this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2025
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[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 weeks ago

My favorite is the Tide Free and Clear commercial where the kid goes "look dad, it's just as clean but without any of the chemicals that harm me!" They're literally admitting their core product contains harmful chemicals yet people are still buying it!

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

You don't need to go up to 400°F to decompose baking soda into washing soda. Decomposition starts around 122⁰F (50⁰C) and is complete at around 250⁰F (120⁰C)

Depending on the thickness you put in the pan you may want to put the oven around 300⁰F so to speed up the process.

You can safely go to higher temperature as it won't ever be overcooked.

detailshttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_bicarbonate

Heating to transform (baking soda) sodium bicarbonate into (washing soda) sodium carbonate does remove moisture but also removes carbon dioxide :

When sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO~3~) is heated, it undergoes a decomposition reaction to form sodium carbonate (Na~2~CO~3~), water (H~2~O), and carbon dioxide (CO~2~).

The reaction can be represented as :
2NaHCO~3~ + heat → Na~2~CO~3~ + H~2~O + CO~2~

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago

The only reason why clothes get staticky in the dryer is because of the heat. If you run the dryer for 10-20min after drying with no heat they'll come out without a trace of static.

Ive stopped using softener and dryer sheets a while ago; just detergent and for the first load of the week (usually towels) a short cycle with vinegar to clear up any mineral deposits left by my horribly bad hard water.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Hello electricians and safety nerds. Fabric softener removes the fire rating on fire rated clothing protecting you from arc flash hazards.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

This is pure conjecture, but my guess is that the film of fabric softener left on the clothes would interfere with the fire retardant fibers/may be flammable itself.

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[–] [email protected] -1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If your fabric needs softening then maybe you just buy the wrong clothes.

I don’t use the shit. My clothes don’t wrinkle and they sure as fuck aren’t uncomfortable so all I can think of is you’re buying shitty clothes.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Actually its because you are buying shitty clothes why they dont wrinkle. Synthetic fabrics dont wrinkle.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Yeah I'm not putting all that effort and potentially ruining my washing machine to save me a few cents per wash. That seems ridiculous.

You don't even have to buy the fancy, expensive, in a pod detergent or anything, considering they always contain the same stuff that comes in a box/bottle. Just buy whatever's cheap.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

Yea, making your own laundry detergent from grated soap and borax seems like something people with money do to convince themselves they're frugal. When in reality, there is no way in hell you're making a commodity cheaper than GreatValue (tm)

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Not just the effort, but by the time you buy all those ingredients, you're probably paying more than you would for normal laundry detergent.

And if you use Dr. Bronner's bar soap as recommended, you'll be paying out the ass.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Not to mention the gas to go to the three separate stores you probably need to buy that shit from.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Isn't detergent incredibly cheap though? I always buy the cheapest per weight Aldi stock. I think we may have spent less than £5 on it in the past year. Never bought fabric conditioner, wtf would I want that for, deliberately make my towels less absorbent and more flammable?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

How do I make my own fabric softener tho? One of the things it does is condition the fabric like you condition your hair, to keep its strength and retain its shape. Like if your shirt's neck has become a little stretched out, wash it with some fabric softener and it usually fixes that shit.

I'd DIY my own if I could. I'll probably start using this detergent recipe, too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 weeks ago

Wait can it fix crew necks that get a little shitty?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

usually they advise vinegar.

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