Thread Number: 12589
Can Boil Washes Be Harmful? |
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Post# 220142   7/2/2007 at 21:29 (6,114 days old) by pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI)   |   | |
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I have a friend who plays a lot of tennis and has a ton of white t-shirts (well, used to be white) that are covered in sweat stains. The stains drive him crazy and I wanna help, but I don't know if a boil wash can be harmful. They are regular cotton shirts that he has worn for years but they have prints on them. Some of these shirts are his absolute favorite and he'd be heart broken if the prints began to peel off. Would a boil wash be harmful to these prints? Also, is there anything special I should do to the stains if I do end up washing them besides a Tablespoon of Persil and half a tablespoon of STPP? Thanks! Jamie |
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Post# 220145 , Reply# 1   7/2/2007 at 21:53 (6,114 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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"Peel" off? Are they some sort of plastic? If so, then yes, one shouldn't launder that at very high temperatures. OTHO if one is speaking of embroidery on white shirt that has been laundered already, it should be colourfast and can take hot or very hot water. I'd stick to 160F or 180F to be on the safe side. Better yet run a test wash with similar shirt your friend does not hold so dear, it really is the only way to know. L. |
Post# 220190 , Reply# 2   7/3/2007 at 01:53 (6,113 days old) by brettsomers ()   |   | |
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if the shirts are silkscreened... dont boil. by sweat stains do you mean antiperspirant stains perhaps? |
Post# 220191 , Reply# 3   7/3/2007 at 01:59 (6,113 days old) by pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI)   |   | |
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Post# 220526 , Reply# 8   7/4/2007 at 05:29 (6,112 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Have to add my voice to the above post in agreeing that "boil washing" really isn't required these days, other than for sanitising. Use a good TOL HE detergent such as Persil, with or add on its own percarbonate bleach and one has great results with temps as low as 40C to 60C. Few if anything made today can withstand repeated 140F washing much less temps < 140F. Perborate bleaches were one of the main reasons behind high temps, as it takes very hot water to achive the same results one can get with percarbonate bleach in cooler water. Used to launder all whites at 180F or at least 140F, but saw no difference when using 120F, so there we are. With power prices becoming so dear, anything to save electricity that does not compromise results, gets my vote. L. |
Post# 220589 , Reply# 9   7/4/2007 at 10:55 (6,112 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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And then there are old stick-in-the-mud types like me who still insist on dosing white loads with liquid chlorine bleach to sanitize. Hey, at least I won't have to worry about mold growing in my frontloader, LOL! I'm line-drying this summer and my neighbor (a retired woman who is also, conveniently, my tax preparer) noted "You sure do have a lot of white stuff!" It hadn't occured to me before; all my bed linens, bath linens, kitchen items, and briefs/T-shirts/short socks are white. I don't wear black (my predominant winter color) in the summer, so I generally only do one load of colors a week. The other five or six are all-white loads. I must admit a clothesline full of gleaming whites looks pretty cool waving in the breeze... |
Post# 220706 , Reply# 11   7/4/2007 at 18:07 (6,112 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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I think it is kinda self-defeating to use an antiperspirant and then go out and play tennis. You need to sweat and lose that body heat in order to maintain effectiveness. You can and should take a shower afterwards. The boil/non-boil question has pretty much been resolved for me by the low-temperature oxygen bleaches. One thing to be aware of in using German detergents; we frequently have a third enzyme which I have never seen in the US: a "cellulase". If you use a detergent with that and really hot water and scrub vigorously, you will not only get those salts out...but you will damage the fibers. Sttp and hot water together with a good oxygen bleach would be much safer. |
Post# 220724 , Reply# 12   7/4/2007 at 20:03 (6,112 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Celluase is found in many Amercian laundry detergents. Proctor and Gamble uses it in much of their TOL and MOL detergents such as Tide. In fact Tide has several patents based upon various celluase formulas, IIRC. Celluase is used to "eat" off the fuzz and pills from cotton textiles to keep them looking "like new". It also helps to brighten and keep cotton textiles bright. L. |
Post# 220771 , Reply# 13   7/5/2007 at 02:02 (6,111 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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You know everything about Laundry. Gosh! I've never seen that enzyme in the US, but pretty much only buy hypo-allergenic, non-enyzme, non-effective detergents when there... I avoid it over here whenever I can; I know the idea sounds good, but I've read too many horror stories from folks who say good clothes eaten up in a short time. |
