doing laundry

Stuck with a standard wachine machine that gives only adequate results. Unless I want to haul buckets of water I wash in cold and have been using Tide.  Has anyone discovered any superior local brands?  Any general laundry tips you've stumbled upon or had an ayi show you to improve laundry would be appreciated.

Stuck with a standard wachine machine that gives only adequate results. I wash in cold and have been using Tide.

Me too. No complaints!!

I always add bleach for colored clothes - sort of local Vanish. You can buy it just about anywhere in China. It is a pink bottle and it has a cat face on it. Very popular brand. I usually add 2 caps of that into the washing along with soap and a half a cap of softener (yes, together with soap). Then add softener at the last rinsing.

My ayis that I used to have always had to be taught how to wash. I had a couple of them mixing black and white as well as one of them washed my pure woolen sweater in that standard machine and it shrunk to the baby size 

I've used bleach on whites, a stronger concentration...the other stuff doesn't discolour your clothes?

I don't know about Chinese bleach, but I would NEVER put Western bleach into a wash that wasn't all whites.

me neither, that's why I asked, perhaps it's a very diluted solution, dunno I've never tried it.

Even in North America we have bleach for the unbleachables.  It is another chemical I believe and works to brighten not whiten the clothes.  I believe the one Cheeky was talking about in the pink bottle is the one made for colored clothes.

I said it was like VANISH - for colored clothes  It keeps colors bright and helps with cleaning spots.

Thanks Missi - very good advice.

thank you oh laundry mistress, I'm going to try the White Cat dish soap, already washing on gentle and keeping loads small, doesn't doesn't come clean otherwise.  Haven't used an outdoor clothesline since coming to China, I do miss that outdoor fresh dried scent.

My ayi does my laundry. 

Mine too!!