Laundry tips

Textiles

To have flawless laundry in the long run and even after many washes, the magic word here is “SEPARATE”.

Separate pieces of laundry for:

Dry cleaning

Hand washing

Machine washing

Separate the clothes for machine washing like this:

  • White and very light -colored laundry (no delicates or wool or silk)
  • Colored and dark-colored laundry (no delicates or wool or silk)
  • Black laundry (no delicates or wool or silk)
  • Delicates (delicate fabrics are lighter and more vulnerable to damage, like for example blouses and lingerie).
  • Sports and membrane textiles
  • Wool and silk

Pay attention to the care label instructions of the textile manufacturer (you will get further information about the washing symbols here).

New colored textiles might discolor, therefore we advise you to first check them for color fastness and wash them separately if necessary.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT FACTS

Always choose the type of detergent according to the type of fabric, for example heavy duty detergent, color detergent or mild detergent.

You can use color detergent or heavy duty detergent for most textiles . But special fabrics need special care. In particular, wool & silk, black textiles, sports / membrane textiles and delicates should be washed using the appropriate detergents.

Depending on the area you are in, an additional water softening agent might be useful for your laundry. Your local waterworks provides information about the hardness level of your water. Water hardness should be taken into account when dosing your laundry detergent properly.

What does a laundry detergent actually consist of?

  • Surfactants: These are the main cleansing ingredients of any detergent. One differentiates between anionic and nonionic surfactants.
  • Water softening agent/builder: A water softening agent makes hard water turn into soft water. This boosts the cleaning properties of the surfactants and prevents limescale deposits in the washing machine.
  • Washing alkalis: These increase the pH level of the detergent solution. Increased pH level will lead to the fibres of the textiles swell and the dirt to be dissolved more easily. Alkalis effectively improve washing performance.
  • Enzymes: Protein-based stains and starchy deposits can be removed by enzymes. Enzymes are highly skilled in breaking up organic deposits and improving the cleansing effect of the detergent.
  • Graying inhibitor/ Anti-redeposition agent: Prevents dissolved dirt being deposited on the laundry by keeping it in suspension.
  • Fragrance: Because of their allergenic potential, perfumes are not contained in each of our laundry detergents (such as dalli MED). However, they can help to mask the smell of the detergent itself and add great fragrance to textiles.
  • Bleaching agents: Colored stains, like for example fruit or blood stains, can be removed by bleaching agents.
  • Bleach catalysts: The performance of bleach is boosted by the catalysts.
  • Optical brighteners: These are fluorescent substances making white items look even whiter. Since they can effect some undesirable color shift of colored textiles, they are only contained in heavy duty detergents.
  • Bleach stabilizing agents: These prevent the bleach being decomposed during storage and use of the laundry detergent.

Heavy duty detergent is especially suited for white and light-colored textiles.
  • Dye transfer inhibitors: In order to maintain the color fastness of colored textiles, dye transfer inhibitors prevent color rinsed out from clothes to deposit on other textiles.
  • Unlike heavy duty detergents, color detergent is free from bleaching agents and optical brighteners, as these affect the color properties of textiles.

Color detergent is especially suited for colored and dark textiles.

Mild detergents for delicate and special fabrics are also free from optical brighteners and bleaching agents. Furthermore, some of them act without enzymes.

Special detergents are liquid detergents specially designed to deal with certain textiles (such as sports & membrane textiles).

MED detergents have been specifically developed by dalli for allergy sufferers. They are free from ingredients likely to cause allergic reactions and, in addition, have been tested and are recommended by the German Allergy and Asthma Association.

DOSING

The right amount of detergent cleans your laundry optimally and protects the environment at the same time.

Overdosing the laundry detergent does not bring you better washing results and it may also lead to detergent residues on the clothes (however, these can be easily removed in most cases). Moreover, too much laundry detergent uselessly pollutes the waste water.
Underdosing the laundry detergent possibly results in your clothes not being adequately cleaned and dirt remaining on the textiles. This could turn out to be a real problem if a stain is not properly washed off and therefore “burns- in” into the fabric. This makes it more difficult to remove the stain later on.

So, how do I dose correctly?

You will find a dosing table given on each laundry detergent and on each product page. It considers three factors:

  • Generally speaking, one can assume a load of 4-5 kg of dry laundry here, as this is equivalent to the average capacity of a washing machine.
  • For mild and special detergents, an average load of 2.5 kg of dry laundry is assumed.
  • For bigger machines and larger amounts of laundry, more detergent is then required as indicated in the dosing table.
  • Your local waterworks provides information about the water hardness in your area.
  • As a general rule, the harder the water in your area is, the more laundry detergent you need.
  • Light soiling: This refers to clothes that have been worn for up to one day. The textiles are free from visible stains, but may already have absorbed odors. Among “lightly soiled textiles“ are guest towels or bed sheets which have only been used one time.
  • Normal soiling: Clothes which have been worn several times, show light stains or smell of sweat are considered to be normally soiled. This category comprises underwear worn for one day and bed linen which has not been changed for a week.
  • Heavy soiling: This category refers to textiles which clearly show visible stains, like for example: kitchen towels, baby bibs or sportswear. Pre-treatment of stains can be particularly useful in this case. Read how to do that here..
ORDER DOSING DEVICE

TEMPERATURE

  • Most of our laundry detergents are formulated to achieve good washing results already at temperatures starting from 20°C. Washing at the lowest possible temperature (20-40°C) gives you excellent washing results, being gentle on textiles and involving low energy consumption. Thereby, cleanliness is assured, the life cycle of your clothing items is extended and the environment is protected.
  • A general advice is to wash using the Eco wash setting of your washing machine.
    The cleaning performance will not be affected by this, but less energy is consumed being environmentally friendly.
  • In regard to heavily soiled laundry, it may be advisable to wash at 60°C. The laundry of sick persons or persons susceptible to infections should also be washed at higher temperatures. Textiles which are used in the kitchen or need thorough cleaning should be washed at 60°C, too.
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free from microplastics

The new dalli laundry detergent formulations are free from microplastics

Dalli takes on responsibility and is committed to a sustainable future.
Therefore, in accordance with the definition of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), our formulations with our label are free from microplastics.

Worldwide, there is still no uniform definition of the term microplastic. Nevertheless, the UNEP definition is increasingly gaining acceptance, especially as it provides a suitable basis for factual-scientific considerations on the topic.

As per UNEP, microplastics consist of “solid, water-insoluble plastic particles that are five millimetres and smaller”. This definition of microplastics is also shared by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) Germany, for example, and we also use this definition as a basis for assessing our products and selecting suitable ingredients.

It is also important to point out that water-soluble or gel-like polymers are excluded from this definition because, according to current knowledge, they do not pose the danger as microplastic particles.