llaundromats rated as highly germy locations

[RoamerRV428]

I think while we are smart to 'give a bit of a damn' and do for ourselves the smart way when out and about where nasty humans do nasty stuff most and germs are around, I also feel it is WAY overboard on the germaphobe situation.

just clean crap a bit and move on

 

[Firewoman]

Interesting post about using vinegar in laundry. When my son was a baby, I used cloth diapers. I used bleach in the wash and vinegar in the rinse cycle to cut the bleach, and fabric softener as well. The diapers came out clean and soft and were comfortable for him.

 

[Dingfelder]

I have to wonder how the average living space would rank for germiness.

I bet a lot would depend on whether you had kids, pets, or both.  And whether you leave your shoes at the door or not.  One or two adults don't really have that much to clean if they just pick up after themselves as they go.

Now keeping a garden or landscape in shape -- that you could practically devote your whole life to.

 

[Gary68]

while the germs are nasty being chemically sensitive laundromats are a no go for me,dryer sheets make me itch bad and all the perfumes send me for a lip tingling,i'm getting dizzy loop

unless you just changed a transmission your cloths aren't that dirty,basic lemon dish soap,quick wash/rinse is good enough

 

[maki2]

Some people do work on projects, some go hiking or running or bicycle and get sweaty.

But mostly you have skipped right over washing bedding and winter clothing or thicker materials such as denim blue jeans which take a lot of water to wash and rinse.

 

[RoadStar66]

A less toxic substance to add to your load might be hydrogen peroxide. I'd add a little in the rinse cycle. Or maybe lemon juice. But don't add both. They neutralize one-another's effects.

 

[maki2]

Exactly how is hydrogen peroxide less toxic than vinegar? They are both "natural" products but they make that hydrogen peroxide you are talking about by using the methane from natural gas wells. Toxicity is a relative thing you can't just say that it is not toxic because of its end use results.

Have you ever gone up the chain from the container of the product and back to the source of production to see how it is made?
http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/chemicals/hydrogen-peroxide.html

 

[lenny flank]

 denim blue jeans which take a lot of water to wash and rinse.

They also take a loooong time to dry. It's why I don't wear them, and prefer artificial fiber pants instead. (In summer, I wear swim trunks with pockets.)

 

[Gypsy Freedom]

Exactly how is hydrogen peroxide less toxic than vinegar?  They are both "natural" products but they make that hydrogen peroxide you are talking about by using the methane from natural gas wells. Toxicity is a relative thing you can't just say that it is not toxic because of its end use results.

Have you ever gone up the chain from the container of the product and back to the source of production to see how it is made?
http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/chemicals/hydrogen-peroxide.html

for me, i see the difference in that vinegar is an acid, all be it a week one. it does change the ph of things it mixes with. where as H2O2 is just an oxidizer. it works by basically rusting things to death... lol it also breaks down to water as the extra O is released. it will also break down on its own pretty easy where as acids can be diluted or need to be neutralized with a base/caustic. H2O2 may react more violently in high concentrations but then it is just water.

the process of producing the cheap white vinegar have their skeletons in the closet just as any industrial ag/industrial processing.

i use them both

 

[tx2sturgis]

This thread reminds me of the chemistry sets we had in school when I was a kiddo.

Blowing up stuff in jr high science class....and biology class with petri dishes that had fuzzy green or brown stuff in them.

Microscopes.  Pyrex beakers. Test tubes.

Ok...back to the germy, but lickable, washers and vinegar flavored underwear.

 

[Dingfelder]

Some people do work on projects, some go hiking or running or bicycle and get sweaty.

But mostly you have skipped right over washing bedding and winter clothing or thicker materials such as denim blue jeans which take a lot of water to wash and rinse.

Barring obvious stains - which are not in themselves reasons to wash outside vanity and social conformity - winter clothing and jeans do not tend to need a lot of washing.  Sure, there's the odor argument for jeans ... but most people's sweat quotient in their legs is moderate and in winter is slim to none except in special areas that can be spot-cleaned.

Bedding, though ... can last an incredible amount of time between washings or need washing tomorrow depending what you've been doing there.  It can be a project, though.  Sometimes I've spread a cotton blanket over a bedspread I wanted to keep from having to wash too often.

 

[Ozmyrrah]

A quick spray with vinegar will kill the bacteria that causes odor in clothes that you'd like to wear again. I use it as my deodorant, too.

Dishwashing liquid has enzymes in it to dissolve food, so is an excellent way to wash clothes. Detergent is not needed. I haven't used it for years.

Grass and food stains practically come out on their own. I got rid of my washer, too. My clothes last longer, smell fresher, and stay cleaner longer, because there's no filmy, sticky residue from all that junk in detergents and 'fabric softeners.' You wouldn't need them, if you didn't use detergents.
It's all a scam to make you buy more.

 

[maki2]

I will likely do some hand laundry but in the long run I can't haul enough water for washing larger loads such as blankets.

Something that would have to be figured out with dish washing soap is the quantity per load that will get the clothes clean but not overwhelm the side loading or top loading washers with too many suds. Dish washing soap such as Dawn contains sudsing agents that are there to increase the level of suds. That is really not an essential ingrediant for cleansing the dishes, it is just there for marketing because people still think suds are important or else the product is not getting things clean.

Laundry detergent does not have sudsing agents added to it because suds are an issue in washing machines. All that agitation makes lots of suds that can overflow out of the machines.

I don't know what brand of dish washing soap you are using that contains enzymes. I don't believe it is contained in any of the current formulas of Dawn but they do switch it up frequently to introduce new variations of Dawn. At one time they did have a version with enzymes in it but I have not seen that in a long while. I just looked at their website and they no longer sell it. Looking through the ingediants on the formulas they do sell not even one of them contains enzymes.

 

[maki2]

.  Sure, there's the odor argument for jeans ... but most people's sweat quotient in their legs is moderate and in winter is slim to none except in special areas that can be spot-cleaned.

I am betting that you are not a woman   We do have bodily fluids besides sweat on our legs. We wash our jeans a little more frequently than men might.  But speaking bluntly men also get sweaty in the crotch area. So yes odor can be an issue.

 

[Dingfelder]

I am betting that you are not a woman   We do have bodily fluids besides sweat on our legs. We wash our jeans a little more frequently than men might.  But speaking bluntly men also get sweaty in the crotch area.  So yes odor can be an issue.

Yeah that's what I figure.  I know women have special needs, but anyone who's ever been in a man's vicinity or owned a man's vicinity knows men's areas could be cleaner and less oily too.  Nobody is a scentless angel in the crotch arena.  It takes true love and/or stopped-up hormones maybe plus a bit of liquor to find that a gourmet locale.  What I'm getting at should have been specified better I guess -- in winter, it is normal to wear underwear and pajamas even if you don't in summer, and that absorbs so much and (I hope!) is discarded into the laundry pile so frequently that effectively - with the help of cool temps - the winter sheets/blankets are kept much more clean than the summer ones.  And, as the immortal Redd Foxx says, You've Got to Wash Yo' ***!