Post# 220785 , Reply# 15   7/5/2007 at 05:49 (6,111 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Post# 220799 , Reply# 16   7/5/2007 at 07:07 (6,111 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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Ah, so, yes, that is a good tip, thanks Laundress. Ralf, I am sure you are right, but have a few friends who insist their cottons got eaten much faster with this enzyme. I don't know; I use amalyse and protease separately when I need them. Which, thank goodness, is not often. Will change when I see my cat in a few days! |
Post# 221010 , Reply# 21   7/6/2007 at 02:56 (6,110 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)   |   | |
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I had to look this up, but the mannan polysaccharide group, when it's at home, are simply gums. Locust bean gum, guar gum...all those additives to just about every food. Since the other enzymes can't break these down, stains like chocolate ice cream and such are awful hard to remove without higher temperatures and washing times. This enzyme breaks the gums in them down and permits much faster stain removal at lower temperatures. According to the literature I scanned (and it was mainly patents for this approach, so not necessairly 100% to be trusted) this particulary enzyme group is very cheap to produce, stable and doesn't interfer with the other enzymes. And now I know the rest of the story. For the Europeans: E-numbers E412 and E410 are the two gums mentioned. |
Post# 221016 , Reply# 22   7/6/2007 at 03:39 (6,110 days old) by lederstiefel1 ()   |   | |
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Well done Keven!! Thank-you, I've learnt again something! Ralf |
Post# 221024 , Reply# 23   7/6/2007 at 06:03 (6,110 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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P&G has a patent on mannanase as well, and IIRC it can be found in Tide. As have stated often, modern TOL enzyme containing detergents are one of the reasons the average wash temperature on both sides of the pond is now around 100F. Enzymes work best at 100F to 140F, and activated oxygen bleach within the same range. Sodium percarbonate does not need an activator and works in the same lower range. All this adds up to the reason we see less and less boil washing. It also explains in a great part the increase of laundry detergent liquids, which use enzymes and surfactants to replace washing soda and other salts commonly used for laundry. CLICK HERE TO GO TO launderess's LINK |
Post# 221039 , Reply# 25   7/6/2007 at 07:42 (6,110 days old) by mrx ()   |   | |
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Ariel seems to be using: This Novozyme (Denmark) ingredient. CLICK HERE TO GO TO mrx's LINK |
Post# 221041 , Reply# 26   7/6/2007 at 07:50 (6,110 days old) by mrx ()   |   | |
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I think the UK detergents are predominantly using Dimethicone and other softeners to achieve smoothness rather than enzymes to eat up fluff. |
Post# 221182 , Reply# 28   7/7/2007 at 07:22 (6,109 days old) by hoovermatic (UK)   |   | |
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the only harm boil washes cause are undue wear and tear on clothing and to your electricity/gas bill. When you actually pay the bills, you realise just how wasteful it is. |
Post# 221187 , Reply# 29   7/7/2007 at 07:52 (6,109 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Yes, detergents have come along way, which as influenced washing machine designs. Pre-washes that were almost always part of a "normal" cycle, are now an option, that is if it can be found at all. Goes without saying that washing temperatures have come down, as well as the requirement for heavy beating about of laundry. It is entirely possible to soak laundry clean with a good TOL modern detergent with damn good results. Only stains one pre-treats these days are blood, and certian others, to make sure they are removed in the wash. Otherwise don't bother as have found TOL detergents like Tide and Persil do the job quite well. When in doubt bung a tablespoon or so of oxygen bleach or Vanish. L. |
Post# 222123 , Reply# 35   7/12/2007 at 05:43 (6,104 days old) by launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Actually the amount of enzymes in laundry detergents/products is rather small. The little buggers reproduce in response to digesting (read eating) whatever substance they are supposed to be attacking, under the right conditions (moisture and right temperature). Protease simply keeps eating protien, and so forth. In theory drying and or high temperatures should kill off enzymes, but that is not always the case as both man altered and natural enzymes can survive a wide range of temperatures. This is why some people can develop allergic reactions to enzyme residue on laundry. In the presence of moisture and heat, the enzymes simply "come alive" as it were and begin eating protien. Sadly human skin and other parts/substances are made of protien, so hence the nasty rash. It is usually in the groin, underarms, and other warm/moist places such things occur. It is this reaction that lead the housewives and mothers of the UK to literally almost threaten the makers of Persil with bodily harm if they followed though with their plans to withdrawn non-bio Persil from the market. |