Michael Klepacki :kare_bomb:@kleypack@mastodon.design
@sinituulia@eldritch.cafe thank you for these! Been preaching most of these myself. Question though, if you don't mind—I recently switched from powder detergent to liquid because I read powder is harder on the fabrics. Is this bullshit? I do refill a glass bottle with bulk detergent, so reduced waste, but of course that bulk box is still plenty of plastic :(
Sini Tuulia@sinituulia@eldritch.cafe
@kleypack@mastodon.design Short answer, it can be, but shouldn't significantly be.
Long answer: Liquid detergent for white laundry usually only contains optical brighteners, which is blue pigment to make the white fabric look less yellowed. Powder detergent for whites contains an oxidiser, which gradually physically bleaches the fabric back to a crisp white. This does oxidise the fabric a little bit. 😄
Which will damage it somewhat! But on the other hand it also sanitises it as plenty of microbes do not enjoy being minutely bleached. The laundry does smell fresher and I haven't noticed any wear on any of my stuff.
Powder detergent for coloured laundry does not contain the whitening agent. The ingredients themselves vary across them, but it's sodium laureth sulfate, soap and enzymatic cleaners for the most part, in both liquid and powder.
I feel like I have to use not even half of the recommended dose of powder versus the full amount of liquid for the laundry to feel clean. Your mileage may vary!
