I’m a mum-of-two and I was horrified to learn that my children’s ‘freshly washed’ socks were far from clean
- Nisha, from Queensland, struggled to wash her children’s ‘crusty’ socks
- The mum-of-two pleaded for help after trying ‘everything’ to clean them
- READ MORE: Cleaning expert on when you should clean your washing machine
A mum was ‘disgusted’ to discover the truth behind her children’s ‘clean’ socks – and questioned what she’d been doing wrong her whole life.
Nisha, from Queensland, couldn’t get ‘crust’ and ‘hardness’ of her kids’ socks no matter how many times she put it through the machine.
The working mum eventually decided to use one of her week nights to deep-clean and scrub every pair to see if she could figure out what was wrong, only to be met with mounds of dirt washing out of the socks.
She took a few pairs and soaked the ‘clean’ garments in Aldi’s Di-San stain-remover for an hour and scrubbed it – using only water on another batch to see if it made a difference.
Nisha eventually learned that it was a mixture of her children wearing their socks on dirty surfaces, an ageing top-loading machine, and too much detergent – which can build up on clothes and hold onto dirt.
A mum was ‘disgusted’ to discover the truth behind her children’s ‘clean’ socks – and questioned what she’d been doing wrong her whole life
The mum was extremely frustrated by her inability to keep the socks clean, and shared everything she had tried so far.
Nisha attempted to wash the socks on hot cycles, cold cycles, and even removed the drum from her washing machine and cleaned it.
‘Why! I have a Simpson top loader (it’s seven-years-old) and I can’t fathom why I need to scrub and soak all my clothes before they get washed,’ she shared alongside photos in a popular online community.
‘It’s like the machine is not cleaning. I have tried laundry booster, different detergents, adding Di-San to the wash, Lectric soda, everything.’
The mum pleaded with others to help her figure out what was wrong, as she had two small kids and didn’t have the time to keep soaking and scrubbing socks.
‘The dirt and feel of it is just awful,’ she said.
READ MORE: Cleaning expert reveals how often you need to ‘deep clean’ your washing machine and how to keep laundry streak-free
Some other mums had theories about what the problem could be.
‘It could be an agitation issue – small items tend to get wrapped up in bigger ones (towels, t-shirts, sheets) and then they don’t clean properly,’ a mum suggested.
She added, ‘Have you tried only washing small items together? Can be tricky to get the machine full, but gather up all your underwear, socks, face washers, and kids clothes and do a ‘smalls’ wash once once a week.’
‘Maybe the water isn’t hot enough,’ a second said. ‘In warm/hot water the fibres relax, thereby letting the dirt be washed out easier.’
‘Detergent and fabric softener build up on clothes hold on to dirt. If you are using a poor quality detergent and fabric softener, that makes it worse,’ another suggested.
‘You need longer (and possibly warmer) washes and less detergents,’ a man echoed.
Nisha, from Queensland, couldn’t get ‘crust’ and ‘hardness’ of her kids’ socks no matter how many times she put it through the machine
Many suggested she look into different washing machines that might work better.
‘Front loaders are good at getting things clean, in my experience, as i have both a top and a front loader,’ a dad wrote.
‘I recommend the Bosch German-made front loader. Long warm/hot washes. Turn socks right way out and they come out pure white,’ another shared.
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