How to do Laundry in Germany

Watch as we chat through all things washing and drying your clothes in Germany!

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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:28 - Where is the Washing Machine?
01:38 - Do Germans Hate Tumble Dryers?
04:08 - Drying Clothes Rack
08:15 - How Do Jen & Yvonne Do Their Laundry

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[Danny]

Regarding the dryer- yes, it eats up a lot of electricity. Plus hanging your wash to dry on the outside -weather permitting!- is also goof for the wash to make it softer. here in Ireland I do have a balcony, but neighbours are smoking on theirs and smoke wafts over pretty much all the time so I dry them on a clothes horse inside. However towels for example end up being really rough and stiff then. Looking forward for moving back home to Germany and to be able to dry my stuff on the outside again

[airtonsilva]

I've been living in Germany for 8 months now and I only used the dryer once, because it was super cold to let the clothes dry in the balcony or keep a window opened to avoid excess humidity. Normally I just hang them on the rack inside the apartment and keep an eye on humidity with a Digital Hygrometer I bought cheap at Aldi Süd. If it gets higher than 55% I open some windows and wait for it to come back down.

[chatterbox]

you guys are great, making simple but yet important topics, people choose to ignore and other expats tend to be shy enough to ask !!

[Segszy]

Great video and timely one. Looking forward to a video on volunteering in Germany; how to, opportunities, and benefits.

[tneon]

honestly, as a german who hasnt learned this at home this is still quite some usefull information

[reinhard]

In most tests liquid detergents come out worse than powder. They need more tricks to hold everything in solution.
Heating something up slowly to the same temperature needs the same (or more) energy than doing it faster. The ECO modes usually use more mechanical effort (which needs only few energy).

[rando-user]

notes: (1) dehumidifier makes it dry faster on the rack… when something takes a long time to dry sometimes it can smell ‘musty’. game changer. (2) softener make fabric less-absorptive (even towels and bedlinen)… if you do for smell maybe you can try essential oils.

[katya_harek]

In the german city I live the water is super hard, so I also add an anti-kalk tablet every other wash.

[AlinaOmelchenko]

Hi guys! Here is a comment from someone who worked for 7 years in a company that manufactures laundry detergents :)

1) Perwoll is a soft duty detergent. Means it works well for delicate fabrics (e.g. wool or silk) when you dont have stains on your clothes. For actual stains and overall more soiled clothing you need to use heavy duty detergents - such as Persil, Ariel, Tide, Dixan, etc. They also come in liquid form and various price ranges.
2) For non-delicate white and light clothes solid detergents are the best! E.g. you can get Persil megapearls or Persil bar and get the best resuts even in the eco cycle. Reason behind is that normal bleach (laundry agent that removes stains) cannot be stabilised in liquid form, only in solid form. Perwoll white contains only optical bleach, which is fine for more delicate fabrics like silk or woll, but makes not much difference for linen.
3) Great point on sports clothes or anything with membrane! Softener just ruins it completely :)
4) Secret tipp for more efficient wash: you can put your liquid detergent directly into the main section of machine, before you put your clothes inside. This way it doesnt have to flow through all those pipes, dissolves in the water faster and works better. Same can be done with pre-dosed detergents (e.g. liquid caps or solid bars). Enjoy ;)

[maxid.]

Holy cow guys, so many softner and laundry detergent? I use only one detergent without any softner at all. All my clothes are pretty clean and soft 😊. And by the way I also don’t have a dryer. Finaly when I hang my laundry in the morning, it’s already dry by the evening. In summer, I dry it on my balcony. It’s also greatly depends on how the spin cycle of the washing machine is set 🤓. Like your videos. Greetings from a German friend

[MrWhitneye]

These are useful and practical tips!
Among the first surprises I experienced in Germany was how different the washing machine was (compared to the US).
I bought one of those that has both washing and drying in one unit and I have it in the bathroom. The biggest issue for me is that it just takes long. For a few small items, I would use the fast cycle which lasts for about 15min. For everything else, I only use mixed wash function as that is the shortest cycle but still lasts for over one hour!
I once pressed the cotton button for washing my towels and oh, boy~ it took a few hours to complete the whole process. I was like why?!!
Also, the drying cycle takes minimum 2.5 hours! I compared my machine with a few others in my city and basically it was all the same. I don't think I will ever get used to how long it takes to do the laundry and dry my clothes.
By the way, I only use dryer in the winter and when it rains because that's when things take forever to dry, and I just can't take it. lol
In comparison, the washing machine I had in the US took about 30min to complete the cycle. The drying cycle took about 30-40min but you can control the time by 5min increment, so you can leave things in the drum longer if the laundry is not completely dry.

Back to Germany, weather permitting, I also use my balcony as a drying station, which is especially nice to dry large stuff that takes a long time to dry indoor like bath towels or long pants.
Oh, one thing I think I thought you guys would mention but did not, is the use of antikalk? or the detergent you use comes with antikalk in it?
Or the water in Düsseldorf happens to be soft?

[YourMessenger]

I live in an apt that has a heated towel rack in the bathroom. I hang my clothes on that in the winter. Dries in no time.

[chichisancanal]

Honestly, as someone who is planning to live in germany (And alone for the first time, away from my family), you guys help me a lot!! All those stuff to learn are simple and yet so important! Thank you so much!! Love your videos! 🥰

[furTron]

Hmm
I learned what fabric softener is made of and I refuse to use it at all. Instead, I use a big spoon of vinegar.
As my main detergent, I use "magic leaves" or regular laundry detergent, which I put DIRECTLY in the drum. NO PLASIC pods etc.
This way my 7 year old washer has no odor at all and the detergent compartment and pipes still look like new.

I use 3 different programs:
- "light" 30C for shirts
- standard 60C for underwear/socks
- standard 90C for towels/bed sheets

I do not have a dryer at home, but I take my wet towels to the Landromat to dry - just because I love how soft they are after the dryer

[RusGhostRider]

Great job! You might also mention about washsalons, lots of people using it at least for the big things, like curtains.

[yaseminylmaz]

I hang them on my heater in winter and the rack near to the heater as well. In summer I usually try to wash them early in the morning and near to window where it is sunny and airy. I live in a dormitory, and sometimes I use a dryer.

[parisssss.e]

OMG! I was using it wrong the whole time! I though (I) means the main washing and (II) means the softener!

[biankakoettlitz]

when I still lived in my parents house, we hade several washing lines /Wäschespinne outside and dried there. Today I have a balcony and airdry there /Wäschestativ and because I live near the sea, if the wind blowing right, my clothes smells so good🤩

[walksfromacountydurhambus]

I can hear a German accent developing in Jen's voice. Well done.

[jasonsubhan]

I live in the UK and have a washer dryer in the kitchen. I always use a liquid non biological detergent. I add a stain removal powder for certain clothes. I also use a softner. I did once hear about a survey in the UK which said that some British people wear clothes and use bed linen for longer before washing them. I heard a Doctor on the radio saying this is not good especially for anything that you sleep in or on because of the amount of perspiration and dead skin deposited when you sleep.