Best detergent for handwashing clothes

[Twoddle]

Our local launderette recently closed down and the nearest alternative is a mile away so I have decided to resort to hand-washing my laundry.

What's the best type of detergent to use? Is it OK to carrying on using the same washing powder I used at the launderette? Should I use bio or non-bio or should I use a concentrated liquid detergent? What about using a dishwasher soap cube or ordinary washing up liquid?

When should I add the fabric softener? Does it go in with the main wash or should I add it during the rinse cycle?

Sorry for the questions, there are some sites on hand-washing clothes but they don't answer my specific questions.

Cheers.

[Deleted]

Oh wow, and I was just about to make a similar thread, I hope you don't mind me using this one to save clutter op, but does anyone know the best way to get blood out of a tshirt? Like, a lot of blood. The tshirt is 100% cotton according to the label, and most of the blood was dried by the time I got to try and clean it. I've tried running it through the wash with regular washing stuff, and tried soaking it but there's still a faint but visible mark. Is it just fucking ruined?

[Deleted]

Did you go and kill a mod, Erin?

If I ruined a tshirt killing a mod, it would be hung on my wall as a trophy, not in the washing machine! (No but really, I actually don't have an issue with the mods really, or well not like most people seem to, they genereally let me off really easy except for like sexytime stories which TOTALLY shouldn't be infractable). But no, much less exciting, I had a nose bleed in the night and it woke me up, but being sleepy as hell and only half awake I was like "damn my nose is really runny!" grabbed a dirty tshirt (i know, it's gross but I don't keep tissues by my bed and it's not like I can even blow my nose at the moment, was meant to be just to wipe my snoz and then go back to sleep since it was going in the wash anyway). When it stopped just went back to sleep. Woke up again later and realised that it was a nose bleed, turned the light on and, yeah. Covered.

[Deleted]

Try Hydrogen peroxide, and if that does not work well, try diluted CLR.

Hydrogen peroxide? Isn't that like, bleach? won't it remove all the colour?

[Ciddy]

Oh wow, and I was just about to make a similar thread, I hope you don't mind me using this one to save clutter op, but does anyone know the best way to get blood out of a tshirt? Like, a lot of blood. The tshirt is 100% cotton according to the label, and most of the blood was dried by the time I got to try and clean it. I've tried running it through the wash with regular washing stuff, and tried soaking it but there's still a faint but visible mark. Is it just fucking ruined?

I've used those OxiClean stain sticks for that, and they work fairly well. Although I've only used them for spots, not huge stains that cover a big area. Still, they're fairly cheap (they're like 3 dollars at my local grocery store), so that may be worth a shot.

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/oxic...FYE7gQod8r4Aew

OT: I'm pretty sure you can use the same kind of detergent you normally use, just use a less of it than you normally would (keep in mind that if you're using a sink or something, that's less water than a standard washing machine is going to use, so you need to adjust the amount of detergent you use accordingly). I normally use the Arm & Hammer HE stuff, and I have used it for hand washing before (washing machine was broken for about a week once). It worked well enough.

That all being said, my standards for "well enough" might be lower than some. I throw my shit in the washing machine, wait 30 minutes, throw it in the dryer for like 40 minutes, done. I'm not too picky.

As for fabric softener, I have no idea.