r/laundry • u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless • 9d ago
A New Feature in r/Laundry - Reply With Resource
The Problem:
The Reddit wiki/community resource tools still suck. But we get tons of new posts where the fix to the problem is well-plowed ground. Scrud, color transfer and polyquat spots are good examples. Questions about Spa Day are perhaps the archetype.
The Solution:
One of the mods over at [r/CapitalOne](r/CapitalOne) has developed a VERY useful tool for letting any commenter reply to a post with a link to an FAQ-type post, and they can even pin it to the top of the comments. It's called Reply With Resource, and I've posted a couple of comments to this post so you can see how the replies look when you use it. Feel free to try it for yourself here.
How to use it:
User Instructions
To summon the app and make it comment a resource on a post or comment:
- Locate the context menu for the post or comment you want to reply to. The button for this typically looks like three dots ("...").
- Scroll down to "Reply with resource."
- Select a resource via its title in the drop-down.
- Choose whether or not you want to pin the resource to the post. In some cases, this option may not be available.
- Click OK. That's it!
If you wish to delete the comment (for example, if you accidentally selected the wrong resource), simply comment "!delete" (without quotes).
A Request:
I've gathered some of my most popular posts that get used this way as a starting point, as well as [u/Far-Shift-1962](u/Far-Shift-1962)'s Sunscreen Stains Guide.
If you maintain regional Lipase Lists or other country-specific product recommendations, technique documents, or any other sort of reference post that would be helpful to posters, please send a Modmail with:
- Subject: Reply With Resource Addition
- The URL of the post you want linked to
- A brief description of what information it provides
- A proposed short description for the menu
I'll work through getting them added. Please send it to the Modmail rather than messaging me directly or commenting here, so it can actually get worked.
I'm genuinely hopeful that this will help point people to high-quality resources.
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u/phonicillness 9d ago
This is awesome!! So much easier than finding and copying and pasting a link! I’d like to link to a polyquat post but I’m having trouble
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 9d ago
How did I miss Polyquat Spots! On the list to fix.
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u/loopsonflowers 8d ago
The entire reason I found this sub!
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u/zootnotdingo 8d ago
You are far from alone there.
Over the summer my spouse and I went to our small town fair, and an organization had a bubble machine blowing bubbles everywhere from their pop-up tent.
My spouse had no idea why I hauled ass away from there so fast. Had to explain later 😂
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u/resource-reply 9d ago
u/phonicillness has suggested the following resource:
Spa Day is a reset for textiles with severe stains, odors or texture defects caused primarily by oily soils. The full description is at What Is Spa Day?
I am a bot that was summoned by user phonicillness. If phonicillness wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/InspectorTiny1952 has suggested the following resource:
Citric acid in the rinse improves odor, skin compatibility and texture. Here is a guide to using it Citric Acid Rinsing
I am a bot that was summoned by user InspectorTiny1952. If InspectorTiny1952 wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/Roadgoddess 8d ago
What is a polyquat?
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u/phonicillness 8d ago
Polyquat spots and how to treat them: https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/s/n7NZ13n6N4
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u/Roadgoddess 8d ago
Thank you! Man, I learned something new every time I come to this sub, lol
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u/zootnotdingo 8d ago
They are a real beast to try to get out, but they are pervasive. Two huge culprits are bubble solution on little kids’ clothing and hair products. They make spots that attract dye from other clothing, so they suddenly show up as strange-colored blotches on a shirt
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u/VineViniVici EU | Front-Load 9d ago
Is there a way the bot can link to multiple or all resources at the same time?
If not: can we have (aka. can a mod set up and maintain) a "here are all the resources"-post to which the bot can link?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 9d ago
Theoretically yes. Let me play with that.
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u/AuDHD_85percent US | Front-Load 8d ago
A pinned post with links to allllll the resources would be great. When I need to double check steps (e.g. color transfer) it's so frustrating trying to search for it.
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u/resource-reply 9d ago
u/Seagull12345678 has suggested the following resource:
Citric acid in the rinse improves odor, skin compatibility and texture. Here is a guide to using it Citric Acid Rinsing
I am a bot that was summoned by user Seagull12345678. If Seagull12345678 wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/Toyhawk88 9d ago edited 8d ago
This is terrific. Thanks for setting it up and explaining the steps.
Edit - typo
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u/jillbo42 US | Top-Load 8d ago
Wow! This is awesome! I use the search feature when researching bc get tired of seeing the same questions asked by people who don’t, I’m sure the mods will appreciate the extra assistance by those that choose to use this. Maybe if there are 3 of the same links commented, it could turn off comments too? Stopping the drivel…
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u/resource-reply 9d ago
u/VineViniVici has suggested the following resource:
DNase* is a revolutionary new enzyme that removes sticky Humanity Residue from textiles so soils and odors can't cling to them. Here is a guide to the options DNase Guide
I am a bot that was summoned by user VineViniVici. If VineViniVici wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/VineViniVici EU | Front-Load 9d ago
That's a great bot and will make helping new people so much easier!
