Housekeeping and the dreaded Laundry

Oh also! On the soaking thing, I recently heard about something you can do if your whites have come out of the wash grey-coloured. There is a product you buy & soak them & that's supposed to make them whiter again,

I use good old-fashioned bluing for that. But if you let your whites dry in the sun, they'll stay a lot whiter than if you use a tumble dryer!

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When I used to rent, my cottage didn't come with a washing machine so I bought my own. However, I think others are right - most rental properties will already have one.

That cottage also came with a cooker which was old and nasty so my landlord was happy for me to scrap it and buy a new one. So even if you rent somewhere that already has a washing machine, if it's old and not in good shape it might be OK for you to buy your own. Obviously, that's up to your landlord

Enzymes, chemicals... much of a muchness to me.
I just buy the one that has the nicest scent!

I use good old-fashioned bluing for that. But if you let your whites dry in the sun, they'll stay a lot whiter than if you use a tumble dryer!

I had to look up what bluing was! 

I think she was talking about soaking them in a borax/hot water mixture to take the grey out and return the whiteness. Although I'm not sure if you can just buy borax in a shop here or if it's something that you have to order online from somewhere?

I don't have much problem with whites turning grey so it's not a solution I've sought out, but just thought to mention it here. I've heard that can happen (whites turning grey) where the water is harder, and the detergent isn't washing out thoroughly - but we have soft water up here & I'm glad.

I've heard if you have hard water, you can add borax and also vinegar (like apple cider vinegar) to a wash to counteract the effects of the hard water.

We've found combination washer/dryer to be pretty useless.  We now have a John Lewis washer, which I was happy to find has a cold water setting.  I tend to use liquid detergents as I hate those soggy cardboard boxes of powder that clumps up!  We had to get a new dryer, an AEG Lavatherm condenser (you don't have to vent it outside, the water collects in a drawer to be emptied). Not entirely satisfactory -- seems to think you only want to damp dry things so you end up draping stuff all over.  One thing I noticed is that things seem sort of stiff and my socks (cotton) are pilled when they come out 

No Mrs. Dash.  We've just gotten used to bland food, I'm afraid.  DH throws in lots of onions whenever he boils potatoes.

No Mrs. Dash.  We've just gotten used to bland food, I'm afraid.  DH throws in lots of onions whenever he boils potatoes.

You don't have to suffer bland food!  There are lots of DIY seasonings out there... I make my own taco seasoning, Ranch dressing mix, and Lipton-esque onion soup mix.

Although I'm not sure if you can just buy borax in a shop here or if it's something that you have to order online from somewhere?

I bought borax in Boots.
No idea WHY I bought it... I've had it for 10 years and still haven't used it!

You don't have to suffer bland food!  There are lots of DIY seasonings out there... I make my own taco seasoning, Ranch dressing mix, and Lipton-esque onion soup mix.

Absolutely! A couple people put up some links for 'copycat' DIY Mrs Dash recipes - up thread.

I bought borax in Boots.
No idea WHY I bought it... I've had it for 10 years and still haven't used it!

25 Household Uses for Borax - Maybe one of these?

I have always just tumped everything into the washer and used a the "enviro-friendly" setting, then drape it all over the radiators. But then I read an article stating that for certain items....socks and undies, etc....that you need to wash them hot to kill bacteria. It gave me a bit of the willies, so now I separate everything out. Immediately I washed a load of whites with a bright blue tea towel and everything came out tinted slightly. I haven't said anything and no one has noticed. 

But it is good to hear others' techniques as I am a bit lost now.

That stuff is MAGIC.

Yes, yes it is. (The Dettol). It even keeps our non-ventilation totally-steamy bathroom under control.

DW bought a 2 litre bottle of thin bleach from Morrisons, it was just their "saver" brand (i.e. budget), and she said it was fine for the use she wanted which was just general wiping down of stuff, even then dilute it down.