what is essential is invisible to the eye -the fox
I have seen on some of those dish soaps like Palmolive, that you can use those for delicate fabrics. No reason you couldn’t use the same for jeans and such.
Your clothes would be mighty soft according to Madge. (hehe) oh, that would be your hands.
You will get a mighty head of foam in the washer. Laundry detergent is much less sudsy than dishwashing liquid. However, it will clean if the clothes aren’t really dirty.
We use Dawn as a pre-tretment for greasy stains. It works about as well as Shout and the other pre-treatments. That amount doesn’t kick up a lot of suds.
But NEVER, EVER put dishwashing liquid into an automatic dishwasher. The resulting mess will make your kitchen look like an old I Love Lucy episode.
Watch out for ones which suds up more than laundary detergent: They’ll foam out the top of the washer.
You could try dishwasher detergent. It doesn’t foam, but it might be more caustic than laundary soap. And you won’t get water spots on you’re clothes :D.
It is too clear, and so it is hard to see.
If you’re talking about a one-time no-detergent situation, just wash them with no detergent (assuming your clothes aren’t filthy). There is probably enough detergent residue in your clothes and machine to do the job. Cecil explains this in a related subject:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970725.html
Or you could just keep a couple o’ laundry balls around for instances like this. I’ve heered they work real good.
I sincerely hope {:-Df is a troll…
A friend tried just re-drying dirty clothes in the dryer, figuring there was 1.“goodness” in air (he said that) and 2. that he wouldn’t have to iron his shirts.
Worked out okay until he started to prespire around noon and his co-workers made him go home.
Oh, I’m gonna keep using these #%@&* codes 'til I get 'em right.
I don’t know about detergent, but if you run out of fabric softener (or are too cheap to buy it in the first place, like me) you can use a half cup of vinegar instead. I don’t know why this doesn’t make your clothes smell like vineger, but it doesn’t. (The detergent probably has enough fragrence to cancel it out.)
“There’s a snake in my boot!”
voguevixen,
Fabric softeners work by adding some oil[sup]1[/sup] or waxy substance that coats the fibers of the clothing making them feel soft. Actually, they feel slippery. (This also cuts down on a fabric’s absorbency of water, so you might want to stop adding softeners to towels.)
Vinegar is a mild acid. Acids break down the protein or hydrocarbon chains of the fibers, causing them to start falling apart. Basically, the fibers frizzle and get split ends. This will make fabrics feel soft because they actually feel fuzzy. This will also severely reduce the lifetime of your fabrics. Not recommended at all.[sup]2[/sup]
Peace.
[sup]1[/sup]Oil, grease, fat, lipids, wax, lard – all basically the same thing.
[sup]2[/sup]Unless you do it for a limited time on fabrics that are too coarse or stiff, like new jeans.
I agree with Gilligan- once in a while when I’m too lazy to buy more detergent but I need clean clothes, I wash them in plain water. Believe me, there is plenty of residual soap in them to do the job. I also (personally) believe that it helps to get the residue out of your clothes, leaving them bright, shiny, and happy. Well, maybe not- but it will get you by in a pinch 
Zette
Love is like popsicles…you get too much you get too high.
Not enough and you’re gonna die…
Click here for some GOOD news for a change Zettecity
I an too much of a philistine to worry about fabric softner myself, but my mother swears that a little hair conditioner will work in a pinch. Conditionar also works to break up the bubbles after you have used to much dish soap in the washing machine (or it least my mother claims it does. I make no promises).
in a pinch, i once used baking soda.
it worked better than i thought it would
i now add a little baking soda in every load. my hubby works a dirty stinky job and the baking soda gets rid of any nasty odors
Laundry is done by detergent not soap they are not equal
“Laundry is done by detergent not soap they are not equal”
thanks for the help. now when i run out of
laundry soap, i will think to myself “laundry is done by detergent not soap, they are not equal.”
my clothes will smell great. thanks.
what is essential is invisible to the eye -the fox
Some dishwasher detergent (for machines) contains a bleaching agent. I wouldn’t use such a detergent on clothes unless I was sure that they were bleachable. I have sad experience in this matter.
Dishwasher detergent is also not likely to break down unless you use very very very very hot water. I think the best bets are the aformentioned laundry balls, a small drop of dishwashing liquid just to break the tension, or nothing at all. The baking soda idea sounds good; I think I’ll try it in my next load.
The laundry ball thing is a crock. I have about 15 of them (through no fault of my own, I’m a cynic) but being a nature child (once) I thought I’d give it a try. Result, bad. A tablespoon of dishsoap is a lot better. It won’t sud up too much and will also break up those nasty eating accidents very well. Wanna buy a laundry ball? (P.S. The thing about laundry balls is that to get your clothes “really clean” you need to buy an “additive”. Which to me looks a lot like…detergent.) Of course, you can not use the additive. And have grey clothes. Kindof like no detergent. Which is the original question.
If you’re washing natural fibers, shampoo is probably your best bet. It’s better than laundry detergent for washing wool; I can’t see why it would be a problem for cotton.
(rant)
But fabric softeners? Anathema! Anathema! Do you realize how many billions of dollars we spend on those things? And I don’t mean the purchase price, either.
Fabric softeners are grease, simply put. They goo up your dryer, dramatically reducing its usable life. They attract dirt and grit, which wear down the fibers in fabric – your clothes last half as long. They trap body odors and encourage pilling on polyester and acrylic fabrics.
Worst of all, fabric softeners are a major cause of skin irritations and infections. Never mind doctors’ bills, medications and lost wages/productivity; what is the cost in human suffering when a million people break out with atopic dermatitis?
(/rant)
Have a nice day!
Update:
Baking Soda seems to work pretty well all by itself, as long as it’s not a white load (clothes didn’t look as clean but smelled just fine). BUT 50¢ for a box of baking soda will get me 4-6 loads, or about 10¢ a load. Compared to my big box o’ washing powder from which I get 300 loads for $8, or about 2.7¢ per load.
I may just stick with the powder.