Washing help - what am I doing wrong?

Ok ladies, I'm embarressed to even be posting this but I have to admit it - I need help!

I have noticed that more and more of my clothes seem to have deoderant marks, or stains down the front etc - it's getting to the point that I end up throwing things away because they are too tatty to wear anymore even though they've only been worn 5 or 6 times.

I have bought things 2nd hand from ebay, or got them from clothes swap parties and they've been in great condition, but 2 months in my house and they are ready for the bin I've just treated myself to a new work wardrobe from Monsoon for my new job and I'm terrified of all my nice new stuff ending up the same way.

I don't think it's the quality of the clothes as I tend to buy decent stuff, so what else can it be?
I've tried different deoderants, but both DH and I have the same problem with our clothes, and we use different brands (including the 'doesn't leave white marks' stuff).

We live in a really hard water area and I probably do fill the machine quite full, but I always use a full load of powder (Bold 2 in 1).

What am I doing wrong? has anyone got any great stain removal tips? I'm tried Vanish and Oxyclean but it doesn't seem to make any difference

I think you hit the nail on the head by saying you fill your machine to much.
I noticed mine doesn't wash as well if it's to full

I love washing - its definitely my "thang"!

I use Persil Non-Bio for my clothes. It seems to do a great job.

A tip I learned for how full your machine should be is to load up and then make sure you can put your hand on top and turn it around so its sideways.

The other thing I do, is if there is a stain on something, I rinse it under my hot tap and wash a little with a bar of soap on the day. In other words dont let it sit in your wash basket for a few days.

Sun is also fab for getting out little stains. But beware it will strip the colours out of your clothes too. In the winter when line drying isnt going to happen, I hang stained clothes in my sun exposed back window during the day.

My youngest seems to be able to magic up stains on his clothes from goodness knows where and they always leave a little shadow where they've been even if most of it comes out!

I used to get that too... but don't anymore and can't even really put my finger on when/why it stopped.
Certainly not over filling your machine will help the water & detergent circulate better, which will clean your clothes better.
As you live in a hard water area, you may find that one of these helps too?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ECOZONE-M807-E ... 857&sr=1-8
We use one and it really does seem to make a difference, making clothes & nappies softer.
I also now wash most clothes at 60c as it seems to be the most reliable way to getting a clean, stain free wash every time. Not the most environmentally option though
Have you tried switching between spray on and roll on deo? Spray on is much worse for leaving stains on clothes, I've found in the past too.
Will have another ponder tonight & see if I can think of anything else...

Dooby x

Hi, no advice but just wanted to let you know this has happened to me a couple of times before. both white t'shirts, both came out the wash with what looked like some sort of tea stain the size of a 1 pence piece, right on the front in the most obvious way. It happened to an Animal and Punky Fish T'shirt , I was gutted - their now my *cleaning* togs *sobs*

Def cut down on your load size, make sure it is no more than 3/4 full, for stains warm or hot water sets them in so use cold water to rinse.
What sort of deodorant do you use, if I ever get marks on black tops they just rub off with a damp cloth. Do you use calgon or something in your machine, that may help

Somewhere there is a white goods man who has a lot to say about washing machines and washing clothes! I think Shadow was the one who linked to it when I originally read it. Bio powder was definitely one of his points (stains tend to be biological, use the powder that will tackle). Regularly clean your machine. Wash at a decent temp. they say wash lower to protect the environment, his point was that it's better to actually clean your clothes than need to throw them away regularly!
I cold soak stains, often use vanish and think the sun is amazing!

Somewhere there is a white goods man who has a lot to say about washing machines and washing clothes! I think Shadow was the one who linked to it when I originally read it. Bio powder was definitely one of his points (stains tend to be biological, use the powder that will tackle). Regularly clean your machine. Wash at a decent temp. they say wash lower to protect the environment, his point was that it's better to actually clean your clothes than need to throw them away regularly!
I cold soak stains, often use vanish and think the sun is amazing!

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=25118
Is this what you were talking about?