Same here, both me and youngest son are allergic to Bio Detergents. When I'm doing whites I always let the machine load the water, have about a minutes turn then put in on hold for about an hour, the soaking seems to help with the cleaning process.
Biological detergents are at their best with "organic" stains and at lower temperatures. Non-bios work better at higher temperatures and are better with general grubbiness, rather than stains.
And it may depend on whether the whites are cotton or synthetic ann the temperature of the water...on balance, non-bios for whites.
Thanks for the link Barry, I shall keep that.
My whites are all cotton ginge but I wash them at 30 degrees for about 30 minutes. If I use the Hot Cotton wash @ 60 degrees it goes on for hours, so I don't.
BTW my whites are fine.
^^yes, I agree about temperature/length of cycle etc.
We have so little white stuff (all cotton) that an infrequent 60C wash also serves as a hot "service" cycle - which is a good idea once in a while, because it can help to prevent low temp only "problems".
I wash all my towels, tea towels, dishcloths etc on a very hot cycle. It not only ensure all germs are killed on the washing but also keeps my washer clean. I've never had mould or bad smells in my machines.
This is from the NHS website
all underwear, towels and household linen should be washed at 60C (140F) or at 40C (104F) with a bleach-based laundry product to prevent germs from spreading
Bleach based washing products? They would fade all your coloured wash and you can't wash coloureds at 60C. I think the NHS should stick to what they are supposed to be good at . ;-)
That's why all my linens and underwear are white. You can buy bio bleach based detergents for coloureds. The Ace I linked to will not fade your colours, I've used it for years. You can wash any cotton at 60 or more, the labels state 40 to appear eco - friendly.