Does anyone else use wool or other types of dryer balls, rather than fabric softener or dryer sheets? The wool ones I have seem to work very well.

@nicole___ Maybe it’s wive’s tale but out on the intereebs there’s no shortage of recommendation NOT to use fabrix sodteners on towels.

Most washing machine manufacturers and textile item manufacturers recommend washing like with like. I'm not sure why anyone would think making up their own approaches that differ from what the experts suggest would be a good idea.

Same is true with water temperatures. We don't presume to know more than what the label recommends, we follow those. A small version of the international symbols is in a drawer in the laundry room. Very little in our house is washed in cold water.

Some loads turn out to be small. So what? The machine adjusts how much water is used and we adjust how much laundry detergent gets put in.

Because hot water can set some stains, and when you do a load for a family you don't always even notice if there is a stain somewhere, I was everything in cold.

Never use fabric softener or dryer sheets with towels - they cost the fibers leading to s lack of absorbency.

carolb...I do use the wool balls....for the dryer when I wash down pillows or a down comforter. Otherwise I NEVER use dryer sheets. Cotton clothing doesn't have a lot of static electricity. I don't use "anything extra" in the dryer.

A renter left a bottle of Downey. I have it in my laundry room...never tried it.

I do wash WHITE bath towels by themselves, because I have NO other bright whites. The NEW washing machines are AWESOME! I do use cold for everything except sheets....there's a setting for that. I agree with mtn....stains can be set with hot water.

I occasionally use dryer balls (mine are wool) but on things like pillows, sometimes a quilt.

My towels aren't babied and I do none of the above. The all white towels from DH's bathroom get hot water, Tide original powder, dryer with no dryer sheets or fabric softeners (I have no clothes line for air drying outdoors), once in a while oxy added to the wash. I've never used too much detergent in my life. As a newly married young woman I worked in an appliance store that had its own very own Maytag man and he taught all of us younger how to do laundry. He adamantly scoffed at the dosing directions on the containers reminding all of us that the soap companies were in the business of selling soap and the more we used, the happier they were with no thought to the condition of our clothing 😊 I needed the pointers, my mother was not particularly adept at laundry😊i.e. I learned her sorting efforts left much to be desired.

The towels from my own bathroom are pastels and are not treated very differently than the whites. All towels are folded and stored stacked on a shelf behind closed cabinet doors.

We have the luxury of good water quality here and I'm sure that makes a difference.

I don't remember discussing dryer balls with the Maytag man - if they were even available that decade. I do remember him saying very sternly that nothing should go into a dryer other than wet laundry, he greatly disliked dryer sheets. I might use half sheet twice a year when washing DH's polar fleece outerwear to combat static electricity, takes place very infrequently.

All of my towels are 100% cotton and I don't skimp on quality. I've tried some that are modal or bamboo and always return to cotton only.

" Because hot water can set some stains "

If you use a shovel to add clothes to the machine, there are indeed consequences.

Spray and Wash and other products are modern miracles but the shovel method doesn't allow its use. It takes but a minute to look at articles where stain setting could be relevant and spray to treat. Alternatively, that's what cold temperature prewashes are for.

We don't presume to know more than what the label recommends, we follow those…Very little in our house is washed in cold water.

Interesting. Between jeans and similar pants, althletic clothes and other synthetics, bed linens, sweatpants and sweatshirts, a lot of our laundry calls for cold water.

I also find the settings programmed by the experts at LG do not match what the experts making the products call for. “Warm” seems like a happy middle ground to me much of the time!

My Levis say not to wash frequently. My wife's jeans, along with much of her other casual clothes, are stretchy or have synthetic materials - cold water only for them. A week's worth of these all together in our machine is much less than half of a full load.

Following instructions leads to bed linens, towels, many cotton items (socks/shirts/blouses/skivvies) being washed in warm or hot.

One of our machines is a basic front loader cheapo that replaced something much nicer. It doesn't have pre-wash as part of a normal cycle. But it does have a quick wash cycle that can be used for that purpose, with flexbility to all of the setting choices. For that machine, that's the cold prewash.

Warm can be a happy middle ground.

Cotton clothing doesn't have a lot of static electricity.

