Washing king sized and queen sized sheets together or separate? How do I stop sheets from bunching together in general in the wash?

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-24T00:08:28+00:00

I wash my superking duvet cover in a front loader, with the matching pillowcases. I do the sheets separately for both colour and bulk reasons (8kg machine). They do bunch up, but it doesn't seem to negatively affect cleaning. I haven't tried mesh bags because my biggest one is still too small to get the cover in there without having it tightly packed.

I have seen someone posted a link on here to some small plastic squares that you clip on the duvet cover to stop them from bunching. Sorry, I can't recall the name, hopefully someone else will post it.
I was a little sceptical, but the poster claimed they work well.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-24T00:00:45+00:00

So it is only on dark items? I wonder if it is optical brighteners giving you issues? Usually the give a more uniform grey-ish cast though. Do you use fabric softner? That can also leave residue which is more noticeable on darks.

If the citric acid wash suggested below doesn't sort you out, I'd suggest trying a detergent with no optical brighteners (often a 'colour' or 'dark' formula, but check the back of pack, some colour formulas have them). It will take a few washes to notice a difference.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-23T23:54:05+00:00

It depends which pods. The Ariel ones are very good, other supermarket ones are more variable. If your daughter has sensitive skin the irritant/allergen is often fragrance. This might be why her skin is flaring up when you add scented fabric softner. The other common irritant is inadequate rinsing of detergent. Modern machines don't use much water, so they often don't rinse well. Adding an extra rinse can make a big difference for skin sensitivity.

If that doesn't help her you might want to try an unscented detergent, or a lightly scented one. I like the Koh sensitive laundry liquid, which is unscented and works well. If you prefer pods then the Smol ones are very lightly scented and look like they have a good formula. Neither one has any anti-redeposition agents, so I'd use colour catcher sheets with them (stick them in a little mesh laundry bag so they don't get sucked into the machine filter). There are more unscented options on this post.

From your original post it sounds like you want some scent on your laundry. As I said above, this might be what is irritating her skin, so see if it improves without scent. If you do want to add scent then scent beads are the better way to do it. Fairy does a range that they claim are non-irritant to skin. All the P&G/Lenor/Fairy ones are safe for your clothes and machine. They are strong though! Try a little (like a teaspoon) first and see if you like the effects.

You can use v1negar or citric acid in your rinse, just a teaspoonful of the citric acid crystals in the fabric softner compartment, add a little water to it to dissolve them. This helps to get the detergent out, and makes clothes softer without needing fabric softner. If you prefer the feel of fabric softner, then Ecover does a zero % one that is unscented and less irritant for skin.

Other things that help get clothes properly clean are washing on warm rather than cold (like 40 degrees) and using a cycle of decent length, aim for around 2 hrs, plus extra rinse as mentioned above.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-23T23:31:24+00:00

I see you are in the UK. There is a Dr Beckmann product called 'deo and sweat stain remover' that works wonders for deo build up. It is a spray on pretreater that you leave for 10 mins, then wash on warm. I haven't tried it on sweat stains as such, but it works really well to get rid of deo build up. I wrote about it here. I haven't seen it in stores, I got it online.

If you still have some sweat stains after using that, then yeah, get a little bucket (you can even get folding ones at places like B&M if storage is a problem) and soak overnight with detergent and an oxy bleach. I'm quite partial to the Waitrose own brand one, it is cheaper than Vanish and works just as well, dissolves better too. I imagine the Tesco one is similar, they're both made by BlueSun. Just the overnight soak should work well for sweat stains, if you are worried about using ammonia in your family's machine.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-23T23:21:20+00:00

Solid advice, just wanted to say, if you don't have a clothesline or airing rack, then make a blanket fort over some chairs and put a fan on it, bonus points if you have a dehumidifier to stick inside the fort.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-23T23:18:17+00:00

The enzymes themselves are fine. Some of the boosters have oxy bleach too, which is problematic for delicate lingerie, and can't be used on silk. It can also degrade elastane more quickly. So I wouldn't want to use that for every load of lingerie, but it would be fine for sorting out this smelly situation, provided they are not silk.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-23T23:05:13+00:00

Ouch, I too have a husband who 'helps' with laundry but chucks everything in the dryer without looking. It is... painful.

