Dirty Whites (Fairy Non-Bio)

Member Name: sweetdaisy

Product:	Fairy Non-Bio
Date:	28/01/09 (913 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: gentle on delicate skins, keeps eczema under control

Disadvantages: doesn't wash well, expensive

When I was pregnant, I received a sample of Fairy Non-Bio washing powder tablets in a pregnancy pack. I used them to wash the Moses basket bedding only because they were free and went back to my usual detergent, Bold, as I preferred the smell and softness of my clothes. I had always told myself that I wouldn't use Fairy as I felt that it was a gimmick aimed at parents to buy their detergent. That was until my Son developed Atopic Eczema and had to start using it, however I am not impressed with Fairy's cleaning abilities.

At 2 months old, my Son started to get inflamed patches of eczema on his back, chest and head. After using numerous steroid creams from the GP, he was referred to a Dermatologist because his eczema was weeping and irritating him. The Dermatologist appointment took 3 months to come through, so in the meantime, in my plight to try and improve his skin the first thing I did was change my washing powder to Fairy Non-Bio Concentrated Liquid.

I decided to use Fairy Non-Bio Liquid, as it is suitable for sensitive skins. Fairy Non-Bio costs around £4.29 for a 740ml bottle, which is more expensive than other detergents. In a 740ml bottle you will get 20 washes if you use the recommended dose of 37ml per wash. There is a clear plastic measuring cap with the bottle to make sure that you use the correct amount of detergent depending on the softness of your water. For heavily soiled clothes it is recommended that you use 55ml of liquid.

Since using Fairy Non-Bio my Son's skin has improved and not become inflamed, as it is gentle on sensitive skins. It has a pleasant smell which isn't overpowering, however once your clothes have dried, it doesn't take long for the smell of the detergent to disappear. I like my clothes to smell clean and am a little disappointed that they don't smell fresh for a long period, however I suppose that adding more scent could make the liquid more of an irritant.

Now, for my biggest disappointment and the reason why I have only rated Fairy Non-Bio two stars - Fairy does not wash well. At first I thought that Fairy was (as it claims) leaving 'clothes brilliantly clean', that was until my Son started eating solids and generally becoming messier. Despite not overloading the washing machine and at times using 55ml of detergent for soiled clothes (even though the clothes weren't heavily soiled), Fairy No-Bio does not remove stains such as carrot, broccoli etc and leaves your whites dirty. Also, it fails to remove bits of stuck-on of porridge and weetabix from bibs and clothes, which are stubborn to remove. So why is it that Non-Bio detergents don't wash as well as Biological? It's because Non-Bio's don't contain the enzymes, which are found in Biological detergents and it's these enzymes, which remove stubborn stains, but can also irritate skin.

As I wasn't happy with the cleanliness of our clothes, when I had run out of Fairy Non-Bio I washed our clothes in Biological powder, which removed stains, left my whites looking white and our clothes smelt clean. Unfortunately it affected my Son's skin, so I have to carry on using Fairy Non-Bio until he outgrows his Eczema. Having said that I do recommend Fairy for those who do have sensitive skins as it has helped keep his eczema under control, however don't expect your clothes to come out of the wash gleaming or smelling fresh, as I don't find that it washes as well as Biological powders, which is a shame.

For more information, please visit: www.fairynonbio.co.uk

Thanks for reading xx
© sweetdaisy 2009

Summary: non-bio which leaves clothes dirty