I use wool dryer balls for bedding and towels.

In the summer I can use them for clothing, but in the winter they don't control the static enough. Most of our clothes are cotton but they still come out with a ton of static in the winter unless I use a dryer sheet.

My Levis say not to wash frequently.

Yeah mine, too. And line dry. Obvious environmental campaign. If they really wanted us to wash them less they’d figure out a way to have them fit for more than a day or two, max. I have no schedule for wash, everything gets washed when it’s either visibly dirty or doesn’t seem fresh. Or needs to be shrunk back to its original size!

Elmer J Fudd I thought you were pro environment. Cold water uses less energy and saves money. It's also gentler on the things being washed.

Time to break with the old habits.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/washing-clothes-in-cold-water-vs-hot-water-35648166

Judi, I'm a moderate in the middle of the road. I don't think I fit too many profiles of being always pro this or anti that as are many people on both sides of the spectrum. I try to make reasoned and informed choices without necessarily adhering to any particular dogma or pattern. I don't go in particular directions simply to comply with this movement or that, or to say " I did this because of"....(some popular political or cultural attitude du jour).

We did some remodeling in 2000 and came upon something that was new to us - European sized washers being sold in the US. It was expensive - I think about 3X what popular washers were going for at the time. It had small capacity - I think a bit over 2 cubic feet and used about 10 gallons for a full load (less for smaller loads),

This manufacturer (Miele) is nothing if not compulsively thorough in researching and developing its products. The sales material described the washing process as involving 4 factors that needed to be chosen properly to produce the best result in each case. The factors were water temp, time, chemicals used and the different process cycles of the equipment and it gave guildelines for what to use when. We were sold. That washer lasted 23 years, having just died. Multiple kids in the house, better cleaning and longer fabric life than we ever imagined possible. We recently replaced it with something of similar size but more modest features.

We still follow Miele recommendations, including the use of cleaning products made by Henkel in Germany. We wash clothes in warm and hot water when indicated without an iota of guilt.

Here's the size of our family washing machine we've had in our house since 2000. I dare any tear-shedding "environmentalists" to top this.

Edit to change wording - I mistakenly said compassionate, should have been compulsively thorough.

So, not interested in facts. Got it.

I have to jump to Elmer’s defense here. Dadoes is free to correct me where I’m wrong on my assumptions and thinking. I believe the average cycle of an average front loader with a fuller load is about 15 gallons. If that’s split roughly 50/50 wash and rinse, that’s 7.5 gallons of warm water. Assuming that warm water is comprised of 50/50 hot/cold water, that’s 3.75 gallons of hot water. For perspective, a shower head with a watersense certification needs to use 2 gallons per minute. So assuming a hot (not warm) shower, Elmer's use of warm water equates to roughly 2 minutes of economy shower time. Something tells me he's not killing the planet with this, even allowing for significant deficiencies in my numbers!

According to the articke posted, using cold water saves about $150/yr.. i prefer to use hot on certain items mainly to kill germs. Towels, sheets and kitchen towels are items that are replaced periodically and i would rather lose the $150 and feel like these items are clean. i do ck for stains. Most of our clothing is washed in cooler temps. We have energy efficent appliances. i doubt many of us are bathing in cold water.

I am also aware of the benefits of cold wash - and our cold water here is certainly not the same as cold water in other places. FL cold water is tepid at best. Malcolm Gladwell argued at length on his podcast several years ago about washing in cold and how much energy it saves - very environmentally friendly, I understand.

That said, I do prefer hot for sheets and towels - which I do not wash together - to get at the oils and germs that build up. I wash clothes on warm. Some delicates get cold water.

I also use fragrance free liquid concentrate detergent, since our water is rather hard so powders do not dissolve well.

" So, not interested in facts. "

That's a belligerent way to describe your misunderstanding of what I said.

I'm not a doctrinaire, compulsive environmentalist. But I bought something 20 years ago that was very adequate if small, used little water and little electricity, and that's what is in my house. How large was your washing machine in 2000 and years since and how much water and energy have you needlessly wasted?