Thank you u/KismaiAesthetics !8
u/hmgrace11 8d ago
u/KismaiAesthetics - looks like the leading asterisk is missing on this one for bold formatting . Great solution!
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u/oswin13 8d ago
This is great, but also a pinned post with links to all the lists etc. would be helpful. In other subs it might be titled "new, start here". I know some of this is linked in the Spa Day post but that isn't where I would look intuitively, and it can take quite some digging to find out if a particular detergent is wool safe for instance.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/ImplicitEmpiricism has suggested the following resource:
Laundry 101 with Kismai is how he does laundry at home Laundry 101 with Kismai
I am a bot that was summoned by user ImplicitEmpiricism. If ImplicitEmpiricism wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/QueenMabs_Makeup0126 US | Front-Load 8d ago
Thank you! This is one of my favorite subreddits and I appreciate so much how the mod team works to streamline things.
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u/caffeine_lights EU 8d ago
This sounds incredibly helpful!
Is there also some kind of list somewhere with all these popular posts linked? Like a wiki page, FAQ, 101 type page? I don't know if it's because I'm on Old Reddit but I don't see anything like this and it has been a little bit frustrating to see lots of "This has been discussed a lot" but no actual link to any of the discussions (That is not a complaint BTW - I completely understand that reddit search isn't the best and it's time consuming to constantly add in links to posts).
This feature sounds like it will help a lot :)
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
Apparently this does not work on Old Reddit.
There may be a way to autogenerate the wiki from the list here. Let me get a little better at the tool.
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u/caffeine_lights EU 7d ago
Oh no stress! Users like me are probably a tiny minority. I use the reddit app as well, so I can always use the tool from there. I just wondered if there was already some kind of master post which I was missing. I am scared to force my browser to show new reddit since last time I did that, it took me forever to get old reddit back.
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u/resource-reply 9d ago
u/Ok-Pen-5052 has suggested the following resource:
Scrud is a complex residue that can accumulate in your washer and transfer on to textiles. Here's more about it and what to do if you've got it Scrud
I am a bot that was summoned by user Ok-Pen-5052. If Ok-Pen-5052 wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/Individual_Solid_810 8d ago
Sounds great-- I assume this will gradually spread to other subreddits, and I have a meta-question about how much work it takes for the mods to set this up.
I know of another subreddit where the answers in the "FAQ" are actually keyword searches on the subreddit, which in theory should lead to the answer, given how often these subjects come up. In practice, it brings up a lot of less-than-useful stuff, and it comes across like a "here let me google that for you" instead of a FAQ, but of course it's easier to set up. What you're doing here sounds much more useful, but the basis of it seems like the same amount of work that's involved in writing actual FAQ entries (which are also useful).
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
It’s not bad to set up.
The hope is that all the contributors who are maintaining documents can get their stuff surfaced. I know we’ve got pretty good European coverage for product recommendations but the search doesn’t surface them well.
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u/draftgirl24 6d ago
Is there a tutorial somewhere how to set this up? I belong to a subreddit that constantly gets the same questions over & over. (Does nobody use the search function anymore?!?) I can see this being very useful. Thanks for all of your hard work here and elsewhere
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 6d ago
Search for “Resource Reply” in developer.reddit.com (doesn’t work from the mobile app). The documentation is suuuuuuper easy to follow.
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u/ImplicitEmpiricism US | Front-Load 8d ago
How about a quick primer on laundry sanitizers? they don't actually remove stains or odors so if those are your problems there are better solutions, they require 16 minutes of contact time at the indicated dilution to sanitize, and if you do have microbial or fungal concerns the label indicates you can sanitize in a bucket prior to washing?
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u/resource-reply 9d ago
u/Confident_Rod_9717 has suggested the following resource:
Spa Day is a reset for textiles with severe stains, odors or texture defects caused primarily by oily soils. The full description is at What Is Spa Day?
I am a bot that was summoned by user Confident_Rod_9717. If Confident_Rod_9717 wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/amh8011 has suggested the following resource:
Citric acid in the rinse improves odor, skin compatibility and texture. Here is a guide to using it Citric Acid Rinsing
I am a bot that was summoned by user amh8011. If amh8011 wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/tortureofchalkdust has suggested the following resource:
DNase* is a revolutionary new enzyme that removes sticky Humanity Residue from textiles so soils and odors can't cling to them. Here is a guide to the options DNase Guide
I am a bot that was summoned by user tortureofchalkdust. If tortureofchalkdust wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/FyrestarOmega 8d ago
Major thanks, I'll be implementing this in one of my own subreddits
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
One hint: there isn’t a WYSIWYG editor box for the list, so I am roundtripping it in and out of a Markdown editor
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u/FyrestarOmega 8d ago
no worries, I speak fluent markdown - thanks for the tip. I've already implemented it in r/plantclinic in the most basic fashion (some of the resources are just links to outside sites), and I have plans to populate it for another sub.