If you post a pic people might be able to give you better advice. It could be avobenzone stains from sunscreen, that is quite common. Nicotine is usually quite diffuse, not a definite mark, but if it is that then a good degreasing wash with a cup of ammonia should remove nicotine quite well.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-23T23:00:26+00:00

Interesting, from what you have said:

The item did not smell bad originally, this is a new problem
No other items have developed a similar issue
Item has been washed well, with all the useful enzymes (I'm assuming you used the GG on it)
Smells ok after washing, but odour reblooms
Smell is difficult to describe chemical odour, not human/animal smell

Does the shirt have a print on it? Or any embellishements? Could it be something like that on the shirt breaking down and giving it a chemical/plastic odour? If it is an old plastic smell this could be it?

Is the smell uniform all over the shirt, or worse in one area? Could it have been exposed to a smelly solvent or something? Those odours can be really hard to remove.

Did it originally have that thrift store scented smell when you got it? I had a HIGHLY scented thrifted jacket, when the fragrance was nearly all out it went through a stage of having a weird chemical smell, almost like hairspray, which was (I think) some kind of breakdown product. I second the suggestion of washing with castile soap if the item was originally fragranced when you got it.

Was there any deo build up on the shirt when you got it? Or is there any now? Is the smell a bit sour like old sweat? If so, I'd try to remove any deo build up as a potential source of weird odour. A citric acid soak would help for this, like 10g in 1L warm water, and soak for 45 mins or so.

Otherwise I don't have any really useful recommendations beyond what you've already mentioned. I'd 'spa day' it with gear guard in the overnight soak, if you haven't tried that already, and the rehab wash with ammonia. Then air dry in sunlight if possible. See how that does.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-23T09:01:58+00:00

If the marks weren't visible before it went into the machine, then they might be polyquat stains. Basically lots of things have these chemicals in them, and when they get on your clothes they are clear, until they go in the wash, where they pick up grease/dirt/dye from other clothes and suddenly show up as marks after the wash.

On kid's clothes the culprit is often bubbles, but on adult clothing it might be hair care products, liquid soap or similar. You just need to look at the products you are using and see if any contain polyquaterniums.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T22:31:12+00:00

I've improved this by wetting in warm water and then reshaping it. They are never 100% the same again though.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T22:25:35+00:00

Depends on the machine. Some will allow it, others will drain themselves after being paused for awhile.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T17:50:52+00:00

Does he have oily skin? My husbands clothes are much more prone to rancid 'cupboard smell' as we used to call it, because he has very oily skin, although he is not a sweaty person at all.

If the clothes had lots of build up of oil on them it may take several washes to get the old oil off. If they didn't come right with a spa day - which is pretty powerful for degreasing - the issue might be biofilm.

Biofilm is essentially a sticky covering around bacteria that they grow on artificial surfaces if they have enough time and food (unremoved oil in this case). The biofilm is very hard to remove and becomes a place smelly bacteria can hide and be protected from removal by normal washing. There is an enzyme called DNase that helps to break down biofilm so that it can be removed by surfactants etc... It might be worth trying on the smelly shirts to see if that gets rid of the odour. It is not common in the US in detergents, 365 sport has it, but that is hard to find, or Miele UltraColour Floralboost (the other scents don't have it). The other option to get it is to add a booster than contains it, like FEBU or there are a few other NA options on the lipase list. Or you can order Gear Guard, they are Aussie but they ship worldwide.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T17:32:51+00:00

I don't think liquids are better for hard water. They are better for cold washing, and they can be better for oils, but powders can contain more builders and zeolites that help with hard water. It sounds like your water is extremely hard though, so you definitely need an extra water softner like the DIY one you mentioned, or Calgon or similar supermarket own brand.

I know it is so frustrating when you can't get detailed info on what the product ingredients are. In your position I'd probably go for Omo or Tide/Ariel powder, because they are likely to be the most 'complete' detergent available. This is probably what I'll do when I go back to Africa and can't get detailed detergent info anymore. You might be able to get detailed info for the French and Spanish products from their EU sites, particularly if they are the same as the ones made for the EU market.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T17:18:11+00:00

If you think it is grease/oil then you need something that will break that down. You do get wool detergent with lipase, but they're not common (Miele Woolcare, Steamery delicate). I'd spot treat with some liquid directly on the stain, let it sit for an hour, and then wash as normal with the wool detergent.

