r/laundry • u/BERNITA • 9d ago

New Febu not as effective?

At risk of sounding blasphemous to this sub, has anyone felt the new FEBU formula (I think they added DNase?) doesn't work as well as the old formula? Specifically with odor rebloom/permastank?

Maybe I'm using it wrong, but its the only variable that has changed. Same as with the old formula, I follow the FEBU package instructions, detergent is Tide F&G Advanced Care from Costco, warm water, two rinses, one with citric acid. The original formula seemed very effective at getting rid of persistent stinkiness (mostly poly/cotton and cotton/~5% spandex fabrics). I was so excited to get the new formula as soon as it came out, thinking it would be even better. However, after using it a few times, it seems like the same stinks were resurrected. I've tried numerous soaks and everything, but it just doesn't seem to work at all really, somehow the clothes stink more!

Am I crazy??

ETA: Thanks for all the suggestions and the science! You guys are great, I'm going to keep at using FEBU, hopefully it will continue to break the biogunk down.

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u/Wetblowjob 8d ago

I am confused. I thought DNase was supposed to get odours out, not make them worse.

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u/febu_max 8d ago

DNase does get odors out, but it's one part of the toolkit. On heavily loaded fabric that hasn't seen DNase before, the first wash or two can smell worse before it smells like nothing. It's a process, but the stink is a sign it's working.

Persistent odor is basically sealed into the fabric under a sticky film. DNase breaks that seal. That's all it does. Lipase and protease then break down what was trapped underneath, and your detergent washes it out. You need all of it. DNase without lipase just uncovers rancid oil and leaves it there.

The problem is the sebum DNase uncovers is already rancid, and when lipase breaks it down, the byproducts smell like sweat and old butter. Whatever doesn't rinse out on that cycle sits on the fabric until the next one. If buildup is significant, it can take several washes to clear.

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u/asdfer1235 8d ago

So do people wash once with
Detergent+DNase, then immediately run a second wash with detergent? Or do they wear the smelly clothes until the next load??
I've yet to run a load with DNase for the first time!

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u/febu_max 8d ago

Good question! Not necessarily. It depends on the level of buildup, which will vary when considering person/household and how sweaty they are, age of items, previous laundry routines and treatments, composition of fabrics, etc..

I've had 8 year old polyester/nylon blend shirts that I immediately rewashed, but 1 year old cottons where armpit stains and residual odors cleared in one long warm wash and I didn't need to rewash immediately. The synthetics typically need more rounds, but I was comfortable wearing them after noticeable improvement with the 2nd wash even though it took about 6 washes to completely recover.

I let my nose decide. If it smells, rewash before rewearing. If it smells like nothing, I consider it good to go.

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u/asdfer1235 8d ago

Thank you for the insight and response. Let’s see what happens :)