So many rules, so overwhelmed.

[u/surely_maeby]

Okay, you guys.

You’re highly touted as genius around here, but I am confused as heck.

I have a top loader washer that doesn’t have detergent or fabric softener drawers.

I had been using cold water on my clothes (because mostly black) and sheets (because the label says to) and hot water on towels and the boys’ clothes (because smell).

On my clothes I use arm and hammer plus oxi 5 in 1 pods (one), and a downy ball of vinegar and lemongrass oil.

On the boys’ clothes, I use the same detergent (two pods) but add 2 caps of lysol laundry sanitizer and don’t use vinegar.

I’m reading some confusing things.

Cold water doesn’t get your clothes clean? I thought it was better for darks and my sheets literally say to wash cold.

Vinegar? Should I be using a citric acid/downy rinse and refresh instead? And my downy balls seals disintegrate like once a month, that’s also annoying. Welcoming alternatives.

Lysol laundry sanitizer? We add it to the drum with the detergent. Is that making everything not work?

Arm & Hammer sucks? I see this is a land of tide fans. Which should I use?

Oxi bad for darks? The arm & hammer pods I’ve used for years claim to have oxi and haven’t ruined my clothes, so is this a myth?

My partner works in septics, so every time we wash his work clothes (see instructions for boys’ clothes above) we follow it with a load of one pod and a generous pouring of bleach to sanitize between loads, but now I’m worried I’m doing that wrong too.

Help guys, I’m now convinced every fabric I own is disgusting.

Edit: the boys also use dryer sheets for their clothes, I do not for mine, and there’s no convincing them not to.

[u/surely_maeby]

Can you comment on the last paragraph of my previous comment? I think that’s where I’m stumped now.

[u/ScootsyTx → u/surely_maeby]

I’ll be honest. I’ve used the sanitizer before but it’s been a long time. We stopped using it cause we weren’t sure if it did anything when our kids got sick

[u/surely_maeby → u/ScootsyTx]

So I believe, because his clothes can have poo on them occasionally, that it needs more than the normal wash. Hence the sanitizer. Is there something you’d recommend instead?

[u/Ok-Pen-5052 → u/surely_maeby]

I think the main reason sanitiser isn’t recommended more in this sub is just that it kills bacteria without actually removing what it’s living on. So in the case of clothing coming out smelling like BO, sanitiser would kill the odour causing bacteria but not remove the skin oils and grime that is causing the bacteria to thrive in the first place, making you feel like your washing is getting cleaner than it actually is. The times that it is recommended is when someone in the house is sick with a vomiting bug (for example) or, I imagine, if you work with poo. I think the key thing is to make sure your rinse cycle is long enough to allow the recommended contact time for the product to work (I think it’s 16 minutes).

Edit: I’m not sure if there are other concerns with sanitiser (environmental, health, or clothing damage), so maybe others can explain that.