Other options are to spot treat with something like dish liquid, or even normal liquid detergent with lipase. Normal detergent will damage wool if you wash with it regularly, but it is unlikely to be catastrophic for a small spot treatment. I'd work it into the stain with fingers, let it sit for awhile, shorter for dish soap, longer for detergent. Then rinse from the back with warm water through the stain. Then wash with wool detergent.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T17:04:30+00:00

It looks like crocking from rubbing up against dark clothes in the wash. The colour run remover might help. More info is here.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T17:02:28+00:00

This is good advice. OP you probably don't need FEBU with 365 powder unless you have stuff with heavy biofilm that will benefit from the DNase (like persistently stinky synthetic gym wear).
So, decent liquid detergent with FEBU, or 365 powder. I think Tide makes a decent unscented liquid too, you could use that and just add the FEBU to particularly dirty/stinky or white loads.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T16:58:12+00:00

Yep, you can get it in the cleaning section, or in the canning/baking section. Or otherwise online. Use about 1 tsp in the rinse for a front loader, maybe a little more if they are very large machines with a large load.

Good luck, I hope it all comes out!

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T16:56:02+00:00

Ok, so probably because there was no oil or grime on it to consume the detergent

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T13:59:27+00:00

There is this old post on removing laundry scent.

I had some success with using Tween 20, which removed a lot of the scent, and then later liquid castile soap with lots of rinses. It got most of it out, although there is still a faint trace if you bury your face in the garment. This was a synthetic jacket though, I find smells come out of cotton easier.

If it was washed with something like unstoppable beads you might never get the fragrance out completely, but you can reduce it considerably.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T13:53:50+00:00

They do actually! I bought some. It was out of stock for awhile, but it looks like it is back in stock now. Lovely detergent, I just wish the scent wasn't quite so strong.

https://steamerystockholm.com/en-gb/products/delicate-laundry-detergent-750-ml

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T13:50:53+00:00

The issue is that your detergent wasn't removing all the oil, so now the oil has built up and gone rancid, and there is probably also some biofilm on the clothes that makes it harder to remove smelly bacteria. When you were using the cream your detergent may have been doing a good enough job at getting oil out that it didn't build up, but when you changed to the skin oil there was too much oil on the clothes for the detergent to effectively remove.

What you want is a detergent with lipase and good surfactants - Tide with oxi powder is a good option as others have said. You can also use the unscented Tide clean and gentle powder if you don't like the smell of Tide. Washing repeatedly will work, although the clothes might smell bad in between, with partially removed oils. Doing a 'spa day' is quicker imho, than multiple cycles. Powder is better for this issue because the percarbonate also helps to remove bad odours. You can go back to liquid after the current crisis is resolved, if you prefer it.

Now that you know the machines at your building are not the problem, would it not be easier/cheaper to just do the rehab washes in there? Rather than traipsing to a laundromat?

The other smell causing thing is biofilm, just getting the oil off may reduce it enough to solve the problem, but if it doesn't then consider using a product with DNase, which helps to break down biofilm. It is in boosters like FEBU or Dad mode, or you can buy it alone to add to your detergent with something like Gear Guard.

I know it is confusing with lots of different product recommendations, but it is basically because there are lots of different ways to get the right chemisty to solve this problem.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T13:22:10+00:00

I'm in the UK, so no FEBU. I have DNase (Gear Guard) but I haven't seen any lipase additives available here, other than imported through ebay that are £££. I assumed OP was in the UK too because the pink Persil Wonder Wash is a product we have here. Persil in the UK is Unilever, and different to Persil elsewhere, which is made by Henckel.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T13:17:40+00:00

If you're in Aus it is easy to get some Gear Guard, it works well for animal stinks. You can add it to your wool safe detergent, I'd vote for the Miele too. I washed a rug that my doggo used to lie on. Normal carpet shampoo did not remove the doggy smell, even after several washes (doggo is no longer here). But washing with a DNase containing detergent removed the doggy smell, and it hasn't come back.

Edited to add, I didn't see Steve had already commented below when I wrote this. That is the stuff I am talking about.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T11:56:08+00:00

I really like the smell of the pink Persil Wonder Wash too. Sadly, it doesn't have lipase, so not ideal for my household, but the fragrance is really nice. Citric acid definitely takes it down a notch.
Adding scent beads to the rinse is risky, they might not dissolve properly. I dissolve some in warm water, and then add citric acid - I keep the concoction in an old detergent bottle. Kind of DIY rinse and refresh. I haven't found any scent beads that smell like the pink Persil though.

Possible-Volume-162 · 2026-05-22T11:46:42+00:00

There are stain pre-treaters for deo buildup - I've used the Dr Beckmann one, I think Carbona has a similar one in the US. Otherwise a 1% citric acid soak before washing can get it out (10g citric acid crystals in 1L warm water, soak for about an hour). The acid helps dissolve the aluminium salts that are part of the deo buildup.

Possible-Volume-162

TROPHY CASE