Fabric softener

Piggypiggy96

Piggypiggy96

Junior Guinea Pig
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Apr 18, 2022
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Hi I won’t be using sawdust and safebed for much longer the pigs have a new big cage they aren’t in it yet because I’m waiting for hideys and sleep sacks from Kavee to arrive and hopefully a brother! So I’ve got bath matts and blankets and stuff for the bottom of the cage instead of the liners but I’m not sure what I should be washing them in ? I usually do the pigs towels and blankets with my daz powder and comfort intense. Is this ok? Should I start getting them the baby non bio stuff ? Thanks
 
You should ideally wash any piggy fleece and fabric bedding in a non bio (baby is fine - if it’s good enough for babies, then it’s fine for the Piggies!) but you cannot use a fabric softener at all - doing so will stop the bedding from wicking entirely.
Dont forget to wash new bedding three times before use
 
For guinea dad liners the instructions say to use cleaning vinegar and a non-scented detergent (I put the vinegar in the softener spot) so this should work and be safe for your blankets and mats too.
 
I do similar - Persil non bio for detergent (partly because it doesn't set my skin off too, which is important) but I also use Dettol's laundry cleanser. I don't like washing above 30 regularly if I don't have to, and the cleanser works pretty well.
 
Fabric softener will not only stop your liners absorbing, but it also tends to have quite a strong scent, which can be uncomfortable for guinea pigs, particularly when they don't have the option to escape it.
The problem is that we get used to the smells around us all the time, so may not even notice it.
 
Swissgreys said:
Fabric softener will not only stop your liners absorbing, but it also tends to have quite a strong scent, which can be uncomfortable for guinea pigs, particularly when they don't have the option to escape it.
The problem is that we get used to the smells around us all the time, so may not even notice it.
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Even the unscented stuff can still have a strong smell to it. Nothing bad, but it'd be daft to pretend it doesn't exist. I had to stop using the white Comfort because of it.
 
I’m going to get the non bio washing powder and I now think it’s best to not use any sort of fabric softener. Thank you. I’m so exited to get my babies in their new cage I’m using black bath matts so hopefully their new dwelling will look clean for longer than 10 minutes
 
Picked up some cheap but hopefully not nasty non bio in lidl and then I couldn’t resist a bit of liquid stuff. I feel like a pregnant woman preparing for my baby I hope so much my girls get on with the rescue boy I really really want him
 

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I'm like @Lorcan and mostly wash at 30% as my machine takes hours to do a hotter wash and I like to get the piggie bedding out on the line to air dry before lunch time! I used to use the dettol laundry cleanser until I discovered Sainsbury's which is a lot cheaper.
 
I use whatever powder is on offer. It’s often own brand non bio but it has been daz or surf. I quite like a bit of biological for getting down to pee! I used to worry with baby nappies but I read something that reassured me it really didn’t matter. So if it doesn’t matter for a baby then I can’t imagine there’s too much issue for the piggies. I do a 60 degree blitz occasionally too.
 
I’ve done a 40 degree 1 hour wash this time because their brand new but I’m going doing a 15 min 30 degree wash in future when they’re being used and maybe a 15 min spin so they dry quicker
 
piggieminder said:
I'm like @Lorcan and mostly wash at 30% as my machine takes hours to do a hotter wash and I like to get the piggie bedding out on the line to air dry before lunch time! I used to use the dettol laundry cleanser until I discovered Sainsbury's which is a lot cheaper.
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Just beware of the shop brand laundry cleanser, i found that it said use 3 capfuls whereas the Dettol was 2 capfuls, so it actually didn't last as long. You can often find the large bottles of the Dettol Laundry Cleanser for £5 in Home Bargains or B&Ms.
 
YvonneBlue said:
Just beware of the shop brand laundry cleanser, i found that it said use 3 capfuls whereas the Dettol was 2 capfuls, so it actually didn't last as long. You can often find the large bottles of the Dettol Laundry Cleanser for £5 in Home Bargains or B&Ms.
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That's interesting and made me think! Just measured the contents of the caps as I have Sainsbury's and Dettol at the moment as Sainsbury's was out of home brand last time I ordered and they sent Dettol instead. The Sainsbury's cap holds 35ml the Dettol one 55ml. My dispenser draw only holds one cap anyway so that's all it gets. I only wash 4 kg of washing at a time (half the machine drum capacity) because the 8 kg loads take over 2 hrs rather than the 45 min for 4 kg. I wish they'd bring back machines that do a full load, have a button to select time and spin speed and that's it!
I used to get the Dettol one in B&M, ours never seems to have it now.
 
piggieminder said:
That's interesting and made me think! Just measured the contents of the caps as I have Sainsbury's and Dettol at the moment as Sainsbury's was out of home brand last time I ordered and they sent Dettol instead. The Sainsbury's cap holds 35ml the Dettol one 55ml. My dispenser draw only holds one cap anyway so that's all it gets. I only wash 4 kg of washing at a time (half the machine drum capacity) because the 8 kg loads take over 2 hrs rather than the 45 min for 4 kg. I wish they'd bring back machines that do a full load, have a button to select time and spin speed and that's it!
I used to get the Dettol one in B&M, ours never seems to have it now.
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The 2.5l of Dettol is on offer for £5 at Sainsburys and Morrison's this week.😃
 
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