h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yep, I was lucky enough to be in a market in Egypt, and the chap tried to sell me a random bright blue powder that he said was a whitener.

I remember Persil "Power" (or summat) - a big launch as the strongest ever powder, until complaints started coming in that people's clothes were falling apart!!

Queegle

Yes, I remember that. In the end, if you want to get your clother truly clean, don't ever get them dirty, some stains just will never come out without destroying the garment.

Can't believe that the main gender posting to this thread has been men.

Sign of the Times!!!

I'm not a bloke!

Hey I'm a chemist so I just know the theory, don't expect to actually go and do the washing!

Same.

"We are Men, we just happen to know these things because we're chemists/have to listen to women moaning about it all the time" *complete with wide leg stance, fists on hips, shoulders back and puffed out chests* "MEN, I tell you!"

Queegle

Hey! I'm a bloke, and I do my own washing. Of course, everything I own has that look once trendily described as stone washed and all my underwear is now a uniform shade of light blue, but it gives me something to watch when the TV is dull.

You watch your underwear?? In case it suddenly jumps up and starts a tango??

Queegle

Dontcha just lurve us

Actually I will do th washing if necessary but it doesn't seem to be of an accebtable standard to the other half so she does it with intent...

I do my own washing. But that's only cos the other option is to go to me mums to get it done and that would mean visiting parents and....no, tis just much easier to chuck it all in the washing machine, set it to 'turns your pants blue' and switch it on.

i am now clever in that I have bought (yes, bought!) non-white undies, hah! Fooled the machine

The only colouration accident I had with the machine was leaving one purple sock in after the colours had been washed and then putting my work shirts in. At the time, I only had 5 white shirts, and approximately 2 hours later I discovered I had no white shirts, just some tasteful pastel pink ones Cue mad rush to supermarket for some of that colour remover of stuff.

(p.s. I know, separating whites and colours, I've read the advanced homecare manual I have )

Orcus, I rekon everybody has a different mess threshhold and have different ideas of what are acceptable re the whole household chore thing.

Fellas just seem to have a higher setting

There was a rest home I worked in where I had to iron the underwear and I know someone who irons absolutely everything straight from the washing machine.

Me, I just buy tee shirts and things that don't need ironing

Oh yes, I iron as little as possible - I fold stuff & rely on the weight of the pile to flatten it out!
(And I am female)

Actually this thread made me go & read up on the properties of the detergent I use. They class 50 as a cool wash temp at which they claim their enzymes will work - phew! My main problem is forgetting to check for stains (or things in pockets) before doing the wash, which makes it much more difficult to eradicate them.

I'm currently attempting to restore my son's clothes to wearable after a term at uni. He has washed his clothes but then left them all jumbled up in his suitcase. I can tell what he hasn't worn, it's still folded up at the bottom!

I'm of the male persuasion, but I do know how to turn on an automatic washing machine. We wash absolutely everything on the lowest setting (40 degrees) with non-biological (I'm allergic to the biological), just separating light from dark.

Everything in my house goes in on a number 5, that's 40 I think. It's put away when it comes out the tumble dryer, and gets ironed when someone wants to wear it.

My lovely mother does my washing, but Im not averse to doing it myself.

All my clothes are either jeans/t-shirts that just get folded into the draw with no ironing, Im lucky enough that all my shirts are that wierd kind of material that loses its creases when you wear or hang it...

I'm going to show my age and say "I can remember the launch of Britain's first biological washing powder". Everyone thought it was incredibly hi-tech and it started a real craze the likes of which had not been seen since Ski yoghurt. It was called Bio-Tex and you had to soak your clothes in it for at least twelve hours before you put them in a washing machine to be cleaned again with a regular washing powder. By the way, it wasn't very good. It was seen as an alternative to boil washing.

Ironing......yeah, I hear of that. I just wear a waistcoat or sweatshirt over my shirt with my suit to get round that one
The other trick is to hang them up in the bathroom when I have a shower.

I remember the ads for biological powder when it came out first. Apparently those enzymes look just like Pacman.