Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I found out my maid washes the dish-cloths and tea towels with dishwashing detergent rather than washing powder. She was very offended when I brought it up with her.
Can anyone give me advice on whether dishwashing detergent is OK to use on fabric products like this or not? Everything always seems very clean.
Thanks.
By janedo from HCMC, Vietnam
Truly, in my life experience, she seems to know what's best as a professional and is watching out for your best interests so please just trust her expertise. It's okay to ask her questions but it's best to ask her out of 'how and why does this work well' rather than a mind set that she might be making a mistake.
I am a massage therapist and laundry soap was not reliably getting the oil out of the sheets. I tried dishwasher detergent and it works perfectly. It is also much cheaper than laundry soap (why?). I use it for all my laundry now. I have read some say that it is too harsh for fabric. I have not had that problem. Even with delicate fabrics.
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Has anyone out there ever used dish washing detergent for their laundry? if so, how did it work?
Thanks,
Sandy from Bluff City, TN
I've used dishwashing liquid before to do a load of laundry, and it worked well enough. I think I used about 1/4 cup for a regular size load. I did find that it gave a different "feel" to my clothes when I removed them from the washer. One tip that I got off this website was to add about a tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid to my regular detergent to help get out extra grime on clothes, and it works exceptionally well! Great for oil/grease stains if you treat the stain as soon as possible. (05/04/2007)
By Pamela Melon
I'd say it wouldn't rinse as well. I've used it for hand washing clothes and the trick there is to add it after the water is in the container to minimize the suds. Still you have to rinse and rinse. I'd say regular dishwashing liquid, just a small amount, would be OK in a pinch if you aren't too sensitive. (05/04/2007)
By Estella
When I wash my white undies, white bras, and white tanks, or anything else white, I soak them overnight with Tide and about 1/4 cup of dish washer detergent. Everything stays really white instead of being dingy gray. (05/05/2007)
By Malinda
I have used Dawn in a pinch and clothes came out clean and had no problem with it bleaching my clothing. (05/06/2007)
By imaqt1962
I've only used Dawn on dedicates and oil spots. It works great on them, and does not bleach them.
fauxpaslover: I live in a rural area, and many on wells have clothes that are clean, but get dingy really quickly due to mineral content in their wells. Several use bleach regularly, even though it fades their colors quickly. Unfortunately, bleach cannot be used on synthetics such as bras and undies since it makes them yellow. Sometimes, we just want a quicker, easier, or alternative way to deal with things in a pinch. (05/07/2007)
By susan
If you are in a pinch, you can use shampoo instead of dishwashing liquid. Shampoo is much less harsh on your clothing. If I have to do this, I add a tablespoon or two of baking soda along with the shampoo, for added cleaning oomph. (05/09/2007)
By Elizabeth
Use white vinegar with baking soda. I use one cup vinegar to 1/2 baking soda and
it gets rid of dingy. (07/08/2007)