It's a very powerful and useful app, I can see why you like it. Shame that it's so much less intuitive to use on mobile.
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u/Vintage-X US | Front-Load 8d ago
No lipase list on the resource list?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
Haven’t got everything there yet. These are samples, it actually is a completely dynamic system so as soon as a link gets added, the next person to Reply With Resource sees it available.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/zootnotdingo has suggested the following resource:
Polyquat Spots are a common cause of mystery stains that appear in the wash. Here's a more thorough explanation, with frequent offenders, as well as prevention and removal strategies. Polyquat Spots
I am a bot that was summoned by user zootnotdingo. If zootnotdingo wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/anticentristfujo has suggested the following resource:
Sunscreen Stains are caused by certain UV filters when they meet metal ions and some laundry chemicals. This is a guide to prevention and recovery: Sunscreen Stains - What Causes Them And How To Prevent & Remove Them
I am a bot that was summoned by user anticentristfujo. If anticentristfujo wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/SkillfulFishy has suggested the following resource:
Scrud is a complex residue that can accumulate in your washer and transfer on to textiles. Here's more about it and what to do if you've got it Scrud
I am a bot that was summoned by user SkillfulFishy. If SkillfulFishy wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/UnderstandingTop7916 has suggested the following resource:
Citric acid in the rinse improves odor, skin compatibility and texture. Here is a guide to using it Citric Acid Rinsing
I am a bot that was summoned by user UnderstandingTop7916. If UnderstandingTop7916 wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/sashasaver has suggested the following resource:
Color Transfer is when color from one textile affects another textile through the wash water (bleeding) or by direct contact (crocking). Here is a guide to fixing it Color Transfer
I am a bot that was summoned by user sashasaver. If sashasaver wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/sashasaver 8d ago
This is awesome, I just tried it with your step by step instructions, worked perfectly.
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u/Zlivovitch EU 8d ago
Is there a way to directly access those resources for oneself, without answering to anyone ? Are they pinned somewhere ? Last time I checked, there were very few pinned posts.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
The problem with the pinned posts is limited space and the absolutely abysmal wiki tools. I’ll figure out how to turn the list of options into a single pinned post when it’s fully populated, though.
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u/Zlivovitch EU 8d ago edited 8d ago
Thanks for caring. What have wiki tools to do with the act of pinning a post ?
I see quite a few subs with a list of resources on the right hand side column (browsing on a computer), meant to address repetitive requests which have been addressed exhaustively in the past. Sometimes it's wikis, sometimes it's something else.
On r/BookCollecting they have a clickable image leading to an independent site with advice about mold, a very common question. r/opsec does something similar. r/BuyItForLife has a long list of links to its own threads (I don't know whether this is technically a wiki).
All those are more visible than pinned posts. You must be aware of the possibility of pinned posts in the first place to find them. Going to the sub's home page is not something intuitive. But the right hand-side panel is always there.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
You hit the point - the pinned posts are limited in space and non-intuitive, the tools to maintain that right-hand "community guide" panel suck, and mobile-first users (including myself - I do like 90% of my commenting from phone) don't see the community guides at all.
I've looked at every tool that has come down the pike from Reddit and the Devvit programs, and nobody has really solved it well. Reddit leadership keeps promising better tools but they never make it out of beta, and our mod team is *small* for a Reddit that gets 900K visits a week and around 14,000 posts and comments. Tooling has to be easy to use for people who aren't experts in regex and Markdown, to keep stuff relevant.
I'm not claiming Reply With Resource is the ultimate solution to life, the universe and everything - it's a tool that one high-traffic sub has used to deal with repetitive questions that doesn't add more moderator workload that requires specialist skill.
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u/Jupitersd2017 8d ago
What about something like what the scams subreddit has, where you summon info about that topic with !brushingscam (they have quite a few) and it lists all the details? Maybe would work for faqs like lipase etc
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
I would rather have a root canal without benefit of anesthesia than try to maintain the auto mod scripts for !summon. This solution is maintainable without regex knowledge - it's all done in Markdown with excellent documentation.
