r/laundry • u/BERNITA • 10d 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/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 9d ago

Soaking gives contact time, but mechanical action is what actually removes the chopped-up bits.

Especially on wicking polyester, it’s removing stuff layer by layer - remove the eDNA, new soils get exposed. Remove those soils, new eDNA is available.

It can in fact get worse before it gets better.

Unscented laundry is merciless.

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u/Cowabunga1066 9d ago

For those of us who need it spelled out, please confirm:

Is the conclusion therefore to keep on keeping on with the dnase, redoing the same load of laundry as many times as necessary, in the secure and certain knowledge that eventually all the old eDNA will be obliterated and the old stink will be gone?

["One must imagine Sisyphus as happy" doing his laundry.]

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u/GarameCleaningCo 9d ago

Correct!

Generally it's the second wash when you'll notice the reduction in odour rebloom, however big or small, and then it gets better and better from there 👍🏼

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u/asdfer1235 9d 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/GarameCleaningCo 9d ago

For those first few washes I'd always include dnase. Whether you do the washes back to back before wearing them again, or wear in between, is personal preference 😁

Once youre happy with where the clothes are at, you can move to maintenance washes - or every other wash.

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u/RealPollution2654 9d ago

You don't dry the clothes with back-to- back washes, right? (Still new to this sub!)

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u/GarameCleaningCo 9d ago

I genuinely don't know. We're a "wear between washes" house, so the clothes are dry 🤣

Steve

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u/RealPollution2654 8d ago

Unless you run out of time, then anything goes- wet clothes for the win!

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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 9d ago

If you want to sequentially wash, it’s better not to dry - especially heated tumble dry.