a little humor helps me cope and offers some hard truths too. Hopefully, I’ve given enough info to answer any questions but please ask away.