Another approach I follow - check out the book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff". I don't waste time thinking or being concerned about little details. I try to make important decisions thoughtfully - sometimes being energy efficient for its own sake is a mistake or forces unnecessary compromises, for example - and leave it at that.

I don't waste time thinking or being concerned about little details.

Dude, that's rich. You should re-read some of your posts.

Little, means of little importance. When a detail has a significant impact, it isn't what I consider little.

My thoughts and feelings are consistent and more familiar to me to think of than are words that get typed informally with sometimes less than complete accuracy early in the day or late at night. Or in the middle of the day sometimes too. Mirthful but serious

Reminds me of the old silly and stale little story - two friends get together, one of whom has been struggling with a drinking problem. The first one asks - "so how are you doing with AA, have you been able to curtail your drinking?". To which his friend responds, "Yes. We start out setting simple goals and I decided to start with this - from now on, I'm only going to drink when I'm with other people or when I'm alone. No other times."

Edit to add - I pay MUCH closer attention to what I write and say when, and back when, I get/got paid for those very things. My comments here are provided gratis.

https://www.upworthy.com/levis-ceo-settles-the-debate-on-how-often-you-should-wash-your-jeans-if-ever-rp2

It would appear most people are washing their jeans too often anyway!

I don’t wash my jeans that often, but I also have quite a few pairs. I’ve always washed mine inside out in warm water, even with ”cold wash” on the tags. They’re in the dryer for 10-12 minutes then air dry for the rest. Never had a problem.

Edit to add - I pay MUCH closer attention to what I write and say when, and back when, I get/got paid for those very things. My comments here are provided gratis.

You could win an award for your nitpicking. It's almost like an obsession.

I wash all jeans after every wearing…in warm water with just detergent. Many of them are 10-12 years old, and they are still in great shape. I cannot imagine not washing them!

" You could win an award for your nitpicking "

That doesn't tend to be my inclination. Without an example, I can't respond. Bring up this observation should you see it again.

Please don't call me Dude. I find that tacky. I'll excuse you once if you're a teenage male with a pimply face who's not old enough to know better.

@Bumblebeez SC Zone 7 - I'm not shooting the messenger, but that article is ridiculous. The guy made like $15 million a year, either he doesn't move enough in his jeans to get them grungy or out of shape, or he's got so many pairs that he just swaps them out. Even if I believed his shower story - which I don't - he'd be using more water, hot water no less, per pair than had he thrown a half dozen or more in the wash. A cold wash.

Elmer - Did you make your well-heeled comment before or after asking for an example? 😉

foas, It's a pretty common theme I see on the internet about people not washing their jeans, although I personally find it gross and I also think they're probably lying and stink LOL

@dadoes you are so right about the fabric softener! We have Fisher Paykel washer and dryer which I have been so happy with. Energy efficient and work great. We've had them several years now but sometime in the past year we had a problem with the washer. It was just a small part had to be replaced, an internal switch or some such. Anyhoo, my husband was able to do the repair. When he pulled out a larger part in the machine, he showed it to me. It was CAKED with built up fabric softener. I don't even use fabric softener with all loads, mainly for items we wear and during the winter when static can be a problem. I soaked the piece from the machine and got all the gunk off but since then I use less softener than called for and dilute it with water.

As for the dryer balls, I used to have a set and I did like how they fluffed towels, blankets, etc. and they seemed to cut drying time. Mine were wool and got really natty looking after some time, so I ditched them. Think I'll order a new pair.

I wear jeans all the time, mostly the same cut/style, in rotation. I wear them a few times, and then in the wash they go. Why do they recommend not washing jeans often? To keep the original dark denim color? That is something I don't care about. They're jeans. They fade.

For some reason, I feel like this would have been an excellent Seinfeld episode. (Perhaps it was, haven"t seen very many.)

I'm with you, Bunny - I like my jeans to fade - and to not stink 😄

Well apparently some people don't do anything. The only way you wouldn't need to wash your pants.

Without intervention DH's jeans would get up and walk around by themselves. I try to make him understand that the dirt is grinding away at the fabric.

Detergent science is science but the use of detergents is culture. And that is all I am going to say about it.

Here’s why I wash my jeans well before they walk on their own:

Worn two days. Before and after washing. Roughly 2” waist difference!