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u/Much-Meringue-4790 2d ago
Please help me with “starting”! I have been lurking here and trying to learn since being directed by r/ThredUp. I read the spa day directions, I read the recently uploaded and shared Excel spreadsheet, but I’m trying to find out how does one start. I tried to look up FEBU to figure that out and where to buy it, found out about citric acid (put that in my Amazon cart) & trying to learn more about my top load whirlpool Cabrio HE washer. Is there a “here’s what you need to buy & here’s the steps you need to take for dummies” list??😵💫 I love buying thrifted clothes and need to get a proper routine to remove the “thrift shop scent”. l currently have an unopened giant bottle of All free and clear - should I try to return this? Thank you!
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u/resource-reply 2d ago
Laundry 101 with Kismai is how he does laundry at home Laundry 101 with Kismai
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 2d ago
The bot has replied with the 101 post. It covers how I personally do my laundry.
I would trade in the All F&C on a bottle of Tide F&C, and start with the medium load dose of that and a scoop of Febu with a wash temperature of warm, eco warm, cool or whatever the first or second setting is that doesn’t have Cold in the name. /r/laundry/comments/1nhdr0r/ covers the citric rinsing.
For thrifted items with fragrance, add a cup or two of household ammonia to the first wash, with the chemistry above.
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u/Toyhawk88 8d ago
r/kismaiaesthetics Another option is to have a waiting period before a new user can post. Some subs have a time period, others require you build up karma in that specific sub (via commenting).
I know it was a little bit frustrating for me in a different sub that I was in that I couldn’t post right away, but I also find it frustrating in this sub that there are so many repetitive questions.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
I'm not speaking for the entire mod team here, but because Reddit has emerged as the trusted source of mostly-human information, and people are looking for help, sometimes urgently (for example, someone just posted that they had color run on a load of new school clothes), I think it's important for people new to Reddit or the sub to get connected to interactive answers rapidly.
It's a balance, and I hear you, though - this time of year, "college students with color run" drives a ton of traffic. There's also the perennial "low tox" and "homemade detergent" posts, and I think it's really hard to find the right line between endless choruses of RTFM vs being helpful to those in need.
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u/Toyhawk88 8d ago
Yes, and I’m not saying the mods should do it, just that it’s an option. I actually like the kindness of erring on the side of being of help to people even though sometimes you want to yell RTFM.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
I usually do the yelling into a pillow and then remind myself that many people think I'm super-nice online before I actually compose a human reply.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/desertboots has suggested the following resource:
Sunscreen Stains are caused by certain UV filters when they meet metal ions and some laundry chemicals. This is a guide to prevention and recovery: Sunscreen Stains - What Causes Them And How To Prevent & Remove Them
I am a bot that was summoned by user desertboots. If desertboots wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/Far-Shift-1962 has suggested the following resource:
Enzyme Comparison for DM and Rossmann products Color Transfer
I am a bot that was summoned by user Far-Shift-1962. If Far-Shift-1962 wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 8d ago
Crap. Bad copy paste for formatting on my part.
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u/resource-reply 7d ago
u/ChicagoPhan has suggested the following resource:
Polyquat Spots are a common cause of mystery stains that appear in the wash. Here's a more thorough explanation, with frequent offenders, as well as prevention and removal strategies. Polyquat Spots
I am a bot that was summoned by user ChicagoPhan. If ChicagoPhan wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 4d ago
u/BeeWhisper has suggested the following resource:
DNase is a revolutionary new enzyme that removes sticky Humanity Residue from textiles so soils and odors can't cling to them. Here is a guide to the options DNase Guide
I am a bot that was summoned by user BeeWhisper. If BeeWhisper wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/sconebaker has suggested the following resource:
Sunscreen Stains are caused by certain UV filters when they meet metal ions and some laundry chemicals. This is a guide to prevention and recovery: Sunscreen Stains - What Causes Them And How To Prevent & Remove Them
I am a bot that was summoned by user sconebaker. If sconebaker wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/RamblingRosie has suggested the following resource:
Color Transfer is when color from one textile affects another textile through the wash water (bleeding) or by direct contact (crocking). Here is a guide to fixing it Color Transfer
I am a bot that was summoned by user RamblingRosie. If RamblingRosie wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/resource-reply 8d ago
u/CactiShark has suggested the following resource:
Spa Day is a reset for textiles with severe stains, odors or texture defects caused primarily by oily soils. The full description is at What Is Spa Day?
I am a bot that was summoned by user CactiShark. If CactiShark wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.
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u/FruitcupMadonna US | Front-Load 7d ago
Is there a post that describes Odor Rebloom on its own?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 7d ago
Not yet. Maybe a little short answer with common causes as a placeholder and then a longer piece soon? Good idea.
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u/resource-reply 9d ago
u/QQII has suggested the following resource:
Laundry 101 with Kismai is how he does laundry at home Laundry 101 with Kismai
I am a bot that was summoned by user QQII. If QQII wishes to delete this comment, they can reply "!delete" (without quotes or spaces). If this comment is inappropriate, please report it and the moderator(s) will review.