Levi Strauss & Co. is based in San Francisco, so maybe this "program" is intended to stroke the egos of eco-extremists?

Sorry for the blurry photo, but it implies the planet can be better cared for by washing jeans less frequently. Why stop there? We can do even more by going around naked so that no clothes get soiled to require washing.

food, put yourself in a room where you are either interviewing a job candidate or receiving a sales pitch from a would-be supplier. The person across from you has a noticeable coffee stain on their shirt or blouse. It's only a small thing. Does it affect your impression of them? Yes of course, it's human nature.

I've had such inadvertent mishaps and always made it a point to mention my blunder self-deprecatingly. Lest someone have an unfavorable impression of me.

Grammar and writing/speaking mistakes get measured with a different ruler for size. I think as with visible small hints of possible sloppiness or inattentiveness, it's unfortunate but true that communication errors have a magnified impact on others, perhaps sometimes unreasonably so.

I make errors. I edit my own typing to try to look for them and make corrections. I miss some. For me, it's part of my own self-respect and consideration for others. Others who don't feel that way, fine for you and too bad for you too.

" but the use of detergents is culture. "

Yes, but. It's also something that for many is inflexibly habitual. "I do it this way because I do it this way".

I use dryer balls on most loads, not for a softening effect but to keep things from rolling into a ball. I have a Bosch gas dryer that I absolutely hate. When I wash sheets , even with the balls I can only dry one at a time. Two, or one sheet and 2 pillowcases will roll into a ball. The washer that went with this dryer, died after 15 years.

I don't have much static because of the gas dryer. Never use fabric softener. Have you looked at the ingredients in fabric softer?? " Downy fabric softener contains Dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride, which comes from the cattle, sheep, and horse industry. "

I do not ever wash in cold water unless it is programed in a particular cycle. I just don't believe cold water will get out the the waxy sebum out of out clothing. Just try cleaning a greasy frying pan clean in cold water. Same think for getting out sebum and body oil.

I don't care what all the experts say about cold water washing. I do my share with the environment and my laundry because I don't dry any of our clothing all the way. I dry them only to take out some of the wrinkles and then hang them to finish drying because I think they shrink less.

Are 'dryer balls' a step up from the old idea about putting tennis balls into the dryer? Isn't the object simply to keep the laundry from clumping? Why wool balls -- other than it being a natural fiber?

How could it matter whether you wash cotton towels along with men's cotton undershirts or separately, as long as there's plenty of room for the wash to circulate?

I use Tide powder and white vinegar rinse in my small front load washer. Mostly 'warm' setting. Darks get Woolite for Darks and warm or cold water.

I think dryer heat is the worst culprit in aging fabrics.

I'm amazed that people would buy 'softeners' or want to perfume their laundry. But then I don't understand air 'fresheners'. CLEAN smells best to me.

The concept of wearing shoes without socks just *smells bad*!

Laundry detergent and dishwashing detergent are concocted differently. Dish washing liquid actually requires hot water to work properly. It is a chemistry/ energizing thing. If your laundry detergent says it is formulated to work in cold water it is. But deciding to believe it works as well as hot is one of those learned things. Do what makes you happy.

You could win an award for your nitpicking "

That doesn't tend to be my inclination. Without an example, I can't respond. Bring up this observation should you see it again.

The recent discussion about someone adopting a dog that transitioned to endearing names given to pets. IIRC, you were offended that people referred to their pets as granddogs, etc.

Judi, that isn't much of an example of nitpicking.

I said I thought that particular naming practice was disrespectful to the animals and equally to the relatives, the human people the practice was a riff on.

Your partner strongly dislikes and doesn't get along with your mother. It's a frequent source of anger for you and conflict between you and her/him and her. Your partner dislikes dogs but brings home a new pet, an untrained, difficult mutt, and suggests giving the dog your mother's name. Disrespecful to both, no?

Dude, you have issues.

How sad you are.

😄

Robert Burns springs to mind yet again...

Did Robert Burns have softness issues with his towels?

Carole, please explain...I don't get it. I looked up "Ode to Haggis" but didn't think it applied here, lol.

'To A Louse'

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